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August 2006

Totalitarian Powerpoint

by Pete Abilla on August 31, 2006

I once received a powerpoint presentation from a colleague; in the business world, powerpoint presentations are often amourously called “powerpoint decks.” Well, this deck was a huge one — 80 pages long. And, no, I didn’t read it, not one single page of it. I am a huge fan of Edward Tufte. In his book, [...]

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Linkedin: A Network of 35% Strangers

by Pete Abilla on August 29, 2006

I’ve been a user of Linkedin for over a year now. I receive invitations from people for me to join their network and, until recently, I’ve unthoughtfully accepted any invitation that came my way. Well, I looked at my network today, and I honestly don’t know half of these people. Sure, there’s an argument that [...]

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Book Review: Implementing Lean Software Development

by Pete Abilla on August 28, 2006

Last week, I invited the readers of shmula to pose questions to Mary Poppendieck, the author of Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers (Paperback), which won the Software Development Productivity Award in 2004 and, the sequel Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (Paperback) which will be available in early [...]

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Team Dynamics: Size Matters Redux

by Pete Abilla on August 26, 2006

how to motivate a team

I’ve written about the importance of team size before, here, here, and here. Previously, this is what I said: I’ve written about efficient teams before here and here. At Amazon, there is a concept of a 2-pizza team: no team should be larger than 2 pizzas can feed. It’s a great approach to team size. [...]

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5S

by Pete Abilla on August 24, 2006

5s checklist

5S is part of the Toyota Production System, anglicized in the US as Lean. 5S is a reference for standardized cleanup, order, or tidyness. Defined, Sort (Seiri): This refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. [...]

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Interview with Mary Poppendieck

by Pete Abilla on August 21, 2006

lean leadership in software development

Mary Poppendieck was gracious enough to agree to an interview. She brought the concept of Lean to Agile and is a thought leader in the Agile/Lean for Software space. She is the co-author of Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers (Paperback) and Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (Paperback). [...]

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Click-to-Ship: Delivery Process Times

by Pete Abilla on August 19, 2006

amazon.com delivery shipping times

Most online businesses that sell hardgoods explain delivery times as the following: {[click + buffer + fulfillment processes] + [delivery time]} = [Total Delivery Time] The equation above is common in fulfillment operations, assuming the inventory is housed somewhere, such as a warehouse, not at a 3rd party vendor. From a company’s perspective, the equation [...]

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Neighbor Dog Pooping On My Lawn

by Pete Abilla on August 18, 2006

Neighbor dog pooping in my yard. Yes, that describes my neighbor. They have a really nice black lab, but he roams our neighborhood unattended. During his galavanting around the block, he leaves “calling cards” on the lawns of our neighborhood, including ours. Yuck! We live in a new home and when we bought it, we [...]

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