TOP LIST10

Development teams solve problems . They take big challenges , break them into smaller , manageable tasks and do whatever is necessary to get the job done . These tasks are often small enough to finish in one or two days . Small tasks promote visibilty ; stakeholders can see progress on a regular basis .

While this is a reasonable approach , take some time to look at the bigger picture before splitting it up . The smaller the work , the harder it is to innovate . It ’ s a little like baking a cake – it ’ s easy to be creative when you start but once you ’ ve chosen the ingredients , your options are limited . Get the team together before you start coding , line the walls with brown paper and think about the bigger picture . Map out the details and look for areas where you can innovate . Talk to key stakeholders and end users to understand their real needs . Sometimes a small business compromise can save a lot of coding . An occasional , informal discussion can reveal details that you won ’ t find in a specification document .

28 April 2016