PoC #7 - Yak-shave & Hill Chart
Random thoughts from a product manager
Greetings,
Welcome to Pursuit of Curiosity - #7.
Getting back on the newsletter horse. Sometimes a break is what clears your minds and make it fun.
Welcome to Erik, Aparajita, Vivek and Raghavendra to the Pursuits of Curiosity circle. Thank you for signing up to the newsletter.
My last newsletter sparked an interesting conversation on Linkedin . It was refreshing to see my ideas being challenged. I had to change a few of my assumptions on product roadmaps. This is the essence of learning in public.
This week I explore 2 topics
Yak Shave - The art of getting lost
Hill Charts
Yak-shave
Few months ago my wife asked me to install additional storage in our utility closet. I took the measurements. I began sketching ideas on what that could look like. I was not too happy with my drawings. So I began researching on right software to draw simple diagrams. I decided not to pay for the software , but the free one ( Sketch ) had a steep learning curve. I then decided that I could use the software better with a mouse instead of my trackpad. The optical mouse I used kept jumping due to my table. Hence I decided to use a mouse pad. Went into my garage to find a mouse pad. Found an old one but was a little warped due to the cold. Decided I needed better lighting in my garage to find stuff quicker. I began to research on different kinds of lighting possible. LED strips were looking elegant. Then I read about LED strips not handling moisture very well. Researched a little on how to seal LED in epoxy.
All I have to show for after 6 months is a bunch of browser tabs doing research on transparent epoxy resins. No Shelves !!
This is called a Yak shave.
Laugh at my plight. This happens more often in software than we would like to admit.
Imagine you are a developer. You encounter an issue and you know the fix. But, you discover that an underlying library has not been updated in ages. You realise that the new version of the library is no longer compatible with the test setup that you have. So you decide to fork the repo and make your own changes. To make change you uncover that the build is blocked by a cloud configuration. The cloud configuration is shared across your org. You decide to make a custom configuration for your setup. Then you need to learn some obscure language syntax to make that work. You need to order a new book on Amazon to learn. Your credit card has expired. Your bank sent you one but you have not received the parcel. The courier company mentions they tried to deliver it but you weren’t home. You get the gist.
3 sprints after you have committed to delivering it , you have to now explain to your product manager . You talk about the incompetence at courier company. He looks blankly wondering where did that come from !! Then he rememberers the open tabs on epoxy resins and life goes on.
You might be thinking it is best to not go down rabbit holes like these and just do the minimal work needed. My suggestion is three fold
Dont tumble into Yak shave mode but go down the yak shave path consciously
Be able to differentiate learning from doing. Allocate resources appropriately.
Try and prioritise based on cost of doing vs cost of not doing it
Is it better if I deliver X without waiting to sort out A,BC ? Is it better to small bits of it now and do the big refactor later ?
I am a big fan of these detours in the journeys . These kinds of detours are unavoidable in work in an innovative setup. If you dont get lost once in a while you dont find new ways of doing things. In moderation these Yak shaves are what keep a team healthy.
Would love to hear your experiences on this . Reach out on Twitter or Linkedin
Seth Godin blogged about in back in 2005 and xkcd has a wonderful comic capturing its essence.
Image from : https://xkcd.com/349/
Hill Chart from Basecamp
I am a sucker for good visualisations that can covey context to the reader.
My last newsletter sparked an interesting discussion. The use of product roadmaps for discovery and the reality of communicating timelines and schedules to external stakeholders. One such discussion with my writing buddy , Sylvain. Knowing me , he pointed me towards the new Hill chart from Basecamp.
Image From https://basecamp.com/features/hill-charts
For a person outside of the core group the subtle difference between discovery and delivery is not clear. As Product managers we struggle to communicate dual track scrum with our stakeholders.
In essence it is a chart that displays items in the backlog from a readiness perspective. In one quick glance you could decipher the stage of an item. It is it in discovery mode or is this an execution mode ?
Image From https://basecamp.com/features/hill-charts
Now waiting for a chance to use this chart in a useful context
For those who dont know Basecamp is a kick ass project management software. They also wrote this really awesome guide on remote work.
That is it for this time.
Do sign up to the newsletter if you haven’t done so yet. Would love to discuss product, shipping and learning.
Adios and have a nice week ahead.
Until next week .
Ram Rao