January 6, 2006

On Tuesday, January 17th 2006, I’ll be giving this talk at the Boston SPIN. One theme is about what happens when you violate “Rifkin’s Laws” – just one of the dynamics described here (formerly Optimal Friction.com.) If you’d like to come, you can get directions here.

Excess Friction: How Fast Deadlines Can Slow You Down and Ruin Your Life

Description: For those of us in the software field, high-pressure deadlines are a fact of life. In this environment – to build more and more in less and less time – there is a never ending push for higher productivity and faster schedules. However, statistics show that there are, in fact, conditions where harsh deadlines actually cause lower productivity, longer schedules, and high conflict amongst a team – the exact opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.

In this talk, Michael Mah will talk about “the cult of speed” and how overcoming this challenge is critical to the modern-day IT organization. He will address how software managers can more effectively manage the high-tension pressures of work life in the Information Age, while maximizing chances for project success.