4 ms·

I have delivered successful software for 30+ years without sprints or any other ceremonies. I simply keep a prioritised “to do” list and only work on what is th

I have delivered successful software for 30+ years without sprints or any other ceremonies. I simply keep a prioritised “to do” list and only work on what is the #1 priority. I do it when managing development teams and when working as part of a team. It’s simple. It works. And when asked to change priorities, it is clear from the priority list what the consequences will be. And usually people will change their minds when they can easily see the consequences. It also means that you never need to say no. You simply add the new task to the priority list and negotiate whether it moves up/down relative to other tasks.

pas 4y ago
when asked do you give estimates? how many people can ask you to move something up/down? is your list public to others? does it happen that the #1 thing is blocked by some dependency? (do you simply move to #2?) how do you manage a team? (do they work on your list or they have theirs?)
- mbrodersen 4y ago
  Yes I give estimates when asked. I use the priority list to negotiate the number of deliverables agreed to. The list makes it easy for biz people to balance time vs. deliverables. Yes if #1 is blocked then I work on #2 until #1 is unblocked. And if #2 is blocked then I work on #3 etc. I use a single prioritised list to manage teams. The list is public to the team and I rearrange it as needed when new discoveries/obstacles warrant it. I also let team member choose which tasks they want to work on. As long as it is one of the high priority tasks. I don’t know if individual team members have their own list. I don’t care how they do their work as long as it gets done at high quality. I also publicly list tasks completed and the people who completed them. It makes it very obvious to everybody who the most productive people are. It’s a great motivator for the team because everybody wants to be #1.

pas 4y ago

when asked do you give estimates? how many people can ask you to move something up/down? is your list public to others? does it happen that the #1 thing is blocked by some dependency? (do you simply move to #2?) how do you manage a team? (do they work on your list or they have theirs?)

mbrodersen 4y ago
Yes I give estimates when asked. I use the priority list to negotiate the number of deliverables agreed to. The list makes it easy for biz people to balance time vs. deliverables. Yes if #1 is blocked then I work on #2 until #1 is unblocked. And if #2 is blocked then I work on #3 etc. I use a single prioritised list to manage teams. The list is public to the team and I rearrange it as needed when new discoveries/obstacles warrant it. I also let team member choose which tasks they want to work on. As long as it is one of the high priority tasks. I don’t know if individual team members have their own list. I don’t care how they do their work as long as it gets done at high quality. I also publicly list tasks completed and the people who completed them. It makes it very obvious to everybody who the most productive people are. It’s a great motivator for the team because everybody wants to be #1.