Magic Pixie dust PM

Slide1 : Magic Pixie Dust: Increasing the pace of software delivery … through people Matthew Heusser matt@xndev.com Presented at the Grand Rapids Perl Mongers 26 August 2005


What this talk is not : What this talk is not


Agenda : Agenda The Nature of Innovation Effective Habits IN-Effective Habits (bad pixie dust) Common Objections What to do tomorrow Agenda


Managing Euler : Managing Euler The Nature of Innovation


Managing Thomas Edison : Managing Thomas Edison The Nature of Innovation


Life in the widget factory : Life in the widget factory The Nature of Innovation


Innovation in the white space : Innovation in the white space Innovation is concerned with redefining a task or the way a task is done Gerald M. Weinberg, Becoming a technical leader Process Innovation and Product Innovation Effective Behaviors


Bad Pixie Dust : Bad Pixie Dust Examples: Extended mandatory overtime Pressure Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt Implicitly cutting quality standards Short-Term Cost reductions Ineffective Behaviors / Bad Pixie Dust


The Big Game : The Big Game The role of the leader Ineffective Behaviors / Bad Pixie Dust


The Status Meeting : The Status Meeting Who’s status are we talking about? Ineffective Behaviors / Bad Pixie Dust


Getting it wrong : Getting it wrong “Gathering Requirements” Telephone Game The Ambiguous Spec Effective Behaviors


Encouraging collaboration … : Encouraging collaboration … Craftsmanship Prototypes Effective Behaviors


Efficiency or Effectiveness? : Efficiency or Effectiveness? Effective Behaviors


Maslow - Applied : Maslow - Applied Effective Behaviors


The trouble with learning : The trouble with learning Effective Behaviors


Slide16 : Effective Behaviors


Single-Tasking : Single-Tasking Effective Behaviors


Co-located Project Teams : Co-located Project Teams Effective Behaviors


Commitment : Commitment Amateur-ism Excellence Dedication Effective Behaviors


Deliver Early, deliver often : Deliver Early, deliver often Image from Software Engineering, a practitioner’s approach, 5th ed Effective Behaviors


My boss needs to hear this … : My boss needs to hear this … Common Objections


But, Fred Taylor said … : But, Fred Taylor said … Common Objections


What to do tomorrow : What to do tomorrow Make a plan to change your culture The legend of Holgar Dansk Identify bottlenecks in the way things are done Remove them Find ways to reward experimentation Keep it fun For Quality, Consider ‘Arete’


Discuss : Discuss


References : References Weinberg, Gerald. Becoming a technical leader. DeMarco, Tom and Lister, Timothy. Peopleware Lister, Timothy. Slack. Pirsig, Robert, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Go google some famous inventors.


Bonus Section : Bonus Section


Mappers or packers? : Mappers or packers? The Context-Driven School A Microsoft QA Manager A Stryker Instruments QA Manager Effective Behaviors


Managing Da Vinci : Managing Da Vinci Error Copy Combine The Nature of Innovation


Managing Issac Asimov : Managing Issac Asimov The Nature of Innovation


The Agile Manifesto : The Agile Manifesto Effective Behaviors We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.