tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90832288298366843612024-03-08T01:11:30.183-07:00Integrating AgileSRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-2422164430817185922023-04-09T09:25:00.000-06:002023-04-09T09:25:10.249-06:00 Just Start - Damn the lizard brain!<p>Been reading <a href="https://www.sethgodin.com/" target="_blank">Linchpin by Seth Godin</a> (an oldie, but a goodie). So I'm pushing against the resistance, the lizard brain, all the things keeping me from posting a blog.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Glassblowing and agile</span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2775dbc5-7fff-d09b-5b7e-c61d898d9dc8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Danny and I had a grand time in our short visit to Seattle at the beginning of April. One of the best experiences was seeing the Chihuly Exhibit. The videos in the theater at the end of the exhibit prompted us to go back through previous parts, especially to see the </span><a href="https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/theaterathome3" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Macchia</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. But the best part of going back was that we got to see a couple of folks blowing glass. The process is consistent (get the glass rod hot, add air, add color, shape it appropriately), but for each piece, there is an artistry to it. What's the external temperature? Humidity? And there's always the risk of failure (in the ten minutes we watched, the demonstrators noted at least 5 potentials for failure). But through continued practice, those risks are reduced, the choreography of spinning the glass, heating it, tapping it <i>just</i> right... all results in a final piece of art.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do what you love, love what you do, and do better</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, there will always be parts of work that aren't enjoyable. But there is always the stuff that you fell in love with at the beginning. How can you do more of that?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, things will break. That major project may fail. But, as Marilyn Monroe said, "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a risk today. Do something you're not perfect at yet. Get better.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-73826239511158252992014-09-25T09:16:00.002-06:002014-09-25T09:49:43.545-06:00Lessons from the Secretary<div class="MsoNormal">
I had the opportunity to attend the <a href="http://www.du.edu/korbel/about/events/korbeldinner.html">Korbel Dinner</a>
Monday night – one of the perks of being the wife of a Dean at the University
of Denver. Dr. Condelezza Rice, alum of DU, was the featured speaker, and she
was quite engaging, discussing the Middle East, Russia, and even football with
ease and humor. When asked about managing the state department, my ear perked
up. Here is a woman who has managed folks all over the world, dealing with
major issues. Certainly, I could integrate a few tips from her into managing a
scrum team! Indeed, there were three points that I could modify to manage a
small team of IT professionals, rather than ambassadors and other international
mediators.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, problems don’t come in neat, single-disciplinary
packages. Coming from a former Secretary of State, there are many examples that
can be used here. But even in a development team, issues are often not neat,
and rarely affect only one system! It’s very important to understand the
complexities and connections when trying to resolve an issue. If one area
becomes simpler, chances are another will be more complex. Where do you want
the trade-off?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Second, policy is influenced by the people you train. This
makes obvious sense for a school of international studies. How can it be used
in a scrum team? It’s all about culture. Build the culture to encourage the
behavior you want. Don’t expect that a great culture will just happen. Do you
want people to be okay with making small mistakes, in order to learn and expand
their knowledge? Celebrate those failures!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, Dr. Rice talked about bringing people in who have
been there. She has started the wheels turning on an endowed professorship, the
Rice Family Professor of Practice. This position, I foresee, will be filled by
people who have experiences of international relations that will enhance the studies
and theory of the students. In other words, it’s important to tell the real
stories. Books and theory are wonderful, but experience is the “secret sauce” –
what really shows others how to integrate their knowledge into practice. Again,
in scrum teams, listening to those with experience can be very useful – whether
that experience is within the existing organization or from another company
with a successful implementation of agile. Take all those stories, blend them
together, and play with building a solution from that knowledge.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love learning, in the many places I find myself!</div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-50486953688557541502014-07-17T15:25:00.001-06:002014-07-17T15:25:38.966-06:00Perfect is the Enemy<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before. I’ve been
experiencing this over the last month. A potential client wants everything to
be <i>just right</i> before starting an
agile project – the right people, the right timing (working around multiple
vacations), and the right scheduling (have you ever tried to schedule executive
assessments one week out?!). It’s hard to get everything set up PERFECTLY before
you start an agile project, or any project for that matter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My answer? Start anyway. You CEO and CTO will not be in the
same country for two more months? Start anyway (they can communicate via email, right?). You’re still missing two out of
ten planned staff? Start anyway. All the requirements aren’t yet fully vetted?
Start anyway. The servers/databases/other pieces of equipment aren’t yet
ordered? Start anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s never going to be a PERFECT time. Projects involve
people, and people have lives. And, well, life is messy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Funny. <a href="http://integratingagile.blogspot.com/2013/03/just-do-it.html" target="_blank">I’ve already posted about this once</a>. Seems we often need to be reminded... <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just start. It's okay. It will work out.</div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-26209801898111498632014-06-25T15:24:00.002-06:002014-06-25T15:24:52.924-06:00Agile and Business – Leading at a Higher Level<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been re-reading <a href="http://www.kenblanchard.com/img/pub/leading_ata_higherlevel_bookpreview.pdf"><i>Leading at a Higher Level</i></a> by Ken
Blanchard. Published in 2009, it’s not a recent book by any means, and it says
nothing about running IT organizations or coding methodology. Nope, it’s a straight-forward business book. Like
many of Blanchard’s books, this one has a message that works well as the
entrance point for talking about agile practices with executives. Here are a
few points.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
The triple bottom line</h4>
<h3>
<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most executives and business leaders understand their
organization’s bottom line. Blanchard, however, extends that concept and talks
of the triple bottom line. Rather than simply making money for the company’s
investors, the organization needs to focus on being t<i>he provider of choice, the employer of choice, and the investment of
choice</i>. In other words, the people that work for you (employees), and the
people you work for (customers) need to be part of the formula for success,
rather than simply the money that is made.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
High Performing Organization</h4>
<h3>
<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blanchard labels the companies that focus on this triple
bottom line as High Performing Organizations or HPOs. Fortunately, he doesn’t
just stop there. He spends the rest of the book identifying ways to determine
if your organization (or department, or team) is high performing, and what to
do to turn it around. He uses a model that he calls SCORES.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4>
SCORES</h4>
<h3>
<o:p></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one area where the agility of Blanchard’s model
shines. Blanchard notes that there are 6 focus areas to address in order to
help your organization become high performing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each of these items
has an associated principle or concept from agile as well:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Shared
Information and Open Communication</b> – Open communication builds trust,
encouraging everyone to take ownership of their organization. Transparency and
the support of face-to-face communication are the agile equivalents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Compelling
Vision: Purpose & Values</b> – Anyone who’s worked in an agile environment
can tell you that the vision is the driver. If you don’t have a vision, why do
you have a company? Vision drives the project, and helps motivate the
individuals involved.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Ongoing Learning</b>
– I often talk less about agile and more about creating a learning environment
at a client site, where it’s acceptable to make (and therefore learn from)
mistakes. The focus on continuous improvement in agile also encourages this
learning environment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Relentless
Focus on Customer Results</b> – The first agile principle notes that “our
highest priority is to satisfy the customer.” Focusing on the value brought to
the customer sounds pretty agile to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Energizing
Systems & Structures</b> – No one wants to work in an environment where the
smallest request feels like a giant burden. What can be done to remove the
systemic obstacles, so that work can be done with ease? As one of the principle
states “Give [individuals] the environment and support they need, and trust
them to get the job done.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Shared
Power & High Involvement</b> – This relates to two of the agile principles:
building projects around motivated individuals, and working together on a daily
basis. My favorite story about empowered individuals is one that Blanchard
relays. At the Ritz-Carlton hotels, every staff member was allowed a
discretionary fund of about $2000 to solve customers’ dilemmas. One member of
the cleaning staff used that discretionary fund to personally deliver a laptop
to a customer who had left it behind on his way to Hawaii for a very important
presentation which, of course, was on the laptop. When the smart people that
are hired to do excellent work are given the motivation and authorization to do
what they need to do, amazing things can happen!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to admit, I can probably find some agile theme in
almost any book (I believe I’ve mentioned <i>The
Hobbit</i> here before)! Where have you found an example of agile at work (or
play!) in a non-technical field? What stories can you tell to relay the
importance of the agile principles? I’d love to hear about them!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<o:p></o:p>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-24295584785794814492013-10-15T09:22:00.001-06:002013-10-15T09:22:29.592-06:00Happy Ada Lovelace Day!In commemoration of one of the first women in computational science, I want to celebrate the women I know who are in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). I thought I'd write about one woman who has inspired me, but - wonderful problem! - there are so many who have inspired through the years that I can't decide on just one.<br />
<br />
So here's to the many women who inspire and guide me:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>my birth mom, who took computer programming while pregnant with me, and has recently jumped into engineering after a career in teaching</li>
<li>my adopted mom, a nurse of amazing precision</li>
<li>my engineering and mathematical sisters and sister-in-law</li>
<li>my amazing niece, who has conquered accounting</li>
<li>all the incredible women I've worked with - and am working with - in the IT industry</li>
<li>the growing number of young women who are breaking down the STEM stereotypes and proving their awesome skills</li>
</ul>
<br />
All of you have worked hard to make a difference in your corner of the world, to challenge the status quo, and to leave your mark on the world.<br />
<br />
Thank you, my sisters in STEM!SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-73805123953952440632013-09-16T11:51:00.001-06:002013-09-16T11:51:44.866-06:00Agile and the Post-it® note<div class="MsoNormal">
There used to be a joke that agile was developed by 3M to
sell more Post-It® notes. And I must admit, I certainly use those little sticky
pieces of paper in all sorts of agile activities: planning, retrospectives,
parking lot items, take-aways….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>But why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Portability – allows the team to re-arrange as
needed for categorization.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Multiple writers – who hasn’t spent time
watching one person write user stories and/or tasks into Rally or TFS? ‘Nuff
said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->All voices – everyone can write, so everyone can
have a voice, even those who don’t like to talk in groups.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Right-sized – a 3x3 Post-It® is really all the
size you need for a user story. I used to use the mini-sized ones (2x2) to
write my daily list on – anything more just couldn’t get done.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Stickiness – well, most of the time. The notes
can be transported anywhere, or even gathered up and stuck in a folder for later
reference. There are many surfaces where Post-It® notes don’t work as well, but
then a little painter’s tape can help!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Are there
alternatives?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The “old school” way was using index cards and a bit of
painter’s tape to create story and task cards. I recall using larger index
cards for the stories, and matching the colors for the associated task cards.
Painter’s tape, magnets or pushpins could be used to attach these cards to the
appropriate walls. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One tool that I have found useful when working with distributed
teams is Google Drive/Docs. This is especially useful when you’re in an
environment where laptops are ALWAYS present. Everyone around that conference
table has their laptop out, and can very easily add their notes to a shared
Google document. The folks working remotely have equal access, without any
additional steps to be heard. And it’s fun to figure out who’s the “anonymous
wallaby!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a bit of a tangent, a cube of mini stickies and a file
folder are a quick and easy way to make a personal Kanban or scrum board.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-56070903822880420952013-07-19T13:08:00.000-06:002013-07-19T13:08:32.246-06:00Misunderstandings, corrections, and confirmationsI just had an interesting three hours of interactions of various kinds that revolved around misunderstandings.<br />
<br />
First off, I booked tickets for my mom to the wrong city - big gaffe. I noticed it when I printed the itinerary for her, and thanks to a well-designed web site, was able to adjust very quickly. My mom now gets a business class seat on the way out - a nice perk, even if it will cost a little more.<br />
<br />
I also had to redo a status report - twice - to ensure that it was accurate. The people who consume the report were straightforward in identifying the needed corrections, and I was quick to respond, which in part contributed to a second revision. but the information was quick and resending doesn't take long with email.<br />
<br />
Next, at one of my favorite lunch joints, after repeating the type of dressing I wanted, I still got the wrong one, but my second favorite, so I didn't make a big deal out of it. If it had been a bigger issue, I could've corrected it before the first drop of dressing landed on my salad.<br />
<br />
And lastly, my clients were rather confused about a training that I'll be offering. Now admittedly "One-oh-one" sounds very much like "one-on-one," so the mistake was easy to make. Again, the issue was resolved very quickly with a recognition and correction.<br />
<br />
How many major issues could be resolved with less pain and fanfare when caught early, and resolved in a straightforward manner, with the recognition that people - myself included! - make mistakes!?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-74162959464203757032013-06-21T10:45:00.000-06:002013-06-21T10:45:03.864-06:00Stories, poker, and funny money<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever noticed that, along with big visible charts
and frequent communications, agile teams tend to HAVE FUN?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Playfulness and creativity go hand in hand with productivity
and motivation. So of course there are lots of activities within the agile
world that aren’t boring, run-of-the-mill meetings and stodgy workdays. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
User stories – We’re all pretty familiar with the concept of
user stories. But maybe the next time the product owner is introducing a new
set of stories to the team, call the meeting “story time” and serve cookies and
milk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Planning poker – How many of you get to say that you play
poker at work?! Okay, so it’s planning poker, used to estimate level of effort
on deliverables, but still… I think planning meetings are more light-hearted
simply because of the cards (physical or electronic).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Team and other names – I’ve been on teams named The Simpsons
and NCC-1701-D. I’ve worked with teams named after cars. I’ve used colors,
Simpsons character names, and extinct or near extinct animals for iteration
names (who can talk about the Dodo iteration without breaking into a grin?!).
And while second or third attempts to release the same code may not be fun, I
can now kind of laugh about release 56.5. Then there’s the Platypus project… <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Buy-a-Feature – Product owners can even enjoy the fun! The
next time your team of product owners and/or stakeholders can’t agree which
deliverable takes priority, have them play “buy a feature” with funny money –
either monopoly cash or scrip you create on your computer with pictures or the
CEO, CIO, and CFO in place of presidents. More information is available on <a href="http://innovationgames.com/buy-a-feature/">Innovation Games</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Food – Sweets and fun just seem to go together. And while I
know it’s important to watch caloric intake, red vines, cookies, and
mini-chocolate bars will add a certain amount of levity to any gathering. A big bunch of grapes or cuties (those
little, easy-to-peel oranges) are also great options. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How else do you have fun at work? What brings levity and helps creativity flow?</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-51433515818071635022013-05-10T08:38:00.000-06:002013-05-10T08:38:19.899-06:00The Vision<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I watched “The Hobbit” the other day with my family. I was
in an agile frame of mind, and found many examples of how the travelers used
agile practices in their journey. (If you haven’t read the book or seen the
movie, be warned – I give away some of the story.) For example, as the dwarves
clean up Bilbo’s kitchen, I could see that everyone understood their specific
task, and they knew their goal so clearly that they could use irony to express
it in song - “Chip the glasses and crack the plates! | Blunt the knives and
bend the forks! | That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course, the dinner scene is only a small part of the
movie, and the overarching vision of the journey is certainly not to keep
Bilbo’s house clean – that’s just one small goal along the way. The dwarves
have a vision of returning home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Bilbo, unfortunately, isn’t fully aware of the group’s
vision when he heads out without his pocket handkerchief. Yes, he’s read the
contract, he has a basic understanding of his duties, and he’s even heard the
stories and the songs of the dwarves, but he doesn’t initially understand the
WHY. He finally gets it through a
conversation with Fili, in the middle of the night. Bilbo has decided that he
wants to return to his own home and is preparing to leave. Then Fili explains why returning to the Lonely
Mountain is important – it is the dwarves’ home. The vision finally sinks in
for Bilbo. Now the hobbit also understands why it’s so important to get to the
Lonely Mountain. Now he gets why this journey is so important to them. Now he
becomes fully engaged in the journey, even risking his life to protect Thorin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Even though he signed the contract, the REAL reason for the
journey wasn’t clear to Bilbo until more than half-way through the movie. Bilbo
needed to be told many times, and through many avenues, before the vision
finally stuck – before it became reality to him. My hunch is he’ll have to be
reminded again before the trilogy of movies is over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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As agilists, we must clearly and frequently express the
project vision (desired state) and goals (steps to get there) to every member
of the team. We may know the vision, but how well does the team understand? How
well does the Product Owner understand? Is it posted somewhere? Is it discussed
frequently in planning meetings, demos and retros? Oh, and do YOU really understand
the vision, and the steps to get there?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My challenge to you is two-fold, depending on where your
team is in relation to a project vision. If the vision isn’t identified, spend
some time at the next planning meeting, with the product owner, to identify an
easy-to-remember vision (for example, “Provide the customer with an easy-to-use
tool to search for and buy books”). Once identified (or if it already exists),
get the vision in front of the whole team as frequently and in as many
different ways as you can – write it on a white board, add it to your signature
block in internal emails, remind them of it in planning meetings, check
frequently to ensure that it is still accurate.<o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-9704549277899751292013-04-05T08:29:00.000-06:002013-04-05T08:29:05.894-06:00Downstream WIP Limits – Another cooking analogy<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made a rather extensive Sunday brunch a while ago for the
family, with a couple of new recipes that I prepared the day before– sweet
rolls and a spinach and almond pie (think soufflé in a crust). Both turned out
great, but in my “retrospective” after spending the day cooking, I realized I
had missed something.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Both recipes had many steps, and since the rolls required
quite a bit of time in the bread machine, I made the assumption that I could
work on them concurrently (start the rolls in the bread machine, start the pie
crust, then the filling, etc.). I goofed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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While the time that I needed to prepare both items could be
handled by me, I failed to take into account that both items needed to end up
in the oven – at very different temperatures. I handled my WIP (work in progress) limit just
fine, but paid no attention to the oven’s WIP limit of ONE. Everything turned
out fine, but it meant that I had to delay baking the pie (the rolls took
priority, since they HAD to go in the oven once they had risen sufficiently).
My afternoon of baking ran well into the evening. Not that I was busy the whole
time. I just had to wait on the oven. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This story illustrates the reasons why lean processes seek to reduce the 3 M’s – <b>muri</b> (overburden), <b>muda</b>
(waste), and <b>mura</b> (unevenness). I
experienced mura, because I had to wait on the oven’s availability, then rush
to finish the job. The oven was dealing with muri, as it needed to respond to
multiple requests and couldn’t. And I experienced muda, as I wasted a beautiful
evening waiting on the oven, when I could’ve gone for a bike ride!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is similar to situations in development, where the 10
developers on a team may not be paying attention to the overload of tasks
placed upon the 5 QA engineers; or where the 7 development teams aren’t aware
of all the tasks the app support team must do for <i>each</i> team. Unless everyone involved in the process is aware of
where the limits (sometimes called bottlenecks) exist, you may find yourself
with excess inventory (code waiting to be delivered, or a pie waiting to be
baked). The 3 M’s seem to go together - unevenness in the process is a symptom
of overburden on one part of the process, and both result in waste, as sections
need to wait, and inventory ages.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What can be done to alleviate bottlenecks, or limits?
Sometimes, re-allocating staff can help, but only briefly – this isn’t a
permanent solution. When you’ve got one thing (like an oven), that just has one
task (bake things), the upstream process needs to take that limit into account.
When my husband offered to help, there really was nothing he could do, but wait
with me. Now, if he could buy me a second oven…<o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-12124823646492209242013-03-26T14:20:00.000-06:002013-03-26T14:20:20.837-06:00Just Do It<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I worked with a client once who “really wanted” to start
trying agile practices; however, the manager kept delaying training until the
licenses and software for the TFS scrum templates add-on had been acquired and
installed. Despite my protests, it was
three months before we could start the pilot project – which only lasted two
months!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Agile practices don’t expect you to start from a “perfect”
position, or to follow a prescribed path. That’s kind of the point of the agile
framework – it’s designed to work with multiple organizations, with a variety
of cultures, experiences, issues, products … I hope you get the point. How can
we pretend to identify the best starting point with all those variables? Unless
we say that the best starting point is where you are now?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How many of us delay activities at home or work because the
time is not yet <i>perfect</i>? We think
we’ll need forty minutes to clean the junk drawer, and we only have twenty, so
why start? We can’t create all the folders for our finances for 2013 yet,
because we’re not sure if we’ll need one for the savings account we think we
may close.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s where Nike and agilists agree – JUST DO IT. It may
not be perfect, but it won’t get done if you don’t start. You may need to make
some revisions on a system because you forget the credit union account that
only sends quarterly statements, but it’s okay to add that folder later – even
without matching labels.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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You know, there’s even a process in the agile framework to
allow for this need to modify on the way – Agile Principle 12 calls for
frequent reflection, with the ability to tune and adjust behavior to be more
effective.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are you waiting to start (or modify) until later? Will
you really benefit by waiting? Or can you Just Do It?<o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-57519013632148129702013-03-01T08:02:00.000-07:002013-03-01T08:02:30.490-07:00Face time<br />
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As many of you are aware <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/technology/yahoo-orders-home-workers-back-to-the-office.html" target="_blank">Yahoo!has a new policy</a>, requiring staff to work in the office – no more
telecommuting. Like many, I thought at first that this was a big step backward
for the company. It didn’t make sense that a high-tech company wouldn’t allow
its high-tech employees to utilize that technology to work remotely.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, after reading the reasoning behind the policy
shift, and reflecting on my own desire to be physically present at work when
possible, I understood the logic. While telecommuters may be more productive
and better able to balance work and home responsibilities, face-time fosters
collaboration and innovation. If you want creativity and original ideas, you
don’t want your staff working at home all the time. Despite all the modes of
communication available, there’s something about face-to-face conversations,
and chance meetings and discussions, which get the creative juices flowing. If Yahoo!
wants to be a leader in innovation, this is a wise move.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Admittedly, not all development groups are able to work
together physically all of the time. And not all development groups need to be
fully focused on innovation and creativity. When at least 80% of our
communication is provided through non-verbal channels (such as eye movement,
posture, hand gestures, facial expressions), it’s easy to see why face-to-face
communication is the preferred mode. The agile community feels this concept is
important enough to include as a principle (“The most efficient and effective
method of conveying information to and within a development team is
face-to-face conversation.”). Teams will
make decisions faster when they work out the issue in one room. Information
flows easier when you can spin around in your chair to ask a question, or when
a teammate can answer a question she overhears.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It seems possible to have the best of both worlds. The employee,
their team, and the manager should be able to work out an arrangement that
allows for time at home and time at the office. I recall a job where we had
core hours identified (10-3), when meetings were held and people were expected
to be in the office – that gave lots of time for morning and afternoon child
pick-ups, dentist appointments, home repairs, etc. Expectations for being
present one or two days a week may be an option as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Now, I find it humorous that I’m writing this the week I
move to a client engagement that is fully remote. Granted, the work to be done
doesn’t require a lot of creativity. The other consultant on the project and I
have agreed that we should get together on a regular basis, just to make sure
we communicate. Of course we can communicate by phone, email, IM, Google
Hangout, Skype, etc. But without <i>real</i>
face-time what will I miss when Scott tells me about a change in the form
layout? Face-time is definitely important.<o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-39394070873871005012013-02-11T13:04:00.002-07:002013-02-11T13:04:59.042-07:00Slack Time and ConnectionsI had a great weekend. A lot of things happened, but not the things I'd expect.<br />
<br />
I reconnected with a dear friend - just a chance meeting - and through our discussions came to possible solutions for three small issues that had been scuffling along the edges of my consciousness for a few months. We didn't mean to solve these problems when we started chatting. They truly just <i>came</i>!<br />
<br />
This was proof to me that slack time - or down time - is incredibly important for our minds. It provides an opportunity for our powerful organic computers to process information in ways we have yet to understand, and create connections to seemingly disparate things. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't greeted Audrey and stopped worrying about my "things to do" list. Because I was simply present, I was open to possibilities.<br />
<br />
Chance connections, both personal and objective, can be excellent opportunities for new ideas, thoughts, dreams to form and take flight.<br />
<br />
My take-away from this? Don't be single-focused; allow time for chance to take over. You never know where it will take you! Allow for some day-dreaming; talk about those weekend plans or experiences; walk through a museum. The background processing of your brain will kick in, and you may be pleasantly surprised!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-57419472882268017302013-01-25T10:24:00.000-07:002013-02-11T13:06:06.984-07:00Baby steps to BIG CHANGE<br />
Transitioning to agile practices can be extremely difficult for an organization. It’s a <span style="font-size: large;">BIG CHANGE</span>.<br />
<br />
I’ve spent many hours contemplating how to split the <span style="font-size: large;">BIG CHANGE</span> into smaller pieces of change, very much like the process of reducing epics into manageable user stories, and then into tasks. For example, how do you take baby steps from (original state) to (desired state)? How do you move from an environment of testers and developers who only communicate via email and bug tracking system, to a team who converse multiple times a day about what they’re working on, when it may be finished, and what’s in the way?<br />
<br />
There have to be some small steps that can be taken from the original state to the desired state, right? What baby steps get you to the state you want? LifeHack recently <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/secret-to-life-success-baby-steps.html" target="_blank">posted a blog on baby steps</a> - what baby steps work for agile transformation?<br />
<br />
When I was first learning about agile, the IT department I was a part of was in this exact state. We rarely talked to each other. Our new manager (a change agent and expert scrum master) decided to get us started on the road to <span style="font-size: large;">CHANGE </span>with a small change. “Tomorrow, we’re going to try something called stand-ups. We’ll meet in my office for five minutes. Everyone will say what they worked on yesterday, what they’re going to do today, and what (if anything) is in the way. We’ll try this every day for a couple weeks, and then see how it’s going.” Hmm. Five minutes a day didn’t seem too daunting. We really didn’t talk much those first two weeks, but we started to understand the value of verbally expressing what we were working on. After the first two weeks our manager’s office got transformed into our scrum room, with our story board on one wall (the manager sat in the cube-farm with us). Our manager was quick to identify follow-up meetings (“Susan, can you and Amy work that situation out after the stand-up?” “Troy, help Clayton with the automation script.”), so we never went past 10 minutes (with a team of 6 people). This was our initiation into agile. Many people didn’t even realize it, until we had additional training a month or so later. Then the light bulbs went on. After two months, if we weren’t able to have our stand-up, many of us felt “off” the entire day.<br />
<br />
A colleague described another example of the agile journey at a previous employer. After being waterfall for many years, the team began its agile journey by having a dedicated “project room” where the team would do their daily stand-up, occasionally “huddle” to resolve questions and issue. After a few months, that project room became an open space work area for the team, where developers and testers regularly interacted but still had independent work areas. That environment/culture then started to include paired development (developer pairing with another developer, or developer & tester). From there the Product owners and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) began to embed with the developer and testers; forming a team that was constantly interacting, inspecting and adapting. This journey did not happen overnight, or in a matter of months; it covered about 2 years, and matured and adapted further for years afterward.<br />
<br />
What other small changes have you experienced that helped you – or your team – dip your toes into a <span style="font-size: large;">BIG CHANGE</span>? If you'd like to share, please comment, or tweet your thoughts with the tag <b>#AgileBabySteps.</b>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-47165426994237598622013-01-11T15:45:00.000-07:002013-01-11T15:45:34.993-07:00All Time isn’t Equal<br />
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If you spend two hours on submitting your time card for the
week, was that time well-spent? What if you spend two hours planning your strategy
and goals for the year? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We all know that our time is limited, and sometimes we
struggle to understand how or where to spend that time to our best advantage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a great <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/01/how_to_allocate_your_time_and.html" target="_blank">blog</a>,
Elizabeth Grace Saunders takes a riff on the “time is money” tune, this time using
our automated deposits and transfers as an example.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For important projects, where time really matters (strategic
planning, time with the family, etc.), schedule blocks into your week to make
sure you get these done. Perhaps just as important, don’t devote too much time
to those tasks that don’t provide a great return on investment (two hours for
completing a time card? There may be a way to automate the process, or talk
with your manager about what’s <i>really</i>
necessary).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And yes, if you schedule it into your week, you
should really DO IT! I know I struggle with getting a sufficient amount of
exercise on a weekly basis, so I have multiple opportunities for working out.
Each week may be different, but I will still manage to make time for at least
an hour of yoga. Ah!</span>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-2577843603632356612013-01-05T14:30:00.001-07:002013-01-05T14:30:13.174-07:00Back to the routine<sigh> My son flew back to college today. Yesterday, we took the Christmas tree down. As we get back into the normal routine of a "regular" weekend, I realize that the holidays are officially over.</sigh><br />
<br />
But sometimes, routine is useful. It's nice to know that some choices are already made. I know exactly when to set my alarm for Monday morning, because my youngest son has to be at school by 7:15. I know how much coffee to make to fill travel mugs for my husband and me, and there's no need to determine if we'll have an extra cup or two.<br />
<br />
You see, even little decisions like "how much coffee should I make for today?" take up decision power. There's <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18557594" target="_blank">evidence </a>that making decisions - even little ones - is taxing on a person. It takes energy to make choices. So having a routine, where choices don't have to be made, frees the mind to make more complex decisions later.<br />
<br />
It's nice to know that I am conserving brain-power when I automatically make a piece of toast with jam for breakfast. <br />
<br />
By the way, working resolutions into your routine help you keep them. Making the workout, or the blog-writing time, part of a daily (or weekly) routine helps those new activities become no-brainers as well.<br />
<br />
So, hurrah for the routine!SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-81531531754612435842012-12-29T18:46:00.002-07:002012-12-29T18:47:44.845-07:00Vincent sought continuous improvement<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had the great fortune of seeing the "Becoming Vincent" exhibit at the <a href="http://www.denverartmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Denver Art Museum</a> and was truly moved. I've always been drawn to the Impressionists, and Van Gogh has been a favorite. However, I wasn't moved simply because of Van Gogh's incredible use of line, color, and light. It was because Vincent constantly sought to improve upon his work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He continually integrated new ideas into his work. From his dark pastoral scenes in Holland, he started adding brighter colors when he went to Paris. After viewing prints from Japan, he explored the lines and shapes similar to visually appealing prints. After being criticized for how poorly he drew the human form, he practiced until it became natural.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vincent Van Gogh understood the importance of practice in his painting. As he wrote to his brother Theo: "As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward." Vincent was motivated to continuous improvement, an understood that practice and stretching oneself, through exploring different styles and ideas, was one path.</span>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-4617402777182621002012-12-21T16:07:00.002-07:002012-12-21T16:07:35.870-07:00Feedback on the small<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’re at the end of the year… and given that December 21 is
more than half-way done, I’m relatively confident that no apocalypse will keep
me from seeing 2013. As with many people, I take some time at the end of the
year to evaluate how I’ve done, and what I want to change going into the new
year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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But I’ve been thinking about smaller feedback loops
recently. I got a bread-maker as an early Christmas gift (I think my husband and
sons were anxious to enjoy the results!), and have discovered that I need to
evaluate and adjust every recipe that we make – the joys of living at high
altitude.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I’m taking notes on how much more water or less yeast I
need. One loaf worked quite well – almost too well! So I’m starting with the
adjustments from there. A tablespoon more water, an eighth of a teaspoon less
yeast, less flour, more salt… you get the idea I’m sure. I’m currently tracking
all these changes in pencil on the recipes I’m using. I’ll get it right
eventually, I’m sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In cooking, you can see the results, and get the feedback,
almost immediately. How come I have trouble remembering to evaluate my coding
work? The sprint’s daily progress? The most recent teachable moment? We don't need to wait for the retrospective, or even the daily stand-up, to assess our work, as a team or an individual.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are the comments, sensations, and reactions in your
daily life that provide the same feedback as that first bite of fresh-baked
bread? How do we keep track of the incremental improvements? Some possible
reflections:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That conversation went well. I remembered to listen to the
end of the sentence.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My unit tests got further when I added an init() method.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This sprint seems to be going better than the last one. We
decided to start ‘walking the board’ in stand-up and now everyone knows exactly
what’s going on.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The team is more open in appreciating each other’s
contributions. I wonder if that’s a result of the appreciations part of our
last two retrospectives.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy New Year! May you find feedback where you need it, as well as the quick, agile adjustments to get the most out of that feedback.</div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-69070115511830852012-12-06T15:18:00.000-07:002012-12-06T15:18:01.714-07:00Trust and vulnerability<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The snake, Kaa, in <i>The
Jungle Book,</i> sings a song to Mowgli: “Trust in me, just in me, Shut your
eyes and trust in me, You can sleep safe and sound, Knowing I am around.” Now,
we all know that Kaa really isn’t to be trusted. We know it usually takes more
than blindly accepting someone else’s statement that they’re trust-worthy. More
often than not, if someone <i>says</i>
they’re trust-worthy, we double-check their references.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So how do we build trust within a team? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lyssa Adkins is promoting a hashtag on Twitter - #vulnerabilitytrust - this is my motivator for this
column. She wants to see how and when agile teams build trust, and acknowledges
that much of it has to do with how and when we show vulnerability.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I must admit, I’ve been feeling vulnerable writing this
article (those of you who write regularly may understand). This piece just has
not flowed. My colleagues who usually just provide a few minor modifications
helped me see what was wrong. I didn’t put myself into the writing. I was going
through the motions, noting what one expert says on how to build trust, and
listing a few of the results from the Twitter hashtag. But I didn’t talk about me. <i>I didn’t show my vulnerability.</i> So I’m
trying again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do we build trust within a team?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My answer? I start with trust.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I work with you, I start out by trusting you. You don’t
have to earn my trust at the start. I will share with you what I know and what
I don’t know. I will let you know what I’ve seen that’s worked and what hasn’t
worked. I will even talk about how I haven’t been able to figure something out,
and perhaps you’ll be able to solve it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I will expect you to do the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I expect that trust to be reciprocated. I expect honesty and
dependability. A little humor never hurts either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, you may lose my trust, depending how you respond to my
vulnerability. Because, through this open communication, I have shown you where
my faults lie. You may realize that I’m not as strong a developer as you, or
that I have some really odd personality quirks. If trust is lost, we’ll have to figure out how
to rebuild the relationship, and how to re-establish that trust, perhaps
starting with an element of the trust that didn’t get lost.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Patrick Lencioni notes that trust takes courage. I agree. <o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-68710558412076651432012-10-01T12:25:00.001-06:002012-10-02T07:46:19.760-06:00Global values, Agile valuesAdaptability. Commitment. Respect.These values sound like agile, eh? Not this time...<br />
<br />
My family and I enjoyed a visit to the <a href="http://www.denverartmuseum.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Denver Art Museum</a>, where we got to play with rock doodling, similar to the artwork of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Anatsui" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">El Anatsui</a>. A Ghanaian sculptor, El Anatsui often used symbols to evoke meaning from his audience. Some of the symbols we doodled included adaptability, respect, change, and commitment. I was initially surprised at the overlap with the values this artist portrayed and the values the agile community identify with. But then it wasn't so surprising.<br />
<br />
Every culture, sub-culture, community finds items like commitment and respect important. If I say I will do something - whether it's code the getRecord() method or return your water jug - my word is my commitment. If I don't follow through, how can my neighbor (or fellow developer0 depend on me in the future?<br />
<br />
What values do you carry in your every-day life? How do they fit into agile?SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-79707935366329876622012-09-26T14:43:00.003-06:002012-09-26T14:43:26.584-06:00Fail Fast, Fail Often, Fail Cheap<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m working my way through a thought-provoking book – <i>Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders
Prevent Problems Before They Happen,</i> by Michael Roberto. The main focus is
on how business schools do a terrific job at training MBAs how to solve
problems, but do little to help them <b>find</b>
those problems in the first place. The book identifies ways to find the small
problems that may become bigger if left untouched.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One way to find problems is to encourage mistakes. Huh?
Really? YES! Maxine Clark, founder and CEO of Build-a-Bear Workshop, even
provides “Red Pencil Awards” to people who make mistakes, and find a better way
of doing business through that mistake. Clark attributes her mistake-finding
attitude to her first-grade teacher, Mrs. Grace. Clark explains how Mrs. Grace
would award a red pencil to those who had made the most mistakes, because she
wanted her students to be actively involved in class discussion, trying to
answer all questions, no matter how challenging. Clark states, “She didn’t want
the fear of being wrong to keep us from taking chances. Her only rule was that
we couldn’t be rewarded for making the same mistake twice.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Awards for identifying – even making – mistakes encourage a
learning environment, allowing team members to experiment, try new methods, and
step out of one’s comfort zone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, states “If you want to
succeed, double your failure rate.” Finding where you fail and adjusting or
modifying to no longer fail ensures that you are actively learning, and
therefore growing in your knowledge. There are lots of stories about failure in
invention and business – the light bulb, the “post-it” note. Sometimes the
initial plan for a product can be seen as a failure when actual use is what
takes off. Kleenex tissues were initially designed to remove make-up, and it
was a source of initial frustration when the company discovered that folks were
using them to blow their noses!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my favorite quotes is from the fictional teacher, Ms.
Frizzle, in the book series “The Magic School Bus” – “Take chances, make
mistakes, get messy!” How else will you learn, succeed at something new, and
bring more value to your client?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, get out there and fail! Then fail again! Your eventual
success will be that much <strike>sewetre</strike> sweeter!<o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-47158285877126504742012-08-16T09:49:00.002-06:002012-08-16T09:49:48.904-06:00Be Prepared<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Agile teams are supposed to be self-managing, but I have yet
to see a team that didn’t have a cadre of managers helping them along. Now,
that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There certainly are times when a
politically-savvy project manager can ease the path to production for a team,
or when a development manager can spend the extra time needed to argue the case
for a virtual build box or a coffee maker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, the team needs to know how to manage itself as well.
How do tasks get doled out? What happens when a team member is consistently
late to stand-up? How do architectural decisions get made?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Agile teams can take a page from the Boy Scouts – be
prepared. Take a little time to explore some “what ifs” and create an agreements
document – essentially a working document identifying what to do in specific
situations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An agreements document is an excellent tool for two reasons:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span>Team-building – the best kind of team-building
doesn’t happen on a paint-ball range. It happens in the office, where you
actually can start to see the results of your work as you… well, work. Creating
agreements on tardiness, the presence of phones in meetings, etc. can help the
team recognize the behaviors that are each person’s “nails on the blackboard.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span>Less need to think during a crisis – if process
are identified and documented on what to do when production servers die or when
an architectural discussion turns nasty, the need to remember isn’t left to our
flaky brains, and the tendency to revert to old ways won’t happen. To
paraphrase Einstein, “The application will not evolve past its current state of
crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While there will remain time where the team needs to
actively respond to a situation (underestimation of the sprint’s tasks,
architectural disagreements, a dev environment dying right before a release),
the creation of team agreements will help the group be ready for many issues
they face on a day-to-day basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-18621103894799443392012-06-21T14:58:00.001-06:002012-06-21T14:58:31.806-06:00Turbulence equals challengeI keep a fortune from several years ago in my wallet. Every once in a while, I actually <i>read</i> it. "Turbulence is a life force. It is opportunity. Let's love turbulence and use it for change."<br />
<br />
Where does turbulence exist for you? Is it an indicator that something needs to change? Can you evaluate that area (retrospect) and learn from it?<br />
<br />SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-84851796015642427632012-05-28T12:19:00.001-06:002012-05-28T12:19:07.052-06:00Agile and Cooking<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The strange places my mind wanders to while preparing
dinner, such as agile cooking practices. A few points to ponder:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Just-in-time
cooking and coding</b>. I love going to the grocery store (or even better, the
farmer’s market) to get ingredients for that night’s dinner. The trip is quick,
the planning is quick, and the ingredients are fresh. I<i> </i>could get additional items, but that just adds to the time in the
store, rather than helping me cook. The same concept applies with just-in-time
coding practices. That one new feature or bug-fix can be handled so much
quicker if all the additional possibilities don’t get layered on top. Of
course, refactoring may need to happen, but only when the customer decides that
they need the tomatoes and balsamic glaze, not before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Planning
for meals and releases</b>. I usually plan a menu for the week. I may not get
all the groceries for all the meals at one time – fresh spinach will be gross
if I buy it 5 days ahead of time – but the plan is in place. This is similar to
iteration or release planning, where you can identify a 3000-foot plan, before
you have to get into the details (I know I need a button on this page; I can
talk with the product owner the morning I start to code before I decide where
it goes).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Clean as
you go</b>.<b> </b>Unit tests and
refactoring are like the kitchen tools I use. I need to make sure that they are
clean and ready to go when I need them. It feels like a horrible waste of time
to have to clean the kitchen up before I can even start to cook, so, just like
in coding, I make sure that everything’s in its place (refactored), and clean
(tested), before I say I’m done.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hmm. I’m hungry! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9083228829836684361.post-3097576065698005202012-04-13T07:42:00.000-06:002012-04-13T07:42:13.290-06:00The trunk is the trunk<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mile High Agile 2012 was last week – a great opportunity to
reconnect with fellow agilists, to learn a little something new, and to
generally have a good laugh at the Sogeti booth. I got to provide fodder for
some of those laughs. After a session where we learned how to coach teams to
better understand the values and principles of scrum and agile, I was
explaining the different parts of the tree that was created, and said something
inane: “…the trunk is the trunk.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t now remember the context but in retrospect, have an idea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout the agile conference, there was a lot of presentations
about how to practice <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X</i> or how to
explain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Y</i> … success stories and
guidelines were in abundance. Old colleagues re-connected, new acquaintances
made stronger connections. All of this was the trunk of the conference, and the
trunk of agile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Communication.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The scrum values (openness, courage, focus, commitment,
respect) dance around it. The Agile principles get a little closer (work together
daily, face-to-face conversation, team reflection). But one of the main
foundations of agile is simple. Talk to each other. Communicate as well as
humanly possible. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Communication is the trunk of our trees. Our roots may be
the strong values on which we base our business relationships. Our leaves may
be the agile principles and/or the characteristics of high-functioning teams.
Our fruits are definitely the outstanding results and achievements.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that tree is nothing without communication. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as real estate agents will all say “Location, location,
location,” agile practitioners (experienced and novice) may want to adopt the
mantra “Communicate, communicate, communicate.” Or, for those who like more
simple language “Talk, talk, talk.”</div>SRMcIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290481473160269125noreply@blogger.com0