Compartmentalization

This is yet another serious funda from my end; regarding how much to compartmentalize work, this may be at sports, work or at home. Pretty technical and specific but still wrote it ...

Let me start with a example that I have seen, while playing TT Tournaments in-between games we get chance to coach and be coached. I have seen at least few people giving instructions like -- Serve here, the return will come to place X you play that to Place Y and then finish the rally from Z -- This is true except for X,Y and Z I have seen such coaching. This is over-compartmentalization.

At the same time, I have seen people coaching saying win this game and the match is yours.... This is under-compartmentalization.

You could compartmentalize a game of TT point by point or have strategies when you are serving or at receiving end.... That is the right way to compartmentalize as I see...

Now, try to map it to the work we do, how many times have we not tried to break tasks during estimation saying, I know the line of code to be changed and then the estimate is analysis 0.2d, coding 0.1d and testing 1d. This is over-compartmentalization. If you know the code change then do it and mark the activity why break it...

There are other extremes where I have seeing implementation of XXXX 35days, what would be done in 35days god alone knows and even the estimator would not know...

Now to the work we do at home, I have not cleaned my home any weekend when I thought Saturday I will cleanup windows, doors and Sunday I will clean the ceiling... instead whenever I just know that something is coming up things get done.... I do compartmentalize but only wrt rooms....

Now, why do I write this funda... I have been noticing a lot of under-compartmentalization and which ends up being a mess towards the end of the lifecycle so better compartmentalize....