Agile Complexification Inverter

Went to Agile Warrior Series   (Jan31, 2018) to visit with about 200+ Warriors in Dallas, TX.  And as the lunch time entertainment I brought some tangram puzzles and we practiced our collaboration skills while eating.  It was a great conference, with Uncle Bob Martin, Clean Coder Blog  delivering a wonderful morning address. And Luke Hohmann , of Conteneo , &  Innovation Games , describing his view of the future of the Agile movement into "frameworks" of collaboration. Also there I saw a MVP of the Scrum Game by Tim & Derek.  This is a great example of the creativity in the Agile community and the deep desire to share knowledge and experiences.    Presented at   AgileGames2016  conference in Boston, April 28, 29th. But  not   Agile2016  - so you can only see it in the  Microsoft NERD center MIT.         I presented this workshop at Agile Camp - Dallas , Oct ...

Yesterday (July, 2015) we did a lunch-n-learn at GameStop HQ on pair programming.  I think it was a great success, largely because we serve food, and I've been told that everything goes better when people are sharing a meal together (and even better with adult beverages). Are you interested in Pair Programming?  I'll confess, the term is a bit misleading.  I was asked by multiple people if the topic was just for programmers.  No - no it's not just a programming technique. It is also for any kind of knowledge work.  Such as testing, or analysis, or writing stories, or ... yes coding, scripting, excel spreadsheets, etc. The Agenda: Pair Programming Simulation Start with a warm up exercise (totally non-related to the topic).  This allows all the late arrivals to find a seat and not miss out on the real start of the session.  I've found this technique (soft start) to be a required technique for companies that have not adopted basic meeting protoc...

Some years ago I designed this exercise for a Pair Programming simulation using the media of the game of chess.  The idea was to have a pair on each side of the board, they would work together to finish a famous game against their opponents (a pair also). I never used the exercise because the developers I was working with didn't know the game of chess, and didn't seem interested in the simulation.   If you use this please let me know how it works out. Garry Kasparov (White) vs X3D Fritz Computer (Black) Man-Machine World Chess Championship 2003 Game 1 (after 31 ... Bxa2) White to move Instructor material for Chess Game Pairing Exercise Required Materials Chess board and pieces (one per 4 students) Timers (optional) Diagram of an in-progress chess game(s) (attached) Introduce the Exercise Pair programming is generally thought of as an XP (extreme programming) practice.  In true Agile form we are borrowing a practice tha...

'I would ask 500 Whys ' When I stand up yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who stands up next to you When I unit test yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who tests along with you The Proclaimers - I Would Walk 500 Miles If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you And if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you But I would ask 500 whys And I would ask 500 more Just to be the man who asked 1000 whys To help your process improve. When I'm working yes I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you And when the  praise  comes in for the work I'll do I'll pass almost every accolade on to you When I program yeah I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who pair programs with you And if I falter well I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the man who's...

The (USA) founding fathers declared that the pursuit of happiness was a right of the people.  So do you have a right to be happy at work?  No.  But you may pursue happiness there as well as anywhere.  And you may wonder if happiness at work will be more productive.  There is not yet enough study in this regard, and the studies of 19th C. work methods like the Hawthorne Studies might not be generalizable to the modern knowledge workers. The Surprising Myths About Happiness at Work  (Inc.com)  A body of research has found that a happy workforce doesn't necessarily equate to a productive one. The Research We’ve Ignored About Happiness at Work (HBR.com) The Science of Happiness  in depth report by Scientific American. The Harvard Life study of Happiness 75 years of it. Learn the latest psychology behind why it's hard to be happy, and take the quiz to learn how your contentment compares to that in other cultures. Scientific Ameri...

Some years ago I designed this exercise for a Pair Programming simulation using the media of the game of chess.  The idea was to have a pair on each side of the board, they would work together to finish a famous game against their opponents (a pair also).  Chess Game Pairing Exercise Instructor.PDF I never used the exercise because the developers I was working with didn't know the game of chess, and didn't seem interested in the simulation.   If you use this please let me know how it works out. Game 1 (after 31 ... Bxa2) Garry Kasparov (White) vs X3D Fritz Computer (Black) Man-Machine World Chess Championship 2003

Could you use some blinders for your pair? Roobasoft’s Concentrate  ( or Anti-Social )  is a bit like blinders that I use to put on the pony while hitching up the plow (and although I'm not that old - yes we used our pony to plow the garden). It works by turning off applications that could distract either pair such as access to Facebook, Twitter, chat, mail, etc. allowing your to concentrate on the task at hand. I can think of several people I've paired with that this would have increased productivity about 300%! It was a task just to keep them focused. Of course the asides and tangents I went down were all for the better - yea right! See Also: 10 Concentration Apps that will help you to Focus