Calling

May 29

ErinTop of my head , No Comments

Maladisyertong init
Kailangang makibaka
Tawag #housebandry

Definition of Done

May 26

ErinWork , , No Comments

I came across this simple definition of done in my inbox:

A good working definition of “Done”: Someone’s need was met.
– Mike Burrows (@asplake) , January 29, 2016

Someone in this context should be taken as everyone that has a stake on the feature/user story:

  • The Product Owner’s Acceptance criteria are met.
  • The Business need will be fulfilled by the developed feature.
  • The Quality Champion’s criteria for well tested feature are met.
  • The (future) Maintenance team would be able to handle any required fixes or maintenance on this code without any difficulties.
  • The Build Integrator will not find any issues with the generated package.
  • (insert your other stakeholder group here together with their concern)

The definition of done (DoD) need not be a list. What is needed is for the team members to understand that Done means the feature is useful for everyone who is interested in it, may it be directly or indirectly. If that is not possible then the team needs to make sure they arrive to that point as part of the Inspect & Adapt mandate of agile methodologies.

Palahaw

May 26

ErinLiterature, Top of my head No Comments

Gusto kong manalo sa Lotto
Hindi dahil ayoko ng magtrabaho
Kungdi dahil medyo sawa na ako
Magpaliwanag paulit-ulit sa mga tao.

Maikli na nga siguro ang aking pasensya
Marahil sadyang dahil tumatanda na
Kahit gustong idaan sa diplomasya
Kahit paimpit nais kong magmura.

Truthiness

May 02

ErinGarbage, Work , , , , , No Comments

Holding a ball in one hand in front of you illustrates the common fact that two or more sides of the truth can exist without negating other truths. This boils down to perception; and managing the perception of the other viewers.

My co-lead in the project was getting some reputation flak for his leadership style. When we talked about it he raised a good question: “I used the same tone and method you used a few days ago when you addressed the team. What makes my delivery different (and unacceptable)?”

It was good question because I agree that our leadership styles have a lot of similarities. How come one can get away with using that style while other people have a negative reaction? Is it the context/personality of the person using the style and the preconceived notion of the audience about the person that makes a difference? This makes me think of the social experiment wherein random people were made to taste cakes. In one experiment there was a tag price in front of the cake where the slice came from and one is expensive while the other is affordable. In one variation there are no price tags but one of the cakes were placed in a plain platter while one was in an ornately gilded tray. A lot of the people said they preferred the more expensive cake (or the one in the more expensive looking tray) better stating that it is finer and has a more chocolaty taste. The catch is that all cakes used in the social experiment were IDENTICAL.

Presentation and context may be the critical factor in play here.