EffectivenessAndVisibleReminders

I started to write some notes here on visible reminders of projects, but it became a personal essay, so I blogged it.

If I'd done Powerpoint, the takeaway points would be

If you're a visual person, visible reminders of project status are good.
Moving disrupts visibility. The visible reminders move or get lost.
Switching from a briefcase to a laptop bag disrupts visibility. The reminders go into hiding.

DaveSmith 2005.05.23

I like the essay. Are you going to put an RSS feed on your blog so I can use my newsreader to read it? -- JohannaRothman 2005.05.24

Your reader should be able to auto-discover the feed URL via

Timing is amazing.

I am sitting in an internet coffee place in Sunnyvale, Ca. reading and typing. I am about to meet with a contractor on a $100M project. One of our struggles is that we have little or no visibility into the coding phase of the project. The contractor is supposed to propose something this morning that will remedy the situation.

I have written extensively about visibility on projects. Somehow in the last year I have let this $100M project lapse to a point of little visibility. I don't like that. I have hope for what I will see today.

DwaynePhillips 25 May 2005

My hopes were fulfilled. The Contractor had a good scheme for tracking and making status visible to people.

The bad news is they are moving to a different building in June. We talked about that and how it might disrupt things for a while. The person who had created the visibility concept had found a fine place in the current building to put the status information - near the coffee pot. Now she has to find a similar gathering place in the new building.

DwaynePhillips 27 May 2005

We use whiteboards and post-its where I'm currently consulting. For an example of creative use of space, see the Engineering VP's door behind me here ChrisHofstaedter. DonGray 2005.05.27

Dwayne,

From a customer perspective, why is visibility in coding important, other than for a regulation? It has always befuddled me. Now, the how the code responds to test cases would be a better fit for me if I were a customer. Or are we saying the same thing? CharlesAdams 2005.05.28

Charles,

I represent the people who will use the software. I am responsible for monitoring the cost and schedule of the Contractor. If the Contractor will need more time or money to complete the software, I need to know as soon as possible. I can do a better job if I can see their progress against their plan. This is a Cost Plus contract.

DwaynePhillips 29 May 2005

Dwayne, thanks! It seems we are talking about the same thing. Progress against plan can be visualized in many different ways. With such a big project I presume you are using Earned Value Management along with other measures.

CharlesAdams 2005.05.29

I'm puzzled about EarnedValue for software. -- JohannaRothman 2005.06.04

Updated: Saturday, June 4, 2005