I’ve heard quite a few project managers say lately, “I don’t have any formal project management training,” as if to discount whatever observation they were about to make, because it … More…
CDLINFO News: Behind the Scenes
Getting things down: the case for documentation
Half way down the Agile Manifesto (a list of the principles fundamental to agile software development), it states “Working software over comprehensive documentation.” I don’t know how many of us actually … More…
Learning from mistakes
Courtesy of the California Historical Society, North Baker Research Library, San Francisco, CA Earlier this month we marked the 104th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake. The anniversary brought to my … More…
Start from the ground up
Have you ever been asked “how long does the task list need to be?” If so, has this struck you as code for something else? When I’ve been asked this … More…
Territory folks
I’ve had a couple of reminders this week about the perceived differences between technical team members and the rest of us. I claim the dubious privilege of straddling the fence, … More…
Practicing at communities of practice
I like the phrase “community of practice.” It captures togetherness and the idea that we are practising something. We might not have it down pat. The notion has continual appeal, too, as an approach to knowledge … More…
Exit Stage Left
I’ve just been involved in planning the end of a project. You might even say that we killed it before it got off the ground. At the same time, I’m … More…
Taking the Creep out of Scope Creep
You’re faced with a choice: If you pick Door Number 1, you have to add 1 new feature to the service you are creating. If you pick Door Number 2, you have to add 2 new features … More…
A habit of resilience
I’ve been reading an article in the January/February issue of Harvard Business Review (HBR), “How to Bounce Back from Adversity.” If you have access to HBR online, here’s a link. The … More…
Internships at CDL
Last Wednesday, Rachael Hu and I went to the Spring Career Fair at UC Berkeley’s School of Information. The Fair is held at Berkeley’s South Hall, an historic building on the … More…
