On built-to-program product development, avoiding meetings and keeping people up to date via skype :)

So basically product development and usability and i think for the most part also tech does not do meetings anymore. Especially not recourring regular ones. At least i encourage everyone not to do them and try and lead by example.

Here are some reasons:

Very often i found myself discussing stuff in meetings that was not relevant to TODAYS version of Earth.org. It’s like Otto says: No more concepts. The time for concepts is gone. We are now working on what edo is RIGHT NOW. Baby steps all the time. We all know what edo has to become… no need to discuss it ALL the time.

Alfreda, Slobodan and me have reduced the planning to features that are IMMINENT. That means the time for planning almost completely overlaps the time for the programming. Or in other words we plan while we program. Corrections are made ON THE FLY.

I use the same paradigm for MEETINGS. That means whatever has to be discussed needs to be discussed RIGHT NOW and must be relevant to the situation of EDO today.

With a huge project like ours you will find that all planning into the future is very very unreliable and 99.99% never is on time (apart from when slobodan pushes it through at all costs ;) . I’ve seen people try that for over 10 years now. Stick with what is today and right now and you’ll be a happier person.

This was the main problem with TRPs (oh which btw. i havent read a single one FOR LIKE MONTHS) they simply have nothing todo with what edo is today. Thomas and i were recently working on the toys concept. We reduced it from a multipage document to i think like 2 wire frames that are IMMEDIATLEY ready to implement. Thomas is happier b/c less concepting and programmers are happier because no bloated feature that is not thought through. And ultimatley user is happier -> simpler feature.

So anyway… why don’t we need to do scheduled regular meetings then: because if the meeting is about stuff that is important right now and needs to be discussed right now, WHAT could be more important???? Thats right: Nothing. SOOOOOOOOOOO lets get in touch on skype RIGHT NOW and discuss what is important RIGHT NOW!

Be realistic: EDO is all about BABYSTEPS. Don’t plan huuuge meetings with loads of parties reccourring every week. Planned agenda and all that. Talk to me… now. Lets clarify it now!
You work for EDO, i work for EDO, it must be important right???

Since i am doing it like that i find myself working only on important stuff!

The role of Skype in this aka. Skype the MAGICAL TIME BRIDGE :D
What to do when the person you wanna talk to is NOT online. Thats where Skype (and in the future WAVE) comes into the mix. Send me an offline message. I will get it ONCE WE ARE ONLINE AT THE SAME TIME.

So instead of scheduling a meeting with me on google calendar (which i mostly don’t use anymore) send me a offline or online message on skype and i get back to you once we are online the same time or via another offline message.

If you want a meeting with a lot of people (costs some money you know… hourly wage x people x hours spent) then send a message to a group of people via skype. SAME THING only with lots of people.