Ats Cards

Part of AtsGoesExtreme and the AtsDiary. See also WriteItOnaCard.

ATS is the first project in which I've used index cards heavily. So far, I love the flexibility, spontenaity, and durability they provide. I used to use post-it notes heavily, but they were too flimsy. I'm finding that 3x5 index cards provide me the same ability to see everything quickly, yet still zoom in on the details. (In fact, since index cards have more room than the 1x1.5 post-it's I was using, the index cards are even better in this respect.) The ability to easily sort cards, spread them out over a large space, and still quickly gather them up and put them in a jacket pocket has proved invaluable.

I use ordinary 3x5 index cards that are ruled on one side and blank on the other. I write on the ruled side. They come in five-color packs -- in the first four days of the project, I went through an entire pack! I don't use the colors for anything special, but I've found that when I'm searching for a particular card, I often can remember what color it was, and that helps me find it more quickly. As a result, I'm inclined not to color-code my cards, but rather to just use the color as an informal mnemonic.

Whenever I go somewhere (on the job), I carry all of the currently-relevant cards and a bunch of blank ones in my pocket. For the user stories, especially, I like to hand out a stack of blank cards and say, "write any stories you can think of on these cards and I'll come by later to pick them up." Then when I come by, we discuss them. Users don't bat an eye and seem to appreciate it. Only disadvantage: the developers are starting to joke about my "card fetish."

My biggest concern is that, since I'm keeping everything important on these cards, I'll lose them. That would be a disaster, and the flip side of their convenient portability is that I'm more likely to do so. The advantages are so great, though, that I'm reluctant to give them up.

: In the spirit of the "simplest thing", is there a photocopier nearby? Perhaps a few minutes of copying the cards each week would ease your mind. Just don't let management know, or they might become documents...

Ways in which I use index cards:

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