Whether we’re talking about revolutionary new web services, IT systems to automate internal procedures, or products to sell in boxes, there are many different sorts of things that need to be done. We need to envision the product, decide what’s required to be done, design it, build it, make sure it works, and put it [...]
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Guest post: What is an Agile Coach
Recently a friend asked about the definition of the title, “Agile Coach.” Googling “agile coach” informs me that there are about 205,000 pages with that term. Obviously the term is in widespread use. I don’t typically call myself an Agile Coach, though I’ll use that term informally if it’s the term used by those with [...]
Guest post: The IT Manager’s Dilemma with Software Debt
The team continues to complain about working with that legacy codebase because it has so much debt. That software debt slows them down in feature delivery and they are wondering if we can push for priority to be put into paying it back some?” asked the ScrumMaster. The IT Development Manager looked distraught about the [...]
Guest post: Scrum is the Vehicle, Not the Destination
Have you ever heard or said any of these phrases? We are going to implement the Scrum methodology. We’re doing a modified Scrum. Our developers are using a Scrum process. These may seem like innocuous statements but they are indicators of potential misinterpretation of how Scrum is best utilized. Scrum is not a full development [...]
Guest post: Avoiding Iteration Zero
Teams new to Agile often realize that they have a lot to do before they get their new development process at full speed. Looking at this big and unknown hill in front of them, many Agile teams choose to do an Iteration Zero (or Sprint Zero) to prepare before they start delivering regular increments of [...]
Guest post: Mastering the sidle.
Have you ever noticed when you have a team conversation, and agreement seems to be reached? Beware! There will be a sidle. Watch for it, be prepared for it. Don’t avoid it. What is the sidle? The sidle is simply, one person who hangs back … the conversation after the conversation; the hallway conversation; the [...]
Guest Post: Reflections on Scrum and Kanban
Done and done! 1,5 years of hard work at National Land Survey is over. What a great project! This post will be on my personal findings about Scrum team transition to Kanban. What worked and what not? Moreover, I will try to analyze the failures we made and to come up with some solutions. Let’s [...]
How to do Agile performance reviews
My last post of Performance reviews and Scrum left some readers unsatisfied. Brett send me an email where he comments: So, while my heart leapt when I saw this link, sadly I was bitterly disappointed to discover that despite the fact its one of your most frequently asked questions, you didn’t actually answer it at [...]
Building a car with principles for Scrum, Agile and Lean
Joe Justice presented the opening keynote at the Scrum Global Gathering in London. The topic was how Agile, Lean, and Scrum can fit manufacturing. More specifically he talked about the development of the SGT01 – a 100 mpg, four-seat commuter car with a mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. This is an interesting keynote in large part [...]
Performance evaluations and Scrum.
ne of the most frequently ask questions that I’m asked is, how do you do personal performance reviews and appraisals in a Scrum environment. Part of the difficulty is that the Scrum framework talks about three equally balanced roles; the Product Owner, the ScrumMaster and the Team. If the roles are equally balanced then who [...]
