Project Management for Developers

for phpArchitect

Defining Project Metrics: Are we there Yet?

In 2019, I applied to present at the phpTek conference in May 2020. My proposal was accepted. I was planning to talk about the disconnect between regular project management metrics and what really happens with a development project. COVID-19 disrupted that.

But then I got an email asking would I be interested in writing up what I’d planned to present for a journal?

Are we there yet? was published in the September 2020 issue of phpArchitect.

The basic ideas are that development isn’t always predictable by “percent complete” and that we need to define what we mean by “complete” in order to arrive there. I cover this and several of the options that can give a better measure.

Here’s the problem: I do something on Monday. It works great! The project goes to 50% complete. Everyone is happy. On Wednesday, there’s a new requirement. In order to put in that change, five more things have to change and three have to be rebuilt. The project isn’t 50% complete any more. And there’s some doubt as to how complete it might be.

I was also invited to do a podcast to go with the article.