Leverage the Power of Community Through Open Space
Every Agile adoption is unique. They typically begin after an organization experiences a “shock” event such as a sudden loss of market share or growing competition. Or at times its simply rooted in the gradual realization the status quo is no longer sufficient. All reasons aside, transforming an organization takes dedication, focus and support. Enter […]
Day Four :: SAFe Training – A Final Thought
February 27, 2020 I grew up an evangelical fundamentalist. That’s about as hard core protestant as it gets. Lutherans had one foot in hell, Catholics were full on idol worshipers, Methodists were heretics. My favorite were Pentecostals. They were downright demon possessed. If you find this world view a bit restrictive, you’re right. In the […]
Day Three :: “All we have to fear is fear its self”
February 26, 2020 Today we covered Portfolio Management and Leading Change. I was struck by the assortment and quality of the tools. Until today, I didn’t know how to identify an organization’s “tipping point” in its Agile adaption readiness. Now I have a whole set of tools to use in conversation with clients. I’ve also […]
Day Two :: SAFe Training – I Love Jazz
February 25, 2020 In my early teens I fell in love with classical music. The complexity, the endless combinations of notes running across a scale telling a story; reaching deep within the soul. As one master piece inspires the next, much of this music reaches levels of near perfection. On the other hand there was […]
Day One :: SAFe Training – It’s not a methodology
February 24, 2020 One of the major criticisms of SAFe is because it is so voluminous it, will collapse under the weight of its ever increasing complexity. That would be true, if it were a methodology. From the many things which were said today, it was made clear the framework presents the organization with experiments, […]
Diary of a SAFe Skeptic – Introduction
February 23, 2202 On my way to SAFe training in Seattle. I’m a big fan of LeSS and Scrum@Scale. However, we’ve discovered that some clients would honestly benefit from adapting SAFe. To stay true to our values we’ve decided to begin offering this option; thus the training. I’ll be posting my thoughts throughout the week […]
Getting Past Boredom: How ‘Training from the Back of Room’ helps Coaches
I grew up in a family where getting in front of an audience was routine, but even at a young age I discovered my enthusiasm for a subject may not automatically transfer to my audience. Leveraging voice inflection, hand gestures and humor only goes so far. There were times as a Scrum Master, trainer or […]
Correcting Assumptions via Systems Thinking
Identifying the system your assumptions build is a giant first step in helping teams improve. Let’s use systems thinking to briefly examine a causal loop that either increases or decreases the team’s confidence. We begin with the assumption that “teams must be held accountable, because people do not naturally hold themselves accountable.” The domino effect this […]
Gemba Walk for Scrum Teams
Gemba Walk for Scrum Teams Being involved with Scrum Masters and their teams is the best job on the planet. Few things are as satisfying as watching a Scrum Team become more adaptive, grow in confidence and shoulder responsibility as a cohesive unit. Although experiencing these improvements as they occur is amazing to witness, I’ve […]