The analogy of your energy being like a battery is a way to conceptualize how you expend and recharge your energy throughout the day. Just like a battery, you start the day with a certain amount of energy, and as you go through your tasks, social interactions, and other activities, you “drain” this energy. Here’s a breakdown:
Charging Phase (Morning)
Full Charge: You wake up after a good night’s sleep, and your “battery” is at or near 100%.
Morning Routine: Activities like showering, breakfast, and light exercise can either maintain your energy or give you a slight boost.
Active Phase (Daytime)
High-Performance Tasks: These are the tasks that require the most energy. It’s best to do them when your battery is still relatively full.
Social Interactions: Conversations, meetings, and social activities also consume energy, some more than others.
Routine Tasks: These are less draining but still consume some energy.
Draining Phase (Late Afternoon/Evening)
Energy Dip: Most people experience a natural dip in energy in the afternoon.
Low-Performance Tasks: This is a good time for less critical tasks that don’t require much energy.
Recharging Phase (Night)
Wind-Down: Activities like reading, taking a warm bath, or meditating can help you transition into a restful state.
Sleep: This is when your “battery” recharges for the next day.
What could help?
don’t context switch between tasks
focus on 1 thing at a time, take a break, focus on 1 new thing
in work this could be plan your day
be aware of your email inbox and slack absorbing your day
The Planning Fallacy is a cognitive bias that causes people to underestimate the time and resources needed to complete a task. Despite past experience showing that similar tasks have typically taken longer than planned, individuals often predict that their own projects will proceed more smoothly. This fallacy is common in both personal and professional settings and can lead to missed deadlines, budget overruns, and increased stress.
Example
Imagine you’re writing a blog post on a topic you’re familiar with. You estimate that it will take you two hours to complete the post, including research, writing, and editing. Based on the Planning Fallacy, you’re likely underestimating the time required. In reality, the process might involve unforeseen complications like:
Additional time for in-depth research
Multiple rounds of editing and proofreading
Technical issues, such as website downtime or formatting problems
Interruptions or distractions
As a result, the blog post might actually take four or five hours to complete, rather than the initially estimated two hours.
Real-World Examples
1. Construction Projects
One of the most cited examples is the construction of the Sydney Opera House. Initially estimated to be completed in 1963 at a cost of $7 million AUD, it was finally completed in 1973 at a cost of around $102 million AUD.
2. Software Development
Many software projects suffer from the Planning Fallacy. For instance, Microsoft’s Windows Vista was initially planned for release within two years but ended up taking over five years to develop.
3. Public Transportation
The “Big Dig” in Boston, USA, was initially estimated to cost $2.8 billion and take a decade to complete. It ended up costing over $15 billion and took 15 years to finish.
Agile project management is an approach to software development and project management that prioritizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer-centricity.
It involves iterative progress and adaptability to change, often breaking down larger projects into smaller, manageable parts known as iterations or “sprints.”
Agile methods are not confined to software development; they can be applied to other fields such as marketing, manufacturing, and organizational change.
Agile in the Tech World
Using Agile methodologies in for example website design allows for a more flexible, adaptive, and customer-centric approach.
Rather than spending months perfecting every aspect of the site before launch, teams can break the project down into manageable “sprints” or “iterations.”
This enables them to release a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) more quickly and then iteratively improve upon it based on real-world feedback.
In this way, design and functionality can evolve in response to user needs and changing market conditions, leading to a more effective and successful end product.
Agile in diagrams
you want to avoid this:
Useful Terminology
Iteration= A time-boxed period during which a team completes a defined set of tasks. Also known as a “sprint” in Scrum methodology.
User Stories= Short, simple descriptions of a feature or function written from the perspective of an end user.
Backlog= A prioritized list of tasks, features, bug fixes, and technical work that needs to be done in a project.
Scrum Master= The individual responsible for ensuring that the Scrum process is understood and followed by the team.
Product Owner= The person responsible for defining, prioritizing, and updating the product backlog to deliver maximum value to the business.
Sprint= A specific type of iteration in Scrum, usually lasting between one to four weeks.
Daily Stand-up= A brief daily meeting where team members discuss what they worked on the previous day, what they will work on today, and any blockers they might have.
Kanban Board= A visual tool used to manage workflow and optimize efficiency by tracking tasks and their statuses.
Swimlanes= Columns or rows in a Kanban board that categorize different types of work or differentiate between different teams.
Epic= A large user story that is too complex to be completed in a single iteration and must be broken down into smaller user stories.
Velocity= A metric used to measure the amount of work a team can accomplish during a single iteration.
Burndown Chart= A graphical representation of work left to do versus time, often used in Scrum to track the progress of a sprint.
Retrospective= A meeting held at the end of each iteration to discuss what went well, what needs improvement, and how to implement those improvements.
Expansion on terms
Burn down chart
as its’ name implies a burndown chart is a chart that shows the burndown of work.
So basically you see the number of story points
the team is delivering over time, so your team’s velocity.
On the X axis you have your sprints and on your Y axis, your story points
Retrospective
What went well?
Great teamwork and collaboration.
Effective communication.
The team worked in parallel on multiple tasks and finished all of them.
Management authorized additional resources for the project.
Good collaboration with other teams.
What didn’t?
Several unplanned issues came up in UAT.
Testing took longer than anticipated.
BAU (Business As Usual) got in the way of project work.
What could we do differently?
Automate testing to reduce cycle time.
Define additional resources for the project or handover BAU (if possible).
MVP
MVP (Minimum Viable Product), the Core of the Agile Methodology. An MVP is a concept from agile scrum that refers to a product that has just enough features to satisfy the needs of early customers and, more importantly, give them something to provide feedback on to shape the future of the product.
FAQ and Useful Info
What are the 3 core roles in an Agile team?
product owner typically an end customer who defines what is valuable and priroties
scrum master – runs team meetings, removes impedimentswork with product owner and ensures the team reamins on track
delivery team – people in charge of execution, defines which user stories are part of a sprint
What are good Agile Rituals?
sprint planning
daily standup
sprint review (demo/showcase)
retrospectives
Top Tips
start with sprint 0 for planning
define who is in the team and roles
agree days and time for rituals
make sure you have done due dillegence before you start
understand constraints
define when releases are done
Does Agile equate to Scrum? Are they equal or the same thing?
Technically no, in reality yes. Allow me to clarify this, Scrum is one of many Agile methodologies, but Scrum is the most popular and widely used of all Agile methodologies. Hence, when people are talking about “Agile” they are generally referring to Scrum. Most people don’t even know there are other methodologies besides Scrum. If you want to learn more about the other methodologies, just go to this link.
Explain agile in an interview
The Agile Way! Keep it simple and succinct. Just let the interviewer know that Agile is an iterative approach to managing projects. Highlight that you love Agile because it follows a customer-centric approach whilst closely collaborating with your team members to deliver value for the business in a short period of time. You can also mention a couple of the things found on this article.
Case Study
Breaking a complex project into manageable tasks
Breaking down a complex project into manageable tasks is fundamental in Agile methodologies. Here’s a simplified step-by-step process:
Define the Vision:
Start with the end goal or the main objective of the project. What are you trying to achieve? This can be documented in a vision statement or a product roadmap.
2 Create Epics:
An epic is a large chunk of work that can be broken down into smaller tasks. It’s more granular than the vision but not as detailed as individual tasks. For example, “User Authentication” might be an epic for a software project.
3 Develop User Stories:
For each epic, create user stories. A user story is a description of a feature or requirement from an end-user perspective. It typically follows the format: “As a [type of user], I want [an action] so that [a benefit/a value]”.
4 Break Down User Stories into Tasks:
A user story can often be broken down into multiple tasks. For instance, for the user story “As a user, I want to reset my password”, tasks could be: – Design the “Forgot Password” interface. – Develop backend logic for password reset. – Implement email service for sending reset links. – Test the password reset functionality.
5 Estimate Tasks:
Once tasks are identified, the team can estimate the time or effort required for each task. In Agile, this could be in story points or hours, depending on the team’s preference.
6 Prioritize:
Determine the order of importance for your user stories and tasks based on business needs, dependencies, risks, and other factors.
7 Plan Sprints:
In Scrum (a type of Agile methodology), work is divided into sprints, which are time-boxed iterations (often 2-4 weeks). Place your prioritized tasks into these sprints based on the team’s capacity and the project timeline.
8 Review and Adjust:
After each sprint, conduct a retrospective. Discuss what went well, what didn’t, and how processes can be improved. This feedback loop ensures that the project remains adaptable and the team continues to improve.
9 Maintain a Backlog:
Not all tasks or stories will fit into the immediate sprints. Keep a well-maintained and prioritized backlog of these items. Over time, some backlog items might become irrelevant or new ones might be added.
10. Continuous Communication: Foster an environment of open communication. Ensure that team members can discuss challenges, clarify doubts, and collaborate on solutions. This keeps everyone aligned and ensures that tasks are accurately defined and understood.
Remember, the goal of Agile is flexibility and adaptability. As you move through the project, it’s okay (and expected) that tasks, priorities, and even the broader scope may change. The key is to maintain communication and ensure that the team is always working towards the most valuable outcomes for the project.
Case Study -Example
Let’s take the hypothetical scenario of developing a new e-commerce platform:
Vision: Create a user-friendly e-commerce platform where users can buy handcrafted products from local artisans.
Epics:
User Authentication
Product Browsing
Shopping Cart Management
Checkout and Payment
User Reviews and Ratings
User Stories (for the ‘User Authentication’ Epic):
As a new visitor, I want to register for an account so I can make purchases.
As a registered user, I want to log into my account to view my order history.
As a user, I want to reset my password in case I forget it.
Tasks (for the ‘Reset password’ User Story):
Design the “Forgot Password” interface.
Develop backend logic for password reset.
Implement email service for sending reset links.
Test the password reset functionality.
Estimate Tasks:
Design interface – 8 hours
Backend logic – 5 hours
Email service implementation – 3 hours
Testing – 4 hours
Prioritize:
User registration and login (critical for user acquisition)
Product Browsing (core feature)
Checkout and Payment (necessary for monetization)
Shopping Cart Management
User Reviews and Ratings (can be introduced as an enhancement in version 2)
Sprint Planning: – Sprint 1: Complete the design and development of user registration and login, start on product browsing. – Sprint 2: Complete product browsing and start on shopping cart management. … and so on.
Review and Adjust (after Sprint 1): – Found that users want social media login options. – Adjust upcoming sprints to integrate social media authentication.
Backlog Items:
Implement a recommendation system based on user’s browsing history.
Offer gift wrapping options during checkout.
Create a loyalty rewards program.
Throughout the project, the team meets daily for stand-ups to discuss progress, blockers, and next steps. They also engage with stakeholders frequently to ensure the platform is aligning with business goals and user needs.
After the launch of the e-commerce platform, iterative feedback is gathered from real users, and the team continues to enhance the platform based on this feedback, ensuring its success and adaptability in the market.
Now, let’s evolve the e-commerce platform example by focusing on a comprehensive database design and implementation for it.
Vision: Develop a robust and scalable database for the e-commerce platform to efficiently manage products, user data, transactions, and reviews.
Epics:
Database Design
User Data Management
Product Data Management
Transaction Data Management
Reviews and Ratings Data Management
User Stories (for the ‘Product Data Management’ Epic):
As an admin, I want to add new products to the database with all related data points to list them for sale.
As a system, I need to categorize products based on several attributes (e.g., type, artisan, price range) to aid in product searching and filtering.
As an admin, I want to update or delete product details to maintain accurate inventory and product information.
Tasks (for the ‘Add new products’ User Story):
Create a table ‘Products’ with columns: ProductID, ProductName, Description, Price, ArtisanID, CategoryID, StockCount, ImageURL, etc.
Develop an admin interface for entering product data.
Integrate data validation checks to ensure product data integrity.
Implement backend logic to insert product data into the ‘Products’ table.
Test the product addition functionality.
Estimate Tasks:
Create ‘Products’ table – 3 hours
Design admin interface – 10 hours
Data validation checks – 5 hours
Backend logic for data insertion – 8 hours
Testing – 5 hours
Prioritize:
User Data Management (to support user registration and login)
Product Data Management (to list items for sale)
Transaction Data Management (essential for sales)
Reviews and Ratings Data Management (for user feedback)
Database Design (constant across all other epics, foundational)
Sprint Planning: – Sprint 1: Set up initial database schema, focus on user data management. – Sprint 2: Focus on product data management and start transaction data management. … and so on.
Review and Adjust (after Sprint 1): – Found that users also want to store multiple shipping addresses. – Adjust upcoming sprints to add a ‘UserAddresses’ table in the database schema.
Backlog Items:
Implement database archiving for older transactions.
Design data redundancy and backup protocols.
Analyze database performance and optimize queries.
Throughout the project, the database team collaborates with frontend and backend teams to ensure seamless data flow. Regular backups, testing, and performance checks are scheduled to maintain data integrity and system health.
Once the database is up and running, periodic audits and optimizations are conducted based on system usage and growth patterns, ensuring its scalability and reliabil
This article discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and the challenges of doing so, particularly in the era of remote work. It delves into the definitions and signs of healthy and unhealthy work-life balances. A healthy balance involves setting boundaries, time management, stress management, and flexibility. On the other hand, an unhealthy balance is characterized by overwork, neglected personal life, and burnout.
The article highlights the negative consequences of poor work-life balance, such as increased risk for health issues like stroke, anxiety, and depression. It also emphasizes that poor work-life balance impacts productivity and relationships.
To improve work-life balance, the article suggests various tips:
Planning ahead for work and leisure
Using productivity hacks
Designating specific time blocks for different tasks
Setting a time to end work for the day
Using technology to help unplug
Taking time off and practising mindfulness
Communication with your manager
Working with a coach or therapist
It also includes a section aimed at managers on how they can support their team’s work-life balance. The advice includes reminders to unplug, creating space for social connections, respecting working hours, and setting examples.
The article ends by discussing the unique challenges and benefits of remote work. While working from home has some advantages, it also blurs the lines between work and personal life, making it harder to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Don’t get caught up in distant goals or 5-year plans. Life is not linear; it’s a series of meandering paths. Focus on the next step, on what’s in front of you now. There are no ‘aha’ moments; only tiny, incremental gains. And that’s OK. Keep at it
Personality- who am i, what kind of person do i want to be?
Be polite and respectful of others, for example, say good morning to as many people as you can from when you enter the office to when you get to your desk. Its a very simple thing, but being polite can generate a positive environment. Be interested in other people. Remember The Number 1 motivator is feedback on results.
Have a good attitude if you have a problem, find a solution, don’t just complain about it. For example, rather than just complaining about a flickering light above your desk. Find out who to speak to and try and get it fixed.
Contagion is normally something you think of with respect to say the flu. But viewed in an office and company environment. Think how good or bad news or attitudes can spread. What happens when someone who has been “infected” gets home?
Be a Critical thinker:
Challenging Status Quo: Don’t do things just because they’ve always been done that way.
Consider Multiple Perspectives: Take different viewpoints into account.
Prioritization: Focus on what truly matters, even if there are tempting distractions.
Problem Reframing: When faced with an issue, find alternative solutions beyond the obvious.
Effective Listening: Listen more than you speak, be actively engaged in understanding. Understand what makes different people tick some people are like waves in and out
Self-Reflection: Be open to admitting the potential for being wrong.
Learning from Setbacks: Analyse setbacks, prevent their recurrence, and extract lessons.
Time Management: Recognize the importance of making the most of each moment.
6. Work out the X things that drive you in life and make sure they are balanced and not in need of attention, while a lot of these do overlap in places mine are:
7. don’t spend time worrying about what you cannot control, instead focus on what you can control
8. Keep focused and remove distractions if needs be i.e Mobile phones
9. Watch less TV
10.Aim to Work smarter v longer
“Being busy and being productive are not the same thing. It’s easy to be busy. It’s hard to be productive. Being productive is not about doing more; it’s about concentrating all your energy on the few things that matter.“
11. experiment and test assumptions i.e remove phone from the room you are working on, reduce browsing the internet, take longer breaks or more shorter one’s, try blocking out time for key tasks, etc…
12. There are different ways to approach this but i like working out my goals for the week and then breaking each day down. Making sure i have time for things like exercise. I find keeping a Physical work Diary like “Clever Fox Planner Schedule” very useful (i started on a simpler daily planner but i found it didn’t include as much as i needed and wanted for long term planning and reflection)
Don’t get caught up in distant goals or 5-year plans. Life is not linear; it’s a series of meandering paths. Focus on the next step, on what’s in front of you now. There are no ‘aha’ moments; only tiny, incremental gains. And that’s OK. Keep at it
“Compound effort, like drops of water, may seem insignificant at first, but over time, it has the power to shape mountains of achievement” ChatGbt
Think about this
If you were to truly grow 1% every day, then you calculate the potential for growth in the year as an exponent, 1.01 to the 365th power. I’ll save you the time, that equals 3,800% in one year. That is a pretty insane amount of growth, and I think we’d all agree that would be a good year.
But what if we pick something more reasonable, say .1% every day. At the end of a year you’d experience 44% growth, meaning you’ve expanded your capacity by almost half of what you were previously capable of! That still would be incredible progress.
Be interested in other people rather than make them interested in you
Find out what excites someone, find out how do they spend their time? For example
Ask people for advice on what interests them, for example if you know someone interest is stamp collecting, ask how you would get your son involved as a beginner.
Give people frequent praise, for example acknowledge when someone does something difficult
I read a quote talking referring to classical music on you tube but it can be expanded to many parts of our current work and life. It went something like this ….
We are so lucky to live in this world , over a century ago we would have been able to watch a world class music performance once in a lifetime today we can re-watch it every day.
I think the same applies to learning today. We have so much skill and knowledge at our fingertips.
So on to the reasons for this blog.
I am a techie based in the UK with over 20 years of IT experience.
I want to share knowledge with anyone who might find it helpful.
The source of information in the posts includes sourcing data from but not limited to:
You tube
Udemy
Work colleagues
Past Experience
Books i have read
a Lot of the images on the pages are AI generated from DALL-E.
My main approach with articles is to make my own notes on a topic and then ask Chatgbt to help create a blog article by expanding on my points. Then i refine that article as appropriate.
Interestingly, when i created this page i started by calling it “Good Managers” but i like the term “Great Managers” better.
Borrowing an Abbreviation from one of my Managers and adding my own twist.
V.V.P.S.T ( Visible, Vocal , Positive, Safe and Trusted)
Be Visible
Be Vocal
Be Positive
Make people feel Safe and Trusted (see the above You Tube Video by Simon Sinek)
A few Additions i have learnt along the way
small things – give people recognition tell them well done, sometimes small things can be very powerful one that sticks in my mind was turning up to shift work on Xmas Eve on my own covering 3 datacenters and monitoring 100 of computer systems to find by boss had left be a 2£ Xmas selection box
really listen and take an interest in people
understand what makes different people tick.
don’t let other people pass their problem on their back to you, empower colleagues to make their own decisions.
Other Reading
See all the other posts in the management category.
