Blending agile and waterfall/predictive approaches to gain some form of hybrid agile is misguided and may lead to worse results than using either alone.
High-Performing Teams – Deciding What to Measure
In my previous post, I talked about some of the ways that Agile leaders foster negative behaviors on agile teams by measuring the wrong things. The recent shenanigans at Wells Fargo serve… Continue reading High-Performing Teams – Deciding What to Measure
Want High-Performing Teams? Stop Measuring the Wrong Things
Avoid Measurements that Inhibit High-Performing Teams Most leaders would say that they want to create high performing teams. Unfortunately, many don’t see that the way that they measure, track and… Continue reading Want High-Performing Teams? Stop Measuring the Wrong Things
The Benefits of Stable, Long-Standing Teams
Dynamic Teams or Long-Standing Teams? If your goal was to create a high performing team, how would you go about it? Would you keep changing the team members or would… Continue reading The Benefits of Stable, Long-Standing Teams
How to Establish High-Performing Agile Teams
Establishing High Performing Agile Teams There are some specific actions that you can take now to establish high performing agile teams. In my previous post on High Performing Teams, I… Continue reading How to Establish High-Performing Agile Teams
A Framework for Evaluating High-Performing Teams
Are you interested in creating high-performing teams? Would you like to understand why some teams perform better than others, or to objectively evaluate the condition of your current team? In… Continue reading A Framework for Evaluating High-Performing Teams
Agile Success Story – Bank of America
Do you think that your organization is too large or too old to succeed with Agile and Scrum? Think again. This success story describes how Bank of America successfully transitioned… Continue reading Agile Success Story – Bank of America
Hey Scrum Masters, You’re Not the Jira Lackey!
Many Scrum Masters act as if their job is to keep all the tasks up to date in the online agile tool. They act like mother hens, constantly chirping about… Continue reading Hey Scrum Masters, You’re Not the Jira Lackey!
Is Company Culture Your Biggest Agile Transformation Challenge?
I’ve been exploring what makes an Agile transformation succeed as well as some of the challenges that can get in the way. Company culture is a big agile transformation challenge… Continue reading Is Company Culture Your Biggest Agile Transformation Challenge?
Is Team Co-location Your Biggest Agile Transformation Challenge?
This is first in a series of posts about agile transformation challenges. Most organizations today have tried Agile approaches and the majority are finding them helpful. Unfortunately there are also a significant… Continue reading Is Team Co-location Your Biggest Agile Transformation Challenge?
High-Performing Teams – What Google Found
I was excited to read this recent New York Times Article describing research done by Google to determine the characteristics of their high-performing teams. In the Aristotle study, Google investigated the data… Continue reading High-Performing Teams – What Google Found
Develop Your Agile Transformation Plan
Over the years of working with clients who are exploring agile and Scrum, we find many ask the same questions about developing an agile transformation plan. They want to develop… Continue reading Develop Your Agile Transformation Plan
Client Success Story – Moving from Waterfall to the Scrum Framework
Several years ago I had the opportunity to support a growing consulting firm to move from waterfall development to the Scrum Framework. It’s been exciting to watch Highland Solutions learn,… Continue reading Client Success Story – Moving from Waterfall to the Scrum Framework
How to Successfully Transition from Waterfall to Scrum
One of the most common conversations I’ve had with clients over the last few years is how to move from waterfall to Scrum. They want to understand the agile transformation… Continue reading How to Successfully Transition from Waterfall to Scrum
10 Questions an Agile PMO Should Ask Agile Teams
To be an Agile PMO means that you need to understand agile and Scrum and speak the language of the teams. Many PMOs insist on getting reports and updates in… Continue reading 10 Questions an Agile PMO Should Ask Agile Teams
What Makes an Agile Coach Effective
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what makes an Agile coach effective and how to improve my own effectiveness as a coach. Many or most of us probably… Continue reading What Makes an Agile Coach Effective
Improving Your Retrospective Part 3: Techniques
In several previous posts I wrote about the retrospective which is a key event and perhaps the most important in the Scrum Framework. We explored how the retrospective doesn’t need… Continue reading Improving Your Retrospective Part 3: Techniques
How to Remove Fear and Blame from Your Project Reviews
Lately, I’ve been thinking and writing about project reviews and agile retrospectives. I explored why I think traditional lessons learned exercises are a waste, and several posts on how to… Continue reading How to Remove Fear and Blame from Your Project Reviews
Stop Lessons Learned Meetings, Try an Agile Retrospective Instead
The Agile Retrospective Over the last few months, I have been writing about how to improve team retrospectives. This has been mostly focused on Agile teams. Recently I’ve been asked… Continue reading Stop Lessons Learned Meetings, Try an Agile Retrospective Instead
Why Agile Projects are Better
As you have probably noticed by now, I am a huge fan of Agile approaches and ways of working. This post is about some of the key aspects of Agile… Continue reading Why Agile Projects are Better
How to Improve Your Retrospective Part 2 – Setting the Stage
This is part two in my series of posts about improving your retrospectives. As I mentioned in my previous post, the retrospective is a key part of the Scrum Framework… Continue reading How to Improve Your Retrospective Part 2 – Setting the Stage
How to Improve Your Scrum Retrospective Part 1: Structure
The Purpose of the Scrum Retrospective In my last post, I talked about the Scrum Retrospective meeting and how the speed of the retrospective event was not the most important thing.… Continue reading How to Improve Your Scrum Retrospective Part 1: Structure
Retrospective Failure – Racing Through the Retrospective
Most people are aware of the retrospective meeting that is part of the Scrum Framework. It is a key improvement activity used by Agile and Scrum teams at the end of each… Continue reading Retrospective Failure – Racing Through the Retrospective
Tips for an Effective Daily Scrum Meeting
The daily Scrum Meeting is the most frequent meeting in the Scrum Framework, making it important to be done well. There are some common patterns of problems with the daily… Continue reading Tips for an Effective Daily Scrum Meeting
Include the Scrum Product Owner in Estimating?
Earlier this week I was facilitating a discussion on agile estimating at a Meetup. A question came up about whether or not the Product Owner of a team using the Scrum… Continue reading Include the Scrum Product Owner in Estimating?
What are the Most Important Agile Coach Traits?
What are the top Agile Coach traits that great coaches should have? Today there are more and more individuals hanging out a shingle and calling themselves Agile Coaches. With good… Continue reading What are the Most Important Agile Coach Traits?
Leading Agile Teams with Emotional Intelligence
The second edition of my emotional intelligence book includes a new chapter, Success with Agile Teams. Anyone who has used Agile methods though will attest to the fact that leading Agile… Continue reading Leading Agile Teams with Emotional Intelligence
How Do You Motivate Agile Teams to Become High-Performing Teams?
Most people have no idea how to motivate agile teams or create high performing teams. And even if you tell them, they don’t seem to remember or care. I’ve had… Continue reading How Do You Motivate Agile Teams to Become High-Performing Teams?
What is the “Exit Criteria” for Agile Coaching?
At a recent Agile Meetup, we talked about exit criteria for Agile coaching. Participants wanted to know how to determine when an Agile Coach is no longer needed. I flippantly… Continue reading What is the “Exit Criteria” for Agile Coaching?
When to Hire an Agile Coach
How does an organization decide it is time to hire an Agile Coach? What are the indications that coaching is needed? This quick guide gives 8 indications that it is time… Continue reading When to Hire an Agile Coach