There are a couple of practices I value greatly, and which many engineers struggle with, usually for the same reason. One practice is planning for value in small increments, which … Continue reading There are many things to optimise for
Category: Agile
Incremental delivery takes practice
I was talking once to a company director about the problems he was having with his company’s digital projects. He said that although they tracked their projects carefully, disastrous problems … Continue reading Incremental delivery takes practice
Rigour in process
The other day I had another bad experience buying coffee. The one I remember most was in a place that had a captive market, a long queue running out the … Continue reading Rigour in process
What makes a good plan?
In the new trailer to the forthcoming film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” we get the following entertaining exchange. A group of thieves are trying to recruit an elf … Continue reading What makes a good plan?
Using the right words
When trying to persuade people of something—particularly something where the stakes are fairly high—it’s important to be aware of words that are and aren’t appropriate. This doesn’t just mean being … Continue reading Using the right words
Product teams, feature teams, and responsibility
Marty Cagan introduced the distinction between feature teams and product teams, and over the last few months I’ve had quite a few conversations with people about this—how their teams compare, … Continue reading Product teams, feature teams, and responsibility
“Timeboxes are great – now let’s think about features”
I was once speaking to a programme manager about a time he had just arrived at a company. The leadership team needed to start a big project which had only … Continue reading “Timeboxes are great – now let’s think about features”
Process can be liberating
Process is often thought of being a necessary evil—HR needs us to do it like this, the PMO insists we report progress in that template, and so on. It’s often … Continue reading Process can be liberating
Agile delivery is financially responsible
I was thinking recently about how agile delivery makes different demands on our budget spend compared to a more traditional delivery model. “Agile” means different things to different people, so … Continue reading Agile delivery is financially responsible
When it’s difficult to decide
I discovered the other day about the etymology of the word “decide”. The “de-” comes from the Latin for “off”, and the “-cide” is from the same word that’s found … Continue reading When it’s difficult to decide
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