Agile teams using the Scrum framework commit to delivering value in each development sprint. Sprints are generally 2-weeks long, and the goal is to create working software that can be deployed into production. While commitment is one of Scrum’s core values, in reality, teams do […]
Stakeholder management is one of the most critical project management functions. Stakeholders are our customers, organizational leaders, members of our project teams, and people we may not even know. The project manager’s ability to effectively identify, understand, and engage stakeholders is a key determinant of […]
Many organizations try to catapult into agility. Striving to instantaneously transform their traditional practices and culture. Unfortunately, this strategy is usually painful and often fails. The Scrum Guide states, “Scrum is easy to understand, but difficult to master.” Basic training can be quickly and easily accomplished […]
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is making a bold pivot toward agile. As a project manager and an agilist, I am excited by these moves. At the same time, it is hard to envision both this transition and the future state. In this article, I […]
Experienced agile coaches and practitioners develop a sixth-sense. They can quickly assess the health of an agile project or team just as doctors do with their patients. In 2013, Mike Cohn coined the term scrum smells to describe the signs that a scrum team is […]
Organizational change and transformation efforts are often challenging. Most fail to meet their planned objectives with 30% failing outright. In last month’s article, ”Road Trippin’ Organizational Change: The Beginning”, I recommending using adaptive-agile planning practices and treating the effort like a road trip: Set the […]
Most organizational change efforts do not succeed. They fail to achieve the desired results. They are disruptive and sometimes leave the company worse-off. An oft-cited statistic is that 70% of organizational change efforts fail. This metric is attributed to Hammer and Champy’s 1993 classic, “Reengineering […]
Lean and Agile organizations have harnessed the power of the stand-up meeting as a valuable process tool. The stand-up is an efficient and effective way to communicate. It promotes transparency into the progress of work and highlights issues. The meeting fosters a collaborative work environment and […]
Kanban is a versatile and powerful tool to help you manage your work. It can be used to track personal projects, complex operations and large programs; for example, it can be used to: Efficiently manage the flow of inventory in a factory, Help students manage their homework […]
“All good lessons come at a cost. Try to learn them inexpensively.” Howard Zucker When I made a mistake as a child, my father would remind me that all lessons come at a cost. The goal was to learn them cheaply. I did not always […]