Self-organizing teams are a key Agile principle. Indeed, employing the collective wisdom of a team is a great way to organize around any project work, and encourages ownership. But self-organizing teams shouldn’t be randomly assembled. In part three of our series on structuring and managing Scrum-based teams, here are some factors to consider when selecting or influencing who is on the team.
Technical debt describes the cumulative consequences of cutting corners in software development, but it escapes the attention of many project managers as they focus on scope and schedule. That’s a mistake because it impacts both. Here are questions to help you ascertain the real state of technical affairs.
Almost every organization has either adopted or is planning to adopt agile-based models. Implementing agile for non-IT organizations is a greater challenge and requires a different approach. This article looks at a step-by-step approach to tentative agility for such organizations.
Processes, even agile ones, can become complex and unwieldy over time. Here, the manager of project management and methodology at Cars.com shares a tip for testing the simplicity of your Agile framework with a team of interns. It’s also useful for identifying good candidates to join a collaborative culture.
The number of agile certifications available in the market keeps growing, and one must consider the unique needs of the inquiring company or individual to know what would be best for them. What factors should you consider? Do you even know the options available?
Some managers are not accustomed to the management transparency that agile requires--it can push managers past their comfort zone. When that happens, the product and the project team’s process is at risk. Who better to fight for the team than an agile project manager?
Iterative and incremental methods can be used outside software development. Here’s a challenge that arose in one small-town Shakespeare festival--and the “agile” approach used to meet it.
The higher levels of an organization often struggle to keep track of the work they direct. A different set of obligations keeps them out of the day-to-day work and challenges project teams face. When adopting Agile, this gap can become even larger due to a separation of leadership values from team values.
When planning a sprint, many factors will influence what works best, particularly the experience of the team in self-organizing. Here are some guidelines that can help project leaders focus the planning effort — without taking it over — and a few techniques to engage everyone and establish a shared vision.
Sometimes the true spirit of Agile gets lost in burndown charts, daily standups and endless debates of what it is and isn't. That the Agile Manifesto is uncomplicated and open to interpretation presents both challenges and opportunities. So do what makes sense and continually re-evaluate what that means.
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"In the fight between you and the world, back the world." - Kafka |
