Category: Process

Interruptions and Missed Commitments

Photo by NON on Unsplash Some Scrum Teams find it difficult to stick to the commitments they make. While it can be for many reasons, a common one is that a team is being interrupted with urgent tasks that take attention away from the work that they planned. What are some of the tools we […]

Scrum Master Service to Product Owners – A Discussion Focusing on Value

Product Owners have a hectic existence. They’re called upon to make important decisions constantly. The world is swarming with ideas and opportunities competing for attention. One of the favorite parts of my job as a Scrum Master is working with Product Owners. When I can help my Product Owner to find a focus that leads […]

Basic Transparency

Agile processes are famous for transparency. For anyone who doubts this, or is new to Agile, Transparency is implicit in the first item of the Agile Manifesto. Individuals and interactions are valued over processes and tools, and the best interactions happen when communication channels are open. Transparency is the first of the “three pillars” of Scrum (transparency, inspection, […]

Nourish Your Team

A healthy team is like a vigorous garden: it thrives in good conditions, and it can weather adverse conditions. Nourish your team regularly. Here are a few ideas that will help keep your team healthy. Warmth Your human team is hard wired to respond positively to warm communications. Research supports the idea that treating each other like people […]

What Can The World’s Smartest Lake Teach Us About Building Smart Teams?

Scott K. Johnson wrote this excellent article at Ars Technica about some impressive work being done in mapping and modeling environmental data at Lake George. What’s fascinating to me, is seeing people working together so well, on a huge multi-year project that has a potential for great impact. Some things I see as contributing to this project’s success: Cross Functional Teams The […]

HTML5 vs Native Development

Are you starting a mobile app development project? Maybe you’re worried about the expense of native deployment. Could HTML5 deliver what you need? I’d say the programming language is not the first thing you should think about. There’s something else that needs your attention first. Start with your customers. Take technology out of the equation. Understand the […]

Scrum Timeboxing Is Like Doing 15 Pushups Every Day

To keep on track physically, I do a “minimum daily requirement” routine of exercises. No matter what, I do at least 10-15 minutes every single day. I allow myself to vary the exercises, but I never vary from doing this minimum. This daily goal is in addition to my weekly exercise goals. It keeps my momentum going, and inevitably, when I need to take […]

Simple Methods Save Lives: Who Needs Fancy Technology?

When I saw this article over at Slate, it really struck a chord. “Endless Blood. How smart use of an old technology is saving women’s lives.” Dr. Chavi Eve Karkowsky writes about how protocols and communication between team members combine to save lives, in a way that expensive technology can fall short. I’m a huge fan of technology. […]

Empathy Over Logic

Here’s an excellent discussion of the importance of remembering how human beings work, when you design anything for humans. Megan Schwarz is a User Experience Architect in Michigan and Brian Bono is a Detroit based art director and designer. The link is a transcript and podcast from their talk at 2014 IA Summit in March 2014 in San Diego. Slowing […]