Let’s be real, making assumptions can be a real pain, especially when it comes to software projects. And when those assumptions are undocumented, well, that’s just asking for trouble, and probable project failure.
That’s why at Paltech, we make sure to involve our team and stakeholders in identifying and addressing assumptions. By doing this, we can adjust our acceptance criteria, identify previously unidentified stories, and determine if other stakeholders need to get involved. It’s all about getting everyone on the same page to avoid any headaches down the road.
And it’s not just the leaders who need to be aware of this, the whole team should be in on it. By bringing the team together and encouraging them to bring to light their own assumptions, we can gain additional insight and have a clearer understanding of the project.
So, don’t let assumptions slip through the cracks. Take the time to work through them with your team and stakeholders, and you’ll avoid all those headaches, embarrassment and maintain your strategic standing with your client.
Don’t Let Your Expertise Work Against You: The Importance of Documenting Assumptions
It’s easy to think that with years of experience, we’ve got it all figured out. But, when it comes to documenting and reducing the impact of assumptions, even the most experienced among us can struggle. And that’s totally normal. But, it’s important to remember that our goal is to address as many doubts as possible across all details of the project. And in order to do that, we need to set our egos aside and use the tools available to us to properly document and work through our assumptions.
Achieving Strategic Success: The Impact of Identifying Assumptions
At Paltech, we’re all about being strategic partners for our clients’ success. Irrespective of the size of the project, we always work closely with them to understand the nuances of the problems they’re trying to solve, come up with solution options, and break down releases and deliverables. Because being a true strategic partner also means paying attention to the little details.
Even a small release can cause big headaches if we don’t take the time to identify and work through assumptions. Without that extra step, a release can cause extra time and expenses for troubleshooting, rollbacks, and fixes. Not to mention the embarrassment if something could have been avoided by addressing an assumption earlier. But more importantly, it can cause pain points for our clients, inject doubt, and take the focus away from the positive strategic work we’ve been doing. And if the focus shifts too much from positive to negative, we risk losing our strategic standing with them.
In Conclusion
By now, we’ve established how making assumptions, and not documenting them in software projects, can be a major roadblock in software projects. By involving our team and stakeholders in identifying and addressing assumptions, we can ensure a smoother project execution and avoid any headaches down the line.
At PalTech, we believe that being a strategic partner means paying attention to the fine details, including addressing assumptions that may potentially cause all kinds of roadblocks in the future. By taking the time to work through them with the team, we can gain additional insight, have a clearer understanding of the project, and ultimately achieve strategic success for our clients.
