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Rhythm...let's define that word really quick before we move on: a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound In music, that rhythm is the foundational cadence that allows multiple...

What do you truly want? I have spent a career helping organizations go from whatever process they are doing to wanting to be more agile. The request typically starts with...

As I work with Scrum Team's, I find a common thread in teams that believe our releases are "tied" to the Sprint time-box. This is not the case. Releases are...

Throughout my journey of helping teams deliver great products, one common theme tends to stand out (especially for larger organizations). That theme is that an agile process can't provide long...

Have you ever played Chess? Chess has 6 distinct roles in the game. A king, queen, bishop, knight, rook, and pawn. Each player has a certain amount of those pieces...

Ever run in a race or participated in a track meet? No matter how far the distance, when you cross the finish line, you’re done. It’s easy to understand and...

Back in elementary school when everyone was out at recess (do they even have that anymore?), Red Rover was a classic game. Red rover, red rover, send Samantha right over...

Let's be honest. Most teams struggle with how to get requirements into their new "agile" process. Take Scrum for instance. Scrum says you start with what is called a Product...

Many organizations today simply embrace agility because they "think" it will make them go faster, thus beating their competition. If done under the correct values and principles of agile; it...

One of the 5 values of Scrum is Focus. Too often, I will ask Product Owners "What is the goal of this sprint"? Their response? "To get all of these...

Many organizations strive to go through an "Agile Transformation". In fact there is a great debate on the word "transformation" in our community. Let's just really call it what it...

When I am teaching / coaching teams on the use of Scrum, many of them ask about how to handle escaped defects, product support items, etc...You know, the "unplanned stuff"...

We all have most likely heard the term; Attention Deficit Disorder (or formally known as Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder). ADD or ADHD are the short phrases we use to...

I have one of the best jobs in the world. I enjoy what I do and I get to help other people succeed. The challenging part of the work that...

From the beginning of our existence, we have been surrounded by various forms of leadership. Whether the leadership was good or bad, that is a different question. We can agree...

I work with a lot of Scrum Teams and there are always some common things between the teams I work with and then some things that are drastically different. What...

Does your team have a definition of done (the list of valuable activities that assert quality in your product)? In the dictionary, the term done means: “Having been carried out...

On TUE May 19, we hosted Ron Jeffries (yes the guy who has been building software longer than you have been alive) at DFW Scrum. Ron is a frequent visitor...

Imagine yourself a stakeholder in an organization that is adopting agile practices for software delivery. The teams have chosen Scrum as their agile management process. As part of this new...

Just like the US Government has 3 branches (Judicial, Executive, and Legislative Branches), Scrum has 3 roles. Many people compare the counter-balance of each roles in Scrum to that of...

We are all familiar with the concepts of budgets right? Spend less money than you make, eat less calories than you burn, etc...Why is it so difficult to actually do...

There are many analogies in use today to help teams understand the "delivering incrementally" part of agile processes. At the core, we struggle to take our silo'd views of software...

Many companies are trying to radically shift and adopt agile principles in their development efforts. In larger companies, the challenge can be great. Especially when working with people. People are...

We had a great turnout at DFW Scrum last TUE for "The Role of the Project Manager in Scrum". Many organizations struggle with what to do with the Project Manager...

In regards to Scrum, many people struggle to wrap their heads around the process. While it is a fairly simple framework with very little rules and prescription, it is very...

Has anyone ever asked your team what development processes they use to get work done? Has anyone on your team ever said "We do Agile". Many people have written on...

Have you ever been in your building and noticed a “Certificate of Occupancy”? These gems enforce a safe occupancy number that are built around fire codes. How many people could...