CASoft blog

With a waterfall approach, one wants to have as close as possible to 100% of the requirements up-front. The challenge in this case is fairly obvious. Getting 100% of requirements documented on a fairly complex system is no easy task and is rarely achieved in practice.

With an iterative approach, I will kick-off the development with 80% of the requirements up-front. Knowing Paretto’s (80%-20%) rule, it makes a lot of sense! The rest of the requirements can be elicited during the development, and a lot of time can be saved this way.

If an Agile approach is to be implemented, I will start the development with less than 20% of the requirements and the scope being defined. In this case, on basically unearth the requirements by putting prototypes in front of the Customer and getting feedback. The prototypes are refined as the development goes, and become an application overtime.

One may notice that everyone, in every area of life but more so in project management, claims to be successful and, more often than not, successful only…
How good someone really is, who has never experienced failure, I ask?

We all have strengths and weaknesses, and this means we perform better in some situations than others.

Have you ever noticed that when their is a problem (and there’s always one), most consider self as being outside of the problem, while everybody else considers you as being part of it?

Successful people take ownership of the problem at hand… and they don’t forget their brain either.

In order to think effectively, one needs to avoid rules of thumb and short-cuts.

Heuristics for effective thinking:

• Availability heuristics: Recall most vivid memories
• Representiveness heuristics: Judge something with something else it looks like
• Anchoring heuristics: Judge something with its distance from the anchor

Thinking traps:

• Selective perseption
• Contrast effect
• Rationalisation effect

Short cuts:

• Cognitive laziness => Need to gather more information, concrete facts and figures, short-term and long-term consequences.

Biases and Assumptions:

• Consistency bias => Examine your motives regarding the problem
• Confirmation bias => List possible causes of past outcomes. Purposefully focus on contradictory evidence. Seek input from impartial 3rd party
• Hindsight bias
• Attribution biases (self-serving bias, egocentric bias or fundamental attribution error)

Problem Solving Mindsets:

• Apathetic mindset
• Adaptive mindset
• Analitical mindset

Decision making styles:

• Despote
• Judge
• Waffler
• Safety blanket

Obtain a wide range of experiences and maintain a learning log.

When it comes to staff development, one wants to start by identifying the Leaders. Here are a number of theories that can help in identifying Leaders:

• Trait theory: Charism, Intelligence, Confidence, Influence, Business knowledge
• Equity theory: Efforts rewarded fairly
• Behavioral theory: Combine reaching specific goals and building relationships
• Contingency theory: How leaders adjust under different circunstances
• Situational theory: Strong leaders adjust to the needs of employees

Transactional leadership sets expectations and reward system, and manages by exception.
Tranformational leadership builds relationships, leads by example, and endeavours to make positive changes.

Developing staff through Organisational Development:

• Change management
• Knowledge management
• Learning organisations

Organisational Development Interventions:

• Total Quality Management: Eliminating defects in processes.
• Six Sigma: Client orientation and management focused methodology for improving quality.
• High-involvement Organisations: Entrust employees at all levels as decision makers.

Human Process Interventions:

• Leadership development
• Team building
• Conflict resolution
• Emotional Intelligence

Human Resource Development Interventions:

• Performance management
• Diversity programs

“I’m holding you accountable for the outcome.”

Lack of Personal Accountability may show through Negativity:

• Emphasis on blame or deflecting fault
• Complaining tone
• Expression of frustration or fear
• No real productive answer
• No suggested action
• Judgemental tone

Positivity, on the other hand, is usually partnered with Personal Accountability:

• Emphasis on helping or solving the problem
• Willingness to take positive action
• No accusation
• None-judgemental tone
• Emphasis on being open-minded and taking responsibility

Choose your attitude. Play. Make their day. Be present. Be world class!