Pols Consulting

Chris Matts and I have just had our paper, The Five Business Value Commandments, published in the latest Cutter ~ Agile Software Development Advisory Service (available free if you register).

In this Executive Update, we introduce our top five guidelines for helping projects deliver business value. These guidelines allow the project manager to focus on delivering business value when he or she is under pressure to deliver intermediate work products or software. In addition, they show where effort should be expended on a project to derive the most benefit.

Here is a nice technique to remember!

Think of everyone having just two neurons, one of which triggers when you talk to them. These are:

1. You are an idiot neuron.
2. I am brilliant neuron.

So if you say, “this system will help you do your job better“, the idiot neuron will fire and they will disregard what you say. How could you possibly know when you have never talked to me before? Clearly you do not know what you are talking about.

If, on the other hand, you say something along the lines of “How could we build this to help you do an even better job?“, the brilliant neuron will fire and they will listen to what you have to say.

I like to think of the neurons I am triggering when I talk to people. It really helps me.

I’m helping put together this years XPDay conference, so I thought I would give it a little plug!

XPDay is the UK’s oldest Agile Sofware conference, run by pioneers of XP in the UK. We have hands on sessions for everyone: whether you want an introduction, or to trade experience, whether you’re interested in technical detail, or team dynamics.

Our keynote this year is this year is Tom Gilb. Tom was a pioneer of iterative development and the metrics in software.

XPDay has always been oversubscribed. Visit www.xpday.org for more information.

I look forward to seeing you there.