You are probably familiar with the Agile Manifesto that was written in 2001 by several forward-thinking software developers. However, it is a manifesto for software development and, as you may have seen in a previous post, business architecture is about more than software requirements. Does that mean we cannot apply the 12 principles behind the…
I have a problem with user stories
I admit it. I have a problem with user stories. Not with the Actor/Narrative/Benefit syntax or the idea of adding acceptance criteria or the idea of valuing conversation over documentation. I love all that. I have a problem with the name “user” stories.
A Lasting Legacy or Eternal Damnation? Redemption is in the Clouds
In the business world many personal legacies are less memorable and more toxic, and deserve to be consigned to the Rip Off Rascals Hall of Shame. The Enron gang, Robert Maxwell and Fred Goodwin immediately come to mind. But there is one definition of legacy that many companies would probably also like to forget, but are reminded of every day by their customers and employees.This is their old and creaking technology defined in many dictionaries as “of, relating to, or being a previous or outdated computer system.”
Two new tools and how I’m finding them useful
I have been incorporating two new tools in my workshops: Clean Language (which could be described as a coaching tool) and the Cynefin Four Points Contextualisation exercise. Here’s how we put them to use.
Let Ops help Dev spec it’s ‘Technical Investment Vehicle’
If you are an ITSM professional, fully conversant in the ITIL vocabulary, you will have no worries understanding the term Problem Management. The term ‘Technical Investment Vehicle’ however may leave you scratching your temple. Coined by my esteemed Hivemind colleague Mark Dickinson, in his blog on the subject of how to deal with technical debt…
Unified stand-up goals – a self governing practice
I’ve been working with a client undergoing a change to more effective ways of working across the organisation. There are several Agile/Lean methods being practiced across the business for a multitude of work types. SCRUM is being used for some software delivery work and the Kanban Method for others. There’s a number of teams using a mixture of both and some teams simply visualise their line-of-business operational work and meet every day at a set time to discuss it…… which is fine……… for now.
Reactive Teams
Agile teams are, by their nature, focused teams. They have an eye on delivery, and are making the best steps possible to drive towards that goal. The stories are in place, the backlog is understood, and we’re improving velocity with each sprint.
technwuk – more info
Manchester is mega-exciting at the moment. Along with everything Doug Ward‘s awesome work getting central government to put some money into Manchester, I also set up technw.
technw is where I decided to get all the tech event organisers in the area together. We have a slack group so we can work together to make things better, we’ve also started adding to a shared calendar and advertising with a shared twitter account so we can be a one-stop shop for events in the area.
Retrospectives: Fresh NOT stale please!
In Part 1 of Coaching Retrospectives, I wrote about starting off right. Now in Part 2 I’m going to move onto how you keep it fresh…
Agile – Keeping it Simple
During this drop in session, Chris talked about the importance of keeping Agile simple! For those undergoing an Agile transformation it can be a turbulent time. He focused on why it’s essential to keep it simple, how to do it and share some of the good and bad practice he’s experienced which has prompted him to address this important topic.
