Project Management
My rules for managing projects:
- Use email sparingly - really only use it for notifications that new content is available.
- Use a collaboration platform - of course, I like Confluence
- Everyone on the same page - everyone has access to the relevant information - working out loud.
- Information highlights - rather than drowning in information, a page showing highlights of what is happening or decisions made, is a good idea.
Information gathering - data we need from the existing systems:
- Any existing or old requirements documents, wishlists, design documents etc.
- Process documents
- Help documents
- Training documents
- All the fields in existence
- Sample data
- All required values in dropdown lists etc
- An understanding of how much data there is, and what shape it's in.
- It's always going to be bad, just how bad is it
- How are we going to clean it up.
- Existing forms
- Existing reports
- Including excel spreadsheets, board reports, anything that uses that data.
- A look at existing screens - if that is not possible, then screenshots.
Current system
- What's good about it
- What's bad about it
- Where does it fall down
- Where do things fall through the cracks
- How is it tracked and monitored
- How do you deal with problems
- What is a perfect scenario
- What is a really bad scenario.
- What are all the other scenarios.
- What data is missing from the system, why, where is it?
- What data shouldn't belong in the system?
Other information we need:
- Any and all other systems that the business uses - whether they are related or not.
- What the board, executive or management needs out of this system.
- What are the legislative requirements or restrictions.
- What are the inputs to this system.
- Eg Website, web forms
- What are the client's / end users / stakeholders needs.
- What are the emotions / thoughts and feelings around the project.
- What is the politics and history of the project.