Running a Project with Less Pain and More Awesome
Mac Newbold - UPHPU - April 21, 2016
Setting Expectations
- I've been involved in a lot of projects
- Widely varying degrees of pain and success
- Some situations/behaviors correlate highly with pain
- Others correlate highly with awesome
- These are my thoughts/ramblings on what I want to try to do on my next project
- YMMV
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2512666/expectations.gif)
Road Map
- Getting Started
- Planning
- UX / Design
- Building
- Testing
- Launching
Getting Started
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2512754/giphy.gif)
Define the Problem
Many projects are doomed from the start, because they don't understand the problem they're trying to solve.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513634/new-girl-what-is-your-problem-animated-gif.gif)
Pain Point:
Work on Solutions Too Soon
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513663/giphy-1.gif)
Identify the Right Group of Stakeholders
Projects that don't get the right people in the room often die a slow and very painful death, finding out at the end that they messed up at the beginning.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513674/200.gif)
Who is part of the team?
- Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- "Stakeholders"
- Product Owner (PO)
- Project Manager / Product Manager (PM)
- Architects
- Devs
- QA
- It's usually easier to be overly broad at this point than try to make up for it later...
Communicate We Must
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514193/57422544.jpg)
Planning
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513675/200-1.gif)
Take the Time to Plan Right!
Pain Point: Starting Dev Before Planning is Done
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513687/giphy.gif)
"Iterative Deepening"
-
Problem
-
Requirements
-
Documentation
-
Wireframes
-
Graphic Design
-
Services APIs
Dream Big
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513724/imgres.jpg)
Then Identify MVP/Phase 1
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513737/cutbacks_o_826057.jpg)
Pain Point: Unrealistic Timeline
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513738/giphy-1.gif)
UX / Design
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513750/tumblr_mh1r9irsA11s478lso1_400.jpg)
Minimal Inputs
Think about the bare minimum you can ask your users to do. There are often some elegant shortcuts.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513761/minimal-work-yet-still-fully-decorated-for-christams_o_2599067.jpg)
Minimal Inputs,
Valuable Outputs
- Don't ask much of them
- Give them a lot of value in return
- Don't give them clutter
- Weigh value added vs. complexity
Pain Point: Scope Creep
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2513748/imgres-1.jpg)
Building
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514132/58136932.jpg)
Avoid Distractions
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514137/IMG_4394.png)
Stay on Target
Pain Point: Plan Was Wrong
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514146/giphy.gif)
Testing
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514148/imgres.jpg)
Unit Testing
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514150/0347c3efdc17cc1959d089f60b8b2fc267d9093caa8e8cb483bf476b58e63e45.jpg)
Feature Testing
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514154/imgres-1.jpg)
Integration Testing
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514156/imgres-2.jpg)
User Acceptance (UAT)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514158/User-Testing-Meme-682x459.jpg)
Pain Point: Rework & Fixing
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514204/giphy.gif)
Launching
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514171/1296759235_rocket-launch-fail.gif)
Take it slow...
- "Dog Food"
- Alpha Release
- Beta Release
- Gradual Rollout
Pain Point: Production Issues
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514207/giphy-1.gif)
Conclusions
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514214/demotivational-poster-Achievement.jpg)
Takeaways
- Return on your planning investment: >= 10x
- Communication and Teamwork: Critical
- Getting the plan right: Over 9000
- Sticking to the Plan: Harder than it looks
- Failure in Testing/Launch can ruin you
Q&A
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514224/Funny-Meme-Questions-2.jpg)
Thanks for coming!
Feedback welcome:
mac@macnewbold.com
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/25381/images/2514225/imgres.jpg)
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