39
votes
Developers can't see what they're doing wrong
I would like them to understand why I want to do something. [...] Any advice?
Don't theorize, show them.
Their current state of mind is that they know what they do works. And you come over and tell ...
- 8,428
35
votes
Why are developers expected to estimate tasks at all?
You Have an X/Y Problem
Why are developers expected to estimate tasks at all...[when i]n my ideal world, management would simply tell me which task they want me to work on next and then as it ...
- 49.8k
24
votes
Accepted
What is a failed sprint?
According to Mike Cohn
It’s quite common for a team to have a bit of unfinished work at the end of an agile sprint or iteration. Ideally, a team would finish every item on its sprint backlog every ...
- 2,084
21
votes
Managing R&D projects that don't have a 100% chance of success
No project has a 100% chance of success. So there's that.
For R&D, the project itself is not the product. It is research and development. It's a service-oriented project. Therefore, you would be ...
- 37.1k
20
votes
Why are developers expected to estimate tasks at all?
Frame Challenge
Almost everything a developer writes is unique, they have never built that particular thing before. We are not cabinet makers repeating a variation of something we've built hundreds ...
- 544
19
votes
Accepted
Planning a sprint after reduced team strength
If you reduce a team from 7 to 4, especially if the reason is something outside the team, the best course of action is probably to treat this as a completely new team. People will need to change into ...
- 1,299
14
votes
Accepted
If you already release continuously, what are the benefits of a Scrum Sprint of constant length?
TL;DR
A Sprint enshrines your empirical process by providing a maximum delivery cadence
It increases communication and alignment
It adds some predictability to the unpredictable nature of software by ...
13
votes
How should we hand-off and ticket UI designs to the devs to ensure the developed design matches the provided UI mockups, while still being agile?
I've seen this happen with design so many times. It's a structural problem with how people and teams are organized. Now, I feel like I should say that cross-functional teams are not required to be ...
- 16.9k
13
votes
Refactoring in Agile development
TL;DR
Part of any project management framework, but especially agile frameworks like Scrum, is the necessity of continuously managing stakeholder expectations. People want what they want when they ...
- 49.8k
12
votes
Accepted
How do you explain to a client that migrating an existing application's database to different one (e.g. from MySQL to MSSQL) is not a trivial task?
Directly and honestly.
By the way, I think, this is a sales and negotiation question:
As far as I understood, you would like to support your customer and maybe earn some money. You would like to do ...
- 1,767
12
votes
What needs to be in place to get a Software project estimate within 10%
The software project, already completed (and even then your historical data might be off by more than 10% depending on how you tracked it). Note: this is not a joke.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/...
- 957
12
votes
Accepted
Can scrum master interrupt team member during daily Scrum?
Is it the responsibility of the Scrum master to intervene and interrupt a team member when he/she starts telling about points beyond those 3 that I mentioned?
Technically speaking, no. The purpose ...
- 14.8k
11
votes
Accepted
Time estimation and deadlines
The short answer is never give a fixed time estimate, always give a range. And then clearly document this in emails or the project plan (writing).
Long Answer:
Fifty some off years of software ...
- 12.5k
11
votes
How should we hand-off and ticket UI designs to the devs to ensure the developed design matches the provided UI mockups, while still being agile?
Let me challenge the frame of your question a bit:
Why do you have such specific requirements that change for every ticket?
Is it really necessary to have different margins between buttons on ...
- 8,428
10
votes
Accepted
What are Acceptable SLoC Rates?
In Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art, Steve McConnell presents a table that is adapted and extended from Measures for Excellence: Reliable Software On Time, Within Budget, Industrial ...
- 19k
10
votes
Developers don't like to estimate. What can I do to improve the process?
This issue is not just limited to developers or agile or even in the IT industry. This cuts across all industries and all types of roles.
Providing estimates is about trying to predict the future ...
- 37.1k
10
votes
How to finance non-programming activities when clients don't want to pay for these activities?
Stop work immediately and get the work under a contract. Get a detailed Statement of Work that clearly identifies what is getting delivered, what activities will take place, what finished looks like, ...
- 37.1k
10
votes
Team needs a lot of time to deliver even the simplest stories- how to know why?
...a lot of time to deliver even the simplest stories
Only the development team knows what constitutes a simple story.
The time it takes to deliver a story depends on a lot of factors, including:
...
- 19.4k
10
votes
Is it possible to be agile with a highly technical project?
Everything in your question suggests that you are exploring a new problem, not simply creating something you already know exactly how to build. Because waterfall asks you to create your design ...
- 16.9k
10
votes
What is a failed sprint?
I am personally adverse to the idea of ever saying a sprint 'failed'.
Scrum uses the term 'inspect' 27 times, and 'adapt' 16 times over the course of the guide.
Scrum also has no notion of 'failure'...
- 929
9
votes
Accepted
Temporarily adding external freelance developers to an existing developer team (aka. Hybrid Team). Pros and Cons?
The biggest problem is Brooks' Law
You did not say why you are trying to add freelance developers to the small project temporarily. If your project is late and you are hoping to crash the time line, ...
- 11.1k
9
votes
How do I organize a team of “shadow" software developers (think ghostwriters)?
The simplest answer to this will likely be the answer you least like. Don't...
In the last fifteen or so years we have seen an ever increasing level of transparency in the work place. This crosses ...
- 12.5k
9
votes
Accepted
How should a Scrum Master handle high cycle times from individuals on a team?
Firstly, look at whether you can split your stories any more.
Secondly, why aren't the engineers on your team cooperating. The way your describing your system sounds like a you've set a minimum work ...
- 1,255
9
votes
How to finance non-programming activities when clients don't want to pay for these activities?
Stop billing them for the activities they complain about and roll the costs into what they are willing to pay for (deliverables). You're not cheating them--you're not burdening your clients with the ...
- 91
9
votes
Accepted
Does SAFe yields better long term results than traditional Agile
First, I must say that my experience does not match the statement nor am I aware of any study that shows that. When SAFe or "pure" Agile are adopted well, they both have great throughput and quality.
...
- 16.9k
9
votes
Accepted
Agile: Work on PBI Stories By Backlog Priority
Unlike the Product Backlog, which is an "ordered list of what is needed to improve the product", the Scrum Guide does not specify if the Sprint Backlog is ordered or, if it is, how it is ...
- 19k
9
votes
Developers can't see what they're doing wrong
Simply telling your subordinates to do something they can't see the benefit from is a recipe for disaster, which you already acknowledge, so make it fun for them. Gamification may not be easy for you ...
- 199
8
votes
Are Project Managers redundant in a digital agency?
Disclaimer: I have never worked in a digital agency and I am aware that the role of Project Manager in Digital Agencies can be somewhat different to that commonly accepted in other I.T. operations ...
- 4,424
8
votes
Accepted
How do you keep track of software engineers daily activity?
Make a physical board and visualize ALL the work, also extra work or private projects. Then if you want to know who is working on what attach an avatar to the card in progress. Now the team lead can ...
- 5,533
8
votes
How can we speed up code reviews without sacrificing thoroughness of the code reviews?
A couple of suggestions:
Code Quality Tools
It is worth thinking about using automated code quality tools like Findbugs, PMD and Checkstyle.
Ideally get the team to agree on a set of coding ...
- 19.4k
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