Back in the ’90s, everyone was into repeatable processes for software. What that often meant was we were supposed to do all projects in exactly the same way, regardless of the type of project. We were supposed to document what we did and deliver the same documentation each project. It didn’t matter how much innovation […]
In our first article — “Stay Agile with Discovery” (May 11, 2016)— we discussed how to use a discovery project to show a non-agile customer or sponsor the benefits of going agile. Now we will focus on building trust with a client who is ready to consider agile approaches. After the discovery project, Martha was ready
People often ask me, “When is agile right or not right for a project?” I’ve said before that if the team wants to go agile, that’s great. If the team doesn’t, don’t use agile. That answer is insufficient. In addition to the team, we need management to not create a bad environment for agile. You
Marcus Blankenship and I wrote an article, Stay Agile with Discovery, to discuss how to help your clients see the benefits of working in an agile or more agile way. We have seen too many clients want “agile” and not want all the responsibilities that being a Product Owner or customer involves. If your client asks
I see a lot of confusion around velocity in new-to-agile teams. Too many people treat velocity as an acceleration measurement. That is, they expect velocity to increase to some large number, as a stable state. Velocity is a rate of change coupled with direction. When managers think they can measure a team with velocity, they
I had a great time with my previous version of the Non-Fiction Writing Workshop: Write Non-Fiction to Enhance Your Business and Reputation. I am offering it again, starting this August 24. I added another week, so you have the chance to practice more. I am also offering a personal accountability option. If you want, you can
Ryan Ripley and I spoke on his Agile for Humans Podcast, Agile Program Management with Johanna Rothman. We had a blast. We spoke all about Agile and Lean Program Management: Scaling Collaboration Across the Organization, estimation, value, and much more. I hope you listen.
I just posted the dates for the next Practical Product Ownership workshop: Deliver What Your Customers Need. It starts Aug 23, 2016. You need this workshop if: You are having trouble doing everything in your PO role, you might be trying to do too much. See Product Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst? You are having
Marcus Blankenship and I are conducting a survey of technical managers. If you are or have been a technical manager, please take the survey here: . Oh, and I was so curious about how many female/male managers there were, we had to ask that question. Yes, I said to Marcus, “We have to ask!” He laughed
Cindy works for AgileSoft as the Product Owner for its clients. AgileSoft contracted with Acme to do product development for its marketing website. Acme sells a variety of products and services, and wants the website to serve all audiences, from casual browsers to long-time customers. Acme’s Marketing, Sales and IT teams are involved, but Acme’s