The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool; we’ll see how to work with it as freelancers and in a team. The technique is not only related to programming, but was invented by a programmer: it’s based on timeboxing on periods of 25 minutes called Pomodoros (tomatoes) from the shape of the original kitchen timer used for measuring them.

The main goals of the technique are:
* managing interruptions, often a tough task for a programmer to do while his boss and colleagues have the need to communicate with him continuously.
* Defining goals for the day and for short period of times, which would otherwise go wasted in checking email.
* Maintaining focus throughout the whole work day: it’s not easy to stay really productive for 6-8 hours.
* Estimating tasks and actually getting better at estimation over time: Pomodoros become the unit of measurement.

The purpose of the talk is to raise awareness about time management and to introduce the technique as one of the tools you can use in this field. The technique adapts well to Agile environments and also revives XP and Scrum concepts on a smaller scale.

Video producer: http://phpbenelux.eu/