The Cranky Product Manager has a Christmas present for you.
No, it’s not something from her recommended “Wicked Awesome Presents for Product Managers” list, alas. (Buy your favorite PM a present now! Last day for shipping).
Nay, it’s a fantastic board game – a classic, with a new twist. It will give you hours of fun throughout the year, and, in fact, throughout your LIFE, as a product manager. Hang it on your cubicle wall. It’ll come in handy.
It’s “No, Developer, Don’t Say That” BINGO!
Whenever you hear a Developer trotting out one of these oft-recited but dreaded phrases, tick off the appropriate box. Once you tick five boxes in a row/column/diagonal you have BINGO! Scream out BINGO as loud as you can. Maybe someone will come give you a prize…
…or at least a hug, some Kleenex, and a Prozac perscription. Hearing those developers talk like this all day can force even the most upbeat Produt Manager into a bottomless depression.
|
B |
I |
N |
G |
O |
|
Trivial |
While I was in the code I added… |
Schedule slip |
Refactor |
User is wrong/ stupid/ lying |
|
No time to test |
Rearchitect |
Not enough resources |
Need to use language X (that is used no where else in company) |
Not enough time |
|
Not in the spec |
Works on my machine |
FREE |
“Something’s wrong if it takes X more than 2 days to code this” |
Non-Trivial |
|
Customer escalation |
Irreproducible |
Broken build |
Fundamental design flaw |
Defer to next release |
|
Regression |
Technically Impossible |
Unsupported |
Scope creep |
My code is self-documenting |
Thanks to the Twitter followers @dan2bit, @nolanzak, @jen_monkey, @tojarrett, @lorifraleigh, @ec1964, @ryanshuya, @mlortz, @tsahil, @Hagoleshet, @cmclellan, and @scottcote for helping create this.
And check out the related “Things to Say When You’re Losing a Technical Argument” list - an oldie but a goodie.
More official rules for Bingo and Buzzword Bingo are here.
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Do you get an extra prize if the developer in question uses all five in the same sentence?
If I actually use this I’ll be calling Bingo so often that people will believe that I have Tourette’s Syndrome.
Adrian,
Alas, no bonus prizes if your CodeBoy/CodeGrrl uses five in one sentence. But you will win the respect and sympathy of all PMs the world over for not strangling him/her on the freakin’ spot.
John,
Join the club. Everyone at DysfunctoSoft thinks the Cranky PM has Tourette’s. But it’s cuz she actually uses profanity all effing day.
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