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, Stickyminds columns

Edit Those Epics Posted

Edit Those Epics: Stories Don’t Span Iterations was posted on Techwell, the new site of Stickyminds.com. Yes, I will have to figure out how to change my tags/categories. Please do leave comments over there, I will be responding.

Agile Job Search, HTP

What Have You Done Since Your Last Job?

You’ve been unemployed for a over a year. You’re looking for a job. You have not been sitting home, eating bon-bons. You’ve been contributing to open-source projects, or studying for a certification, and networking like there’s no tomorrow. You have not found another job yet. So, what do you say when hiring managers, HR people,

MPD, program management

Which Program Team Are You Managing?

Some program managers whose organizations are transitioning to agile are not always clear on which program team they are managing. Sometimes, that’s because the organization doesn’t always realize they need more than one program team. If you are coordinating and collaborating across the entire organization, you are part of the core program team. If you

agile, MPD

Economics, Models, and Money

Israel Gat had a great Agile Cutter Advisor recently, the Friction of Agile (registration required). He discussed the friction of agile going up in geographically distributed teams because of the dis-economies of assimilation (the space-time continuum problem, and the issue of under-funding the infrastructure of the non US-based teams). He had a stunning (to me)

newsletter

Organizing Programs

Rothman Consulting Group, Inc. Vol 8, #7: Organizing Programs Oct 11, 2011                                                                                      ISSN: 2164-1196 In This Issue: Organizing Programs   Johanna’s Speaking Calendar

Agile Job Search, HTP

Deconstructing Job Ads

If you’re a candidate and you are looking for a job, it can be difficult to deconstruct a job ad, especially if it’s a laundry list of technical tools. A lot of hiring managers use a form of shorthand to identify their needs. Here are some common themes that might be their shorthand: What the

HTP, job analysis

Make Your Job Ads Work For You

I recently worked with a hiring manager who was having trouble with his job ads. They were not working for him. The ads were not screening out the more senior people. They were not screening in the more junior people. As part of the problem solving, I asked him to send me the job analysis

agile, MPD

Reducing Your Own WIP and Yves' Who Is Series

As a business owner, I have to remember to manage my own WIP, work in progress. Yves Hanoulle recently wrote about his own encounter with his wip limits, and what he decided to do it with respect to his “Who Is” series. When you are a manager, program manager, project manager—anyone who leverages the work

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