When to press the Emergency Stop Button
Agile and Lean wisdom teaches us that hitting the stop button is something best avoided. Seymour Cray’s 1964 supercomputer had an Emergency Stop button on the operator’s console. It’s at 5 o’clock to the...
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In an Agile Lean World, do we need Phase Gates?
Everyone wants to meet project deadlines in a timely fashion, no matter whether they’re using Agile or Waterfall methods Is this as another Agile vs Waterfall face-off? I was at a briefing session last...
Agile Legal Contracts: an Oxymoron?
Are the words Agile and Contract even compatible? The goal of Agile is delivering value when detailed long-term planning either isn’t useful or possible. There are recent signs of change however. The UK government...
Agile Business Analysis: Developer or Analyst Role?
Inspired by the post What Increases Project Risk? which explored the collaboration between project managers and the management function, here’s an ‘agile process improvement’ response to one of those risks. Do developers need to...
What Increases Project Risk?
Agile or Waterfall, Ignore Project Risk at your Peril This question got Project Managers (not agile PMs by the way) rather fired-up recently. Their answers help reveal the extent of the underlying problem. Of...
Believe Me, I’m Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Research of agile process improvement honours the management gurus of the 50s and 60s The phrase ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ appears in bold green lettering every time I do any ‘proper’ research....
Behold the new organisational model. It may be teal but it’s agile
There is a workplace evolution underway, lots of people are signalling it. Dan Pink came-up with the label ‘Motivation 3.0’ in Drive; Jurgen Appelo followed suit with ‘Management 3.0’; and many of us speak...
Is it Time for an Agile Leadership Management Model?
Goodbye Leader Manager, Hello Owner Manager Agile and lean approaches to developing ‘things’ are more popular now than ever, as leaders see that an iterative and incremental approach gives them greater flexibility, quality and...
Agile was Designed for Developers not Management
Don’t be Fooled by this Agile Craze If you are in a management or leadership role, the best way to help an agile team succeed is to learn what your team needs from you....
Art can be Agile, but can Programming be Art?
Johnny Depp visits Ralph Steadman in the film For no Good Reason and I learn the artist practices agile whilst changing the world! Ralph Steadman, the angry cartoonist with the bitingly savage ink...
Gen Y to Lead Agile Transformation in Workplace
There’s a quiet revolution going-on right now fueled by people’s expectations of work and productivity. Everyone has a fantastic user experience with their devices and apps at home, and see no reason...
Cost of selling on-line down by 45 points
Another true story about the art of Agile Estimation About 14 months ago, I wrote this story card: We should sell estimation cards online, to offset the cost of producing them We gave it...
Agile Estimation Cards and the Art of Kitchen Renovation
Construction runs to a well-established plan Simon is a project manager who is having some building work done at home – an extension with a new kitchen. We were discussing Agile project management and...
6 Problems Solved by Taking an Agile Approach to Training
Agile Training, The Agile Way What are the common challenges for training, and what solutions can Lean or Agile methods provide? In-House Learning Problem 1: Today’s Lean organisations are reluctant to send a whole...
Developing Skills the Agile Way
Development Occurs over Time, not on a Training Course During our many combined years as trainers with Learning Tree International, the average instructor grade exceeded 3.8 of a possible 4.0. Attendees loved the training,...
Look Up, Look Down but post with Care
Exactly 1 month ago, I received a link to a viral video called Look Up. I only got round to watching it a couple of weeks later, by which time it had been around...
Storm Goes G-Cloud
Storm Consulting has been accepted onto the G-Cloud framework. Hang out the bunting and wave the flags! We are now officially cleared by the UK Government and can now happily pitch for local authority...
Is Faster Always Better for Process Improvement?
We all know the old adage – if a man who’s bad at DIY is given an electric drill then all he will achieve that day is drilling more holes in the wrong...
Google Doodle’s Working Rubik’s Cube is Engaging
All rights for this image belong to Google Generations of Users Relate to Rubik Today the creatives at Doodle gave us something that perfectly matches its user generation that’s interactive, colourful and engaging. A...
Slothful Lessons in Agile
Slothful Behaviour is Good If ever an animal captured the principle of “maximising work not done”, it must surely be the sloth. Strangely endearing and charmingly enigmatic, sloths are surprisingly inspiring. There exists a...
