Tackling the Big, Impossible Project

Michele Titolo
Michele TitoloComputers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ at Square
Tackling The Big,
Impossible Project
Michele Titolo
Lead Software Engineer, Capital One
What Is A Big,
Impossible Project?
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
@micheletitolo
Large Scope Or
Large Change
@micheletitolo
Relative To Current
State
@micheletitolo
Can Be New Product
Or Existing
@micheletitolo
Intentional Or
Unintentional
• Definition of Done
• Dependencies
• Transparency
3 Key Things
@micheletitolo
Definition Of Done
Photo by Jean-Frederic Fortier on Unsplash
@micheletitolo
Define for Individual
Items
@micheletitolo
Define for Project
@micheletitolo
End Result Starts
Fuzzy
@micheletitolo
New Product: MVP
@micheletitolo
Existing Products:
Giant Lists
Tackling the Big, Impossible Project
@micheletitolo
Beginning: 120 Line-
Item Spreadsheet
@micheletitolo
End: ~170 Items
• New Features
• Breaking things into smaller chunks
• Surprises
the list grew because
@micheletitolo
Dependencies
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
@micheletitolo
What Is a
Dependency?
@micheletitolo
Any Work That
Needs To Get Done
That You/Your Team
Cannot Do
@micheletitolo
Identify Early
@micheletitolo
The BAU Trap
@micheletitolo
Plan To Get Blocked
@micheletitolo
Have a Plan B
@micheletitolo
Communicate
Blockers
@micheletitolo
Having a
Dependency ->
Being a Dependency
Transparency
Photo by Justin Medina on Unsplash
@micheletitolo
Make It Easy for
Others To See How
You're Doing
@micheletitolo
Fewer Meetings 🎉
@micheletitolo
Communicate
@micheletitolo
Plan Risky Things
First
@micheletitolo
A Risky Rewrite
@micheletitolo
Important To Get
Right
@micheletitolo
Design and PoC
@micheletitolo
Buy-in
@micheletitolo
Change Was Well
Known and Well
Estimated
@micheletitolo
Don't Spring Big
Changes
Photo by Kristine Weilert on Unsplash
Thanks!
@micheletitolo
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Tackling the Big, Impossible Project