Everything we do, day in and day out, can generate data, which can be leveraged to create better estimates. In fact, the more “stuff” we do, the more data we generate and the more useful it becomes.
Each and every one of us estimates poorly in our own unique way. Some of us over-estimate, some of us under-estimate, and some of us couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. However, we usually follow a pattern of some kind. The degree to which our estimates are off generally conforms to roughly the same proportions. If we were to examine a particular worker’s estimated task completion time to the actual completion time over the course of many tasks, we can determine the approximate factor to apply to his estimates to find the actual completion time. Continue Reading
Ok, they don’t suck. But they don’t tell the whole story, because items on a to-do list rarely provide context.
For example, take a simple task, which can likely be found on many of your to-do lists, such as “Take out the garbage”. At face value, this seems like a very obvious request. But let’s assume someone is visiting, sees your list on the fridge and wants to lend a hand. Suddenly this seemingly simple task becomes more difficult to execute. Where is the garbage can? Is there more than one? Where does it need to be taken? What day is the garbage collected? What if the bag isn’t full? What about the raccoons?!
The difficulty with most items on to-do lists is that they’re really only meaningful to the person who wrote them. This is because they can fill in the gaps by looking at the task from their perspective, with their experience, and their past knowledge of the situation. As you’ve no doubt experienced, this causes problems when to-do lists are shared within a team, when revisiting an old list of your own, or worse of all, when a list is generated by an outside body, such as a client. Continue Reading
No one likes to generate estimates. They trigger anxiety, frustration, boredom and are usually inaccurate anyway.
At some point in human history, estimates evolved into something more than what they’re intended to be. Perhaps we have shady contractors, auto garages, and wedding planners to thank for the modern perception that billing a client more than the estimated value means someone has been mislead, or taken advantage of. Or, perhaps it’s the fact that generating an accurate estimate is genuinely, extremely difficult — especially given that many estimates are expected to be delivered while there are still many unsolved variables on the slate. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost sight of the fact that an estimate is really just your best guess, based on a combination of the information available at the time and your experience. Continue Reading
In my last post, I touched on the fact that Agile introduces a certain process overhead to the equation. This overhead is an investment. Given time to mature, it reaps great rewards. But what happens when it doesn’t get to reach a state maturity? What happens when the project’s lifespan was never destined to reach that tipping point?
Let’s first assume we’re dealing with a client who is open to stepping outside their comfort zone and adopting a new engagement framework with you. Let’s assume they’re willing to make themselves available for regular planning sessions and demo/review periods. Let us also assume that they’re willing to be held accountable for their role in the project’s completion. Let’s assume our client meets all these requirements, what do you do when the cost of educating the client on the methodologies, the processes, and the language of Agile is greater than the reward of putting those tools to work? Continue Reading
I’m about to enter my 11th year in the business of web design, development and strategy. It boggles my mind to think about it. What is even more perplexing, is that with the exception of the last 2-3 months, the process I (and most of the industry) have employed is in need of dramatic overhaul. In the last few months I’ve been introduced to Agile, which has lessened the suck to a degree.
The Agile movement has some dedicated supporters. Hell, they even have a manifesto. So, I’m likely to get some opposition over this next statement: Agile doesn’t work for small creative agencies.
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