Presentation from IT Brunch "Time Management" conference (online, February 2012) about my 2 years experience and lessons learned in Podomoro time management technique.

1. Pomodoro: 2 years after…
Mikalai Alimenkou
http://xpinjection.com
04.02.2012

2. Background
• Java Technical Lead/Scrum Master at Zoral
Labs
• 7+ years in software development
• 5+ years of working by Agile
methodologies
• Expert in Agile engineering practices
• Founder and coach at XP Injection
(http://xpinjection.com)
• Organizer of Selenium Camp, JEEConf, XP
Days Ukraine, IT Brunch conferences

3. Am I efficient enough?
• Что изменилось в бизнесе? Он стал
быстрее.

4. Yes, definitely yes!
Skills
Experience
Time management
Clear goals
Help others

5. Why do I need to change?
I feel stressed and
tired at work
I have no or small
breaks

6. More symptoms
• Reduced performance
• Communication breakdown
• Lower job satisfaction
• Poor decision making
• Focus on unproductive
tasks

7. What are the reasons?
Working • Cluttered workspace
• Many interruptions
environment • Too noisy
• No clear priorities
Poor • To many responsibilities
planning • Inefficient delegation
• Chaotic meetings
• Huge email flow
Social factors • Social networks
• No rhythm

8. Parkinson’s Law
Work expands to fill the
time available for doing it

9. I decided to try Pomodoro…

10. Simple rules
• A Pomodoro is
indivisible
• Once a Pomodoro
Choose Task
begins, it has to ring
• The next Pomodoro
will go better
4x
Take 5 Work 25
minutes break minutes on it

11. What to do during breaks?
Walking Drinking Relaxing
Eating Smoking Sleeping
Chatting
Discussing Reading news

12. Pomodoro artifacts
Inventory sheet
Today tasks sheet

13. Pomodoro estimation
From to

14. Pomodoro normal cycle
Take top priority
task from Today
Sheet
Reprioritize Start Pomodoro
tasks
Focus on task
Take a break until Pomodoro
rings
Mark Pomodoro
as done

15. Interruptions workflow
Void Start new
Pomodoro Pomodoro
Try to
reschedule
interruption
Manage
Finish current
interruption
Pomodoro
during break
Interruption Try to protect
happens Pomodoro
Can
interruption
become a
task?
Create task in Increment
Today Sheet counter

16. Working day schedule
4 Pomodoro
Organizational 10 minutes
(25 + 5
Pomodoro break
minutes)
10:00 10:30 12:30 12:40
4 Pomodoro 4 Pomodoro
(25 + 5 Lunch (25 + 5
minutes) minutes)
17:20 15:20 14:40
10 minutes
Pomospective
break
17:30 18:00

17. Pomodoro metrics
• Pomodoros done per
task type/tag
• Pomodoros done per
day
• Number of
interruptions
• Percent of unplanned
tasks
• Estimations reality
factor

18. It looks like Scrum
Pomodoro
Inventory Sheet Today Sheet
Day
Velocity
Organizational Pomodoro Task starting Pomospective

19. Pomodoro tools evolution
1. + 4. +
2. + 5.
3. +

20. is based on
continuous
improvement

21. Lesson learned #1
Organizational Pomodoro is great idea

22. Lesson learned #2
Every activity should be
measured in Pomodoro

23. Lesson learned #3
+ =
Interruptions evil

24. Lesson learned #4
Your lie is visible
to others
Be honest with yourself

25. Lesson learned #5
Perform estimation analysis

26. You can win with Pomodoro!
• Daily Scrum preparation
• Improved estimations
precision
• Improved productivity
• Increased self-discipline

27. Pomodoro tools
• http://www.focusboosterapp.com/
• http://www.itlanddata.no/the-pomodoro-technique/
• http://beatpoints.com/cherrytomato/
• http://code.google.com/p/pomodairo/
• http://www.vivasoftware.it/PomodoroTimer/MaToMaTo/
• https://github.com/reborg/pomodori
• http://alternativeto.net/software/pomodoro-desktop/
• http://www.tomighty.org/
• http://pomodoro.ugolandini.com/
• http://reborg.github.com/pomodori/
• http://flowkeeper.org/

28. Services and resources
• Technique website:
– http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
• Services:
– http://www.pomodorohelper.com/
– http://www.pomodorotool.com/
– http://25minut.es/
– http://tomatoi.st
– http://www.tomatoday.dk/

29. @xpinjection
http://xpinjection.com
mikalai.alimenkou@xpinjection.com