Since when did Swim Lane Diagrams take the place of more rigorous Software Engineering Requirements gathering models like: Process Models, Data Relationship Models, State Transition Diagrams, Use Cases and Event Models? I’ve been managing several smaller projects lately and if they have any kind of Analysis efforts and documented Requirements, they are only represented inContinue reading “Swim Lane Diagrams”
Category Archives: requirements
Turn the Organization Upside Down!
Similar to the notion of “Servant Leadership”, I suggest we look at an Organization from a perspective that is different than the way many organizations will present the Organization Chart: CEO / Owner / Organizational Leader down thru levels of management to as many levels of workers as they choose to include in the orgContinue reading “Turn the Organization Upside Down!”
Starting your own PMO
If your organization does not have a PMO or has one that has been disappointing in its benefits, then this discussion may be for you! I have an opinion that there are “Five ‘P’s in PMO”: Project, Program, Portfolio, Process, and People. Others don’t necessarily agree with me but then they are not writing THISContinue reading “Starting your own PMO”
Project in Trouble?
Despite all of our best efforts, some projects end up in trouble and they need to be ‘saved’ or ‘shut down’! Making the ‘shut down’ decision is very difficult but must be considered once a project that is in trouble is identified. Some of the questions I have used in the past to determine whetherContinue reading “Project in Trouble?”
What do seven Y’s spell??
REQUIREMENTS! When someone tells you they have a need, you should be able to investigate that original statement with about seven (7) Why’s before they get bored or frustrated with your interest. I need a daily spending report! Why Daily? Why only spending? Why only ONE day? Why not a Rolling Daily Report of 5Continue reading “What do seven Y’s spell??”
What Users Say Translated to Software Engineering!
I need a report that shows me how much I spent yesterday! Not an atypical ‘requirement’ from a business users’ point of view, huh? What do you as a Software Engineer DO with this and similar statements? Let’s start with a couple of questions that we can use to expand and clarify on a statementContinue reading “What Users Say Translated to Software Engineering!”
The First 90 Days
When I have been asked what I would do in the first 90 days of a new project as the Project Manager, my responses have typically included some or all of the following as a “Self-Orientation Start Up Plan”: 1) Gather the latest project documentation available from the following sources: a) Portfolio Management files forContinue reading “The First 90 Days”
Orthogonal Views…
A current definition provides us this: or·thog·o·nal [awr-thog-uh-nl] adjective 1. Mathematics . a. Also, orthographic. pertaining to or involving right angles or perpendiculars: an orthogonal projection. b. (of a system of real functions) defined so that the integral of the product of any Continue reading “Orthogonal Views…”
Ever Present Project Management Risks
Every project has Risks associated with the delivery of the Business Solution. These need to be discovered as part of the Project Submission process and continue to be anticipated and discovered during the ultimate execution and delivery of the requested business solution. However, I also believe there are Project Management Risks that are inherent inContinue reading “Ever Present Project Management Risks”
Remember Codd and Date?
These were two technology authors who were quoted on the subject of Relational Integrity and a Normalized Data Model. Their ideas of reducing redundancy in the physical data schema and protecting the mandatory relationships between entities took a whole lot of attention about how to create, define, and manage data so that it was safeContinue reading “Remember Codd and Date?”
The Path To Inkc 