The Timebox

Home  >  Articles  > 
The Timebox

Doug DeCarlo, Principal, The Doug DeCarlo Group

December 26, 2005






A timebox is a short, fixed period of time during which team members attempt to meet a specific goal. The goal can be to complete a set of technical or functional requirements, meet a delivery target (e.g., beta test systems in place for 150 users), produce a working prototype, etc. As such, the timebox addresses Business Question 3: Can we do what it takes?

Can We Do What It Takes?  
Timeboxing is based on real-life experiences rather than on guesswork about what we think it will take to accomplish something. That “something” can be the feasibility of meeting one or more of the following:  
  • Budget requirements
  • Schedule
  • Technical requirements
  • Quality requirements
  • Scope requirements
  • Requisite skills (quantity or quality)
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Team satisfaction
Because the timebox consists of doing real work in a focused, goal-oriented way, decision makers are able to make decisions on the future course of the project regarding any of the variables listed above, and do so based on facts rather than on speculation.



Please login/register to read the entire article.





sponsored announcements and special offers
Difficult for competitors to equal. EMA reviews IBM Rational's new quality & requirements management offerings. The verdict, "For companies seeking to improve ROI delivered by software projects,we believe Rational's value proposition is difficult to match."

Microsoft Project Conference 2000
Exclusively disclosing the powerful capabilities included in Microsoft Project 2010 and Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solutions while providing real world guidance on how Microsoft Project 2007 and Microsoft EPM Solutions are helping customers today with project and portfolio management to save money, enhance efficiency and prepare for future growth. Register Today!

Use WorkLenz PPM to Manage Agile Software Development
We invite you to download Métier’s latest white paper, Agile Software Development with WorkLenz, to learn how you can use WorkLenz to manage agile within your organization.



I'm a great quitter. I come from a long line of quitters. I was raised to give up.
- George Costanza