Author Archives

Joshua Render

Bachelor in Computer Information Systems;
Master of Science in Administration;
PMP, PMI-ACP; PAL I, PSM I, PSPO I, CKC, ITILV3, ICGB, AgilePM, AgilePgM

Communication Plan

The Distributed Workforce is Exposing Flaws in Business Communication

We can get away with having lazy communication practices in a co-located team or single building environment. In a co-located team we have accidents and chance encounters that help fill in the gap that exists without a proactive communication plan. In a single work building, we can expect to […]

Average Organizational Chart

Do Managers Have a Place in Agile?

The short answer – yes they do. Within Agile there is a heavy stress on servant-leadership, self-organizing teams, and emergent leadership. The belief is that through the use of those things, management is unnecessary. The manager of the past has a negative association with authoritarian leadership that dictates […]

Muda Mura, Muri in Lean

Lean Efficiency in Agile – Muda, Mura, Muri

Lean identifies several areas that cause or create inefficient systems. Originally part of the Toyota Production System, these inefficiencies are classified into three distinct groups. Muda: Waste (See 8 Types of Muda Waste in Lean) Mura: Irregularity Muri: Overburden These Lean inefficiencies apply to Agile and are just as […]

The Agile Factory - Do You Hate Agile?

Do You Hate Agile?

I hated Agile once. Some days I still do. What do you call a project with two-week development increments and then a release of a potentially done product? If you said Agile (or Scrum), you are missing some of the most important parts of Agile. Where is the […]

Slicing User Stories

How Do You Split User Stories?

User story creation should not be a difficult process. You may encounter the occasional “what do I do here?” situations, but generally, the process should be fairly easy as long as you have the right people helping with understanding the requirements. At times through your project or product […]

Eliminate Osmotic Events - Osmotic Communication

Osmotic Events

An osmotic event is a failure or breakdown in communication that could have led to issues but was averted by pure accident or coincidence. It occurs when a company either lacks a plan for handling certain communication, the plan is not followed, or the plan is inadequate. (What […]

Be More Agile

6 Ways to Be More Agile

You don’t need to have iterative and incremental development practices, or even a project, to be Agile. Don’t focus on what the Agile frameworks say, focus on what is the best way. Iterative and incremental don’t always make sense – Agile doesn’t actually require iterative and incremental. Even […]

The Hawthorne Effect

The Hawthorne Effect

The Hawthorne Effect was first conceptualized after studies conducted in the 1920s and 1930s at Western Electrical Company’s Hawthorne Works in Chicago. Researchers were trying to study ways to improve productivity. In order to carry out these studies, the researchers worked with various groups of employees and implemented various […]

Stop Overthinking User Stories

Stop Overthinking User Stories

First things first, nothing in Agile requires the use of user stories. They aren’t required anywhere. They are a tool, Agile doesn’t really define tools. Tools are useful only when they are useful and not hindering your progress or driving you insane trying to use them. User stories […]

DSDM Program Management Roles

DSDM Program Management Roles

The Roles of a DSDM Program *To see the roles of a DSDM Project: DSDM Project Management Roles and Responsibilities Business Program Owner Business Change Owner Program Manager Program Technical Architect Program Change Architect Project Teams Stakeholder Engagement Co-ordinator Change Agents Program Support Office Specialists Role Levels and Categories […]