Knock Knock. Is there any programmer here?

[Gardener]

Writing software, completing user stories, and prioritizing a backlog based on user feedback loops is precisely the things GTD is not for.

Why?

When I find these in my inbox, where do I put them?

- Ask Joe how he did X
- Ask about team style guidelines for Y
- Talk about the most reusable design for Z
- Organize UAT kickoff meeting
- Create stories for next sprint
- Convert Widget App MVP meeting notes to backlog tasks
- Meet to prioritize Widget App MVP backlog tasks
- Organize meeting on documentation keyword standards
- Respond to Meg's documentation review request
- Get Blah archive moved to new server
- Organize training for NewGuy on Gadget app

etc., etc., etc.?

Sure, I could enter all those as stories. And then I would be using Jira to do GTD. Which is fine. But that doesn't mean that Jira replaces GTD. It means that GTD uses Jira.

Those kinds of events are setup just one time as recurring meetings forever (or thereabouts). There's nothing special about them.

I would say that in terms of GTD lists, they would (among other things) be an Agenda context.

here's nothing to track for delegation or such

Interesting. Is assignment of tasks or decisions about actions, during scrum, forbidden by strict agile rules?

Ad-hoc meetings are usually either for clarification on details or for creating work to go into the backlog/sprint (circumstances depending) to be prioritized in the next sprint planning meeting. Ceremonies follow the later anyways.

Do the ad hoc meetings just happen? Nobody ever has to arrange to meet, or prepare for those meetings, do research either before or after the meetings? Similarly, there's never any prep before sprint planning meetings or digestion afterward?

Or are you saying that all of things things are treated as stories? Say, "Meet with Joe and Kim" goes into Jira as a story, and "Get Fred's requirements before meeting with Joe and Kim" also goes into Jira as a story? If it's the second, then I would again say that you're doing GTD in Jira.

 

[gtdstudente]

Of course, GTD is not limited to the set: Projects + Next actions. GTD covers a much, much larger area, including: reference or supporting materials, focusing horizons, the natural planning model, etc. For example, Allen wrote in his book that there were weeks when he did not work on the next actions list because he was so busy with the things on his calendar that he did not have time for them. Does this mean that he dropped out of GTD because the calendar became his main tool? Of course not. The calendar is a component of the entire GTD methodology. Similarly, your friend - if most of the work is based on JIRA, it only means that JIRA has become part of his next action lists.

@Tom_Hagen,

Tom_Hagen telling like it GTD is . . . thank you sir!

 

[Oogiem]

Writing software, completing user stories, and prioritizing a backlog based on user feedback loops is precisely the things GTD is not for.

I STRONGLY disagree. This from someone who is currently a programmer and without GTD I could NEVER handle the work I am trying to do.

Those are EXACTLY the things I am currently using GTD to manage.

Writing Software: For me that encompasses 2 major development tools, PyCharm and Android Studio. The physical act of hands on keyboard for completing programming tasks happens there but the decisions of what tasks to work on, how to proceed and a whole host of other SW development issues are plainly and clearly part of what I need to handle within the context of GTD.

Completing User Stories: I'm not used to those exact terms but we create and work on user scenarios, usuallt defined as specific tasks the user is trying to accomplish and we have to decide how to make that work in the SW package. I am currently writing workflow documents for how to do cetain tasks. They are the rough drafts of what will become specifications of what the SW has to do to complete those tasks. I am managing all those things within my GTD system. Each scenario is a project for me.

Prioritizing Backlog: This in spades can be handled in GTD in terms of what is the project and what do i work on first? Example: The project is Get the backlog of bugs out of the create staging file section of the process transfers activity in the on-line registry app. Current next action: Identify which piece of information that is currently missing in the staging file will save the users the most time if it was included. Context email because I will send a request to several key users asking them which fo the current missing pieces takes them longest to look up by other means. Based on that feedback I'll start getting that item into the staging file. Wash, Rinse, Repeat I have clear next actions and can provide accurate info for the project plan and status.