I’ve learned a ton about software projects. One thing I know is that any project that uses continuous integration (agile or not) has a better chance of succeeding. Not a guarantee, but a much better chance. I’ve learned other things I find necessary for successful software projects. Two of my favorites are the need for …
Jerry Weinberg used to say something like this. This is what I remember. I don’t know if this is the actual quote: “You paid the tuition for the experience. The learning is optional.” The paid tuition part is about either choosing to go to school or choosing an experience—a workshop, a job, any experience at …
I participated in a breakfast meeting yesterday, called “What is the Future of Work?” We had great discussions and I had more questions. Technology advances help us change and (often) work better. In particular, I was thinking about automation and the changing cost of friction for work especially compared to my early work choices. Depositing …
I‘m writing this on International Women’s Day. I’ve received recognition and thanks from lovely people. I have thanked them. And yet, I have very mixed feelings about recognition based solely on gender. I’ve had a career full of ups and downs, and yes, I’ve felt gender-based discrimination and harassment. I’ve fought for pay parity. I’ve …
I was thinking about being transactional: you do this for me, I do this for you. Often, the transaction is about money. When I pay for a thing—a book, a workshop, something that took you time to create—the transaction is a sort of pay-back. I take classes to learn various things: how to write better, …
I’m participating in several different writing projects: books with colleagues, shepherding experience reports, and a group book effort. We are all working to make the writing and eventual product better. We are playing the perfection game. Here’s how you play the game. You ask this question, “What would make this even better, even more perfect?” …
I was at a writing workshop last week. It was a fiction workshop, where I am still learning my craft. I still learn my non-fiction craft. However, my learning curve has flattened—I understand my writing voice and I find non-fiction easier to write for now. I am not as good at writing fiction yet. I …
I was wandering around the kitchen this morning, making my breakfast. I notice this tag on the counter. I held it up and asked, “Can I delete this?” Mark immediately cracked up laughing. So did I. In the real world, as opposed to our computers and the virtual world, we throw out trash. We don’t …
I wish I was perfect in many things: in my writing, in my coaching, in my personal life. I’m often good, sometimes great, and sometimes a disaster. I can only be a disaster if I’m willing to try an experiment. That means I try to live Voltaire’s quote: The perfect is the enemy of the …
I rented a car last week for a 2+ hour drive from Portland to the Oregon coast for a workshop. I used a GPS app on my phone to get the directions. I expected the phone to tell me when to turn. It didn’t. No noise, no directions, nothing. I had no reason to disagree …