The Retrospector

In the corporate world, there is a very heavy weight put on successful delivery. Companies usually understand that some things have learning curves, but where do you draw the line on testing out new technologies before you actually stop and deliver something?

Are you known as the guy that knows about a lot of things but never delivers on time? Can you relate to someone that always delivers on time but ends up using the same outdated approach over and over again? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle, but how do you know when to balance learning with delivery?

I’ll define some considerations you need to take, factors that should effect your decision, and give some tips on how to apply what’s known to deciding which approach you should take to still be successful.

Things to consider

• Time – How much time do you have? Are your customers patient? Is there a high visibility on whether or not you can deliver quickly?
• Risk – Do you already have success with similar projects? How much experience does your team have in completing like tasks? Do already know how to implement all requirements requested?
• Resources – Do you have enough help to get everything done? Are you in a volatile environment where people aren’t able to dedicate themselves long enough to be effective? Is everyone involved able to focus on just your project without worrying about other commitments?

All of these items should be weighed in when deciding on a project plan. If you know there’s a very low risk in being able to deliver on time, it’s likely a good opportunity to begin trying new things or experimenting with new technologies that can be applied to some of the components.

If the risk is medium or high that you might not meet the expected delivery, using what you know will work should take precedence over experimenting with frameworks or widgets you’re unsure of.

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