IDENTIFY AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY

Throughout this book, we’ll focus on getting you the information you need to manage the project’s workload. By workload, I don’t mean just producing code or completing test cases. That’s only the visible, explicitly valued aspect of most workdays. Certainly, a project manager wants to know how well his or her group is performing at the level of the work breakdown structure item. On a day-to-day basis, though, the project manager also needs to have data that he or she can use to make and to justify decisions, to plan and to estimate, and so forth. This data is just as important as productivity or defect density. In practical terms, this means that you also need to take into consideration all the planning, reviewing, bickering, and rework that so quickly fill up the empty slots on everyone’s daily calendar.

When starting up a measurement effort, identify those areas that cause the most surprises and decide how to monitor them. Answering the following questions will typically uncover areas of opportunity for measurement and improvement:

Are the requirements always changing?

Does it take longer than expected to finalize the requirements?

Does the development team make changes to the requirements and/or design documents right up to the last minute?

Does coding take longer than estimated?

Does the development team have to add code tasks to the project plan in the middle of the development phase?

Does the transition to testing often uncover problems with planned tasks or estimates?

Is the test phase always full of unwelcome surprises that force schedule slips?

Is internal documentation delivered on time, and is it accurate?

Is external documentation delivered on time, and is it accurate?

As you consider what needs to be improved in these areas, set your sights on changes you can make within the boundaries of your own group. Focus on things you can control—areas where you’d like to be better prepared, more efficient, or more disciplined—and start there.