Agile Complexification Inverter

I received this letter from  Jurgen Appelo and thought it might be worth posting here as an example of good criticism and taking action, rather than just complaining.  Yes, there is a  call-to-action   down near the bottom. Dear David, In the Lean-Agile community,  there is a ton of criticism on the topic of certification . Most certificates have little meaning, prove nothing, empty your wallet, and are little more than nasty money-making schemes of savvy certification bodies. At least, that is the sentiment that I usually hear when I bring up the topic. I believe it’s worth trying to do better. 1. Accomplishments One reason for improving upon the idea of certification is that many people find the motivational aspect of certificates to be a positive thing. Human beings crave recognition.  We all want to feel appreciated for the work we do and the successes we have achieved . Badges, awards, trophies, and certificates are standard techniques for signa...

Let's Invert the typically wrong headed view of Software Development project management as a construction project.  We can map it the other way just to see if it works... to have some fun, to explore the meaning of phrases we toss around quite frequently. Site Landing Page Normally Project Management terms come from a construction domain.  We are going to apply the lexicon of modern software to the construction of a home.  We will follow the construction project and meet some of the people doing the work. This is a very small (8 homes from $600,000 skyward) program in my 30-40 year old neighborhood. About 6 months ago I saw the programs landing page go up.  It gives casual observers and some of the stakeholders a general idea of the intent of the program.  And most importantly who to contact for additional information if you happen to be interested in their products. The Refuge program has 8 product projects and has them running independently. ...

I'm from the Carolina's where legend has it that our family commonly just hunkered down in the home on the coast and waterways than to head for inland shelter. Now that's from the old school days of barely improved (read paved) roads. They counted a storms severity by how high on the back porch steps (about 15 - top to ground) the water reached.  I don't recommend this action in todays world of long range forecast and transportation options. I do recommend a drink or two in a hotel bar, far far away. This is the week that Harvey came ashore in Texas.  I live on a hill in the little old town of Grapevine outside Dallas and Fort Worth.  And thank you all for letting me know that a storm is coming... I didn't get out and walk Malibu before the rain hit, so I grabbed a hat and we went anyway.  Much nicer walk with the drizzle, I'd say. I'll raise a glass to you - if you were not smart enough to do the responsible thing, at the last responsible moment. ...

IDEO-University 'From Ideas to Action' Lesson 1. Join the dialogue on G+ Agile+ group . Dialogue on Collaboration  on Facebook (PDF) Collaboration starts with who we are and our story - not the technology or the data "The Future of Work Is Social Collaboration from Inside Out, where people connect around the why of work from who they really are as individuals in community. They collaborate in generative conversations and co-create what’s next, i.e. their unique Contribution of value to society – what we might call Social Good. They collaborate by taking the time to appreciate and align each other’s unique, hard wired, natural strengths, creating new levels of authentic and trusting relationships to take the Social Journey." Jeremy Scrivens  Director at The Emotional Economy at Work What does dialogue mean... what does it contribute to collaboration? Here's what the inventor of the internet Al Gore had to say about this: Audie Cornish speaks with form...

Now that everyone knows about Bill Murray's movie Groundhog Day - I love February 2nd.  It's my favorite , most enjoyable, beloved, cherished, esteemed day of the year.  And I don't need to tell you again how many LIKES I give this redundant day... so on to the story. Bill & Groundhog Well this happened about ten years ago, and about 6 years ago, or maybe it was 4 years past, and seems like we did this about 24 months ago...  or it could be today! The Agile Transition Initiative at the company has come upon an inflection point (do ya' know what that is...  have you read Tipping Point ?).  I'm not exactly sure of it's very precise date... but  Feb. 2nd  would be the perfect timing.   The inflection has to do with which direction your Agile Transition Initiative takes from this point into the future.   Will it continue on it's stated mission to "transform" the organization?  Or will it stall out and revert slowly to the stat...

Mayhem Just last month I receive a congratulatory letter from REI MasterCard - 10 years of a mutually beneficial business relationship ....  until .... chaos ensued (thank you Mr. Mayhem).  So I accepted the opportunity to communicate with my business lender on an incident that made me very dissatisfied with their policies. Subject: Re: Congratulations on your REI World MasterCard anniversary!  Thank you Robert,      Just to let you know - I’m sure this will interest you - I will shortly be canceling my 10 year relationship with REI MasterCard, because of the quality of service you have just required me to deal with. I’ve got a great payment history and have been using our card to pay bills on line and automagically for years. Recently through my oversight, I forgot to pay my bill on time. So in response to this great customer who always pays his bills and once in 10 years paid late, your organization saw fit to block all payments, causing fu...