We’re interested in software planning processes at Bayside. Earlier this week we published the last in a series of posts covering some of the tools and practices we’ve found useful on software projects. All three posts are now up and available to read at your convenience.
Spec’ing the specs series
Hopefully these posts will make you think a little about your own team’s software development process. None of our suggestions are miracle fixes. And most can be tested out separately from the rest. So jump in and give one or two a try. See what works in your organization.
Speak up with your own suggestions and reactions in the comments.
In two other posts we’ve covered both how to craft and how to capture a plan when approaching a software project. In this third and final post of the series we’ll talk a bit about our approach to following that plan when it comes time to execute it.
Collaboration has emerged as the common theme for us in designing and developing software. For any plan to have a chance at successful execution, the people charged with building it, the people who will use it, and the people who have expert knowledge about the business behind it need to work together from start to finish.
Collaboration certainly shouldn’t stop once developers start writing code.
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Collaboration is an important part of team work. It’s also important though to strike a balance between team work and productivity. After all, it’s hard to make much progress on a project if your team is wrapped up in meetings 90% of the time.
One way to strike that balance is to encourage team members to communicate on their own schedule. In person visits, phone calls, and instant messaging are great tools. But they require immediate attention and can derail a person’s attention. An alternative is to use disconnected communication tools.
Provide an internal blog, a short message Twitter clone site, or an IRC style chat room and give accounts to everyone. Whenever someone hits a wall or completes a task, they can post a short message. The running list of messages will be available whenever other team members check in on it. Everyone keeps up with what’s going on without the pain of time draining meetings. You also get the added benefit of connecting folks who work in disconnected offices.
Meetings don’t have to be time draining. Short, focused meetings can be very useful. Just make sure every meeting has a clearly defined purpose. Get in the habit of sending out agenda points. Keep the agenda points limited to decisions points or group related updates.
Encourage team members to discuss and refine the points ahead of time using your collaboration tools. Don’t schedule an hour unless you really need it. More often than not 15 – 30 minutes gets the job done.
Whenever your team is gathered you’re spending as many worker hours as there are team members. Hash out as much as possible upfront to make sure the time spent together is worth the cost.
What other forms of communication do you find work well for you? Leave us some ideas in the comments.