project planning

Better Software Magazine Articles

Cards–I've Got a Million of 'Em

One man's love/hate relationship with index cards, a common tool of the Agile trade.

Ron Jeffries
Pace Wins the Race

Turn to The Last Word, where software professionals who care about quality give you their own opinions on hot topics. Find out what Peter Clark really thinks about overtime and why Lance Armstrong may hold the secret to success.

Peter Clark
How We Got Them to Read the Writing on the Wall

Tim Van Tongeren tells the story of how an internal progress poster became a popular gathering spot and information resource.

Tim Van Tongeren
Once upon a Design

Communicating a project design is similar to telling or writing a story, and the same rules apply. Discover how to consider your purpose and your audience as you craft your tale.

Rebecca Wirfs-Brock
Get the Picture?

Peter TerMaat tells the story of a failing project and a chart that influenced a $2 million decision.

Peter TerMaat
The Product Champion: Making Sure that Customer, Team, and Business Needs Are Well Represented in the Development Process

Having a close relationship with the customer is always a good idea. But with that relationship comes risks. Most projects could use a knight in shining armor to protect their product's future. Discover how a product champion can help your organization stay focused on the customer without losing sight of the big picture.

Linda Rising's picture Linda Rising
Show and Tell

It's critical that you discover the defects before your customers do. Metrics give you plenty of data, but creating charts and graphs that properly showcase this data can be difficult. In this article, read about six techniques that can help make this task a lot easier.

Are You Listening?

Chances are you won't be able to deliver on everything your customer wants. Asking good questions at the beginning of a project can help you determine where your customer wants to go. Although you may not be able to give them everything they want, if you are able to deliver the top ten things on a list of fifty items you've still delivered value. Keeping the lines of communication open is essential to helping you achieve your project goal.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
The Productivity Factor

How effectively and efficiently your team functions can make the difference between project success and project failure. Once a decision-making process is established, it is up to the project manager to hold the team accountable to the process. Over time, processes can stagnate and lose their relevance. The project manager should continually monitor the process for applicability and make adjustments where necessary. Learn how to leverage your team's performance through process, structure, and team leadership.

Geof Lory's picture Geof Lory
Wall-to-Wall Tools

Got blank walls? Instead of hiring a decorator, perhaps you should enlist the help of a facilitator. This article examines how three experts use the wall in very different ways to make retrospectives, design, and collaboration better and easier.

Amanda Sulock

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