我所在公司是个百年名企，和很多startup company相比，组织结构庞大臃肿，headcount绝对超过150法则所建议的神奇数字150（该法则认为将组织规模控制在150人以下命令才得以执行团体才能良性互动），而且凡事讲究process，对客户需求的response难免迟缓滞后，这在如今事事讲究速度效率强调快速反应的时代，这头巨象的转身自然不如土狼迅捷灵敏，尤其在行业利润日益稀薄的大趋势下，在各方豪杰名士土狼的环伺下，市场占有率，竞争力自然今非昔比。大概也是基于此，公司上层才会积极拥抱各类新概念，掀起一轮又一轮项目管理执行的evolution, revolution罢，可惜，往往是形似神不似。
Recently when I have still suffered the deployment of streamline development and doubted the benefits of it, there comes a new strategy to pilot and deploy agile in our project management. Sure, It is trendy that everybody talking about the agile and scrum. But what agile really is? How to scrum? How to adapt to this new concept, new way of working? How big benefit it will bring to our company? What are the obstacles we face? There is still no clear answer. We all are just learning when we swim.
This book can be viewed as good practices, I really learn something from this book, at least, not in theoretical level while combined abstract noun/theory with concrete example in reality. When I finished reading, I am clearer about agile and scrum. However, here I don’t want to get into the details what and how I learn from this book, how good this book is. I just select some interesting jargons from this book, I heard them somewhere else previously. In order to know them more: background, origin, story and meaning etc, I google them to get deeper understanding. You can view it as “买椟还珠”: I buy the glittering casket and return the pearls to the seller. I don’t care to be a modern version of 楚人。
Yesterday’s weather:
This is the principle that says you'll get as much done today as you got done yesterday. In iterative projects it says that you should plan to do as much this iteration as you did last iteration. The term comes from the Extreme Programming community. It is technique to make our future plans based on what we know.
Origin: Some country decides to build a sophisticated computer system to predict the weather. After spending more money than people can imagine, they come up with wonderful result - and proudly claim that the system is 70% accurate. Somebody then figures out that in this country if you predict today's weather will be the same as yesterday's weather you will be 69.5% accurate.
The point of course is that while Yesterdays Weather is a crude mechanism, it ends up being not significantly less accurate than more sophisticated (i.e. complicated) ways of doing it.
“Chickens and Pigs” metaphor:
It comes from the idea of a project to make breakfast of bacon and eggs. The Chicken suggests that the two involve themselves in a scheme making breakfast of bacon and eggs. In reply, the Pig always notes that, for the Chicken, only a contribution is required as a chicken can simply lay an egg and then resume normal activities, while for the Pig a "total commitment" (or total sacrifice) is needed as in order to make ham or bacon, the pig must be slaughtered. This example simply illustrates that being involved may mean being a participant with little or no effort, while being committed takes time and energy, and means much more than just being involved.
This fable is commonly referenced in the Agile software development community to illustrate two types of project members: pigs, who are totally committed to the project and accountable for its outcome, and chickens, who consult on the project and are informed of its progress.
Gut feeling:
A feeling that you are certain is right, even if you cannot explain why.
2008-03-18
Recently when I have still suffered the deployment of streamline development and doubted the benefits of it, there comes a new strategy to pilot and deploy agile in our project management. Sure, It is trendy that everybody talking about the agile and scrum. But what agile really is? How to scrum? How to adapt to this new concept, new way of working? How big benefit it will bring to our company? What are the obstacles we face? There is still no clear answer. We all are just learning when we swim.
This book can be viewed as good practices, I really learn something from this book, at least, not in theoretical level while combined abstract noun/theory with concrete example in reality. When I finished reading, I am clearer about agile and scrum. However, here I don’t want to get into the details what and how I learn from this book, how good this book is. I just select some interesting jargons from this book, I heard them somewhere else previously. In order to know them more: background, origin, story and meaning etc, I google them to get deeper understanding. You can view it as “买椟还珠”: I buy the glittering casket and return the pearls to the seller. I don’t care to be a modern version of 楚人。
Yesterday’s weather:
This is the principle that says you'll get as much done today as you got done yesterday. In iterative projects it says that you should plan to do as much this iteration as you did last iteration. The term comes from the Extreme Programming community. It is technique to make our future plans based on what we know.
Origin: Some country decides to build a sophisticated computer system to predict the weather. After spending more money than people can imagine, they come up with wonderful result - and proudly claim that the system is 70% accurate. Somebody then figures out that in this country if you predict today's weather will be the same as yesterday's weather you will be 69.5% accurate.
The point of course is that while Yesterdays Weather is a crude mechanism, it ends up being not significantly less accurate than more sophisticated (i.e. complicated) ways of doing it.
“Chickens and Pigs” metaphor:
It comes from the idea of a project to make breakfast of bacon and eggs. The Chicken suggests that the two involve themselves in a scheme making breakfast of bacon and eggs. In reply, the Pig always notes that, for the Chicken, only a contribution is required as a chicken can simply lay an egg and then resume normal activities, while for the Pig a "total commitment" (or total sacrifice) is needed as in order to make ham or bacon, the pig must be slaughtered. This example simply illustrates that being involved may mean being a participant with little or no effort, while being committed takes time and energy, and means much more than just being involved.
This fable is commonly referenced in the Agile software development community to illustrate two types of project members: pigs, who are totally committed to the project and accountable for its outcome, and chickens, who consult on the project and are informed of its progress.
Gut feeling:
A feeling that you are certain is right, even if you cannot explain why.
2008-03-18
