Not everything is a nail: choosing the right tools
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Transcript of Not everything is a nail: choosing the right tools
Not everything is a nail
Choosing, evaluating, and integrating the right tools for
the way you work
Shahina Patel: @shhh_hina at #DC17 #DeliverConf 25th January 2017
Enjoys hands on learning and doing
A big fan of community events and sharing experiences
On Twitter: @shhh_hina
If you want to visit a website: shahinapatel.com
Shahina Patel
Traps! Avoid them.
This workshopWe will be…
Getting to know ourselves better because
Knowing yourself helps you work out what you need and what suits you
Learn how to identify the need for a tool and how to assess their suitability
We will not be…
Telling each other that JIRA is the ideal bug tracker
Finding a way to shoehorn a suite of tools into everything we do
Looking for silver bullets, or golden hammers....
The wrong tool for
the job… causes face-
melting, tear-inducing
frustration in even a fully grown PM
We’re not choosing tools, we’re choosing goals.
“Would you tell me, please, where I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where-” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“- so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if only you walk long enough.”
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom
-Tupac Shakur
(Just kidding, it was Aristotle)
Your ‘Work Management’ Persona
Disclaimer: THESE PERSONAS
MAY NOT BE AN EXACT SCIENCE...
..but see if you can recognise your style of workIt’s important to appreciate that we have different communication
styles
We engage with technology, processes and tools in different ways
So what works for you, might not work for someone else!
If you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, you can better align yourself with a solution that suits your particular preferences
This is the same for teams, too
The Team Captain
The Project Manager’s
Project Manager
The Lion Tamer
Understands the tech
Able to soothe the savage stakeholder
Knows every deadline and deliverable by heartWilling and able to pitch
inAlways on point with reporting
Makes connections across teams and across levels
Superhuman efficiency
Can explain complex ideas simply
Not always patient with people who won’t engage with the technology
More interested in doing the work than reporting on the work
“Efficient and succinct” can come across as brusque
Great empathy for end users
Less people-focused, more project-focused
Less interested in the specifics of the tech
Has been known to forget the odd detail
The right tools will...Enhance your strengths and talentsHelp you achieve your goals
Make up for your weaknesses, give you more time to focus on the parts of the job you love
Building your
toolkit: the assessment
Identify your goal/requirement
Select the right tool for that requirement
Evaluate its effectiveness
Integrate it into your practice
Identify your goalAre you solving the right problem?
What are you trying to make better?
How could you spend more time doing the things you love and less time doing the things you hate?
The ‘slow elevator’ problem pt.ifrom https://signalvnoise.com/posts/1244-defining-the-problem-of-elevator-waiting-times:
The problem: The lift in a building is too slow, or so the residents complain. The solution? Make the lift fasterHow? Buy and install a new motor for the lift
But is that the only solution? It’s an expensive one! What if there’s a different way to look at the problem?
The ‘slow elevator’ problem pt.iiThe problem: The wait for the lift feels too long The solution? Give people something to occupy their time withHow? Install mirrors in the lobby and lift area
Learning from lifts (or elevators)Re-framing a problem gives you a different solution space
It doesn’t solve the problem (in this case, the lift is still slow!), but instead helps you consider if there’s a different/better problem to solve
So ask yourself: are you really getting to the root of the problem?
And if not then don’t skip this step! Make it your starting point. Problems help to define goals. Remember to choose goals, not tools.
The # WhysThe 5 Whys techniques can help you get to the root of a problem
quickly
Start with your problem and ask “Why is it occurring?”
If it’s a need, ask “Why do we have this need?”
Keep asking until you have a counter-measure for the problem
(origin: Toyota http://www.toyota-global.com/company/toyota_traditions/quality/mar_apr_2006.html )
Select the right tool
Identify your parameters
Ask for ideas
Do you already have something you can re-purpose?
These are all parameters that Stephen will consider when choosing an issues tracker.
He’s also considering re-purposing what he already has by using:
Google form + JIRA + manpower
Make an evaluation plan
What are your evaluation criteria?
What is the benchmark for improvement? Your minimum viable improvement?
What’s your evaluation period?
Will you have an evaluation team?
Integrate your new tool
What’s your rollout strategy?
What’s your maintenance strategy?
What’s your review strategy?
Organisations have personalities, too
Integrating tools at an organisation levelWill you have an evaluation team?
Consider all the users
Have you considered all the parameters around integration?
Use the plan as an evolving template
Use the plan each time
Always have an escape plan
What’s going into your toolkit?
Tools checklist
Does it match my overall objectives or goals and purpose for finding a tool?
Have I been inclusive of all stakeholders and users?
Power up: can this tool be adapted to suit my purpose better?
Will my evaluation plan capture the success and effectiveness of the new tool?
Get to know your goals
Choose your tools wisely
Take care of those tools
And they will take care of you.
Thanks for staying ‘til the end!
Do you have any questions? Get in touch!
Shahina Patel | Twitter: @shhh_hina | Website: www.shahinapatel.com