Processes

How to Start a Software Project as Fast as Possible

We started a new project last week, and I started to wonder what are the most important things to do if we want to get a project started as fast as possible (without messing it up). I figured out three things which have helped me to concentrate on the right things during the early phases […] Read more

Why Continuous Improvement Is Worth It?

When we start a new software project, we are typically full of enthusiasm. The whole team thinks that this time we will be able to avoid the mistakes we made in our previous projects. We dream that this time everything will be perfect. And then, we wake up. When the first weeks (or months) are […] Read more

The Dark Side of Best Practices

Best practices are the backbone of software development (or so we are told). Every developer has his own opinions about software development processes, architecture, and programming. These opinions are based on education, personal experiences, and the experiences of other software developers. These opinions are also known as best practices, and every software company has them. […] Read more

Getting the Best Bang for Our Buck - Building the Right Thing

One of the biggest problems of software projects is that we have no idea whether we are creating waste or value. The scariest thing is that 80 percent of software’s features are not used on a regular basis. Thus, it is very likely that we are adding waste to our software right now. This should […] Read more

Getting the Best Bang for Our Buck - Waste or Value?

Too often we measure software development projects by using criteria such as schedule or budget. We treat these projects as construction projects and forget that a software development project is also a product development project that cannot be measured by using the same criteria. This blog entry takes a bit different approach, and explains why […] Read more

There Are No Small Projects

How often have your heard one of the following phrases: This is a small project so we will just have to put something together and FAST. Big projects need to be designed in a totally different manner than small ones. This is just a campaign product / prototype which is used only once. We can […] Read more