Contents 1 Introduction 2 Codes 3 Theory 4 Aphorisms

Introduction

We use priority codes to help sort out our various things to do.

Codes

P1 - Ekk! Blocking -- use only rarely denotes a scenario when those working on it have other people standing around waiting for them to finish and it's sufficiently awful they probably ought to consider not sleeping or eating until it's resolved.

P2 - Rarely used

P3 - Must, Should, Let's do it. Usually everything one's working on this pile. Often these items "must happen" to get to the goal.

P4 - Nice to haves, it's fine if these get done. They often get done interleaved with P3s.

P5, P6, P7 -- Not used.

P8 -- Priority Needs to be discussed.

P9 -- This item has been discussed, often to death, and we decided not to do it. They remain on the list so that people know we aren't talking about them anymore. Something has to change in the landscape before they should be reopened for discussion. It might appear on the list for some other goal.

-D -- Done

Theory

• These priorities effect how labor focuses it's attention
  • Not the priority of other constituencies.
  • Only for the most immediate goal
• Priority sorting is mostly a waste of time, so sets of issues is better than lists.
  • Trust the labor.
• A big pile is good, don't horde your issues.
  • Feel free to move things into P8 when in doubt about priority.
  • P8 and P4 is a polite place to put things.
• Avoid P1 and P2.
• P9 is so we don't continue to beat dead horses, but we don't forget we beat them either.
• Avoid exagerated speech.
• Resolving an issue is always better than adding it to the list.

Aphorisms

"A project plan is a lot like a snake eating a rat; whatever phase the project is in has the most project detail. This is true because the team has the best visibility as to what it will take to get through the next milestone."

"The purpose of planning is to increase the probablity that everybody will know the plan from which we are deviating."

"Planning is not contracting."