該文章是從喬樑的一篇博文鏈接到原文的，看了之後覺得這些小技巧確實有用，所以把我看到的意思寫出來並且將原文轉載過來。
我的理解：
在上週倫敦舉行的Embedding Agile Methods小型討論會上，Keith Richards提出了一些有趣的小技巧來檢查項目的運行情況：
- 是否團隊中的每一個人都能夠用粗的畫圖筆（flip-chart marker）在一張便籤紙上寫下項目的目標？如果不能，那麼項目的“目標”（end game）沒有被定義明確並且沒有被廣泛的接受。
- 走近某個同事對他說“能幫我一個忙麼”，然後看他的反應。如果他很不耐煩，那麼他可能對工作感到的厭煩和不滿。Richards建議儘量去選擇那些即使是正在處理問題也會說“我能夠幫助你”的人來組建團隊，這樣的人能夠提高協作和團隊合作的精神。
- 當項目的一個階段正式完成時，問一下自己“繼續前進是否安全“？如果這個問題讓你感覺不舒服，那麼實際上你們沒有真正的“完成”。
- 你的項目有多少是以嚴格的項目審查結束的？根據Richards的觀點，項目審查對於組織的提高是至關重要的，它可以防止錯誤重複的發生並且能夠在團隊間共享知識。
- 當客戶說“我改主意了”的時候，團隊中的成員會有什麼反應？如果他們的反應很消極，那麼系統有可能沒有那麼靈活。
- 要求某個人對一個任務進行修改，在要求之後沉默10秒鐘——不要做任何能夠引起響應的事情。如果其他的人對此表示不確定或者感到焦慮，那麼他們會把它說出來。如果他們也保持沉默的話，那就說明一切都進展順利。
- 你是否清楚上一項目/迭代的測試花了多少時間？如果你連這個都無法估算的話，那麼你收集不到項目良好的實際測量。根據Richards的觀點，收集項目的實際測量對於估算實際工作的時間是至關重要的。
- 拿起一份文檔，把它反過來看看它的背面有什麼。如果你發現有些圖表，那麼說明文檔需要更加明確，因爲人們可能需要畫這些圖表來解釋上面的事情。
下面是原文：
During the Embedding Agile Methods mini-conference in London last week, Keith Richards suggested several interesting techniques for checking how a software project is going:
- Can everyone on the team write the aim of the project on a post-it note with a thick flip-chart marker? If not, then the end game is not clearly defined and universally understood.
- Come up to a colleague and say ‘can I ask a favour?’ just to see how they will react. If you get told off, the person is probably not very happy about the work. Richards advised building teams with “those who say can” , even when they are dealing with problems. Such people will improve collaboration and team spirit on the team.
- When a phase of project is officially done, ask yourself “is it safe enough to move on?”. If this question gives you a bad gut-feel, you aren’t done yet.
- How many of your projects ended with a serious project review? This is, according to Richards, crucial for organisational improvement, preventing repeated mistakes and sharing knowledge between teams.
- How would people on the team feel about the customer saying “I’ve changed my mind”. If the response is negative, the system isn’t as flexible as it should be.
- Ask someone for an update on a task and stay completely silent for 10 seconds – don’t do anything to provoke a response. If the other person is unsure or nervous about something, they will start spilling that out. If they too remain silent, things are going OK.
- Do you know how much time was spent on testing on your last project / iteration? If you can’t even estimate this, you aren’t collecting good actual measurements of the project. Collecting actual measurements is, according to Richards, crucial for getting to realistic work estimates.
- Pick up a document, turn it over and see what’s on the back. If you find diagrams, that suggest the need for clarity as people were drawing on it to explain things.