COMP 405
Spring 2014
Software Development
COMP 405
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Software Development |
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"Responsible for" != "The one that does it"
Clear, specific tasking enables the entire team to know exactly what they should be doing at every moment and enables the team management to be able to see where the team is and where it is going.
The more specific the task, the better. Vague tasks lead to vague results.
Each task should be assigned to a specific person who is responsible for the completion of that task. Note that "responsible" does not necessarily mean "the only one that does all the work". Tasks often require the involvement of multiple people but the point here is that there is a signle person who is charged with making sure that the task is completed in the end. The responsible person is the one to whom anyone can go to find out the exact status and details of the task.
Documenting tasks is critical. An undocumented task doesn't exist and will not get accomplished.
Tasks often have dependencies -- in order to start the task, some other task(s) must be completed first. It is critical to include these dependencies when creating tasks because tasks will appear to stall out if the dependencies are not understood. Also, with dependencies, the timing of when tasks can be completed cannot be properly calculated.
Tasks must be prioritized. A team cannot physically complete all the tasks at once. Also, if a problem arises during a high priority task, many other tasks may be compromised and/or made moot. In the real world, the completion of prioritized tasks is the fundamental way in which the developer is able to demonstrate the viability of the project to the customer and to thus reduce the customer's risk in the project.
For a small team (< 6 people), tasking is generally the responsibility of the team leader though it is critical that every team member take an active role in task creation and prioritization.
© 2013 by Stephen Wong