Crisis meeting: The customer has angrily berated the boss. The recently delivered machine is malfunctioning intermittently. The boss is visibly agitated. He shouts, accompanied by a powerful slam of his fist on the table: "The machine isn't running properly! The customer is threatening...".
Project Management
When all else fails
Haven't you ever sent up a quick prayer to heaven when things got really tight in a project, even if you're not a devout churchgoer or rosary worshipper? Do you have a talisman, a lucky hat, or a success tie that you can turn to in important situations...?.
Are you head or stomach?
Is intuition a divine revelation, an energetic message from beyond, does it come "from our gut," or is it "in our urine"? As an engineer, I prefer the following explanation: Intuition is the result of a highly complex, interconnected logic that runs through billions of processes over a lifetime...
Want and ability
Background information on requirements analysis: Who really knows what they want before they have it? Who knows what they're capable of before they do it? Two old adages that also apply to modern development projects. How do we find out what the customer wants, and whether we can fulfill those wishes...?.
Paths to a flash of inspiration
Why do we often rack our brains for hours on end, unsuccessfully trying to solve complex problems, only to be surprised by a flash of inspiration at a completely unexpected moment? Does this sound familiar? You spend hours racking your brain searching for the missing piece...
Chinese whispers
Are you familiar with the game "Telephone"? Perhaps you played it as a child at birthday parties. For those who aren't, I'll explain it in a moment. The outcome of the game usually leads to great amusement. In projects, however, the phenomena that arise...
Survival in the software wilderness
Competition is fierce and the complexity of tasks is increasing. We are reaching our limits more and more often. One of the reasons for this is the tendency towards individualistic approaches in software development. Yet we could draw on tremendous skills that even ensured the survival of cavemen...
Appropriate treatment of software developers
If I were an orthopedic surgeon, I'd specialize in software developers. I'm sure that profession would offer me a good living. Thanks to the wonders of electronics, people are starting to bend their spines earlier and earlier. Gameboy gaming, SMS hacking, and...
Project management between naivety and self-deception
Projects thrive on the belief that the set goal can be achieved. While it's said that faith can move mountains, unfortunately, this belief can also lead to a loss of touch with reality. This loss of touch with reality manifests itself in project work in a variety of ways.
Wonder beyond logic
Inheritances are a wonderful thing, at least most of the time. We software developers utilize a truly extraordinary inheritance for our work: the brain. Modern neurology and psychology continually provide new insights into why our minds function so ingeniously, but also...
The magic formula for presentations
You might be wondering why Siwon is writing about how to give presentations. My answer: Because I can tell you something you might not know yet. If you already know everything and don't have time right now, then save yourself 5 minutes...
The thing about the brain chicken
Today we're going to explore a highly mysterious phenomenon: the existence of the non-existent. But what does that have to do with projects? Prepare to be surprised. For the next hour, don't think about a chicken at all—not a hen, a rooster, a chick, or an egg...