It could be anything from "Add one comment line to function x" to "Read Chapter 7" to "Get sorting in Module 17 working".
Obviously, I like breaking up tasks into smaller and smaller doable pieces, doable in hours, not days, weeks, or months. The entire point is the binaryness of it all. Finishing a one hour task completely is better than finishing a one month task 50% (which really means that 90% is still left).
I learned this approach years ago from my hero of project management, Tom DeMarco
Every task is either complete or not complete. In spite of what many bosses of mine have thought, there is no such thing as "partially complete".
Even when I break things down like this, I still have many "red days". Amazing how easy it is to go through a whole day and achieve nothing. That is the outcome that each of us should be trying to avoid.
Anything.
It could be anything from "Add one comment line to function x" to "Read Chapter 7" to "Get sorting in Module 17 working".
Obviously, I like breaking up tasks into smaller and smaller doable pieces, doable in hours, not days, weeks, or months. The entire point is the binaryness of it all. Finishing a one hour task completely is better than finishing a one month task 50% (which really means that 90% is still left).
I learned this approach years ago from my hero of project management, Tom DeMarco
http://www.amazon.com/Controlling-Software-Projects-Manageme...
Every task is either complete or not complete. In spite of what many bosses of mine have thought, there is no such thing as "partially complete".
Even when I break things down like this, I still have many "red days". Amazing how easy it is to go through a whole day and achieve nothing. That is the outcome that each of us should be trying to avoid.