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Cargo Cult Agile
You sometimes hear about “Cargo Cult Agile”, and you might be wondering what that means. It’s a cute term with an interesting and funny history. But the thing itself is not funny at all. This article will explain what it is, where it comes from, and what to do about it. What does “cargo cult” mean? […]
Continue readingScrum bad smells
There are a number of “bad smells” that you might encounter while doing Scrum. These are generally signs that might seem innocent, but suggest something is badly wrong. You need to watch out for these signs. Standups going over the timebox The bad smell This is a classic one to watch out for. The Daily […]
Continue readingObligation to dissent and the circle of safety
I read an article recently about “obligation to dissent“. It’s an interesting phrase with some important concepts behind it. Some of these concepts tie closely into the principles of Agile. Some organisations foster a culture where dissent is welcome, others don’t. This is an important clue to the overall health of that organisation and its […]
Continue readingGo see. Stop and fix it.
I’ve read a fair bit about Lean Manufacturing and Lean Software Development. Lean Manufacturing is old and Japanese and not really related to Agile at all. Lean Software Development is an attempt to apply some of those ideas to software development. It shares a lot in common with the values and principles of the Agile […]
Continue readingMisconceptions about the Product Backlog
There are a lot of misconceptions about the Product Backlog. In fact, I would say it is probably the least understood artefact of Scrum. Getting it wrong can cause big problems, not just for your product and its roadmap, but for your developers too. Being a product owner is a hard job, and easy to get […]
Continue readingWays that cloud can support agile and lean startup
One of the biggest changes in information technology over the last ten years has been cloud computing. This change is huge and it is here to stay. While cloud is transforming businesses and governments around the world, it provides special advantages for certain types of organisations and work. This article will explain the ways in which […]
Continue readingAgile reading list: essential books
This is my list of essential Agile books, sorted into categories. I’ve read and would recommend all of these. I’ve separated them into General, Process, People, and Technology. General Agile Software Development with Scrum by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle This is the book that started it all. Written by the two guys who started it […]
Continue readingOutcomes not outputs
One of the key takeaways I got from reading the excellent book Lean Enterprise is the idea that you should focus on outcomes not outputs. This is a powerful idea for strong agile teams, and ties in well with the Agile Manifesto. If you understand this concept, you can make a lot of the annoying […]
Continue readingCommon barriers to agile adoption
A lot of organizations are trying to “go Agile”. That sounds great, but they often fail. Sometimes they get part of the way there, sometimes they got most of the way and achieve some benefits, but then struggle. Sometimes they fall in a heap and don’t get anywhere. Often they just end up doing “cargo […]
Continue readingThe strengths of Scrum
OK so you might think after the last post, that I’m against Scrum and I think it’s worthless. Not true at all. I use it a lot and have a lot of respect for it. There are definitely some strengths of scrum for software development. I just think it’s worth being aware of its weaknesses. To […]
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