Time Boxing

         Let's assume that you are working on a user story. You realize that some parts of the  story are taking more than expected time to complete.

How do you measure the allocated time and the actual time of delivery of that particular user story?

Well, the Time Boxing technique can come to your rescue for bigger user stories. With this technique, you need to split the user stories into smaller chunks of measurable tasks. Allocate a certain amount of time to the particular task, say 30 minutes.

So, once you start working on a particular task and it is taking more than 30 minutes, you can pause it for a while rather than working for long hours to complete the same task and pick up another manageable and doable task.

What will you get with this technique?

For the future splitting of user stories, you will get your benchmark to split the work into manageable chunks. This will not only increase your productivity but the confidence that you are progressing well.

When you set a deadline for yourself, you tend to focus more on the task, eliminating distractions.

Improves time management so that you can achieve a good balance in your professional life.

You can apply this technique for large work items on both professional as well as personal fronts.

Do try it and see the difference.

Osmotic Communication

Have you heard words like Tune In or Tune Out? If not, then you can relate it to the old radio system where listeners used to use a circular button to adjust the radio frequency so that they can hear what they want.

The same concept is being applied in project management as well.

Osmotic communication, is a form of team communication where team members listens to the talks within the team. The information flows from background conversations. People in the team can tune in or tune out as per their needs.

This enables them to have more insights in the project and have more questions.

This works in Agile way of working where team is located at same geographical location. Usually the seating arrangement is made in such a way that entire team is in same bay or they are seated around a table in same room. So that everybody can hear everybody is talking.

Unless any team member is not tuned in to some loud music ;)

To get more out of osmotic communication, team has to be physically and mentally present with other team members.

This technic is not so effective in case virtual or geographically distributed teams.

History:
Osmotic communications is a term created by Alistair Cockburn and originally described in his 2004 book Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams ⁽¹⁾ and then again in his 2006 book Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game.