Author name: Johanna

I help you identify and solve the problems that prevent you from releasing systems, hiring the right people, deciding which project to work on next. I take a pragmatic approach: what will work best for you, now? Some people call me a focuser. Some call me an accelerator. When I work with people, first we define our goal together. Typically, it's to get a better product out the door faster. I work with my clients to help managers figure out how to do the managing better, and how the technical contributors can contribute better, not to create a by-the-book system. I work with you, your staff, and your current product development practices. Together, we learn what works well for you and what doesn't. I believe in changing only what needs to be changed at the current time, to maximize your success. We work together to develop a blueprint for the future, and to build in capacity to recognize and implement change.

hiring process, HTP

Certifications in Hiring, Part 3: Hiring Tips

How can you use certifications in your hiring? In Part 1 and Part 2, I discussed the value of certifications and hiring traps. Let’s see how to be positive about certifications and use them during the hiring process. I’ve already said that a certification might be a sign of perseverance and interest in the field.

hiring process, HTP

Certifications in Hiring, Part 2: Hiring Traps

In Part 1, I discussed the issue of certification vs. experience. One of the problems in using certifications to discriminate for or against people is that some people might have the experience you want, and might not have the certification paper that represents that experience to you. Here’s an example. I coached a project manager

agile, MPD

Architects as Servant Leaders

As more teams and organizations transition to agile, they discover something important about leadership. Leadership is part of everything we do in an agile project. It doesn’t matter if it’s development or testing, management or architecture. We need people with high initiative and leadership capabilities. That leads me to these questions: We need project management.

MPD, writing

Want to Write Non-Fiction Better?

If you write as part of your job, I have a new online workshop starting in March. It’s Writing Workshop 1: Write Non-Fiction to Enhance Your Business and Reputation. Here’s the problem I see. You’re a consultant or other entrepreneur. You know you need to write to enhance or build your reputation. You see a blank

Articles

Start the New Year with a Retrospective

Many people like to start the new year with resolutions. I’m not one of them. I don’t like resolutions unless they are very small action steps I can take every day. Too often, people select resolutions such as “Lose twenty pounds this year.” That’s big. It doesn’t have small things I can do each day.

Syllabus

Practical Product Owner Workshop: Deliver What Your Customers Value and Need

I no longer offer this workshop. Please see Practical Product Leadership: Deliver Better and Faster with Continual Replanning Workshop for the updated syllabus. Does this describe your product ownership predicament: You are supposed to be the product manager, product owner, and business analyst. You might even juggle different responsibilities for multiple teams. You struggle to read

agile, MPD

Helping Hardware Be Agile, Part 3

The big problem with hardware going agile is that the risks in hardware are not homogeneous. Hardware and mechanical engineering are on different cycles from each other, and they are each different from software. Even with each discipline, the risks are different when the teams collaborate together on one deliverable and when the entire program

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