Free Your Mind. Разгрузи мозги.

 Software  Нет комментариев »
Янв 202011
 

FreeMind — прекрасная небольшая программа, написанная на Java (что автоматически означает, что работать она будет на любой ОС), которая позволяет немного освободить голову и «разложить все по полочкам», используя для этого представление данных в древовидной форме. Лично я активно использую ее при обдумывании каких-то важных вопросов типа «За» и «Против», размышлений на тему, и т.д.

Между прочим, программа совершенно бесплатна и позволяет сохранять данные во множестве форматов, включая PDF. К слову, на работе такая программа может неплохо облегчить процесс ведения проектов (Work Breakdown Structure). Да мало ли, какие ей еще найдутся применения?

И напоследок совет из серии GTD. Если в голове много мыслей, идей, тревог, которые мешают сконцентрироваться, вызывают дискомфорт, вылейте этот поток на бумагу. А потом структуризируйте в FreeMind. Вам тут же полегчает, потому что визуализируя эту информацию, мозгу будет легче работать с ней дальше и искать решения. Кроме прочего, это хорошая психотерапевтическая практика. ;-)

 Опубликовано Artem в 16:15  С меткой:, , , , ,

Trac: How Could I Live Without it Before?

 General, Software  Нет комментариев »
Май 252008
 

Trac is an open source, web-based project management and bug-tracking tool. We’re using it on pretty much every project in the company. I like it very much for its simplicity and all-sufficiency at the same moment. It has all you need for effective project management based on agile process:

  • Wiki — work on the content, attach files, share with other people
  • Timeline, which shows all events like check-ins, additions/modifications of tickets, wiki edits, milestone changes
  • Roadmap — where are we right now? How much more efforts do we need to undertake to get the project done?
  • Browse Source — svn repository browser: compare revisions, see what’s changed. Say «no» to cvs, finally ;)
  • Tickets — create, view bugs, tasks, projects, add comments (every ticket has a small forum attached to it — the feature that I love). All discussions can be sent to email, which is very cool!
  • Search (well, that’s not even a feature, it’s a MUST for a system of this kind)
  • Admin module — where you can add milestones, change user permissions, define components, versions, etc. Everything is very straightforward

You may think that an app like that would be another monstrous bureaucratic system. Try using it and you’ll be amazed by how minimalistic and convenient it is. It became so essential for me that I use it on every project from now on. The only thing that I don’t really like is that it’s written in Python. To me this is something that should have been done in PHP. But hey, I haven’t tried Python yet, so these are the words of PHP freak.

 Опубликовано Artem в 15:18  С меткой:, ,

What Goes On

 Music  Нет комментариев »
Май 222008
 

Hey everybody! It’s been a long time since I posted anything… Some of you already started poking me about that ;)

I’ve been overloaded with stuff at work for a long time but finally I managed things up a little bit. The biggest challenge for me was to learn how to distribute my attention between different projects (and different teams) so that no work gets blocked «because you haven’t responded to my questions» or «I didn’t realize that this delivery was due on Friday».

It always takes some time to find points of contact with the team you haven’t worked before. I noticed that it usually takes about a month to dig in (for a small group of 4-5 people) and get used to each other before the ball gets rolling at full speed. So, my advice to beginners in project management field — if you’re starting the new project with the new team, your initial plan should be as pessimistic as possible. Try to consider all risks. When working on project plan, multiply your estimates by at least 3. This approach will save your butt one day. After all, it’s much better to exceed expectations («we finished 3 days earlier and added this shiny feature as an option») than to talk to stakeholders about the missed milestone.

One thing that’s tough about being a PM is — you are the only one responsible for the project’s failure. Let me explain why I don’t mention success here. If the project is successful, that’s usually taken for granted. Because it’s your job to lead it to successful completion. And it’s only your fault if project fails. You can’t say that «it’s because John didn’t do his job well we’re all screwed». Nobody cares — it’s your responsibility to reveal a problem and take care of it, eliminating risks. Credit for success on the other hand is shared between all team members.

In the next posts I want to write about methods and tools that help me in my work.

 Опубликовано Artem в 16:05  С меткой:,
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