Say No as often as you say Yes
I wanted to post this for a while. But it’s definitely worth a mention if you’re working with software development.
Cameron Moll: 10 things I learned in 6 months (Nov, 2005):
6. Say ‘no’ as often as you say ‘yes’. […] Realize that every project you say ‘yes’ to inevitably locks up time that may or may not be better spent elsewhere in terms of project revenue, portfolio depth, and overall work satisfaction.
I’d like to get better at this: Saying ‘no’ is a chance to boost productivity in more important areas. I recently heard about a project we were asked to assist on, where one of the project developers had difficulties saying “no” to new requirements, new ideas. This meant that he never could find time to focus and finish on some parts of the product. We were asked to go in and assist … and I believe that the most important place to assist was to say “no” to new requirements. To give the developers peace and quiet working conditions.
Also worth a mention is number 4. Avoid monday deadlines (to avoid weekend working hours)
Technorati Tags: cameronmoll, productivity, requirements, focus
