No, of course not. So when should your Team start and end Sprints? The usual rules of Scrum apply – ask the Team. Run an experiment. There is an instinctive tendency to want to wrap up things at the end of the work week so we can unplug our brains for the weekend, and start […]
Notes from a Tool User
Scrum Development Team – Who’s In It?
I’m frequently asked if a Tester, Business Analyst, User Experience (UX) person, Database Analyst, or Security Expert is part of the Scrum team? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: many people misunderstand the Scrum Guide. Scrum Development Team Membership The Scrum Guide has a short section called “The Development Team” which says: The Development Team consists […]
What United Can Teach Us About Building Systems
![By InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA (United Airlines - N797UA Uploaded by Altair78) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://agilepainrelief.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/800px-United_Airlines_777_N797UA-150x150.jpg)
In April 2017, United Airlines made global headlines when they forcibly removed one passenger (David Dao) who had already boarded the flight, to accommodate crew flying to another destination. The flight staff called the airport police and Dao was hurt as he was dragged off the plane, suffering a concussion, loss of teeth and other […]
Beyond Scrum Blog Series
We’ve had requests for a single page that lists all the ongoing Beyond Scrum blog posts in one handy spot, and we’re happy to oblige! The below list will be updated as new posts are added. Scrum Alone is Not Enough Simplicity Scrum Development Team – Who’s In It? What is the Recommended Scrum Team […]
Dear Former Prime Minister
Dear Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, In early October we met in the Toronto airport while lining up to board for Edmonton. I’m the Ottawa-based management consultant, who helps organizations become more effective. You asked what it is that I do, so I’ve undertaken to explain it here briefly, in a way that’s clear regardless of […]
Agile Change or Adoption: Define Small Organizational Changes
(Continued from Agile Change or Adoption Always Starts with Why : 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) Seeing an organizational change map with seven to eight proposed major changes can feel daunting and discouraging. It’s even worse when we realize that list will keep growing as new organizational problems are discovered. By taking on only one or two changes at a […]
Reinventing Existing Products – Big Bite vs Small Nibble Rewrites
Twice now in my career I’ve done a massive rewrite to replace an existing product. In both cases, it didn’t end well. Each time, the new product was competing with an existing product that was making the company money. So, of course, the existing product got enhancements on a rickety structure, and on the new […]
$50 Million Phoenix Fix – Avoiding Disaster With Scrum
As most Canadians can tell you, the rollout of the Canadian Government’s Phoenix payroll modernization system has gone disastrously badly. At one stage, there were over 80,000 civil servants who had payment problems, with some even losing their houses over the mess. I’ve seen everything from the contractor (IBM) to a lack of training being […]