(2014-11-21) Rothman Make Stories Small When You Have Wicked Problems

Johanna Rothman: Make Stories Small When You Have "Wicked" Problems

If you read my Three Alternatives to Making Smaller Stories, you noticed one thing. In each of these examples, the problem was in the teams’ ability to show progress and create interim steps. But, what about when you have a “wicked” problem, when you don’t know if you can create the answer?

If you have a wicked problem, you have plenty of risks. What do you do with a risky project?

Now, in return, the team solving this wicked problem owes the organization an update every week, or, at the most, every two weeks about what they are doing. That update needs to be a demo. (Iteration)

Sometimes, they can’t show a demo. Why? Because they encountered a Big Hairy Problem.

What I want to see from a given week is some form of a deliverable: a demo, answers to a question or set of questions, or the fact that we learned something and we have generated more questions

The questions are like your tests. You take a scientific approach, asking yourself, “What questions do I need to answer this week?” You have a big question. You break that question down into smaller questions, one or two that you can answer (you hope) this week. You explore like crazy, using the people who can help you explore.