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Hello Agile. Goodbye, Scope Creep!

Posted on Jul 21, 2010

Fifty years ago, planning out the scope of an entire project and locking it in worked because the pace of change was much slower. Teams had time to analyze, design, code, test, and deploy the product before their customer could change their mind.
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Not Yours? Then Don’t Touch It.

Posted on May 17, 2010

ScrumMasters, please don’t touch the task board. It (and the items on it) do not belong to you. The task board belongs to the team.
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Agile: It’s a Healthy Lifestyle Choice

Posted on May 09, 2010

A be vs. do agile analogy that seems to speak to many is that of healthy lifestyle vs. diet. Some folks seem to think of agile as a diet, a temporary change, instead of a long-term way of life.
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Thinking About Leadership: An Exercise

Posted on May 02, 2010

A few weeks ago I tweeted a picture of the results of a leadership exercise I like to do in my agile project management classes. That stimulated some great discussion, so I'd like to share the exercise with you.
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PMI Agile Launches at Agile2009

Posted on Aug 18, 2009

Agile2009 is next week in Chicago, and I'm looking forward to it. This year is particularly special to me, as it marks the launch of the new PMI Agile Community of Practice.
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Time for a Metaphor Change: From Houses to Space Stations

Posted on Jul 19, 2009

We're not building a house -- we're building a space station.
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Becoming Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Posted on Jun 21, 2009

One of things I stressed in my keynote at the Better Software Conference was the importance of agile team leaders learning how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. It sounds like an oxymoron, but the simplicity of this simple phrase was a guiding notion in my development as an agile coach.
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Fun Agile Videos

Posted on May 29, 2009

I’ve compiled this list of fun videos as a service to you the reader. When you’re ready for a laugh, or just not ready to get back to work, you can enjoy these artistic ways of representing all things agile.
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Scrum - The Play

Posted on May 26, 2009

On the second day of a CSM training I was conducting, I decided to hold an exercise to test how well the previous day’s teachings had taken hold in the attendees’ freshly Scrum-laden minds. A five-person team that picked the question “What is the Scrum framework?” decided to do a brief play.
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Livestock Management and Agile - Stop Prodding the Cattle!

Posted on Apr 24, 2009

I just finished listening to an interview with Temple Grandin, an autistic livestock industry consultant and author who holds a PhD in animal science from the University of Illinois. If you haven't heard of Dr. Grandin before, you're missing out on a fascinating education about the livestock industry, and interesting comparisons of autistic behaviors with animal behaviors.
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