STOP Multitasking? Yes it is a “Value Killer”
Recently came across this great article written by Niroshan Madampitige on “7 Value Killers” in Lean Software Development. It is so relevant that experience having a lot of examples from the past to relate closely. Saw a remarkable co-relation between “Task Switching” and “Partially Done Work”.
Multi-Tasking would say “Was” a concept widely been used and sometimes it was regarded as a skill to have until recent past. But still, Multi-Tasking is a thing in most cases among most of the workplaces. From here onwards let’s call Multi-Tasking “Task Switching”. In software development Value proposition builds around working software, being delivered in a shorter time to experience the full wrath of maximized value. Task-Switching imagines your watching one of your favourite movies, during the highest climax your been dragged out and forced to watch a movie you doesn’t like at all and not your cup of tea. Your enthusiasm | willingness | energy | motivation to watch | purpose of watching naturally will drop dead. Remember Task Switching involves human resources. The productivity will be impacted equally making human resources confused about what is Priority now?
Task Switching is so dangerous that without knowing you’re having more Tasks doing than finished at a given time. What you have produced or released will be zero but there will be many to release. Delivering value will come at a greater cost in terms of Time & resources spent to complete tasks to deliver a working Software. “Working Software” is the norm and we can address it as completed. Rather than “Done” in a “Working Software”, more tasks are under “Doing” in a hold status, now what to deliver? Which one out of many? Do you remember what we were doing? Have we created logs in the right place? How much time we are having? Will this feature delivery will give value?
“Partially Done Work” now you can see, from where occurs as a side effect. Every time you Switch Tasks you’re leaving a “Partially Done Work” behind. Every Partially Done Work will not release a value as working software. How we can stop this? #1 Prioritize your backlog with NFR’s, but remember your decision-makers | Stakeholders should be in line with the priority unless otherwise, they will be tossing your resources around, COMMON UNDERSTANDING is a MUST #2 Start having Finished in your mind. Once you’re sorted with Priority you know where your heading #3 Reduce WIP let’s indulge in what we can, this is a decision we can take based on the resources in hand against the priority. You only can do this, let’s eat to your heart’s content #4 Have your processes in place, it is must we meet each checkpoint to pass, which will be a good evaluation method on current progress to be in focus #5 NO — Say NO to Task Switching
Let’s not kill a value!!!
Chathura D. Wijeratne IT Project Manager | Scrum Master | Certified Professional in Agile Team Facilitation | Personal Agility Recognized Practitioner.
