Is Your Product Development Half-Actions?
Via Jack Vinson, I found this gem: Stop doing half-actions.
All of you who are separating your developers from your testers? You are doing half-actions. Separating the writers from the developers and testers? Half actions there, too. Even when you define architecture and implement across the architecture, instead of by feature, that’s a half-action. A half-action means you have technical debt and will have to get back to that area of the product.
Silos encourage half-actions (or third-actions or sixth-actions). Defining the architecture and implementing across it encourages half-actions. Create a cross-functional product development team. Have them finish one feature at a time. That’s a full action.
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5 Comments so far
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I am guilty of this one on a daily basis and hopefully having read it I can save myself next week. Coming soon: a manageable list of bite-sized tasks!
I’ve shared this link at my blog just now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
By Daniel J. Pritchett on 08.15.08 4:48 pm
[...] Managing Product Development » Is Your Product Development Half-Actions? All of you who are separating your developers from your testers? You are doing half-actions. Separating the writers from the developers and testers? Half actions there, too. Even when you define architecture and implement across the architecture, instead of by feature, that’s a half-action. A half-action means you have technical debt and will have to get back to that area of the product. [...]
By Aaron Johnson – Links: 8-25-2008 on 08.26.08 4:47 am
[...] project manager Great stuff from Raven… she changed her website address, so pay attention. Is Your Product Development Half-Actions? We Are All Just Temporary Stewards Networking, Brokerage and Business Analysts Project Management [...]
By Top Project Management Postings: August 2008 — Project Shrink on 08.31.08 3:40 am
Thank you for this gem of the posts.I believe this will even make our product development steps more streamlined.
By Padameshwar on 09.15.08 8:31 am
[...] For knowledge workers, half-finished tasks equal wasted timeThis piece (thanks MPD!) explains why it’s so easy to work at the computer all day without getting anything done: “Half-completed knowledge work doesn’t mature with age, like fine wine. It gets stale and crumbles like bread.” Learn how to control your work day by breaking everything down into manageable tasks and actually finishing them. © 2008 Daniel J. Pritchett & sharingatwork.com Share and Enjoy: [...]
By Links for August 15th: Facebook Translators, iPhone as Ed/Biz Tool, and How to Finish Your Work | Sharing at Work on 01.26.09 6:19 pm
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