hypothesis driven development

hypothesis driven development@AndrewPirkola

AndrewPirkola@gmail.com

@AndrewPirkolanot a consultant

problems we’ll tackle today

perfection

the past

why is perfection bad?

balance

ideas

errors

bring me solutions,not problems

perfection trap

kodak

was kodak a fluke?

the six sigma experiment errors

ideas

why is perfection bad?too much perfection (six sigma) can cause us to miss big opportunities (kodak) and avoid new ideas (unsolved problems)

why is the past bad?

first impressions

confirmation bias

it’s the way we’ve always done things

why is the past bad?it stops us from seeing other possibilities

how might we find more opportunities and new possibilities?

bertrand russell

it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted

assumptionsbacklogs are things to do

we learn so that we can execute

we need to predict (effort, ROI, etc.), to prioritize

assumptions as questionswhat if our backlog was things to learn?

what if learning and executing were the same?

what if we prioritize learning based on the value we think it leads to?

how might we…

smart people

use questions

bring me problems, not solutions

what got us here,won’t get us…

…somewhere else

how might we find more opportunities and new possibilities?explore questions rather than doing what we know

how might we make a question backlog?

closed questions

as a call center support techniciani want search fields for name and zip codeso that I can quickly get the caller's account info

can we more quickly get account infofor call center support techsby asking clients for a name and zip code?

avoid known answers

can we add a new workflow state by adding it to the state table and creating a workflow in the transitions table?

can we allow users to edit statesby creating an admin utility?

answerable questions

as an Engineeri want code coverage of 80%so that our product quality will be improved

can we Improve product qualityby increasing code coverage to 80%?

can we reduce reported issues by 50%by increasing code coverage to 80%?

can we [...]by [...]

can we [...]for […]by [...]

how might we make a question backlog?answerable closed questionscan we […] by [...].

how might we write better questions

open & close to craft better questions

it is difficult to talk to bob.

why is it difficult to talk to bob?

is it difficult to talk to bob?

why is it difficult to talk to bob, for me?

open & close to craft better questions

we want better quality.

do we want better quality?

why do we want better quality?

can we reduce late night calls, by regression testing every release candidate?

how might we manage a question backlog?

prioritize & time-box

who wants to learn this >

who best to do this?

answer the question (this is kind of your job)

yes = proof (working software)

no ≠ failure

can we […]by […]

check

yes

no

run experiment

write new question(s)

write new question(s)

To Do Doing AnsweredChecking

Plan Do AdjustCheck

DoCheckCheckAdjust

team learning

how might we manage a question backlog?like today, but with less certainty and with more learning

lao tzuwe mold clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that makes it useful

has this ever worked?

my life as a vb6 engineercontrol triplets for pick listscan we make this better by using a control?

lots of code to bind UI controls to data fieldscan we link controls to data fields by adding properties to controls?

copy paste code to call stored procedurescan we automate server code by generalizing the logic?

copy paste modules for new featurescan we automate workflows by using modules & classes?

how might we try the idea safely?

can we validate these ideasby testing them in a safe place?inspect for learningretrostraininginnovatriumsleadership teamstry an experiment

don't settle for perfection

avoid the perfection traptoo much perfection (six sigma) can cause us to miss big opportunities (kodak) and avoid new ideas (unsolved problems)

can we […] by […]

what you know is holding you back

bertrand russell

it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted

thanks @AndrewPirkolaAndrewPirkola@gmail.com