Learning Points

Had a good chat with J yesterday as we compared experiences from his project management role and my own. 

Conceptually, I have in place a good framework:

1. Agile process, hence modularity

2. No hard coding, everything is relative

3. Planning ahead for future extensions

4. Software versioning

5. Functional scope delivery

However, my experience in the current project has led me to think of several points that I require to improve on:

1. Communication, need to have greater collaboration with stakeholders

2. Contractual terms need to be clearly defined - that the clients know that we have to work in a very agile manner, which requires Point 1

3. A clearer process for collecting payments on work delivered

4. Incorporate more features of agile contracts, a shift away from more traditional waterfall methods where the entire project needs to be completed for delivery

    a. Clients need to be briefed early on how agile works as it's not clear to them

    b. Convince client that the processes will be iterative, cannot afford to wait

    c. Keep pestering clients to test as work is being pushed, feedback is important

5. Greater efforts to be focused on iterations - hence need for greater collaboration

6. Convince clients that it is a partnership not a top-down approach

7. Quotations must not be done in the old-school manner but still allow clients to plan for their own budget:

    a. Fixed-scope, fixed-timeline is a no-no, attempt to have time-based payments

    b. Attempt to quote from a functional point of view, time estimated to complete individual abstracted scopes instead of detailed functions

   c. Reduce paperwork involved, quotations to contain story points instead of clearly delineated processes

As this process itself is iterative in nature, I have to quickly gain validated learning from my experiences. Speed is imperative. Pivot and accept failure as part of the learning process.

Key is to convince people to shift away from deeply rooted experiences in working from fixed scopes. Plan for smoother cash flows from work delivered and expect delays.

It hasn't been easy at all. Yet, I know that this has helped me to become clearer in my approaches and I continue to pray for strength.

In my email to a church elder yesterday, I told him how I have not been lied to, misled, angered and disappointed as I have been in the past four months on this new path.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

On Staring

This post would be more about staring into the abyss. Recent events and stumbles have led me to dig deeper into the ground I stand. So many times, you hear the familiar rags-to-riches story and get so inspired, only to realise that somehow, the difficulties are abstracted away.

In reality, you wake up not knowing what will come along today. In reality, you go to bed fearing what will come along tomorrow. It's a yo-yo ride between euphoria and dismay. Yet, there are countless other things you could be thankful for - most of all people who still love you despite your circumstances.

And you relentlessly plow ahead with you head bowed. Too many times I faced disappointing situations in the past few months, people who seem so promising end up being nothing but a distraction. Lessons to learn about trust and how to keep oneself from being needlessly angry. 

There is the Disappearing Clown who embellishes each word he says, promises you a return on your work, asks for a quotation and you never hear from them again. Period. Phone calls, messages and emails go unanswered. But they are last seen on WhatsApp 15 minutes ago. Thanks a lot for wasting my time.

The Time Waster is closely related to the Disappearing Clown except that the relationship does not progress beyond the initial meeting. You carved out some time from the busy schedule to meet this person, who promises a lot and talks about 'strategic future growth', only to balk at your rates and doesn't even bother politely declining your services. Thanks, a lot, you spineless prick. Some time later, you happen to chance upon the project that you were supposed to work on, albeit shoddily produced and you console yourself that peanuts can only pay for monkeys.

And then, there is the difficulty in chasing payments. Perhaps some communication broke down but the client is always too busy to pay. Yeah, busy updating your Facebook and Twitter. Why don't you spend the time reviewing the work that I slogged on for the past few months and actually pay me?

It is tough out there in the jungle. You just don't know who you will meet.