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The Art of Slicing Work: How To Navigate Unpredictable Projects
Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.
And yet, that’s exactly what most organizations do when unpredictability arises. Instead of fighting against it, why not work with unpredictability instead?
In The Art of Slicing Work, veteran Agile coach Anton Skornyakov shows you how to navigate unpredictability and stay focused on delivering results that matter—allowing for steady and controllable progress, creating a sense of shared ownership and responsibility, and maximizing the value of the work produced.
This isn’t another Scrum-based product development book for the tech crowd, nor is it a theoretical leadership framework. It’s a real-world, low-jargon guide filled with stories, explanations, and lessons developed and honed through years of organizational coaching. With this book, you will gain new insight into how to lead your teams through unpredictable projects, whether in commercial, non-profit, or public sector organizations.
Don’t let unpredictability derail productivity.
With The Art of Slicing Work, surprises are just another step in the process.
And yet, that’s exactly what most organizations do when unpredictability arises. Instead of fighting against it, why not work with unpredictability instead?
In The Art of Slicing Work, veteran Agile coach Anton Skornyakov shows you how to navigate unpredictability and stay focused on delivering results that matter—allowing for steady and controllable progress, creating a sense of shared ownership and responsibility, and maximizing the value of the work produced.
This isn’t another Scrum-based product development book for the tech crowd, nor is it a theoretical leadership framework. It’s a real-world, low-jargon guide filled with stories, explanations, and lessons developed and honed through years of organizational coaching. With this book, you will gain new insight into how to lead your teams through unpredictable projects, whether in commercial, non-profit, or public sector organizations.
Don’t let unpredictability derail productivity.
With The Art of Slicing Work, surprises are just another step in the process.
- GenresNonfiction
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 21, 2024
13 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 26, 2024
In the world of business and in that of delivering results when projects and their results are unpredictable, “The Art of Slicing Work” by Anton Skornyakov is an interesting entry-level volume teaching readers how to use the Agile methodology.
Mr. Skornyakov’s book discusses this methodology, which has been around since the early 2000s. Agile methodology is a way of working that came about due to the need for a more flexible and collaborative approach in software development. It stresses iterative teams that deliver results in short cycles (often over a few weeks), which then receive customer feedback, and are further refined, using the same process. This methodology is currently prized because it is seen to allow adaptation to change and can provide continuous and rapid improvements to the product.
It works well for complex projects that are essentially…unpredictable.
This is especially true in software development. However, unpredictability in our modern world also reigns in many other areas, too. Anton gives examples such as companies that are striving to respond to changing government regulations that affect their products. In one of his case studies, a company did months of preparation for a specific scenario, only for unintended setbacks to occur during implementation, which negated all the time already spent on preparation. Don’t we all have similar experiences, either in our businesses or in our personal lives?
The content that Mr. Skornyakov presents to us is a step-by-step explanation of the basic processes of Agile methodology. Some of the many items covered are:
What is Slicing work?
Slicing is the ability to break down your project into very small parts, or milestones, that you can deliver within a few weeks. These milestones aren’t arbitrary. Each is focused on creating a result that can be tested in the real world, allowing you to provide your team members with meaningful feedback. The team is then able to deliver valuable parts of the project over time, which reduces risk.
The starting point, he further advises, is focusing on the highest-risk aspects of the project. He also advises that surprises will occur. Because of this knowledge, he stresses that highly detailed planning is no longer the way. In fact, it is a waste of time that could be better used getting to work faster, learning, and adapting.
He then presents the basic principles of vertical and horizontal slicing (a vertical slice is the RESULT, or one of the results of the projects, and horizontal slices are the many STEPS required to achieve each result.) He also uses case studies and teaches further principles that cover feedback and teams in slicing work, and in then implementing the processes.
Regarding Mr. Skornyakov’s book, I learned a lot. The layout of the book is simple and inviting. Clear illustrations accompany the text and convey the basic ideas, and there is a lot of information here.
I found the book interesting and eagerly approached the content. However, I didn’t find it easy to understand, at first or second reading. That may be because of my newbie status. I do find though, that when presenting new methodologies to someone not versed in them, a text can benefit from very simply spelling out the application of the concepts in the examples that are used, i.e., making the connections clear. It may seem like overkill to do this, yet many new learners can find this step important to their understanding. It’s also helpful to then repeat key points, as well as to summarize often.
However, it’s clear the author understands Agile methodology well, and once you do get his points, you can then move on to the next section and stack your learning. With a notable time investment, the concepts did become clear.
How can the concepts in this book help you, the reader?
A basic understanding of this methodology will benefit anyone simply in understanding how businesses use—or can use—this interesting process. Further, it can be applied not only to large commercial enterprises and their various segments but even to small businesses that are struggling to gain a foothold with admittedly unpredictable projects. Once I understood it, I saw the benefits of Agile methodology in many areas.
Personally, I’m looking forward to doing that myself.
While “The Art of Slicing Work” by Anton Skornyakov pulls aside the curtain and provides a peek to this interesting business process, it also opens the door to further exploration and application. For anyone curious about the practical uses of this methodology in real-world scenarios, it’s worth diving in and seeing how these concepts can be adapted to your own projects and challenges.
Mr. Skornyakov’s book discusses this methodology, which has been around since the early 2000s. Agile methodology is a way of working that came about due to the need for a more flexible and collaborative approach in software development. It stresses iterative teams that deliver results in short cycles (often over a few weeks), which then receive customer feedback, and are further refined, using the same process. This methodology is currently prized because it is seen to allow adaptation to change and can provide continuous and rapid improvements to the product.
It works well for complex projects that are essentially…unpredictable.
This is especially true in software development. However, unpredictability in our modern world also reigns in many other areas, too. Anton gives examples such as companies that are striving to respond to changing government regulations that affect their products. In one of his case studies, a company did months of preparation for a specific scenario, only for unintended setbacks to occur during implementation, which negated all the time already spent on preparation. Don’t we all have similar experiences, either in our businesses or in our personal lives?
The content that Mr. Skornyakov presents to us is a step-by-step explanation of the basic processes of Agile methodology. Some of the many items covered are:
What is Slicing work?
Slicing is the ability to break down your project into very small parts, or milestones, that you can deliver within a few weeks. These milestones aren’t arbitrary. Each is focused on creating a result that can be tested in the real world, allowing you to provide your team members with meaningful feedback. The team is then able to deliver valuable parts of the project over time, which reduces risk.
The starting point, he further advises, is focusing on the highest-risk aspects of the project. He also advises that surprises will occur. Because of this knowledge, he stresses that highly detailed planning is no longer the way. In fact, it is a waste of time that could be better used getting to work faster, learning, and adapting.
He then presents the basic principles of vertical and horizontal slicing (a vertical slice is the RESULT, or one of the results of the projects, and horizontal slices are the many STEPS required to achieve each result.) He also uses case studies and teaches further principles that cover feedback and teams in slicing work, and in then implementing the processes.
Regarding Mr. Skornyakov’s book, I learned a lot. The layout of the book is simple and inviting. Clear illustrations accompany the text and convey the basic ideas, and there is a lot of information here.
I found the book interesting and eagerly approached the content. However, I didn’t find it easy to understand, at first or second reading. That may be because of my newbie status. I do find though, that when presenting new methodologies to someone not versed in them, a text can benefit from very simply spelling out the application of the concepts in the examples that are used, i.e., making the connections clear. It may seem like overkill to do this, yet many new learners can find this step important to their understanding. It’s also helpful to then repeat key points, as well as to summarize often.
However, it’s clear the author understands Agile methodology well, and once you do get his points, you can then move on to the next section and stack your learning. With a notable time investment, the concepts did become clear.
How can the concepts in this book help you, the reader?
A basic understanding of this methodology will benefit anyone simply in understanding how businesses use—or can use—this interesting process. Further, it can be applied not only to large commercial enterprises and their various segments but even to small businesses that are struggling to gain a foothold with admittedly unpredictable projects. Once I understood it, I saw the benefits of Agile methodology in many areas.
Personally, I’m looking forward to doing that myself.
While “The Art of Slicing Work” by Anton Skornyakov pulls aside the curtain and provides a peek to this interesting business process, it also opens the door to further exploration and application. For anyone curious about the practical uses of this methodology in real-world scenarios, it’s worth diving in and seeing how these concepts can be adapted to your own projects and challenges.
April 17, 2024
The book I'd give my mother
BUY: If you are looking for an easy to understand book about improving your work and organization and are just starting out.
AVOID: If you want exact recipes about what tools and techniques to use in what way.
Anton set out to write a book that explains his idea about organizing work effectively in a clear and concise fashion, and he succeeded admirably. Anton is an agilist – so this is inevitably a book about agile ways of working. However, it's a book about agile that doesn't come pre-loaded with assumptions, and the book is so much better for it.
This is literally the book I'd hand my mother if I wanted her to understand agile thought and practice. There is no prerequisite knowledge, no special terms, no jargon here. This is not about Scrum that, Kanban this, or SAFe over there, not about Masters and Owners and Coaches.
It's about work, and how to get work done in a more pragmatic, results-oriented fashion.
With clear language and plenty of examples from real-life situations, The Art of Slicing Work illustrates its point in a way that's easy to understand and illustrates the benefits it brings to the customer, the organization, the employees, to leadership, to communication and to culture.
It's a short book, easily read in an extended afternoon, and still, there's lots of takeaways for beginners and experts alike.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book, courtesy of the author.)
BUY: If you are looking for an easy to understand book about improving your work and organization and are just starting out.
AVOID: If you want exact recipes about what tools and techniques to use in what way.
Anton set out to write a book that explains his idea about organizing work effectively in a clear and concise fashion, and he succeeded admirably. Anton is an agilist – so this is inevitably a book about agile ways of working. However, it's a book about agile that doesn't come pre-loaded with assumptions, and the book is so much better for it.
This is literally the book I'd hand my mother if I wanted her to understand agile thought and practice. There is no prerequisite knowledge, no special terms, no jargon here. This is not about Scrum that, Kanban this, or SAFe over there, not about Masters and Owners and Coaches.
It's about work, and how to get work done in a more pragmatic, results-oriented fashion.
With clear language and plenty of examples from real-life situations, The Art of Slicing Work illustrates its point in a way that's easy to understand and illustrates the benefits it brings to the customer, the organization, the employees, to leadership, to communication and to culture.
It's a short book, easily read in an extended afternoon, and still, there's lots of takeaways for beginners and experts alike.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book, courtesy of the author.)
May 30, 2024
"The Art of Slicing Work" by Anton Skornyakov is a game-changer for anyone navigating the unpredictable waters of project management. Skornyakov's insightful book offers a fresh perspective on handling dynamic projects with ease and efficiency.
What sets this book apart is its practical approach to tackling the complexities of modern work environments. Skornyakov breaks down the process of project management into manageable chunks, providing readers with actionable strategies and real-world examples to help them succeed.
Skornyakov's writing is clear, concise, and filled with wisdom born from years of experience in the field. His advice is both relevant and timely, addressing the challenges of today's fast-paced work culture with empathy and insight.
Whether you're a seasoned project manager or just starting out in your career, "The Art of Slicing Work" is a must-read. Skornyakov's book is a valuable resource that empowers readers to take control of their projects and navigate uncertainty with confidence and grace. This book is sure to become an indispensable guide for anyone striving for success in the ever-evolving world of work.
What sets this book apart is its practical approach to tackling the complexities of modern work environments. Skornyakov breaks down the process of project management into manageable chunks, providing readers with actionable strategies and real-world examples to help them succeed.
Skornyakov's writing is clear, concise, and filled with wisdom born from years of experience in the field. His advice is both relevant and timely, addressing the challenges of today's fast-paced work culture with empathy and insight.
Whether you're a seasoned project manager or just starting out in your career, "The Art of Slicing Work" is a must-read. Skornyakov's book is a valuable resource that empowers readers to take control of their projects and navigate uncertainty with confidence and grace. This book is sure to become an indispensable guide for anyone striving for success in the ever-evolving world of work.
April 25, 2024
I received a free copy of this book via Goodreads’ First Reads program. As someone who works in project spaces with Agile and Scrum, I found this to be a great read just as approachable to a layperson as it would be to a Scrum master. I liked the simplicity of the examples, and the fact that they were not taken from the IT space. I will be recommending this as a read to the members of our team and our business collaborators and incorporating some of the suggested questions into our slicing and detailing processes going forward.
February 1, 2025
Eine wichtige Methode, das vertikale Slicing, wird vorgestellt. Obwohl das Buch einige schöne Formulierungen und Ideen präsentiert und ich auf die eine oder andere zurückkommen möchte, fühlt sich der Text nicht wie was Neues sondern mehr nach Bekanntem für mich an. Positiv: es ist relativ kurz und fokussiert. Negativ: keine Beispiele aus der Software-Ecke, in der das Buch wohl am meisten Anwendung findet. Insgesamt eine 3.5, daher 3 Sterne hier und 4 bei Amazon.
June 9, 2024
Slicing work in an agile project is something a lot of teams have problems with. If you expect help with that as I did, you will be deeply disappointed. Instead you get a book about basic agile practises.
For everybody new to the topic the book is worth 5 stars. For all others there might be little added value.
For everybody new to the topic the book is worth 5 stars. For all others there might be little added value.
May 26, 2024
Slicing and dicing
It was ok. The slicing concept was new to me. It was a quick read. A few interesting tips. The second half of title didn't match the story of the book. You have to have a goal and break down how to achieve it.
It was ok. The slicing concept was new to me. It was a quick read. A few interesting tips. The second half of title didn't match the story of the book. You have to have a goal and break down how to achieve it.
April 10, 2025
Scrum. Use different words.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews