An Agile Retrospective on the Project That Broke Me (Part 2 of My 25-Year Look Back) I’ve carried this story in my head for years, sharing bits and pieces during trainings, almost like a form of group therapy. But now, I’m putting it all down — in full detail — in the...

This is the first of two 25-year retropsectives. I have decided to step off the Agile certification path both in training and in consulting. What began as a passion for improving project performance somehow turned into selling certifications for other companies. The...

In the dynamic realm of team performance coaching, my passion extends far beyond mere frameworks. While they serve as the foundation for many teams, the essence of my role is deeply rooted in effectiveness and performance coaching. Navigating team conflicts and...

In a world defined by ceaseless evolution and intense competition, my journey as an Organizational Design Coach has been a thrilling ride. Although my titles have varied over the years, my dedication has remained unwavering towards lean principles, organizational...

Working from home has irreversibly changed me. The very thought of returning to the routine of a full-time office job feels antiquated, almost absurd. It’s been four continuous years of remote work for me, and I’ve embraced every second of it. While I occasionally...

Psychological safety is an essential aspect of Agile teams that is often overlooked, despite its significant impact on team performance and collaboration. This concept involves creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, asking...

The Stacey model is a framework developed by Ralph Stacey that categorizes complex problems into four domains: simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic. The model considers the degree of certainty of the problem and the level of agreement on what needs to be done....

  The following video addresses my interpretation of the 2020 Scrum Guide changes and their impact both to those currently studying for the PSM I or PSPO I exams and for those who want to understand what these changes mean to their current implementation of...

I watch every few years as someone tries to crown a new king. You know what? Agile is dead, but it is also alive and well.

My Agile Consulting Manifesto. While delivering successful software development projects for over 20 years and seeing the profession that I am so passionate about become damaged by misinformation, framework saturation and a complete loss of credibility, I have come to...

In Scrum, the expectation is that the entire Scrum Team owns quality, but what does that really mean? Isn’t the Product Owner only worried about value? Doesn’t the team own all the testing? Don’t they really own quality? Like many other concepts in Agile the answer to...

  The Project Management Institute (PMI®) has proceeded down the path of embracing Agile. On March 26, 2018 both the PMP® and PMI-ACP® exams with be updated to reflect PMI's new Agile Practice Guide and the PMBOK® 6th edition. You can read about the changes here....

UPDATE: January 30, 2018 The Washington Post published an article with more details: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/01/30/heres-what-went-wrong-with-that-hawaii-missile-alert-the-fcc-says/?utm_term=.84e766af06c6 It is interesting that one of...

Andrew Carnegie once said, Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. His observation is spot...

As an Agile Coach and Trainer, I try to stay current with certifications. I don’t believe that these certifications necessarily make someone more effective, but for me, they are a structured way of staying current with industry best practices.

In December 2014, a new PMI-ACP® Exam Content Outline was published which goes into effect in July 2015. The new content of the exam was determined by PMI through both a study and a survey. The following is a description of their approach: “Recently, a Role...

To start with, for a Sprint Planning meeting to be truly Scrum, it adheres to the following guidelines outlined in the Scrum Guide. In summary, for a one month Sprint it has a time-box of 8 hours. It is typically performed on the first day of the Sprint and is...

This is one of the most common issues facing organization choosing to switch to Agile. Can you acquire goods and services in an Agile fashion? Can you contract with vendors to deliver in an Agile fashion?

Has your Agency or organization started moving to Agile? Do you hear the word Scrum, and wonder where the Rugby game is at?
Well, you may be part of the growing trend in IT organizations throughout the Federal Government.

Are you a Project Manager in an Agency or Organization moving to Agile? Is there a role for you?
The typical Agile answer to most yes or no questions is “it depends.” (but my answer in this case is a resounding, YES!)