The Practical Agile Blog
Finding ways to be Agile in an un-Agile world.
Why Agile Implementations Fail
Have you ever wondered why some companies fail when trying to implement agile methodologies? Well, let me tell you, there are a few reasons. First of all, if management isn't fully on board with the cultural shift that agile requires, the teams are going to struggle....
Applying the Stacey Model to Agile Implementation: When Is It the Right Fit?
Agile methodologies have become increasingly popular for teams seeking a more adaptive and collaborative approach to project management. However, the decision to implement Agile is not a one-size-fits-all solution. In order to determine whether Agile is the best...
Waterfall is not always bad
Agile methodologies have become increasingly popular in software development in recent years, with their emphasis on iterative development and flexibility. They offer a promising approach to software development that can result in better outcomes, faster delivery, and...
2020 Scrum Guide Changes and Observations
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...
The king is dead! Long live the king!
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.
Agile Consulting Manifesto
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...
I may be stating the obvious—you can’t be Agile without being Lean.
In the Agile Practice Guide published by PMI® and the Agile Alliance®, there is the Venn diagram shown above. It is a simple yet useful visual that most of us long-toothed Agile practitioners clearly understand. Unfortunately, I am finding through my training...
How Agile are you? Free Agile Maturity Assessment
NEW! Become a Certified Agile ProfessionalWhen you receive the score of your self-assessment, you can identify your level of Agility on the Agile maturity matrix. Contact us if you are looking for ways to improve your overall Agile Maturity. 0 - 80 points: Ad-hoc...
Who Owns Quality in Agile?
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 2018 PMI-ACP® Exam Changes
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....
What’s next on your Agile journey?
Hello Agile Adventurer: My son Zach and I hiking in Maine. As an avid hiker, I tend to focus on the journey not so much the destination. The same is true with Agile. All of you are in a different place on your Agile journey. Some of you are well into your Agile...
An Agile software development approach could have prevented this – just saying.
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...
Agile 2.0 – It’s about People and Connections! It’s not about Scaling.
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...
Certifications, Integrity, Values: Where do you stand?
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.
Using Kanban to run your start-up aka Stephen Covey was the first Agile Coach
Honolulu has a thriving startup community. I decided to present on this topic after attending the kickoff of the extremely popular start-up event, Honolulu Startup Weekend. While listening to the pitches, I realized that these potential new companies were ripe for...
Do you know where you are going with your Agile implementation?
What every executive needs to know! Over the past decade, I've been involved in more than 20 Agile projects. Whether as a team member, Product Owner, Scrum Master, or Coach, I've had the opportunity to play a role in many successful projects. These days,...
Are you implementing Scrum but realize you are better suited for Kanban?
I have found that very few organizations are starting out with Kanban as their first choice for their Agile implementation. Almost every organization that I have been exposed to through training and coaching began their Agile implementation with Scrum. Unfortunately,...
Does your organization need an Agile Coach?
As we love to say when answering many questions pertaining to Agile, “It depends.” Not the answer you want to hear, but let me elaborate. Extreme Programming (XP) introduced the term coach into the Agile community. The role was intended to both be a mentor...
Precisely explained. Thank you.
Great blog and great information. thanks
I got 1 week subscription for PSM1 exam prep and it helped me get the certification with very high score. Thanks.