Here is a great article on the detriments of context switching: https://blog.rescuetime.com/context-switching/ Research has shown that we lose 20% of our productivity when switching between contexts. We all know the experience of switching between different tasks, projects, tools, etc. We may not always be aware of how detrimental it is when it happens too often. …
Category: Agile
Value Stream Mapping
Value Stream Mapping While preparing for the PMI-ACP exam, I was introduced to Value Stream Mapping in Mike Griffith’s PMI-ACP Exam Prep book. Determined to give it an immediate try, I enlisted the help of my colleague, Piya Mewa, a business analyst on my team. Together we visualized the value stream for a feature our …
The Agile Value Proposition
The Agile Value Proposition What is the value of Agile? Maybe you find yourself on a team that is using an Agile framework, such as Scrum. Maybe your team mutually decided to work in an Agile manner. Or maybe it has been prescribed by your management. Maybe you’re not very clear as to WHY your team …
I am a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
(Mike Griffiths’ book is an excellent study guide for the PMI-ACP exam.) PMI Agile Certified Practitioner I passed the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam yesterday. This is PMI’s fastest growing certification. It’s value is becoming more significant as the trend toward Agile in many companies continues. (Click the image above to see details on …
The Scrum Diaries – #8: A Happy Stakeholder
EMAIL March 8, 2019 From: Business Stakeholder Subject: Thank You for New System X Functionality! Dear Scrum Team: I’m happy to report that the work for the Business Product Board has been completed. We are using the System X process that you worked so hard to put into production. Also, the Product Board is …
The Scrum Diaries – #7: The Product Demo
The Product Demo In my first Scrum Diary post (“The Scrum Diaries – #1: Steps in the Right Direction”) I wrote about the first product demo we conducted for our business partners. At that time we discovered that there was actually another team of folks who primarily used our application. It was suggested that we …
The Scrum Diaries – #6: Improving Our Sprint Retrospectives
Improving Our Sprint Retrospectives In previous Scrum Diary entries I’ve written about efforts to help my team understand the value of Scrum events. The team became interested in conducting a Sprint Retrospective. (Read “The Scrum Diaries – #4: Empowerment”.) I’ve been emphasizing our need to have retrospectives on a recurring basis for each sprint. With …
The Scrum Diaries – #5: Logistics
Logistics This entry is very simple. It’s just a short list of pain points my team is experiencing. Pain points that we are finding difficult to solve primarily due to enterprise environmental factors. These difficulties are all related to logistics. Pain Points Here are our challenges: DevOps – By DevOps I mean activities like code …
The Scrum Diaries – #4: Empowerment
Empowerment Something I really love about the Agile mindset is that it fosters a sense of empowerment among team members. People are given agency to make decisions, to take initiative, to take ownership, to add true value to the team and the product. Leading by Example and Invitation In September, I got pulled into a …
The Scrum Diaries – #3: Connecting Up
Connecting Up Several weeks back, I published an article titled “The Agile Imposition” in which I described my experience with the Agile transformation occurring where I work. I told my tale of having worked on a Scrum team for quite some time before our CIO implemented the organization-wide transformation, which has left me feeling cut …