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> If you run a company and ask me for an estimate on when software will be ready because the rest of the company depends on it This is only one framing. The re

by wkirby 2y ago

> If you run a company and ask me for an estimate on when software will be ready because the rest of the company depends on it This is only one framing. The rest of the company might not depend on it, but they also have work to do that might be best done in parallel instead of serially. A really basic example: I’m the CEO, and I’m speaking at some industry event. I want to know if feature X will be ready so I can announce it at the event, or will should we prepare something else. Engineering is going to need to back into an estimate so that the rest of the org can prepare for a calendar date — marketing, sales, whoever is writing the presentation, whoever is printing the materials for our booth. This is a totally reasonable ask of an engineering org without it being as high stakes as “this is a massive bet on our ability to estimate software timelines” Other parts of the org also have deliverables, and ensuring those deliverables can be coordinated to land at roughly predictable times is the job of management. It seems unfathomably crazy to imply that software is some magical discipline that is immune from having to set expectations.

lifeisstillgood 2y ago
If the CEO is announcing it at a conference, it’s a top line feature that will / should move the needle for the company - ie this is a sizeable bet for the company. Otherwise no-one is listening to the CEO or she is talking at the wrong conference. If it’s a commitment of that size then “here’s a date, rely on it” is terrible management. Yes of course other things need to be co-ordinated My argument is three fold Let’s imagine the company offers an app to record activity on a building site we are adding a photo feature where materials are scanned situ by CV - improving compliance, reducing fraud. It’s worth millions. 1. Co-ordinate with software. What levels of reliability do we want, what milestones will we hit and then turn on certain other activities in the compmay. So set up tests or milestones 2. What’s the idea that software is some Distinct part of a company. It’s everything everywhere. If your marketing team and accounts team and logistics are not up to their eyeballs in software somethings wrong 3. The last point - management has a job. I think we over-play what management can and cannot do. I believe management is being disaggregated by software - and far too often the co-ordination job is a political compromise job not a white hit directive. Edit: I have played with deleting this but it’s a half formed thought - but I am writing a book where the whole software / management idea is being expanded. Maybe it’s only going to stay half formed - but I hope not

by wkirby 2y ago

lifeisstillgood 2y ago

If the CEO is announcing it at a conference, it’s a top line feature that will / should move the needle for the company - ie this is a sizeable bet for the company. Otherwise no-one is listening to the CEO or she is talking at the wrong conference. If it’s a commitment of that size then “here’s a date, rely on it” is terrible management. Yes of course other things need to be co-ordinated My argument is three fold Let’s imagine the company offers an app to record activity on a building site we are adding a photo feature where materials are scanned situ by CV - improving compliance, reducing fraud. It’s worth millions. 1. Co-ordinate with software. What levels of reliability do we want, what milestones will we hit and then turn on certain other activities in the compmay. So set up tests or milestones 2. What’s the idea that software is some Distinct part of a company. It’s everything everywhere. If your marketing team and accounts team and logistics are not up to their eyeballs in software somethings wrong 3. The last point - management has a job. I think we over-play what management can and cannot do. I believe management is being disaggregated by software - and far too often the co-ordination job is a political compromise job not a white hit directive. Edit: I have played with deleting this but it’s a half formed thought - but I am writing a book where the whole software / management idea is being expanded. Maybe it’s only going to stay half formed - but I hope not