Anticlue

Get an Issues List together

Here's the scenario, we are putting in a system. I got in on the project very late in the game. So I'm sitting in my cube last night, just about ready to leave and enjoy the first sunny day in recent memory. I'm going though my voice mail, and I have a call to place. I'm talking to the person, and she is listing to me all the remaining items that need to be done. Do you have an list of this stuff electronically? I can take a look and see what we can farm out. Let me finish putting one together, and I'll email it to you.

I know issues lists are a pain if you are in the front-line of a project. They seem to take time from the project and why are we wasting the time, instead of just getting it done.

Well, the truth of the matter is that you end up being too close to the problem and at the end of a tedious project, let's face it, you are worn out. The issues list helps to quickly categorize what needs to get done. But that is not really enough, one needs to have categories together like. Priority is this critical, high, medium, or low. Is this needed for live, or can it be added in shortly thereafter. Who is responsible for this issue, and if needed what team does this issue belong too.

I dislike maintaining issue lists, but it is a necessary evil to getting a project completed. It is also a blessing in communicating and managing a project.