Agile Event Session

Broken promises – how to keep your word and your sanity too

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Abstract/Description

How often in your working life do you or your team break your promises?

Javascript promises are about committing to a particular action. But asynchronicity demands that they make no assertion about WHEN the promise will be fulfilled. When we are asked to make software delivery estimates and commitments, we don’t get the same leeway. The javascript model is much more fitting, and we could learn a lot from it.

Not only does the principle of focusing on WHAT rather than WHEN hold in software development, it also works for personal time management. In both contexts we tend to put unrealistic expectations on ourselves – because we’re so scared of breaking promises.

The trick lies in choosing carefully which promises you make, and then learning how to use data to replace over-optimistic guesswork with informed forecasts.

This is a talk about software estimation, delivery management and personal time management. It will outline various key principles for use in planning your time and your commitments.

Learning Outcomes:

  • How to identify and remove guilt from your planning processes
  • How to focus on outcomes instead of arbitrary deadlines
  • How to use data instead of guesswork to plan your and your team’s time

Additional Resources

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Speaker(s) may be willing to present this session at local group meetings and other events.

XP 2021
Talk
Advancing

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