Widgets of Wisdom IV

If you aren’t familiar with the Widgets of Wisdom feature, see the explanation and disclaimer here.

1. Address the unknown that the team identifies. If they don’t understand something in planning, clear it up before execution begins.
2. Some architectural decision must be big and early. These are often based on business requirements, not technology. Java vs. .Net, as an example.
3. If metrics are prescribed to a team, explain how they will be used. Metrics cause fear, mitigate that fear.
4. You can prescribe Agility, but not hyper-performance.
5. Part of the maturation process of Agile is the tendency for people to over-analyze the holy heck out of it. This is relly a reaction to the cost of software development and the incredible amounts of historical waste in the industry.
6. CEOs do not care about code coverage. Speak to them appropriately about quality.
7. Earned value reporting is ridiculous.
8. “Don’t wait until the customer is screaming to optimize for performance.” — Thanks, Kevin.
9. Deliver less, but sooner and more often.
10. “Daddy, is that your new OOBE?” – My kid when I opened my new MacBook. “Yes, it is, son. Yes, it is.”