Devops for Growth

Learn the types of stakeholders you’ll work with as a project manager, with stakeholder management tactics & tools for managing each relationship with ease.

Introduction When developing duration estimates for a project task, it is useful to make a distinction between the  uncertainty inherent in the task and uncertainty due to known risks.  The former is uncertainty due to factors that are not known whereas the latter corresponds uncertainty due to events that are known, but may or may…

Introduction In my previous post I  demonstrated the use of a Monte Carlo technique in simulating  a single project task with completion times  described by a triangular distribution.  My aim in that article was to:  a) describe a Monte Carlo simulation procedure in enough detail for someone interested to be able to reproduce the calculations and b)…

A web-based tool for calculating project estimates using a Monte Carlo simulation was recently made publicly available. It was created in the hopes that agile teams will use it to facilitate conversations between scrum masters and product managers, focusing on realistic outcomes and not overly optimistic projections.

The modern workplace disregards the fact that engineers feel best creating quality work, which often requires the right space and opportunities to think about the solution they're working on.

Many companies push for faster development cycles, impossibly tight deadlines and a management approach that treats people like they're easily replaceable parts. It's not an easy task to reverse this reality for your team, but this book is the blueprint you need.

Peopleware is divided into six parts:

Managing the Human Resource
The Office Environment
The Right People
Growing Productive Teams
Fertile Soil
It's Supposed to Be Fun to Work Here

L’A3 est un des outils les plus importants du Lean Management et de l’amélioration continue. Son utilisation peut aussi bien servir à résoudre des problèmes du quotidien qu’à gérer un projet de manière plus globale. Sa structure en 8 étapes sert de fil conducteur à une communication visuelle et factuelle. Ce document construit pour évoluer au cours du projet a le grand avantage d’objectiver les discussions: le problème, l’objectif, les causes sont clairement décrits et chiffrés. D’ailleurs, nous vous recommandons l’utilisation de graphiques, images, ou schémas qui rendront la feuille encore plus impactante . Les mesures et le plan de leur implémentation sont également visibles par tous les intervenants. Enfin, la feuille A3 n’oublie pas de mentionner les étapes de vérification et de standardisation du processus. Il n’est donc pas étonnant que les Project Managers s’en servent comme support de présentation face à leurs interlocuteurs.

How the Bubble Framework works

Essentially, it’s a data-driven feedback loop that enables dev teams to actively respond to change – specifically by accurately tracking progress and anticipating risks of delay – and course-correct accordingly. With the estimator, I used historical data from Jira to compute a project lead time in the form of a probability distribution. Unlike traditional estimation methods, no team estimates are necessary, which not only saves time and hassle but also enables unbiased and instant forward visibility for planning and course correction throughout a project. In developing the algorithm, I drew heavily from two established methods of estimation: the visual component is based on a tool developed by the Critical Chain Project Management community, and the estimate function is rooted in the Monte Carlo method. In essence, what I brought to the table was the pairing of the visual tool and the estimation algorithm to create a short feedback loop that relies on historical data rather than team estimates, thus avoiding some common pitfalls of progress tracking and estimation.

Christophe Achouiantz (@ChrisAch) The Art of Delivering Value on Time (The Art of Succeeding) Christophe Achouiantz Lean/Agile Coach

Le guide est un outil pratique à destination de toutes les parties prenantes du SI de l’entreprise pour évaluer la gouvernance du SI et améliorer sa performance.

A Project Initiation Document (PID) is project documentation you can use to define the project scope, management, governance, and success criteria. Make a PID the right way—download the free project initiation document template and follow our PID best practices to start your projects right.

Introduction In an essay on the uncertainty of project task estimates,  I  described how a task estimate corresponds to a  probability distribution.  Put simply, a task estimate is actually a range of possible completion times, each with a probability of occurrence specified by a distribution.   If one knows the distribution,  it is possible to answer questions  such as:  "What is…

Le document A3 va être à la fois un outil de communication simple et visuel sur le projet, un support de suivi et va permettre d’un coup d’œil de juger du bon avancement du projet associé.

Le projet va donc être décrit sur une feuille A3.

Dans son livre Adaptive Project Framework: Managing Complexity in the Face of Uncertainty, Robert Wysocki explique avoir observé qu’en ce début de 21e siècle, tout domaine confondu, environ 70% des projets nécessitaient une gestion de projet «adaptative» (tel qu’illustré dans la figure ci-bas).
Le paysage de la gestion de projet
Fig. 1 - Le paysage de la gestion de projet (R.Wysocki) (Traduction et adaptation par Claude Émond)

«Adaptative» est le mot qu’il utilise pour caractériser une approche «agile structurée» comme le Scrum, en opposition à une gestion de projet «extrême» ou l’agilité n’est plus structurée, mais plutôt improvisée, spontanée et réinventée constamment.

Some projects are so complex, you think they must be a joke. But they're oh-so-for-real. Here are the principles and tactics you need to pull it off.

En début de projet, il est nécessaire de s’assurer que :

L’énergie déployée par les équipes est bien dirigée
L’organisation est en place et bien comprise

De plus, il est nécessaire de resserrer les premiers contrôles. Il est judicieux de diviser par 2 les ratios. Donc pour une tâche moyenne de 2 semaines, point d’avancement tous les 3 jours, premier copil après 2 semaines. Vous pourrez revenir ensuite à un délai normal entre les contrôles.
Je conseille d’appliquer la même règle :

Au début d’une phase sensible
Après une forte correction
Après une redéfinition du périmètre
Pour des tâches sur le chemin critique

What to Include in Communication Plans

While the specifics of your communication plan will vary depending on the project type and scope, there are a few key items that should be included in every project communication plan you create:
Key stakeholders: Note all key stakeholders, including your primary client contact. Include contact information such as phone numbers and emails, so that anyone who accesses the communication plan is able to find this information.
Team members: Include the main team members from your project team along with their roles. This is handy for anyone new to or unfamiliar with the project. List who on your team is involved in the communication of deliverables, leading strategic discussions, or how you’ll handle technical conversations between stakeholders and your team.
Communication methods: Outline the main communication methods and different channels you will be using to contact stakeholders, such as email, phone calls, in-person meetings, video meetings, Slack, social media, or any others. Include notes on stakeholder’s preferred channels.
Communication type: Include types of communication, how that communication will be shared, what will be included, and who that communication will be with. For example, you might be providing weekly status reports to the client. Think about how you will provide this, who it will be provided to, and what information needs to be in the report.
Communication style: This can be broken down by stakeholder and communication method. Does a certain stakeholder prefer formal communication only, or can you be a little more casual in your tone?
Meeting schedule: While you can adjust this as needed throughout the project, having an initial idea of how often you’ll be meeting with stakeholders is helpful. Depending on the scope of the project, you might also want to outline how often you’ll be emailing the client. Include internal team meetings as well in your meeting schedule.
Key messages: For each stakeholder, determine the key message or information that will need to be communicated with them throughout the project. This also includes any information or feedback you will need from them.
Communication goals: A communication plan that includes communication goals can help ensure you make decisions based on what you’re trying to achieve.