Hosts discuss challenges with big projects, plan to overcome hurdles. Breaking down projects, managing constraints, and structured monthly projects for efficient development. Decisions on version four and project rules to optimize workflow. Importance of incremental feature updates for user experience.
Shift from big projects to smaller tasks for improved project management and reduced workload.
Implement structured planning with defined deadlines to ensure accountability and streamline project execution.
Deep dives
Reframing Big Projects: Breaking Down Complex Tasks
The episode delves into the reasons behind tackling big projects and the downsides of this approach. Discussing the pitfalls of undertaking major releases, the speakers highlight the importance of breaking down projects into smaller manageable tasks. By focusing on incremental progress rather than bundling everything into one significant release, they stress the need to reframe the approach to avoid overwhelming workloads and improve project management strategies.
Importance of Structured Planning and Clear Deadlines
The conversation emphasizes the significance of structured planning and defined deadlines in project management. Proposing a rule that no task or project should exceed a month in duration, they advocate for a 25-day project timeline with a 5-day buffer for adjustments and updates. Clear deadlines and specifications are essential components to ensure accountability and streamline project execution within the allocated timeframes.
Collaborative Accountability and Monthly Goal Setting
The podcast stresses the importance of collaborative accountability within the team. They outline a strategy where all team members are responsible for enforcing project rules and ensuring adherence to set timelines and project scopes. Advocating for a monthly goal-setting ritual to plan the upcoming month's projects collectively, they emphasize the necessity of aligning all team members towards a common vision for streamlined project execution.
Iterative Releases and Improved Customer Experience
The speakers highlight the benefits of iterative releases over massive software updates. By focusing on discrete feature launches instead of overwhelming customers with numerous changes at once, the team aims to enhance the customer experience. They address the challenge of ensuring existing users are aware of and can effectively utilize new features, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and updates to prevent feature oversight among users.
Today Jack and Paul discuss what's not been working with getting the next version of Fathom Analytics launched. They come up with a plan, in real-time, to overcome this hurdle and get back to a regular cadence of releases (i.e. not a big project). They also come up with a set of rules to govern internal projects.
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