Heuristics for Effective Software Development: A continuously evolving list.*
Without psychological safety, respect, and trust, none of the following is possible. Process exists in service of people; the people come first. The best ways to work are collaborative. Negotiation is not collaboration. Isolated individuals making heroic efforts are never as effective as collaborative groups. We get the best results when customers, business people, and…Read More
Getting Started with Agility: Essential Reading
As is the case with many of the people who actually know what they’re talking about, I’ve come to shudder when I hear the word “Agile,” at least until I can figure whether the person who uttered the word actually knows what they’ve just said. More often than not, they don’t. The word Agile has…
Read MoreWords
Words that do not appear in the Agile Manifesto & Principles: Sprint backlog product owner manager PBI (product backlog item) scrum master Sprint review QA team PMO release train product increment stand-up (or Daily Scrum) meeting story point estimate velocity quarterly plan Jira productivity utilization certification standardized process (as a positive) methodology ceremony accountability responsibility…Read More
#NoAccountability
The notion of accountability—and its lesser cousin, responsibility—often pop up in the context of business, as if both of those ideas are good things. A culture of accountability, we’re told, is essential to running a business. The word “accountable” appears all over the 2020 Scrum Guide. I don’t buy any of it. A culture of…Read More
Building A Clearboard
Every time I teach a remote class from my home office, somebody says “oooh, where’d you get that clear whiteboard.” White boards are just ugly, and I wanted something that would essentially disappear into the room, so glass seemed like the best choice. Though I see these in many detective shows on PBS :-), I…Read More