I had the pleasure of recording an episode of the Mob Mentality podcast with the energizing and fun Austin Chadwick and Chris Lucian. They do so much for the Agile community on the micro and macro level. We discussed some simulation tools, and the value of doing “Advanced Napkin Math” in cases where we don’t …
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Nick Saban, Scrum Master: On Winners and Winning
My friend JC Smiley from Code Connector may be the most voraciously curious person I know. Every day he wakes up early and posts at least one question in the Code Connector Slack channel. Something to get people thinking, to seek out experienced opinions, and share common ideas among new learners. His two questions today: …
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What difference could it possibly make? The psychology and social dynamics of Sprint timing.
20 reasons to change Sprints mid-week.
Turning User Stories Into Enabling Specifications
The PBI is the gunshot that sets the runner at the block free to race forward.
The Real Costs of Sub-Optimal Product Backlog Ordering
A quick post while I’m thinking about real costs (see the previous post, real costs of context-switching). The role of the Product Owner is to “maximize the value of the team”. Paradoxically, she does not do that by altering the team itself. The flip side of the coin is that the team of creators do …
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The Real Costs of Context-Switching
I’ve never actually seen a developer who was simultaneously ambidextrous and therefore able to type on two different computers, creating two different items of valuable work.
Cost of Exit is a Cost of Entry.
FBI SWAT teams are one of the most highly trained infiltration / exfiltration units in the world. Highly skilled, highly trained. Practice frequently. They are armed with the best gear in the world, bristling with guns, ammo, handcuffs, flash-bang grenades. In their center pocket, easiest and fastest to reach, is their most important tool. A …
“Feature” is Ambiguous.
Great joke of course. We’ve used the word feature to the point that it’s lost specific meaning. A feature could mean, “this field will retain your data for the next time you log in”. A feature could also mean “big green button”. A feature could also be almost any object or landmark. That big rock …
How Not to Get Lost
My friend and UX designer (and legendary keyboard warrior) Evan Travers writes about orienteering, something you may have done as a scout. Abstractly, two techniques to navigate in the territory of the modern software domain – Moderate Complexity and Moderate Uncertainty. While finding an exact destination requires many steps and many skills, here are two …
A challenging statement. Kanban is failure.
Just heard this quote on a webinar today about Lean and Theory of Constraints. I found it fascinating and challenging. Tell me your thoughts in the comments: “Kanban is an admission of failure to achieve one-piece flow”
The Agile Couch 