Throughout my experience in delivery I’ve dabbled in different techniques; tweaked some, lost some and added some back. My process has been ever evolving.
One thing, however, that I can’t get rid of is the idea of timeboxing a release. I believe that this leads to better decisions, better discussion and better solutions.
For example.
A product needs a new feature… let’s say… a way to share existing recipes with their friends. As long as the feature remains within budget, you can offer a multitude of ways to meet this requirement.
Premium Option 1:
Build a way to share to all major social media platforms, count the number of shares and offer the sharing functionality in a multitude of areas in the site.
Minimal Option 2:
Keep it simple by just offering a link that the user could copy-paste wherever they like.
I believe a key driver in making these types of decisions is…
Yup… time.
Initially, it may seem like a simple suggestion (and worth of an eye-roll), but I’m proposing we change our mindset on time. We embrace it rather than fear the ticking clock.
What if we started setting release dates earlier in the planning process?
Early conversations with architects should focus on the problem space. Customers and leadership often offer specific solutions. However, from my experience, conversations focused on the problem we’re trying to solve keeps the solution space open and free of restrictions.
This information can be great for negotiating how time should be allocated throughout a project. If we have a pre-determined time budget of 50 hours we could have the following two options to choose from:
Solution Package 1:
Premium Feature 1 (25 hours)
Premium Feature 2 (25 hours)
Solution Package 2:
Minimal Feature 1 (5 hours)
Premium Feature 2 (25 hours)
Basic Feature 3 (20 hours)
Assembling packages like an a la carte menu, lets you assemble the best solution for your users that produce value for the customers in the time available.
I also think it empowers your team to be creative and feel a sense of ownership in the process.
What do you think? What is your driving factor when making decisions on release schedules and scope?