agile

Asphalt with painted arrows pointing in three directions The Good, the Practical, and the Expedient

When a process isn't working, you'll have to make a choice that will help move things along. However, some choices are less about inspecting and adapting than about getting things done quickly, and that incurs risk. To manage this risk you need to be aware of the differences between "practical" and "expedient."

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Scrum team's technical lead sitting at a laptop Do’s and Don’ts for Having a Technical Lead on a Scrum Team

Technical leads can be useful, both within the dev team and as a go-between. But is that a good idea on a Scrum team, which should be self-organizing? There is nothing wrong with having a technical lead on your team, as long as the role doesn’t impede the team. Here's where a tech lead can help or hurt a Scrum team.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Johanna Rothman Challenges Facing the Agile Industry: A Slack Takeover with Johanna Rothman

Thought leaders from the software community are taking over the TechWell Hub for a day to answer questions and engage in conversations. Agile manager and consultant Johanna Rothman hosted this Slack takeover, which led to some insightful discussions. Here are some of the top questions and takeaways from the Hub.

Owen Gotimer's picture
Owen Gotimer
Hand holding miniature white alarm clock An Agile Approach to Deciding When to Decide

Considering when to make certain decisions is just as important as how. “Inspect and adapt” is a valuable approach in agile, not only for product and process, but also for figuring out when to implement choices about your projects. Evaluating the reversibility, migration, and sustainability of decisions can help.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Agile team in a huddle with their coach Making Agile Coaching Successful for Your Organization

Successful agile coaching requires a combination of experience, knowledge, and soft skills to help organizations build competence, sustainability, and performance in their agile practices. But it's not all up to the coach. There are a few things you can do to ensure your coaching engagement is set up for success.

Alan Crouch's picture
Alan Crouch
Agile team members refining the product backlog Refine Your Product Backlog Continuously to Improve Flow

One way to address poorly defined product backlog items is to spend time refining the items as you go. Refining the backlog continuously helps the team deliver consistently and can lead to shorter planning meetings at the start of the sprint. It can even help improve reliability, velocity, and the quality of work.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Griffin Jones Why Should We Be Agile? A Slack Takeover with Griffin Jones

Thought leaders from the software community are taking over the TechWell Hub for a day to answer questions and engage in conversations. Agile coach and consultant Griffin Jones presided over the first Slack takeover, which led to some insightful discussions. Here are some of the questions and takeaways from the Hub.

Owen Gotimer's picture
Owen Gotimer
Agile team members putting together puzzle pieces Solving Problems and Seeking Solutions on an Agile Team

While teams are composed of individuals, all of whom solve problems and make decisions, people on consistently successful teams understand that they can be more effective when the focus is on the team, not the individual. Making the best decisions collectively delivers the most value to customers in the long run.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk