All Questions
754
questions
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How does Planning Poker work in a cross-functional team?
Let's suppose we have a common Scrum team comprised of a frontend developer (one or two), backend developer (one or two), tester, designer. Let's further suppose that we need to estimate a User Story ...
4
votes
4
answers
407
views
How does someone get into project management?
As a recent graduate I am finding it very difficult to find work in the field I studied in. Having taken the Briggs Myers personality type test Project management cropped up as a possibility and it is ...
4
votes
3
answers
195
views
Scrum when reaching goal beforehand
So I've been trying to read about what we should do if the Sprint goal is reached beforehand and from what I've understand there are 2 options:
Take in new tasks and change scope
End sprint ...
4
votes
4
answers
745
views
What is the correct process for assessing project management tools/solutions?
We do cross-platform development with .NET, Java, and iOS. I have been tasked with selecting an Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution suitable for managing multiple small distributed teams.
...
4
votes
3
answers
530
views
Please Advise On Project Management software [closed]
Assume I work as a part of a small team (2-3) people who are all remote from each other. We build web applications.
* I use a project management web application to manage bugs/resources/specs etc.
* ...
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Stories in test at end of sprint
We are a small team (3 devs and 2 testers) and we have successfully used Scrum for 6 months, despite being a really small team for this methodology. I am a rookie as a Scrum Master.
Now, we have ...
3
votes
4
answers
412
views
How to estimate without relying on SMEs to estimate based on similar projects?
I create MS Project schedules for the government and recently moved to a new position on a staff where I am being asked to develop and control schedules for tasks that are rather vague, i.e. create a ...
2
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How do I capture details in a user story?
Suppose I have a user story like:
As a customer, I am able to browse products by specifying a category.
If the Product Owner wishes to list the types of categories available such as books, ...
2
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How do you estimate epics?
Let's say we have a brand new project and we want to raughly come up with a bunch of releases and its dates to give the business a vague idea of when we will finish.
Obviously we have all our user ...
1
vote
2
answers
69
views
should I consider 2 different patch versions of some software as 2 different projects or just one project
In Software Project Management, Software versioning uses a convention like this
For example, skype 6.26.2 and skype 6.26.1 are different versions of the same App.
“Project” is the highest level ...
0
votes
1
answer
232
views
how to execute sprint effectively?
How to execute sprint effectively?
If my story is developed , tested i.e. unit + acceptance +
regression, all the bugs are resolved i.e. even low bugs then only
developer take on another story? Or we ...
61
votes
19
answers
18k
views
Is it sound project management practice to make software engineers fix bugs "off the clock"?
I work in a largish, multi-team software development shop that builds a vertical B2B solution suite for a highly regulated domain. We are trying to become more Agile; we are iterating better than we ...
53
votes
14
answers
89k
views
Where to Find a Desktop Kanban board application? [closed]
I have been looking for a week now, all over the net for a simple desktop based kanban management system. I work in a distributed team, but my company won't accept to use an exterior webapp like ...
45
votes
15
answers
29k
views
Should bugs be treated as stories or as tasks?
If you're using scrum you should know that there is a clear difference between tasks and stories. A story is something that is valuable to user. A task is a step to produce that value to user.
So, ...
43
votes
7
answers
16k
views
Daily standup vs. Micro-management
Why isn't the daily scrum considered to be micromanagement?
Under any other circumstances expecting to get a daily update from developers would be considered micromanagement. Maybe even pico-...
36
votes
4
answers
4k
views
How do you convince a client to use Agile Methods?
Here's the thing: In agile, client has very important role to fulfill - if they aren't involved, agile loses much of its value.
How do you convince clients to change the way they run projects, ...
27
votes
8
answers
11k
views
De-scope vs push back timeline vs overtime?
When it becomes apparent that your project is running behind, what considerations should be made when deciding to cut scope, push back the timeline, or ask for overtime? Or is it purely up to the ...
26
votes
11
answers
4k
views
As a PM, How do you select your project team members?
I’m new to project management and it’s not a fulltime job; in other words a programmer turned project manager, still do some coding :-)
I was following this site’s proposal from the beginning, and ...
26
votes
6
answers
50k
views
What makes an effective email status report? Why? [closed]
In project management, what criteria make an effective email status report?
How often should a status report be sent to be useful? Daily? Weekly? Every sprint end?
26
votes
3
answers
21k
views
Scaled scrum/agile frameworks (SAFe vs. Nexus vs. LeSS) comparison
Would someone please shed some light on the differences between:
LeSS: https://less.works/
Nexus: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/The-Nexus-Guide
SAFe: https://www.scaledagileframework.com/
...
26
votes
6
answers
18k
views
How to organize knowledge within a wiki?
Using wikis as a knowledge database becomes more popular since a few years. But now I realized that most of the knowledge is lost because:
articles are out-dated
there is more than one page for the ...
26
votes
7
answers
2k
views
How can a new PM manage a failing project in a few hours per week?
I am working as a beginning scientist and was given the management role for a small project (5 internal scientists, 1-2 external software contractors). What are the absolute essentials I need to ...
25
votes
9
answers
3k
views
Adding new team members to a late project
According to Brooks' Law, adding more people to a late project will make the project later (or by analogy, nine women cannot have a baby in one month). The increased lateness is due to the fact that ...
25
votes
6
answers
18k
views
Where should design be incorporated in an agile process?
We use a scrum-based agile development process. But where should design get incorporated? Separate user stories? Tasks on stories?
We currently think of design as a separate task and break it out as ...
24
votes
2
answers
20k
views
Difference between grooming and refinement
What is the difference between the terms "grooming" and "refinement" of the product backlog in scrum methodology?
I am not able to find an accurate answer to this question. Are they the same?
23
votes
3
answers
40k
views
Sprint Backlog vs Product Backlog
I was always under impression that Sprint Backlog is part of Product Backlog -> it's impossible to add anything into Sprint Backlog without affecting Product Backlog
However, according to one of the ...
23
votes
10
answers
4k
views
What are the best 3 pieces of advice you would give to a new project manager? [closed]
I ask this question because I have noticed that in our community, we have some new project managers. We have also very experienced project managers. I would like our more experienced collegues to ...
22
votes
7
answers
10k
views
Agile team missing commitments regularly and complaining about no trust
I am on the product side and have an agile team that has missed every sprint commitment through the first 4 by between 40 and 60% measured by points. The team continues to say, that it is OK and that ...
21
votes
6
answers
2k
views
How do you manage technical debt?
In real world, business initiatives always take higher priority as there are associated ROIs and deliver something tangible to the users. But there are technical initiatives and projects that need to ...
20
votes
4
answers
22k
views
Are there any specific steps to go from a software developer to project manager?
I'm a software developer with five years of experience and I want to start a career as a project manager.
Today I'm seeking for a new job, related to management where I find myself much more valuable ...
20
votes
10
answers
19k
views
Agile methodologies such as Scrum in non-software development projects
Even though Scrum was originally suggested for managing product development projects, its use has focused on the management of software development projects.
None of the project management teams I ...
19
votes
7
answers
3k
views
How to better balance resources in a cross-functional agile team?
I am the project manager for a team composed of employees who were hired specifically as QA or development prior to agile/scrum being adopted by the organization. Just for background, I came into the ...
19
votes
6
answers
2k
views
What personality traits suggest that a person should move towards project management?
I've just started as an intern for a big company, so this obviously doesn't immediately apply to me. I love programming, however, I'm still considering potential career paths I may be most suited for....
19
votes
11
answers
8k
views
Does project management mean managing people?
Does project management mean managing people? So far, from my understanding, managing people is somehow part of project management. But I don't have any formal training in this direction and I can't ...
19
votes
8
answers
2k
views
How to manage a Web Project
I'm a web developer, working in a small web development firm. usually we have small set of projects, using PHP & MySQL, and a small team with less than 4. But some times its hard to recollect ...
18
votes
8
answers
1k
views
How can I track the work done by a remote team of coders?
I just started a project with a team of coders working remotely. I trust that they will get the job done, but I want a way to track their progress day to day. I know they are using a Git repository to ...
18
votes
3
answers
47k
views
What SMART goals can I set for myself as a new Scrum Master?
I'm transitioning from a Project Manager to a Scrum Master, and I need to come up with some examples of SMART goals for the new role. The goals are for my Annual Performance Reviews where I will be ...
18
votes
6
answers
3k
views
What are the techniques to elicit requirements from customers who don't understand their needs?
Question:
How do you prevent a situation where you have to produce work-product work first and get client feedback before getting on the right track to meet their needs?
Are there any techniques to ...
18
votes
7
answers
1k
views
At what point should a company decide to introduce a project manager role?
What criteria should a software company use to decide if they need to introduce a project management role into their team? From what I have seen, most companies start out with no project managers, ...
17
votes
7
answers
10k
views
Whats the difference between a project manager and an IT manager?
What is the difference between these roles and where is the crossover? Is it possible to be both in particular jobs?
17
votes
14
answers
61k
views
MBA vs PMP to prepare for shifting to Management Career
I am wondering for a person who wants to advance his career from the development to management level in IT sector, what will provide him the suitable foundation or knowledge for him?
MBA or PMP ?
...
17
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Is there any pm methodology that works well on large projects?
My team historically has averaged about 40 people over several years, often more than that. We have a pretty complex product that cuts across several problem domains. We switched from waterfall to ...
17
votes
7
answers
2k
views
What does PMP Certification guarantee about a person?
If someone has written PMP on their resume. What can I assume that they know about project management?
Would they know what is scrum, extreme programming, waterfall, etc?
Would they know which ...
16
votes
5
answers
3k
views
What to do if team can't be made cross-functional?
I work in a small video game development studio, where the whole company is one team working on one product, and each person has a fixed broad function (e.g. programmer, artist, musician). We can't be ...
16
votes
4
answers
6k
views
How Quality Assurance is related to Testing?
Very often I hear people say "Quality Assurance" while talking about "Testing" and vise versa. According to my understanding these two terms mean different things. Could anyone explain the difference? ...
16
votes
10
answers
13k
views
How to identify risks?
What risk identification methods you recommend to use? If a project manager needs to build a raw list of risks containing, say, 100 items, how would he/she do it? As I understand, brain storming is ...
15
votes
7
answers
810
views
How can I make unit testing a priority?
As a one man band delivering smallish web development projects, I found that nearly all regression issues that clients find in the final development phase of the project could be found with unit tests ...
15
votes
2
answers
52k
views
In MS Project, can I create a task whose duration depends on two milestones?
I want to show an ongoing "support" task in MS Project, where the start date is driven by one milestone (test environment available), and the end date is set by another milestone (testing complete). I ...
15
votes
5
answers
5k
views
What Should a Project Manager Do If Development is Not Completed On Time?
I am a project manager of a development team. Oftentimes, the deadline for the development project is not met.
About my team:
I have 4 people in my team, and they are older than me.
Sometimes I ...
15
votes
4
answers
10k
views
What is the difference between Vision and Scope Document and a Project Charter?
What is the difference between Vision and Scope Document and a Project Charter? I think it is pretty much the same. Isn't it?