Design Process - Planning
Feature-Boxed iteration
Ever wonder why most software projects are
behind schedule? That's because an arbitrary release date is usually
planned months in advance with no planning to support the date. Even if
estimates are provided, most developer estimates are usually off
plus/minus 50%.
Instead of basing the release entirely on
some date, why not base the release on the set of features that you
plan to implement? This starts by writing down all of the features of
the system and sort them by priority. Team members would then grab
their next assignment by what's left on the list of features.
Features can also be divided into must-have
and nice to have lists. This way, if you are close to the release date
and have already addressed the must-have features, you can still make
your date instead of trying to hold back the release until every single
feature is completed. Prioritizing the features also forces the
development team to really think through the design and address the
client's most pressing needs.
At YSL Consulting, we are a big believer in
a release often lifecycle since it gives something to the client sooner
rather than later and feature-box iteration is a great process to
achieve that goal.
Return to Design Process
|
