Top 10 Rules for IT

Craig’s Top 10 Rules of IT

Copyright 2009

1. Get it in Writing (Dad’s Rule)It applies to many situations where we choose not to invoke it, such as, short term agreements or contracts, minutes of a meeting, verbal discussions, changes in plans, modifications, trade-offs, last minute changes in.....

Even better - get a picture or draw a picture

But, don’t get too bogged down.

Craig’s Top 10 Rules of IT © 2009

0. Make a copy

Ground zero, disasters do ….

More pervasive than remote, off-site back-ups

Type a good sentence or line of code, ctrl-s and save it

About to make minor changes to some code - make a copy first.

About to hand-out your only pencil sketch schematic drawn during a meeting…

Make a copy and file it


2. Keep it simple (KISS)

Keep information solutions, system simple

Keep language in plain easy to understand terms, it is still about people

De-mystify, don’t add to the BS


3. Nothing is as simple as it looks

Making it simple is not easy

So organize your work in building blocks, achievable tasks

We call them “chewable chunks”

Do them one step at a time.

Create successful steps along the way, win/win.

The .com complex. We do live a complex world!


4. Everything is possible

With correct amount of time and money, or

Creative and brave

Think outside the box.

Short-cuts lead to innovation, and faster completion

Don’t be afraid to cut-corners, or leap tall buildings, mountains

Always challenge yourself, push yourself to try new things, or at least consider the pros and cons


5. Anything that can crash will

Always have a Plan BNot just a disaster plan

Look ahead and consider all what if’s

Predicting client behaviour

Options, approaches

Then create Plan B

Change Plan A, rule 0, rule 1

e.g. Friday Rule


6. Listen

Listen to your customer

Listen to your team members

Especially, listen to your gut.

JAD, RAD sessions, focus groups, feed back forms, surveys etc

There are not a lot of good listener’s in this world, so if you can do just this one thing well, you will succeed.


7. Set Deadlines

• Nothing gets done without a target date.

• Many small tasks and good ideas, do not get handled in this manner

• Includes monthly, yearly goals as well as life long ambitions.

• Write it down and give it a deadline, chances are good it might get done, don’t, and the chances are extremely good that it will NOT get done.


8. All deadlines can be broken

• Quality is better than quantity

• Doing quality work is more important than making a deadline

• No one will remember that you made the deadline if it doesn’t work.

• Do quality work, take pride in it


9. Test everything

• Test your code

• Test your client’s ability to receive your code (a dry-run implementation)

• Test your client’s ability to accept your work (this could be interpreted as getting progress payments after a UAT time period)

• Test your testers

• test yourself


Top 10 Rules of IT0. Make a copy

1. Get it in writing

2. Keep it simple

3. Nothing is simple

4. Anything is possible

5. Anything that can crash will - Always have a Plan B

6. Listen to your customer

7. Set deadlines

8. All deadlines can be broken -Quality is better than quantity

9. Test and verify everything


10. Nothing in life is free

Thank you and have a great day


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Top 10 Rules for IT