Seeing the bigger picture is an important skill in all aspects of business (and life). Many times I see someone performing a task a certain way over and over, while I’m thinking “Why not do it this way?” or, “If you do this part of the task this way once, the rest would be easier and repeating it would be more efficient.” What makes me smack my head and proclaim "Doh!" is when I'm the recipient of such advice. Sometimes when you are down in the thick of detail, you don't see the forest for the trees. In my last blog entry I talked about statements-of-work (SOWs). Because creating them is a significant component of my work, here is one head-smacker to add; and by the way it also falls under the heading of Evaluation and Improvement, both part of the RTTS methodology (Doh! times two).

 

Usually, after creating and submitting the SOW we have a follow-up call with the prospective client to discuss the document. We seem to always get into a conversation on process, needs, requirements and tools. Even though I enjoy talking about performance testing and tools, it would probably be a good idea to include an explanation of the previously mentioned topics within the SOW itself. For example, regarding process, describe the steps and artifacts; what is involved, setup and requirements, etc. Since there are a number of performance and scalability test tools available, the SOW could include a generalization of what the available tools are; how they work; and what they can and cannot tell you.

 

Fitting title for the subject. Have you had any head smacking Doh's lately?

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