As we think

As we think, work reduces

As we think, work reduces.
Why don’t we think?
Because we have to complete the work,
We can do that by doing it, and not by thinking.


Thinking process validates,

Why something needs to be done.
5 times? good practice.


What is appropriate,
to achieve the “intent” behind the work?


What is conflict in needs,
that skewed the requirements,
making main goal de-focused.


Deep inside business requirements are simple.
The derived means to attend requirements are skewed at every hop.


Time commitment stops us thinking. 
Pressure makes it worst.


Left Brain
Systematic thinking shall deduce the things to its simple form.
If not, non productive emotions dominate,
confusion, blankness suspends further analytical process.

Unanswered “How to?”, “Why did”, “What is”...
are analytical paralysis triggers.


Unanswered questions due to unresolved logical consistency,
block the brain.


Mind can only recover with strong emotions, often negative,
still can not solve the problem further.


Right Brain
Creative options provide multiple simple solutions.
Under constraints, creativity shines,
if not, negative emotions take over,
locking left brain further.


Why don’t we face similar problems while playing video games?
Why don’t we fail blocked?
Because we enjoy.

The critical thing about problem solving and work is to enjoy,
as if you are playing a Video Game.

Regarding COST and Schedule

Regarding COST and Schedule

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

How do we make products 

competitive, better, cheaper and in short period?

OR

How do we do build products in reasonable time?

As a person joins an organization, his senses of cost and time ($ + T) evaporate.

Simply because,

it is his Job to do his “Job”,

sadly “Job” definition does not cover the clause “in the required budget”.

When same person has to get things done for himself, 

out of his pocket and time,

all of a sudden he becomes rational about $ and Time.

Why it takes time to build products?

Because scope inflate.

Minor reasons also exists.

Why scope inflates?

Because there is poor self disciplinary intention.

Our natural intension of “being in safer situation” is stronger.

Adding more buffers in the plan and demanding further more resources.

Both Time and Resource inflate $ cost.

How to control scope inflation?

You have to force,

to make it in time, 

with available resources, 

with good quality and 

with less rework.

Two places scope inflates, 

• Product Management / Analysts and 
• Engg. the development part

The Product Delivery Head

Product Delivery Head must build,

complete and quality product in a defined $ + T budget.

We (the organization) must buy the product 

from Product Delivery Head 

as if it is internal outsourcing organization.

We must buy not as a user, 

but as a buyer who is business maker,

buying it to make profit out of it.

In my experience with various organizations,

Having Product Manager or a Analyst as the Product Delivery Head,

takes organization down turn and 

Engg becomes a common target,

for not being able to deliver the killer ideas to product.

Having Engg Head as the Product Delivery Head,

takes organization down turn and 

Analysts becomes a common target,

for not being able to understand the killer technical aspects that builds the product.

It is required that,

Product Delivery Head is one who understands the business.

Essence of making money out of the work

got done from various skills and people types.

The Product Delivery Head, 

must be responsible for both Product Management and Engg functions together.

Making Product Management responsible for $+T,
will cause bad relations with Engg and same if Engg made responsible.

In absences of Product Delivery Head,

best could be both Product Management and Engg made responsible together

Making Product Manager know per day $ burning cost and budget left can significantly force individuals to look for better, smarter and cheaper alternatives.

It will force to be careful and design before building.

It will force to be careful on requirements before hesitantly building.

It will force to make resources utilized effectively.

This is an effective approach.

Business owners often wonder 

why employees do not have focus on delivery 

and rather inclined to grand things

Ownership forces $ + T dimension referenced all the time.

Employees do not “own”, nor can you make them to have same sense of “ownership” as you have.

Whats the way out? 

Force.

By tracking per day $ burnt and budget remaining.

Product development has two phases,

• Building the product and
• Maintaining the product

Maintaining the product shall take 5% of costs rate of building the product.

Maintaining the product can never end. Every day burning cost shall be reduced significantly over a period.

Building cost can be considered for cost till making the product available to market with its first two GA releases.

Technical interview taker’s Syndromes

Technical interview taker’s Syndromes

“Need to Defeat” Syndrome

I must beat you on at least one question

“I was stuck up here” Syndrome

Asking the question where you were stuck up big way

Not everyone will be in your situation

“Only I know this” Syndrome

Item other than “Generally Known”, most of the times the “WOW” thing

“Exact Verbatim” Syndrome

Expecting exact words or terminology being used from the book or article you had read

“You can’t be better than me” Syndrome

Treating the candidate with the though that he can be better than me, so what the great point is he making? I am the interview taker.

“Threat Perception” Syndrome

Perceiving the candidate if accepted can be position threat by interview taker

“High Standards” Syndrome

Expecting notoriously high standard of candidate in his abilities

“Collage Questions” Syndrome

In a way challenging that he had moved towards a professional level after he had doe with his collage studies

“Emotional Acceptance” Syndrome

Accepting candidate considering his situation or recruiting just because is personality had appealed

“Just Like Me” Syndrome

Choosing personalities who are like you,
you like introverts / extroverts so recruiting them,
you like male / female to work with in comfort hence recruiting them,

Or even common attributes of any types

“I must ask about everything” Syndrome

Asking on Aptitude, then on abstract, then on design, then on database, then on java, then on J2EE, then on Project Management, then on Frameworks, then a program writing,…

“No breaks car” Syndrome

Once interview started, can only be finished after 1 ½ hr. As if it is an OCD. Knowing that candidate is not suitable in 10^th miniature, still continuing with 1 ½ hr course.

As interview Technical takers gain experience, these Syndromes fed away as signs of maturity.

Stop thinking another "superior" product

Stop thinking another "superior" product

Often,

Superior = Big features, Big complexity, Big plan, Big cost to company, Big delay, Big bug list, the big…big of all big things that negatively impact on business

Having superior product is not the only essential thing, nor does it guarantee market success

Superior Product thinking adds to big costs only

Better quality, more feature is quality axiom.

The Quality Axiom often fails to #1 market share

Thinking a product simple enough to do better market success?

Expected that,

Superior = delivers value to customer, easy to use, intuitive, simple enough, flexible, sticky!

What customer is saying? than your competition?

Coding is like knitting

Coding is like knitting,

you can not repair 

without starting it all over

Same for Design of Systems

The biggest ability admired

The biggest ability admired

(myself to my team)

The biggest ability admired in any organization is “getting work done”.

This being extremely rare and hence most valued work ability.

There are hordes of people we can find who can do “the work” but poor at getting work done.

Getting work done is people and planning skill.

Unfortunately we have no subordinates further in a small team like ours.

Nor we have enough years of work experience to get direct subordinates.

Hence we role play subordinates for each others.

But, we must give highest consideration to “recruitments” (i.e. delegation or outsourcing) as we practice.

I had spent 3 years figuring out, to whom I delegate my work to, when no coding further was mandated.

Wondering how hell I am supposed to delegate, when there was no team.

I did both roles and on top also was outsourced by other peer teams.

Most of time I was at receiving end of work, that I should have had not done.

And doing so would have definitely boosted my effectiveness in “my work”.

Look around there are enough opportunities to outsource to peer teams, like content, MARCOM for data, QA, testing and other.

Department productivity soared when we had built work champions like you, who can drive deliveries like managers, other teams struggle to do.

Investing in resource building, who can take execution, is required for every employer.

“It is your job to find Solution” (FLS 11 Sept 09) is what every employer wants from employee.

Focus on this yourself. Implement this for subordinate resource too.

We are organizations within us, CEO of our own work life.

At times most of such thoughts are clearly expressed repeatedly with you all.

It had been so descending all the times at all levels.

There's the undeniable fact that people like the familiar

There's the

undeniable fact

that

people like

the familiar