We have all been there, either on the receiving end or the giving end. You may be in a zoom meeting watching a coworker’s screen and see them perform a task, or struggle to perform a task, that has a really easy shortcut. It could be just a […]
Every profession has their myths and things that are accepted as true, and the Agile and project management world is pervasive with all sorts of them. Here we will look at a few things in Agile that may be accepted by some to be an established fact within […]
Projects… The final frontier… These are the Ramblings of the Project Managers. Our continuing mission: To cobble together strange new solutions… To seek out new ideas; new resources… To boldly complete our projects on time and on budget! First off, we want to start by saying that we […]
If you are interested in getting your Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) designation, now may be the time to do it. Temporarily, due to concerns related to COVID-19, the Scrum Alliance and certified training providers are allowing these classes to be taken online. If […]
Agile is not a methodology or framework. Agile is more of a general description of how things are done, but one that is often overused and misapplied. Agile does not have to be iterative and incremental – although strict Agile Manifesto interpretations do insist on it being for […]
Kanban is an operational methodology that tries to streamline business processes and reduce waste. As the use of Kanban increases, being educated in Kanban becomes more valuable and more critical to organizations. Successful adoption of Kanban practices relies on knowledgeable employees supporting its implementation. You can learn more […]
The short, simple answer to this question is “no, not really.” The only real way to get rid of task switching is to actively work to reduce task switching. The longer answer is a little more complicated than just saying, “No.” Agile frameworks and methodologies, including Scrum […]
The real issue here is task switching. For the most part, it is actually nearly impossible for us to work on more than one complex activity at the exact same time. This is why texting and driving are illegal in many places because your mind is not able […]
You have a big project coming up that seems like it may take months or even years to complete. You know generally what you want, but you aren’t quite sure yet how to get there. The path seems long, complex, and things may change along the way as […]
One of the reasons user stories are used over a traditional requirements list is that they can become part of a persona for the users of the end product of the project. It helps the project manager, developers, and other members of the project and other stakeholders view […]
Pair programming is two developers working together on the same code at the same time. One writes the code, the other watches. The theory behind pair programming is that it reduces mistakes and technical debt. It is often associated with Agile software development, although Agile specifically does not […]
Is there room for a Project Manager in Agile? Agile on its own does not define any roles. Scrum Master and Product Owner are Scrum roles, not Agile roles. Even within Scrum, duties often considered Project Manager duties still need to occur (Who is the Project Manager in […]
Stop using Agile as an excuse for your failure to plan. There is nothing about Agile that means or implies that you do not plan. You must make the plan loose enough to be adaptable but detailed enough to be useful. You must still plan. You may even […]
Complexity Theory is primarily made up of 4 different theories that are used for modeling and analyzing complex systems. These complex systems can include both the natural world, human/animal relationships, as well as the organization of businesses. From Complexity Theory, there have emerged several ideas that try to […]
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 […]