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.

agile, MPD

Personal Kanban and Iterations, Day 2

I’ve made great progress on Day 1, and I wasn’t even in the office all day! You can see I’ve added more todos, at the bottom of my queue. I discovered two urgent todo’s. I had a call-back, to reschedule a doctor’s appt this week to next week, and to vote today. (We have a

Agile Job Search, HTP

Personal Kanban for Your Job Hunt

One of the problems with a job hunt is that it’s a big and complex project. You need to decide what to do and when. Who do you interview with? Is it time to iterate on your resume? Do you have enough references? Are you networking “right”? Add to that problem is that your emotional

newsletter

Knowing When an Agile Project is Done

Knowing When an Agile Project is Done I meet a number of new-to-agile folks who worry that an agile project might never be done. They use air quotes around the word “project” when they refer to agile projects. Just beause you use iterations or kanban for an agile project doesn’t mean it doesn’t have release

agile, MPD

Personal Kanban and Iterations, Day 1

I use a form of personal kanban inside one-week iterations to finish my work and notice what I am not doing. I do this to maintain a cadence of blogging and to finish work. Did you notice that word, finish? Sidebar: For those of you who don’t know what “kanban” is, it literally means “card.”

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Why a Project Charter Works

Why a Project Charter Works Do you know what the vision of your project is—the goal of your project? You might know your iteration’s goal. You might know what each feature needs. But do you know the goal for your project? There are two necessary pieces of information in a project charter: the vision and

HTP, network

Book Review: Networking is Dead

We all know that we need to network to find people to hire or to get a new job. But too often, our networking is random. That’s why you should read Networking Is Dead: Making Connections That Matter. Wilson and Mohl make the case that you should network with purpose. It’s not the networking is

newsletter

Explaining Options When You Coach

Explaining Options When You Coach I was coaching a client, Cindy, about what to do in a particular situation. I said, “Let’s explore some options.” She said, “Oh, options seem so formal. I want something less formal.” I thought about it a few seconds and said, “Okay, how about some steps you might take?” “Yes,

career, HTP

The Company Doesn’t Love You

I’m rearchitecting Manage Your Job Search (again). One of the things I’m doing is working on the introduction, explaining to people why they need to consider agile and lean as a system in which to work on their job hunt/job search project. I’m selling agile and lean to people. The reason you want to consider

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