Who is missing from this Project?

What do you think went wrong? Whose mistake it is that the road needs patch work just after the first raining season?

Is it the contractor (developer)?

Is it the supervisor (project manager)?

Is the lack of cost (budget)?

Is it the crunched time line?

OR

Is it just corruption during the process?

The answer is in the root of the cause. The contractor has been provided some material to construct the road. The supplier provided the material. The supervisor was split between selecting right time, right amount under budget, right people for the job, monitoring the progress of each aspect of project, calculating risk and many more things but maybe he missed to choose the right material to build the road or may be the material was of good quality but the proportion wasn't right.

This is not particularly supervisor’s job to pick the right quality product and to check if the mix is correct for this product and nether it is the job of supplier. Constructor defiantly found it right or may be just missed at some point while building. Than whose job it is and is it the person who was missing from the process which made this blunder.

The project was delivered well within time and saved cost as well but the overall quality of the project is not up to the mark. One of the reasons for it is that the key element “Quality Analyst” was missing out from the team.

A quality analyst provides a check at every stage of the process, starting from choosing the right material, proportion selected for the product, at the start of the construction process, at the middle of it and at the end of it. This might add a bit more of cost but the question is not that, the real question is can you afford to pay later for fixes or do you want to avoid the fixes in future and make it right the first time.

The market today understands the need of quality analyst but still few projects lack in it. Few just lack to give importance to it.

The question is: do you want the road to work till the rains or for a longer time after the rains?

Best tool for a successful Team
                       - Communication

Have you ever been to a park where there are squirrels? I always see them talking to each other. They keep eating and just talking something. My sister and I use to just sit next to a tree and look at them and make our own believe conversation between two squirrels. It was funny but now I can relate it.

I was in the kitchen of my office a few days back and I saw a group of people sitting and discussing about their project. Although they were talking in English I felt like all the squirrels are talking to each other and I could not understand even a bit. If I can’t even understand it then is communication that important for a team? They all seem to enjoy and laugh during their communication. This is exactly my point.

When a team works together for a goal, the first understanding is everyone should be on the same page. So the lead takes the responsibility of letting the team know every minor detail or update which they should get. Is that enough?

In my opinion communication between team is way more than project updates or some assignments or status matrix. A team communicates from the morning greetings to the evening greetings. Below are few points which make different level of communication a better team

   Everyday small update meeting: This could be in the morning or in the evening or just a small group discussion around the workstation. This is just to give some updates to each other.

    Multi chat window: In testing world we often come to a place where there is a need of more than one tester in testing a scenario or just when a lead wants to ask everyone to update the defects. Multi chat window is a great tool which brings excitement and fun as well. People can talk openly, share smiley and it can be short and crisp as well.

   Shoulder tap coffee: I just like to tap someone from the team when I am going for coffee and if they want to go for coffee as well, it is time to chat. This sounds simple and everyone does it in day to day life but how many of us go with almost the same people every day, if not alone. I like to ask different people so that I can talk to all, may be just some personal stuff or may be something about project. 

     Small weekly or bi-weekly team coffee: I believe that such a session open up people for conversations that they would resist in a close meeting room. It is a proven fact that people tend to think and talk more openly in open and casual sitting. These gatherings can be short, just for 30 mins or so. Such meetings reduce the friction between team members and help them grow better understanding towards each other.

Team Lunch: This is common in most of the work places and works absolutely fine. Everyone becomes excited about going out, choosing a restaurant. When the whole team is out of office for a long time they tend to forget all the worries and tensions in the office. Once back in office people are lazy for another hour but satisfied for the rest of the week. Most of the Team lunch is planned on Friday however I believe that Wednesday is the best day to go out, which make you feel like a Friday and so you can pass the rest two days very well.

One-on-One meeting: These meetings could be monthly or quarterly. Team members can get personal issues out on the plate. The lead of the teams gets good information and weigh what can be done to make it better. It is also a good opportunity to provide feedback to the team.

   

Appreciations: What is the best suitable time to appreciate a person? The organization might or might not have awards and we all know that the process for it will be long. That does not mean a lead cannot give a token for appreciation to his/her team.  This could be any trophy, a symbol of appreciation, which the team passes along like a soft-toy, a football, an amazing Rolls Royce car model.

Anything from casual to formal meeting, anything which give a person relief or which make them share some smile can be a way of good communication among the team. I know it is hard to maintain and keep it going but this will keep the team close and make them work towards the same goal, pick whichever suits to your team the best or just pick them all.

We all know that communication among team can bring a lot well but we tend to forget with every day’s busy life.

Find your ‘State of Euphoria’

The day I got my first job in IT; I was in the state of total euphoria. I and my friends were selected together and we started to dance just outside the place where we got selected. I never left the place where I was back than for a long time and I was still in the state of euphoria. Until I found out that I have just been rotating around the same block and there are more ways to choose from, more paths, more opportunities and more aspirations. This made me realize that there is much more to do in life.

I decided that it is time and I should now choose. How do I make a choice which I will not regret few years down the line? What should be my decision? Should I consult someone or should it be my decision?

I remember a discussion with my father when I was about to choose my main subjects in school which will drive my professional carrier. I am glad I made the right decision back then. We were asked to fill in the form and drop them in school office before our next term starts. We had more than 50 days to think about this life changing decision. What I did was to play cricket all day with my friends and eat food that I still regret and fall asleep in front of the newly launched video game.

It was the last day of submissions and I had to take a decision now. I had no other option but to go to my dad for suggestion. I expected that I would have to hear a full lecture of an hour before he would help me because I wasted 50 days. Unlike what I thought he just said “Go and open all your mark sheets and find out which subject you are good at and which subject you are bad at.” I thought that is easy and so I said “So, I will choose whichever I am good at”. He smiled and said “That is the simple way. Once you find out the subject you are best at and the subject you are worst at think about whether you scored well because it was simple or because you were interested in it. Do you want your life to be simple at the beginning and challenging later or you want to challenge yourself now and make it simple later.”

That was a lot to take as a kid but I started to work on numbers first and I found out that subjects which I am not good at are not necessarily my least favourite. I choose to challenge myself with the subject I am interested in, irrespective of whether I am good at it or not.

Nearly after a decade I was in that place again, I geared up and brace myself. I knew what to do to make the change that will take me back to the ‘state of euphoria’. I didn’t waste my time in playing cricket this time, instead I planned and executed. I have learned my lesson in the past and so, I turned back and looked at my wonderful journey I had in my professional life and I made the decision. It was hard to move from a stable life but I was courageous enough to shake it to make better future.

One year back I decided to relocate from India to Australia. A new country, new people, new career, for new and better learning. I struggled and I remember everyday of struggle but I made it and today I am celebrating when I am reaching my first milestone in my new chosen life.

This situation comes in everyone’s professional life and I am just glad that I realised it at the right time and being with right people and place. The only way I thought was any choice I make should take me back to the state of euphoria and it did.

Are you in the state of euphoria or at least walking towards it? If not wake up and make a move before it is too late.