December, 2008

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9
Dec 08

Almost working on the most important thing

Guy Beaver on “The Professional Syndrome”

With large batches of non-prioritized (but important) work “pushed” through the professional organization, individuals can easily be blocked due to waiting, delays, etc. But their professional behavior (and skills in multi-tasking) drives them to work on the next most important task. Integrate this over time for the large number of projects that are pushed through the organization and the unexpected result is the biggest cause of unnoticed waste – everyone “almost” working on the most important thing.

[via NetObjectives, Economies of Scale (Don't) ]

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7
Dec 08

Honda – American or Japanese?

WSJ writes about America’s Other Auto Industry:

These are the 12 “foreign,” or so-called transplant, producers making cars across America’s South and Midwest. Toyota, BMW, Kia and others now make 54% of the cars Americans buy. The internationals also employ some 113,000 Americans, compared with 239,000 at U.S.-owned carmakers, and several times that number indirectly.

The international car makers aren’t cheering for Detroit’s collapse. Their own production would be hit if such large suppliers as the automotive interior maker Lear were to go down with a GM or Chrysler. They fear, as well, a protectionist backlash. But by the same token, a government lifeline for Detroit punishes these other companies and their American employees for making better business decisions.

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5
Dec 08

Just Say No to Multitasking

NPR Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again:

As technology allows people to do more tasks at the same time, the myth that we can multitask has never been stronger. But researchers say it’s still a myth — and they have the data to prove it. Humans, they say, don’t do lots of things simultaneously. Instead, we switch our attention from task to task extremely quickly. [...]

“People can’t multitask very well, and when people say they can, they’re deluding themselves,” said neuroscientist Earl Miller.

[via Good Experience]

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3
Dec 08

Waterfall, Lean, and Michelangelo

NetObjectives ponders how Lean works with software development:

The irony is that in the Waterfall process you hypothesize that [knowing all requirements] is possible. In other words, the Waterfall itself is somewhat trying to emulate a manufacturing situation.  Lean Software actually suggests that requirements won’t be known until well into the development cycle and that we have to defer commitment knowing things will change. [emphasis added]

As an ex-Certified Project Management Professional, I find waterfall is an excellent fit for big projects that are largely static, well known, and often repeated processes. It is perfect for building a house or a bridge.

But software development is all about blazing a trail and creating something that never existed before. There are no roads to follow or plans to repeat. You could just as easily predict how long Michelangelo’s next project will be after the Sistine Chapel. Sure the materials will be the same: paint, walls, and maybe even a church. But these are not particularly central to the requirements, nor do they particularly drive the project’s duration.

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