ShuHaRi Agile

How can #Scrum teams deliver working software every #Sprint if they’re dependent on another team?

Dependencies….those nasty challenges that can make good Agile teams crumble. Dealing with dependencies can stop Agile transformation efforts in their tracks. How can a Scrum team deliver a shippable increment at the end of every Sprint if they are dependent on another team to complete a Story? Scrum-of-Scrums The go-to response I see from most teams is to establish elaborate and complex…

According to the Scrum guide, the Daily Scrum is an event “to synchronize activities and create a plan for the next 24 hours.” The Development Team members explain:

What did I do yesterday that helped the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?

What will I do today to help the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?

Do I see any impediments that prevents me or the Development Team from meeting the…

Kanban or ToDo Board

Are you really practicing Kanban or do you just have a ToDo board? Maybe you think you are practicing the methodology correctly, but how do you know? Kanban seems simple on the surface, but it’s pretty hard to practice correctly and it takes a long time to master.  Few teams get to mastery.  Here are just a few question to help you determine if your team is on the right path: What is your WIP…

How Long Should My Sprint Be?

The Scrum guide says that Sprints can be from 1-4 weeks.  Which length is right for you?  For me, there are only 2 options.  Let’s start with the one’s I recommend: 2 Week Sprints – My favorite length.  This is the optimal Sprint length, in my opinion.  I don’t even think that the type of technology, project, team or Stories makes a difference for this being the best Sprint length, but I’m sure…

Let's stop judging our #Agile experiences and start celebrating our successes.

I got engaged in a very interesting and passionate debate recently about an Agile methodology that I am not a fan of….Scrumban. My position was that, in my experience, teams I worked with tended to adopted this “methodology” after they had tried and failed at implementing Scrum and/or Kanban successfully. They went from Shu to Ri all in the name of “being Agile” and self-organization when, to me,…

Experienced Project Managers can make a real impact in the scaled Agile space.

I went grocery shopping recently and got in line at the checkout behind an elderly woman. She meticulously watched each item being scanned. When an item didn’t ring up correctly, she pointed it out to the checker. After the whole process was complete, she reached into her purse and pulled out her checkbook. Urrrgggghhhhh!!!!! Are you kidding? Who on earth uses a checkbook anymore? I thought about…

Stating why an #Agile practice should be adopted is better than saying "because it's #Agile"

How many times have you heard this from a Scrum Master, Agile coach or Agile enthusiast:

“We can’t do xyz. It’s not Agile”

or maybe it was

“We have to do xyz because it’s Agile”

If you’ve been involved in Agile in any way, I’d bet my next Powerball winning numbers on the fact that you’ve heard some variation of these comments. (True confession: I’veeven said things like this in the past. *gasp*)…

Thanks for making the first year of my #Agile blog a huge success!

Thanks for making the first year of my blog a huge success!  Let me know what you’re working on, struggling with and would like to learn more about so that I can make my 2016 content more engaging.

Happy New Year!

-Christa

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,300times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 38 trips to carry that…

Is there a right way to "do Agile"?

“What’s the right way to do Agile”?  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this question.  On one hand, I have some pretty strong opinions about the best way to do things. On the other hand, I believe Agile is supposed to be more about values & principles and less about prescriptive processes. Finding the right balance between the two separates the people who just teach Agile and those…

Managers: Are they needed with Agile?

What is the role of the Manager in Agile?  I won’t keep you in suspense…there’s not a role for the Manager in Agile. Do some research on the classic Agile processes (Scrum, Kanban, Lean, XP) or read the Agile Manifesto. You’ll find that Managers aren’t mentioned. We Managers are going the way of Dinosaurs when it comes to Agile. I, for one, am just fine with that. I hope you are too. Why?

COLLECTI…

Caffeine Addiction

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to caffeine. My parents tried their best to shield me from this insidious drug by offering me milk as a child. Along came college life and the teachings of my parents went out the window. I was lured by the promise of being able to stay awake during the mind numbing teachings of my English Professor after staying up until 3am the night…

I’m a little late to the party here, but I’d like to weigh in on the whole #NoEstimates movement. The concept is pretty self-explanatory. A growing number of Agile thought leaders believe there is no value in the estimating process and should be abandoned entirely. Ron Jefferies (one of the founders of Extreme Programming) has even weighed in on the topic.

ESTIMATING IS FLAWED

Let’s all agree…

Should you give partial credit for Agile Stories?

A lot of teams struggle to decide what to do when all of the tasks for a Story aren’t completed in the Sprint. Options they consider include:

Give Full Credit: Take full credit for the original Story points & then open a new Story with the incomplete tasks.

Split the Story: Take partial credit for the Story in the current Sprint and then open a new Story with the incomplete tasks.

Give Zero…

Is there a place for Project Managers in Agile?

In a word, Yes. Yes, there’s a place for Project Managers in the world of Agile software development. I’m hearing a huge *gasp* from all of you Agile purists out there. For some, the mere idea of injecting Project Managers into the Agile process creates all sorts of negative reactions. Unfortunately, many developers haven’t had positive experiences with Project Managers. They see them as people…

Agile: Excuses & Bloat

Agile adoption efforts can sometimes expose two patterns that I call, “Excuses & Bloat”. Exactly what are these? I describe them as follows:

Excuses: When a process change is used as an excuse for abandoning best practices and/or organizational policies.

Bloat: When organizations with enforceable policies try to morph the Agile methodology to account for and enforce those policies.

Agile is Not a…