Agile Complexification Inverter

Senator John McCain introduces a bill named "Internet Freedom Act".  It is designed to give broadband providers the right to block applications and content. http://www.macworld.com/article/143445/2009/10/mccain_netneutrality.html “Today I’m pleased to introduce the Internet Freedom Act of 2009 that will keep the Internet free from government control and regulation, it will allow for continued innovation that will in turn create more high-paying jobs for the millions of Americans who are out of work or seeking new employment. Keeping businesses free from oppressive regulations is the best stimulus for the current economy.” - McCain So blocking the Net Neutrality Rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission designed for freedom of access would be McCain's idea of freedom. I think one of the problems we have in this wonderful country is we (the population) allow this type of double speak from people that should be held to a higher standard.  I just lost so...

A company known for fun, Volkswagen (VW) is sponsoring the contest, to prove that fun is more fun than not having fun and therefore changes human behavior. Win 2500 EU  The Fun Theory Watch the YouTube examples, create your own idea and enter.

Being on a team is a privilege not a right.  Some people inherently understand this, some do not.  Marcus Jordan, freshman guard for University of Central Florida, doesn't want to wear the team shoes.  It is big money for sports teams to make deals with sponsors - this one is $3 million.  Why does Marcus refuse to wear the team shoe?  The team shoe is Adidas, and Marcus is fond of his father's famous Nike Air Jordan. So if you were the coach, what would you do? What were the choices for Marcus?  To wear the Adidas shoes and explain to the press that he was wearing the team shoe.  This has been referred to as "taking one for the team".  Or he could play the "I'm special" card.  Which is what he choose to do. Is having a special player on the team, good for the team? I have fond memories of Michael Jordan playing for UNC.  He was  great player for many reasons.  One was that he was so very hard to defend when driving t...

Proposal to Adopt Agile Development Methods David Koontz Chapman University College Proposal to Adopt Agile Development Methods Welcome to the Twenty First Century.  We have amazing technology, a complex ecosystem of global industry, and a systems-thinking learning organization.  However, we are using antiquated software development methods. Our home-grown methodology based upon a manufacturing model of large up-front detail designs, construction, then verification, and finally production is a phased or largely sequential software development process.  This process does not work well for software - a very malleable product.  Our project success rate of 32% is slightly better than the industry average of 28% (small companies) reported in the CHAOS Report (Johnson, 1995).  However, if we continue to fail two-thirds of the time, we may find ourselves at the back of the pack, and possibly in the bankruptcy courts. Agile software development is a family of m...

David Koontz, Sumalee Mahaguna, Daniel Stiles Chapman University     Organizations have many distinguishing factors that make them successful in their field.  However, one factor that is apparent in great organizations is vision.  Organizational vision is necessary for an organization to be successful because creative energy begins with vision.  Creative tension is the driving force which organizations use to make their vision a reality.  “Visionary companies are premier institutions…in their industries, widely admired by their peers and having a long rack record of making a significant impact on the world around them” (Collins & Porras, 2004, p. 2).  According to Peter Senge author of the Fifth Discipline , vision is distinct from purpose.  Purpose is abstract, leading towards a general heading whereas vision is a specific heading that is concrete (Senge, 2006).  Apple is a visionary organization that has a clear vision and pur...

This is a paper I wrote for a master's in Organizational Leadership. Ref:  See Sutherland's original paper on Shock Therapy  - A bootstrap for hyper productive teams (PDF) Shock Therapy: Good for the Team David Koontz Chapman University College Building new teams is very difficult, getting a team to come together and gel is an art that has been studied in group dynamic and other team building efforts.  Bruce Tuckman’s model of group development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing) is the basis of team building. Scrum is an Agile software development framework based upon empirical process control theory.  Using an inspection and adaptation feedback loop Scrum allows a team to self-manage while constantly improving its process and methods of work.  Many teams require months to reach the performing stage.  A method to reduce this startup cost is a controversial technique named Shock Therapy.  With skilled and competent leadership ...