Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Reflections on the indian cricket team's losses!

Why is it that no one wants to see a match where your team is loosing and are super keen when your team is winning. I am happier watching re-runs of matches we won than those that we lost.

Why is it that most movies have a positive end.? May be we like to keep the hope on and losses simply switch off some genetic button.

Why is it that in an organisation ver few are interested in bad news and good news is over broadcast/ spoken/ emphasized atleast in official channels. One can really see this in sales presentations where wins become folklore!

What about project failures, how much do we really learn from them? Are we even keen on doing so? I believe that we would any day gloat on a heroic effort where we managed to cross the line against all odds.

Just me reflecting on my emotions and thoughts as India lost its 202/20 matches to West indies and England on successive days!


Posted by Picasa

Saturday, December 12, 2009

A great Question for every product team member --Why are we doing what we are doing?

As a member of a product development team, one encounters the challenge of there being no single customer and instead a "Product owner" becomes the Proxy" customer. 

Friday, December 4, 2009

A really useful technique many project managers could use - Do you know baselining?

...SO you are a project manager taking over a failing project right in the middle-- what would be your first step?---Baselining

Far too many good project managers end up becoming martyrs simply because they do not use this technique. This used to be a question I often asked project manager candidates!

One technique to help you work well in a matrix organisation

A lot of us work in complex organisation structures that are organised across geographies, product lines and nature of work itself (In technology companies this could be Engineering, Professional services and Support). we then are subject ot directions and expectations of multiple "bosses" who typically operate at higher hierarchy levels. At a more nuanced level personalities and style of management of these "bosses" further complicate matters.