Leading Software People - Dispatches From the Front Lines of Software Team Management

How to Dial-In a Productive Slack Configuration

We’ve been using Slack for a over a year now at Status Hero HQ. After quite a bit of trial and error, we think we’ve hit upon a setup that favors productivity over distraction. In this post, we’ll show you how to dial-in a productive... Read more >
How Do I Run an Effective Stand-Up Meeting with a Remote Team?

To run an effective stand-up meeting with a remote team, follow these simple steps to focus your team’s attention, keep the meeting moving, and provide the most value for everyone involved: Use a standard set of Q and As Keep it short Have a solid... Read more >

Create Better Software Delivery Estimates by Having Your Team Track Daily Goals

Ever been way off on a software delivery estimate? Wished you could more accurately predict when a project or feature would be ready to ship? Of course you have. Most thrashing and trouble that I’ve witnessed in software — that isn’t design or experience related — is the result... Read more >
Daily Goals and Software Teams: Why and How

One thing. Per day. People who make stuff, like programmers, writers, and designers, are limited to working on one or two intellectual tasks per day. That’s it. You might hear otherwise from developers on your team, compounding the difficulties of figuring out when you might... Read more >

People and places, not time zones and offsets

Do you work in a command control center with a bank of analog clocks covering the south wall, each with an official looking placard designating which far-flung city it’s assigned to? Neither do I. But I still need the data, and most likely you do too,... Read more >
Top 8 Strategies to Refocus Your Team

Is your team losing focus? Scope creep, unavoidable setbacks, personnel changes, and general burnout can either slow productivity to a grinding halt or, worse, derail your team altogether. As project manager, it’s not enough to manage the project, you must also manage your team members.... Read more >

Monday Routines: Patrick Campbell, CEO of Price Intelligently

This is the third installment of “Monday Routines,” in which software people like you recount their Monday rituals. The goal is to peer into their day-to-day patterns and habits as they lead teams, collaborate, and deliver great software. Hopefully you’ll discover a tidbit or two... Read more >
Monday Routines: C. Todd Lombardo, Chief Design Strategist at Fresh Tilled Soil

This is the second installment of ‘Monday Routines’, in which software people like you recount their Monday rituals. The goal is to peer into their day-to-day patterns and habits as they lead teams, collaborate, and deliver great software. Hopefully you’ll discover a tidbit or two... Read more >