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This article reminds me that we, as a creative and technical community, don’t know how to do complicated projects. So many basic mistakes—but what stands out is the willingness to go ahead without a clear vision or an efficient decision-making process. kotaku.com/how-biowares-a…
Look, don’t bother starting a complicated creative and technical project unless there’s a clear vision. Without a clear vision, it’s impossible to organize a large collective effort. Just stop.
The simplified iteration process I’m about to outline assumes that leadership is involved and engaged (rather than distant and detached), that individuals can collaborate productively with each other, and that everyone is committed to the vision. I know, that’s assuming a lot.
But if you can find the combination of leadership, acumen, and luck to develop a clear vision, don’t kick off the project with endless brainstorms. Begin making stuff. Let the vision guide you! That’s what it’s for. Then start iterating, like so:
#1. Do work in private (or at most, in pairs). Decisions about work content are best done by one or two people. Committees are the wrong place for generating options for designs, colors, icons, names, algorithms, or implementation choices.
#2. Review work in groups, small enough so everyone can have a say. The review must be an open forum, where everyone gets to give feedback and express opinions. Every bit of feedback should be a comment on movement away from or toward the overall vision.
#3. Decide on action items. Always decide what to do next. Always! Nominate a “decider” if needed. Consensus is great, but failing that, someone must make a call right there. To evolve and improve, work must change and you must decide how. Also, agree on the next time to review.
#4. Go to step #1. Keep this loop as tight as possible. Iterations should be measured in hours and days, not weeks and months. The key is to make steady progress. Delays and stalled progress are the death of creative and technical projects.
Maybe all this is simplistic, and maybe this guidance doesn’t amount to that much, but hey, it’s a start.
