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Waste (and production efficiency)

By Allen Holub | March 27, 2019 |

Why is it that, when I bring up concerns surrounding production efficiency, some people react as if I’m suggesting we return to the abuses 19th century factories? Agile is, of course, focused on delivering value. However, no business can succeed if it squanders money on inefficiency. That is, outcome is critical, and that’s where our…Read More

Training is expensive (Not)!

By Allen Holub | February 28, 2019 |

I’m often contacted by someone who says: We could really use your training (or consulting services). How can I lobby to have your brought in? Do you have any tips? The best way to explore whether I can help is to chat. Set up a call at on my scheduling page. Make it a conference call…Read More

Improvement Boards

By Allen Holub | May 25, 2018 |

The original version of this post had the tag #NoRetrospectives in the title, but I got tired of the flak and removed it. My intent was to be a bit provocative and to get people thinking about how we can do better than a biweekly retrospective. That is, This article is not advocating that we…

KPIs, Velocity, and Other Destructive Metrics

By Allen Holub | January 30, 2018 |

"It is wrong to suppose that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it—a costly myth." –W. Edwards Deming The Deming quote at the top of this post is often twisted into something worthy of Frederick Taylor: "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it." Deming would disagree. You can—in fact, must—manage things…

#NoStandups

By Allen Holub | January 29, 2018 |

The traditional daily stand-up meeting as generally practiced ranges from merely ineffective to a colossal waste of time. It’s a band-aid that’s hiding ineffective communication. First, some history. The 15-minute “stand-up meeting” is de rigueur for many Agile shops. It’s been a standard practice from very early. JJ Sutherland told me the “first standup happened…