When does a code base become large and unwieldy?
When do you start to consider a code base to be getting too large and unwieldy? ...
project-management
How not to rush yourself?
I often find that I do a less than complete work on a feature, especially in the Design phase. I detect several reasons: I'm over-optimistic I feel the need to provide quick solutions, so sometimes I fool myself into thinking the design is fool-proof when in fact it's still full of holes, just to get the job done faster. Of course I en...
Is there any correlation between versioning and milestones?
A lot of OS projects I know (I am PHP developer) uses versions as milestones, but is this the best way? Should milestones mean something in process of project iterations (meaningfull names)? Are there any rules? Or maybe its totally subjective? ...
How to estimate times when working on a new technology?
I have been working on Flex for last couple of months and as this was the first time I had to actually do Flex I ended up underestimating the project tasks which resulted in a delay. So how does one estimate the project timings when working on a new technology? ...
What kind of working agreements do you have in your team?
In this book I've read a lot about working agreements. But since we don't have any in our team, or at least none that are plain for everyone to see, I'd like to ask you if you have such agreements in your team. And of course what kind of agreements? ...
Are there any project planning tools which can handle a estimate range?
Some people have suggested that when doing an estimate one should make a lower and upper range on the expected time to delivery. The few project tools I have seen, seem to demand one fixed date. Are there any tools that support this concept of a estimation range? ...
Requirements or Testing?
If you had to do without one or the other in a software project, which would you pick? I've had plenty of projects in which the client or PM thought they could get away without one or the other. We always paid the price. ...
How do you avoid being taken advantage of by clients?
I’m just wondering what strategies you guys have for not being taken advantage of by clients. This mainly relates to them getting me to do free work. I do free-lance contracting, building websites for a handful of clients. I write fee proposals which set out exactly what they are getting for their money and I do have it in my fee prop...
What is a good project management software for many small projects?
I work at a smallish web agency (3 programmers, 2 project managers), we mostly make sites for marketing campaigns and also some larger sites. Most of our projects are a week, maybe two, in development. The majority of projects are only worked on by a single developer. Up until now we've been using a spreadsheet in Google Docs to keep t...
Have you been committed to a project that should FAIL?
Some projects shouldn't exist in the first place. They have no useful purpose, or have no possibility of succeeding. Or if they did succeed, the consequences would be negative for the stakeholders. Have you worked on such a project, and what did you do? What should you have done? ...
Project Manager Commission Percentage
What would be a fair commission to give to a project manager whose duties are to manage the project team and collaborate with clients? This is on a per project basis and based on the net (project price - cost of development). Is 30% about right? EDIT: The developers are going to be managed remotely since they are out of state ...
Best tactics for managing end of project with large Team
Our current project has a large team, and we have come near the end of the project Like most end of projects, dozens of dependencies are popping up - everyone is waiting on someone else to complete a task. What is the best strategy for dealing with this. I have thought of scaling the size of the team down, so the depenencies can be don...
What are good rules of thumb for presenting new development to non-technical stakeholders?
Communicating with non-technical users can be challenging. What tips do you keep in mind in order to keep the presentation of new and often in-progress development productive? ...
project-tracking tools for navigating with topic maps?
I'm having trouble with project management & am looking for a good tool that will be a good match for the way my brain works (very associatively). I'd like a bug-tracker but one that I can group tasks into topics and associate the topics to each other in a graph (see the Wikipedia entry on Topic Maps ) so that I can find & visualize easi...
Allocating resources for project documentation
What would you suggest for the following scenario: A dozen of developers need to build and design a complex system. This design needs to be documented for future developers and the design decisions must be noted. These reports need to be made about every two months. My question is how this project should be documented. I see two poss...
How to manage project for free?
Hi, I was asked to manage and develop a project. The client does not really care if I hire people who would do it or I do it myself. Thus, I've decided to be more manager than developer. Are there any (free / low cost) web projects that could help me to communicate with each "sub-developer" outta there on Internet? What I expect is t...
Where to start - From scratch? Existing open source project?
I am a web developer/programmer/freelancer. Most of my work involves developing custom web software. Occasionally, I am approached by a potential client looking for something similar to one of the “classic” business applications: CRM, ERP, CMS etc. Most of their requirements seem typical, but inevitably there will be one or two that are ...
Which are your best secrets/tricks to achieve project scheduling?
Scheduling is so difficult. Don't you agree? Which are your best tricks to achieve your scheduling target? ...
Skunk Works Projects
Skunk Works Project: A project carried out by one part of a company without the knowledge of the remainder of the company. Looking for stories about any skunk works projects you've worked on or initiated: Was it successful? Were you found out? Were you punished or rewarded? How did you fund it? How did you staff it? How long did ...
Is there no room in a good company for an average or above average programmer?
Is there no room in a good company for an average or above average programmer? It seems that articles around the web are only about hiring the best or great programmers. An average programmer has sound programming practices and enjoys the job. The individual may not always have the best solutions, get problems done in the most elegant...