Talking Work Podcast Posted
I had a blast talking with Raechel and Ty on the Talking Work podcast. I totally blew the trivia question. Oh well. I still had a blast! Thanks Raechel and Ty.
MPD, podcast
hiring strategy, HTP
When You Can’t Find Candidates
Last weekend, at GLSEC, there was a panel. At the panel, some managers bemoaned the fact they couldn’t find qualified candidates around a specific technology. They happened to be talking about SharePoint this weekend. That was this weekend. Another year, another location, it would have been a different technology. The problem is if you can’t
hiring strategy, HTP, job analysis
Fantastic Stories of Overqualified Employees
I’ve had a heavy speaking calendar this month. I knew I’d be home, so I accepted a number of local and close domestic speaking engagements. I’ve been surprised by some fantastic stories of managers and employees. First, there’s the well-meaning manager who wants a current tester to be “motivated” to do manual testing. “How do
agile, MPD
"Agile-the-Word" has Crossed the Chasm
When I lead public workshops, I ask people what their experience with with agile is. In the past, if I asked people if they were experienced with agile, their answers were reliable. Now, not so much. People think if they can spell agile, they are agile. If they sometimes use timeboxes, they are agile. If
agile, MPD
Columns for Your Reading Pleasure
I’ve been writing through my travels. Today, Stickyminds published Not Ready for Agile? Start Your Journey with Release Trains. In February, Gantthead.com published Timebox or Kanban: A False Dichotomy. I would have let you know, but I was traveling and was unaware they published it! I write the columns ahead of time and don’t know
HTP, job analysis
Why Does an Agile Coach Need to Know a Specific Programming Language?
I must be in quite the mood today. I am disagreeing with just about everything I see online. I saw a tweet today for an opening for an agile coach who needed to have C++ in his or her background. Why??? Is the coach going to be developing? I hope not. Testing? I hope not?
agile, MPD, project management
Cards, Stickies, Whiteboards or Tools
Shane Hastie and I taught our Working with Geographically Agile Teams workshop last week in Sydney. One of the questions that arose is “What tool do I use with a distributed team?” That same question is on the scrumdevelopment mailing list this week. Shane and I don’t know what is wrong with a whiteboard and
MPD, project management
Refactoring, Redesign, Time, and Transparency
I love it when my readers challenge and question me. Thank you, Sam and Paulo for asking the equivalent of “Huh?” for Refactoring and Redesign are Different. You asked great questions. Let me see if I can answer. For me, the time issue is the lack of transparency about the time required to complete the
MPD, project management
Refactoring and Redesign are Different
I’ve been working with people starting their transition to agile. They are all smart people—some of them scary-smart. And some of them are misusing some of the terminology. Some people are using the word “refactoring” to describe significant work, say, weeks or even months of effort of rework. Sorry, I call that redesign. To me,
HTP, interview
Phone Screens for Junior People
There’s a question on one of the forums, about how to ask questions in a phone screen for junior developers. I thought I would answer it here, and then post a link. These tips work for junior developers, testers, writers, BAs, whatever. In a phone screen, you first want to ask elimination questions; then essential