- **Tasks as Reminders, Not Milestones:** Tasks are placeholders for intentions. They are just reminders. They are tools to manage memory, not direct indicators of progress or value. This is especially true because we discover tasks as we do the real work, i.e., we cannot know them all upfront when doing creative problem-solving work.
- **App State as the Source of Truth:** The only "truth" in a project is the current state of the product or system. Is it functional? Does it deliver the value we need now? What works and what doesn't? This puts the focus on the outcome rather than the “analysis”.
- **Outcome-Oriented Progress:** Questions like "What’s the state of the app?" or "What’s usable and broken?" are inherently practical. They frame progress in terms of deliverable, usable parts instead of task lists.
- **Limitations of Task-Centric Metrics:** Task completion metrics (like burndown charts or velocity) can create a false sense of progress if disconnected from the app's actual fitness. A "completed" task doesn’t guarantee a functional, valuable product.
See links for more on how to create second-order views into the work.
Image courtesy of 37signals (From Shape Up).
2. Ask what needs to be solved together as one whole, and what can be solved separately. Develop the skill to work on one thing without having to get into the details of another thing, i.e., to set boundaries where you can change one thing without affecting other things.