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Write You - Issue Management Methodology for Tracking Project Issues
The success of any business relies heavily on the competency and ability of the manager.That is why managers are usually given the most ardent and difficult task of directly supervising the business’ operations, dealing with staff, getting into negotiations with potential business partners for deals and making sure the overall well being of the firm is maintained.Those would be enough to justify the usually attractive compensation provided to them.That way, more kids are aspiring to be tough and effective managers someday. Business management is a profession gaining more popularity as people and economies continue to realize their contributions not just to the progress of a company, but to the entire economy.But it pays to be a business manager. To be one, you should acquire and develop effective problem solving skills. Yes, managers are first and foremost, problem solvers.Problem solving skillsDifferent managers and experts have been coming up with their own problem solving skills. It is inevitable because that is mankind’s nature---to improve what is already widely used norms and practices.Practically, all problem solving skills and practices are derived from the most basic problem solving processes most popularly known in the academe as the scientific approach.It could be inferred that Science in general, regardless of specific branch or discipline, has forced men to come up with a systematic approach to problem solving.Thus, the scientific approach to problem solving, being the basic process, is very potent and effective in putting solutions to every challen
When an issue is initially recorded it should be recorded in the central repository with a status code that reflects the fact that it is new issue and has not been reviewed. An attempt should also be made to categorize and rank the severity of the issue.
The date and who created the issue should be recorded in the central repository. This is done automatically for you in systems like Issue Tracker.
Many teams describe issues in terms of the desired solution, leaving others to deduce the actual issue. This is not best practice since it limits the scope of possible creative solutions. As an example a badly worded issue: "We need more people." There is no indication in this example of what the issue actually is, so finding alternative solutions is impossible. If the example issue had been worded as "The shipping department has swamped us with product, there is a possibility of spoilage if we cannot get the product delivered." With the issue worded this way perhaps the shipping department can become aware of how there actions are causing issues down the line and adapt their actions.
3.3 Initial Review
Eight Steps On How to Get Hired
Nowadays getting hired is very difficult. It is more than just passing a resume, applying and forever hoping to get hired. Well it is time to stop hoping and start really getting hired.Here are the steps on how to get pass job searching and start working.Self AnalysisTo start job searching you must first analyze yourself on what you want to be. You can be a Bum, an Entrepreneur, a Young Professional, or a Student Seeking Higher Studies. If you choose to be a Bum, Entrepreneur or a Student then you should stop reading this article and continue to pursue the career path that you chose. However, if you choose to become a Young Professional continue reading because all the information you need to get hired is in this article.PreparationWhy do we need to prepare before job searching? Because Companies/Employers are very selective and among the numerous number of applicants they have they will choose the most deserving and who will make their company more productive. They are not looking to teach you, they are looking to get instant results from you. The other reason is competition, if you had an experience in working you may have a distinct advantage but nevertheless it is still the Companies/Employers that will have the decision when hiring an applicant.Looking For a CompanyWhere do we look for a company that are hiring? A lot of companies post their job vacancy in, for example, newspaper ads, radio, TV, job fair, employment agencies, Internet, and if your University has College Placement Office they can provide you a job vacancy listing also. Another way of looking for a company
An issue is an incident, circumstance, problem or inquiry that affects or potentially affects the timely delivery of the project, product or service, it may also impact the quality of deliverables and the cost of production.
Some projects are ongoing and the definition of an issue is a little different. A help desk defines an issue as a request for help that requires a response. A service department keeps track of service requests as issues. A software maintenance group tracks reports of software bugs and enhancement requests as issues.
Because of the impact issues have on a project, product development or ongoing service, issue management is an important aspect in any management methodology. This issue management methodology promises to make the handling of issues a seamless part of your larger scoped methodologies rather than a process separate from them.
It is usually not hard for team members to identify issues, but it is still worth having a working definition of an issue. Remember that the more ambitious your project the more issues will arise.
Action item: The project team must be made aware of what issues are, provide some examples, and ask other team members to provide some examples.
2. Requirements
A central repository of issue information easily accessible to all team members, because it is good for team morale and productivity to know that their issues are being addressed. An automated central repository like Issue Tracker is desirable because it make the issue management and reporting much easier.
Action item: Choose a central repository for your issues.
An issue manager is the person chosen to oversee all issues. It can be the project manager, team leader or another person in a responsible leadership position. The issue manager is responsible for making sure that there is consistent, disciplined and continuous progress made on all issues. The issue manager is accountable to upper management for the progress made on all issues. The issue manager communicates issue progress to the team, upper management and all stakeholders.
Action item: Appoint an Issue Manager and notify the issue manager of their role and responsibilities.
This issue management methodology represents best practice for managing issues. However, the goal is to have a successful project, product development or service, the goal is not to follow a methodology fanatically.
Action item: Adapt the methodology so your project's success is maximized.
3. Steps
3.1 Discovery
Issues can arise at any time. When an issue is discovered it is recorded in the central repository.
It is important to allow issues to be recorded by a broad group of people including team members, upper management, users, customers, stakeholders, vendors and contractors. It is important because if there are barriers to reporting an issue then there is an increased chance that the issue will go unrecorded. You cannot address issues that you do not know about. It is not necessary that everyone has access to central repository, but the more you can allow the better.
Action item: Set up access to the central repository for those people that need it.
3.2 Recording
Training people to identify issues is often unnecessary, however getting people to record the issue in the central repository will take some training and encouragement. For example, a team member may mention an unrecorded issue to the project manager during a coffee break or other informal occasion, this team member needs some encouragement to record such issues in the central repository.
For all kinds of issues, prevention is better than correction. Also, issues tend to be less severe if they are addressed earlier rather than later. This means that every effort should be made to report issues as soon as they are discovered, instead of waiting for the issue to become "serious enough" before recording it. Do not be afraid of duplicating an issue or overlapping with existing issues, it is better than missing an issue.
A complete description of the cause of the issue should be recorded in the central repository. Resist the temptation to describe the issue in terms of a solution. Any implication of the issue should be recorded. Attach any supporting documentation, screenshots, report output, faxes, error messages and other media that describes the issue.
The person who is recording the issue can make a recommendation for a solution, if they have one. This person should also assign the issue if possible, even if it is only assigned to the issue manager for re-assignment.
When an issue is initially recorded it should be recorded in the central repository with a status code that reflects the fact that it is new issue and has not been reviewed. An attempt should also be made to categorize and rank the severity of the issue.
The date and who created the issue should be recorded in the central repository. This is done automatically for you in systems like Issue Tracker.
Many teams describe issues in terms of the desired solution, leaving others to deduce the actual issue. This is not best practice since it limits the scope of possible creative solutions. As an example a badly worded issue: "We need more people." There is no indication in this example of what the issue actually is, so finding alternative solutions is impossible. If the example issue had been worded as "The shipping department has swamped us with product, there is a possibility of spoilage if we cannot get the product delivered." With the issue worded this way perhaps the shipping department can become aware of how there actions are causing issues down the line and adapt their actions.
3.3 Initial Review
Has this ever happened to you? You drive thirty to forty-five minutes to get to your first appointment. You arrive at a prospective client’s office and the CEO is not there! What about this situation? You are scheduled to talk with the president of a company that is exactly fits your target market. Unfortunately, your appointment abruptly ends after only fifteen minutes. You thought that you had an hour! Your first meeting begins twenty minutes late due to phone call taken before your scheduled meeting with the vice-president. How would you feel after these appointments?Of course, these situations never happen with you or your sales people! Right? If you want to find a way to reduce expenses, consider using technology to connect with prospects. This is a great alternative sales solution! You can reduce your transportation and travel costs by conducting online presentations to complete first call interviews.Why not conduct an online meeting? You can use Citrix Go-To-Meeting technology. There is also a Webex application that you can use and perhaps other software. Large, mid-size and small companies use inside sales personnel to get new business successfully. You can too! Realistically, do you really expect to pick up the check and complete the sale on the first appointment?Does it make good sense to travel just to meet them for the first time? Your first meeting should be used is to better understand your prospect’s needs, concerns and challenges. It is not to offer your solution after a few minutes of rapport building. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows an expense of 40 cents
2. Requirements
A central repository of issue information easily accessible to all team members, because it is good for team morale and productivity to know that their issues are being addressed. An automated central repository like Issue Tracker is desirable because it make the issue management and reporting much easier.
Action item: Choose a central repository for your issues.
An issue manager is the person chosen to oversee all issues. It can be the project manager, team leader or another person in a responsible leadership position. The issue manager is responsible for making sure that there is consistent, disciplined and continuous progress made on all issues. The issue manager is accountable to upper management for the progress made on all issues. The issue manager communicates issue progress to the team, upper management and all stakeholders.
Action item: Appoint an Issue Manager and notify the issue manager of their role and responsibilities.
This issue management methodology represents best practice for managing issues. However, the goal is to have a successful project, product development or service, the goal is not to follow a methodology fanatically.
Action item: Adapt the methodology so your project's success is maximized.
3. Steps
3.1 Discovery
Issues can arise at any time. When an issue is discovered it is recorded in the central repository.
It is important to allow issues to be recorded by a broad group of people including team members, upper management, users, customers, stakeholders, vendors and contractors. It is important because if there are barriers to reporting an issue then there is an increased chance that the issue will go unrecorded. You cannot address issues that you do not know about. It is not necessary that everyone has access to central repository, but the more you can allow the better.
Action item: Set up access to the central repository for those people that need it.
3.2 Recording
Training people to identify issues is often unnecessary, however getting people to record the issue in the central repository will take some training and encouragement. For example, a team member may mention an unrecorded issue to the project manager during a coffee break or other informal occasion, this team member needs some encouragement to record such issues in the central repository.
For all kinds of issues, prevention is better than correction. Also, issues tend to be less severe if they are addressed earlier rather than later. This means that every effort should be made to report issues as soon as they are discovered, instead of waiting for the issue to become "serious enough" before recording it. Do not be afraid of duplicating an issue or overlapping with existing issues, it is better than missing an issue.
A complete description of the cause of the issue should be recorded in the central repository. Resist the temptation to describe the issue in terms of a solution. Any implication of the issue should be recorded. Attach any supporting documentation, screenshots, report output, faxes, error messages and other media that describes the issue.
The person who is recording the issue can make a recommendation for a solution, if they have one. This person should also assign the issue if possible, even if it is only assigned to the issue manager for re-assignment.
When an issue is initially recorded it should be recorded in the central repository with a status code that reflects the fact that it is new issue and has not been reviewed. An attempt should also be made to categorize and rank the severity of the issue.
The date and who created the issue should be recorded in the central repository. This is done automatically for you in systems like Issue Tracker.
Many teams describe issues in terms of the desired solution, leaving others to deduce the actual issue. This is not best practice since it limits the scope of possible creative solutions. As an example a badly worded issue: "We need more people." There is no indication in this example of what the issue actually is, so finding alternative solutions is impossible. If the example issue had been worded as "The shipping department has swamped us with product, there is a possibility of spoilage if we cannot get the product delivered." With the issue worded this way perhaps the shipping department can become aware of how there actions are causing issues down the line and adapt their actions.
3.3 Initial Review
Dimensions of Job Satisfaction
There is some doubt whether job satisfaction consists of a single dimension or a number of separate ones. Some workers may be satisfied with some aspects of their work and dissatisfied with others. There does, however, appear to be a positive correlation between satisfaction levels in different areas of work. This suggests a single overall factor of job satisfaction. However, it seems there is no one, general, comprehensive theory which explains job satisfaction.Today is still considered by a number of critics to be, a complex concept and difficult to measure objectively. A wide range of variables relating to individual, social, cultural organizational and environmental factors affect the level of job satisfaction. Specifically:- Individual Factors include personality, education, intelligence and abilities, age, marital status. Orientation to work.- Social Factors include relationships with co-workers, group working and norms, opportunities for interaction, informal organization.- Cultural Factors include underlying attitudes, beliefs and values.- Organizational Factors include nature and size, formal structure, personnel policies and procedures, employee relations, nature of the work, technology and work organization, supervision and styles of leadership, management systems, working conditions.- Environmental Factors include economic, social, technical and governmental influences.These different factors, all affect the job satisfaction of certain individuals in a given set of circumstances, but not necessarily in others. The various studies of job satisfaction have some valigement methodology represents best practice for managing issues. However, the goal is to have a successful project, product development or service, the goal is not to follow a methodology fanatically.
Action item: Adapt the methodology so your project's success is maximized.
3. Steps
3.1 Discovery
Issues can arise at any time. When an issue is discovered it is recorded in the central repository.
It is important to allow issues to be recorded by a broad group of people including team members, upper management, users, customers, stakeholders, vendors and contractors. It is important because if there are barriers to reporting an issue then there is an increased chance that the issue will go unrecorded. You cannot address issues that you do not know about. It is not necessary that everyone has access to central repository, but the more you can allow the better.
Action item: Set up access to the central repository for those people that need it.
3.2 Recording
Training people to identify issues is often unnecessary, however getting people to record the issue in the central repository will take some training and encouragement. For example, a team member may mention an unrecorded issue to the project manager during a coffee break or other informal occasion, this team member needs some encouragement to record such issues in the central repository.
For all kinds of issues, prevention is better than correction. Also, issues tend to be less severe if they are addressed earlier rather than later. This means that every effort should be made to report issues as soon as they are discovered, instead of waiting for the issue to become "serious enough" before recording it. Do not be afraid of duplicating an issue or overlapping with existing issues, it is better than missing an issue.
A complete description of the cause of the issue should be recorded in the central repository. Resist the temptation to describe the issue in terms of a solution. Any implication of the issue should be recorded. Attach any supporting documentation, screenshots, report output, faxes, error messages and other media that describes the issue.
The person who is recording the issue can make a recommendation for a solution, if they have one. This person should also assign the issue if possible, even if it is only assigned to the issue manager for re-assignment.
When an issue is initially recorded it should be recorded in the central repository with a status code that reflects the fact that it is new issue and has not been reviewed. An attempt should also be made to categorize and rank the severity of the issue.
The date and who created the issue should be recorded in the central repository. This is done automatically for you in systems like Issue Tracker.
Many teams describe issues in terms of the desired solution, leaving others to deduce the actual issue. This is not best practice since it limits the scope of possible creative solutions. As an example a badly worded issue: "We need more people." There is no indication in this example of what the issue actually is, so finding alternative solutions is impossible. If the example issue had been worded as "The shipping department has swamped us with product, there is a possibility of spoilage if we cannot get the product delivered." With the issue worded this way perhaps the shipping department can become aware of how there actions are causing issues down the line and adapt their actions.
3.3 Initial Review
Consumer Democracy
A reader suggested recently that some of my articles should be submitted to Digg, an online website where readers submit and vote for newsworthy and interesting pieces. The advice was flattering, and indeed it seems that some of what is said here is by all accounts of interest to a broad spectrum of readers, but more interesting still is the process by which Digg aims to achieve objectives of newsworthiness.The website operates on the democratic principle that readers can pick and choose what submitted articles they want to read and whether they want to “digg” them, with the obvious result that those articles with the most number of “digs” receive front-page coverage and therefore exposure. For articles that readers deem uninteresting, instead of just not voting, readers have the option to choose “This is lame” – if there are enough of these “lame-votes”, the article is removed by supposedly light-handed moderators.So far this all sounds like fairly intuitive democratic reasoning, and by all accounts there should be little complaint with the method, but there have been some considerable voices of opposition to the site’s worthiness. The most recent attack was by one fairly high-profile writer named Charlie Demerjian, who published an article called “Digg.com is worthless as a democratic concept” in which he recounted an experience of having written a fair piece about gaming online to discover that it was overwhelmingly popular. Deciding to submit it to Digg.com, Demerjian unsurprisingly saw its popularity rocket and received more e-mails and comments, some in agreement and some in disagreement with what he hade central repository will take some training and encouragement. For example, a team member may mention an unrecorded issue to the project manager during a coffee break or other informal occasion, this team member needs some encouragement to record such issues in the central repository.
For all kinds of issues, prevention is better than correction. Also, issues tend to be less severe if they are addressed earlier rather than later. This means that every effort should be made to report issues as soon as they are discovered, instead of waiting for the issue to become "serious enough" before recording it. Do not be afraid of duplicating an issue or overlapping with existing issues, it is better than missing an issue.
A complete description of the cause of the issue should be recorded in the central repository. Resist the temptation to describe the issue in terms of a solution. Any implication of the issue should be recorded. Attach any supporting documentation, screenshots, report output, faxes, error messages and other media that describes the issue.
The person who is recording the issue can make a recommendation for a solution, if they have one. This person should also assign the issue if possible, even if it is only assigned to the issue manager for re-assignment.
When an issue is initially recorded it should be recorded in the central repository with a status code that reflects the fact that it is new issue and has not been reviewed. An attempt should also be made to categorize and rank the severity of the issue.
The date and who created the issue should be recorded in the central repository. This is done automatically for you in systems like Issue Tracker.
Many teams describe issues in terms of the desired solution, leaving others to deduce the actual issue. This is not best practice since it limits the scope of possible creative solutions. As an example a badly worded issue: "We need more people." There is no indication in this example of what the issue actually is, so finding alternative solutions is impossible. If the example issue had been worded as "The shipping department has swamped us with product, there is a possibility of spoilage if we cannot get the product delivered." With the issue worded this way perhaps the shipping department can become aware of how there actions are causing issues down the line and adapt their actions.
3.3 Initial Review
Work Life Balance, and How to Get There As Your Own Boss
I think back on my time working for someone else and almost have to laugh now. It seems so distant and far away that it isn't even real to me anymore!But I have to remind myself how I felt at the time.The mornings were the worst. I had to leave earlier and earlier to get to work on time with all the traffic. Each morning an epic battle was waged just to get out of bed. On one side was my sense of obligation; on the other was the snooze button on my alarm clock.I remember absolutely HATING my alarm clock with a passion. I felt guilty every time I pushed that snooze button, like I was had just gone to a crack dealer. I could get one more hit, just 10 more minutes, and it would feel so great. But at the same time I knew I shouldn't!I'd run out of the house bleary eyed and half awake. Some days I'd even have enough time to grab a piece of burnt toast on my way out.All morning I'd sip on bad coffee to try and stay alert, but it would only make me jittery and remind me of how hungry I was (having missed breakfast!).Finally, when lunch would role around, I'd be famished and would run to the nearest food court to gorge myself. I certainly didn't eat the best food in those days. I'd eat junk food to feel better. It was like self-medication to make the day less stressful!After a big lunch of course, an afternoon nap would have been perfect. My eyelids felt like they weighed 100 lbs a piece some days!But I didn't dare rest my eyes for a moment, under constant fear that my boss would walk by and catch me!Finally the end of the day would arrive and I'd make my way toward homsible, even if it is only assigned to the issue manager for re-assignment.
When an issue is initially recorded it should be recorded in the central repository with a status code that reflects the fact that it is new issue and has not been reviewed. An attempt should also be made to categorize and rank the severity of the issue.
The date and who created the issue should be recorded in the central repository. This is done automatically for you in systems like Issue Tracker.
Many teams describe issues in terms of the desired solution, leaving others to deduce the actual issue. This is not best practice since it limits the scope of possible creative solutions. As an example a badly worded issue: "We need more people." There is no indication in this example of what the issue actually is, so finding alternative solutions is impossible. If the example issue had been worded as "The shipping department has swamped us with product, there is a possibility of spoilage if we cannot get the product delivered." With the issue worded this way perhaps the shipping department can become aware of how there actions are causing issues down the line and adapt their actions.
3.3 Initial Review
The initial review is a triage of new issues. It is usually performed by the issue manager or deputies who are familiar with the scope and priorities of the project. If the team is small the entire team can meet for the review. For each new issue the status, category and severity are reviewed and the issue assigned to someone for action and optionally an owner is identified as follows.
Sometimes the same person who records the issue may be doing the initial review, so these two steps can be fused into one in this situation.
3.3.1 Issue Status
A decision is made about the next state of the issue. (The previous state was "new".) The next status of the issue reflects the nature and timing of the action to address the issue. It is one of the following:
- open: immediate action will be taken to address the issue
- deferred: action will be deferred until some future time
- referred: action will be taken by some other group, probably because the issue is beyond the current scope
- cancelled: no action will be taken now or in the future
3.3.2 Categorize the issue
A first attempt at categorizing the issue was made when it was first recorded. But, now during the initial review the category can be refined.
The proper issue category is helpful when prioritizing the resources required to address issues. It is especially useful for reporting purposes.
Action item: Discuss with the team how best to categorize the issues you expect to get, and document the categories that will be used.
3.3.3 Rank the issue severity
The severity reflects the importance of getting the issue resolved. Obviously, you want to direct resources at the most important issues before the lesser ones.
Action item: Choose a small set of severity codes that have a clear ranking. For example: Trivial, Standard, Important, Critical. Some people prefer: Low, Medium, High, Very High.
3.3.4 Assignment
From the start, the next person to take action on the issue must be assigned to the issue and notified. Issue Tracker will automatically notify the person assigned to the issue via email.
If the issue description is incomplete, the issue can be assigned to the appropriate party to gather the information necessary to make the issue description clear.
Assign a person and not a group. Experience has shown that assigning issues to individuals leads to greater accountability than assigning issues to groups. An individual can be confronted about lack of progress, it is much harder to confront a group of people. A group can be represented by a group leader, so you can assign an issue to the group leader who will take action to reassign the issue to correct group member who will actually address the issue.
3.3.5 Ownership
It should be possible to decide which stakeholder is the owner of the issue. Having an issue owner is a way of recording who is accountable for the issue's resolution.
Owners must review the issues they own for progress to resolution. If the progress is not sufficient the issue manager should be told so that the situation can be remedied.
3.4 Taking Action
The process to address an issue iterates over the following sub-steps until the issue is resolved.
- The person assigned to the issue, takes action to address the issue.
- The person assigned to the issue, documents the action taken as an issue event in the central repository. An issue event has the person's name, the date and a description of the action taken.
- Some issue processes require an approval step before further action can be taken. This approval should take the form of signing off on a proposal. While paper based signatures are acceptable, an automated system is better. Issue events in Issue Tracker can by used to sign off, since a user is required to log in to identify themselves, this is as good as a paper signature.
- If there is documentation to support the action taken, like a cost-benefit analysis of a proposed system change, the supporting files are attached to the issue.
- The process of finding a solution may help refine the issue description. This refinement should be reflected in updates to the issue description and title, as well as attaching further supporting files. It may also require that the issue be re-categorized.
- If the next iteration is the responsibility of another person the issue is reassigned.
- If the issue is resolved in this iteration, the status is updated to reflect the fact that the issue is inactive.
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