Mar 11, 2009

Why Not To MockUp

One of the keywords to be eliminated from a Project Manager's dictionary is "Mockup". Never tell the development team that the project they are working on would be a demo/mockup. Better, do not take up the word *Mockup* anywhere (in SRS, Specs, SDD, team meetings, the likes). The mere mention of this term kills the morale of the team and sends everyone back to the stone-ages. I had this experience after seeing my team's boost dropping exponentially just because the sprint we were working on, got termed as a demo sprint.

I do not blame the developers for this. It is natural tendency of any human being to concentrate on the more important topics which would be beneficial to him/her in the long run and neglect the not so important parts out of their day to day activities. Rather, it is the duty of the Project/Program Management to keep the morale of the team on a positive note. The moment this "Go-Get-It" spirit drops down, there is no way (and not even with a Viagra) that it can be brought up.

As like everyone, I feel bad to see my efforts are wasted at the end of the sprint. Need a day of R&R to rejuvenate.