Is Software the Best Solution? These 5 Questions Will Help You Decide

These days, most companies are expected to have some sort of digital or connected solution. Even industries that have been paper-based or seem removed from connected solutions are feeling pressure. Their executives may think they need a solution, but what should it be? And how do you determine if software is the right solution?

Agile Misconception #2: We Don’t Need Documentation

Documentation means a lot of different things to different people. I’ve also found it’s one of the top five topics to cause a developer to cringe. If you’ve used a waterfall software development process, you’re all too familiar with documentation. From requirements to systems architecture to design, you’re creating documentation at every step of the […]

Four Ways to Bring Your Team Together with a Mid-Project Kickoff

There are many books, articles, and blog posts that describe how to plan and run an effective kickoff. Unfortunately, most of these resources talk about the kickoff as a one-time event. I believe there’s value in having a kickoff-like meeting at least twice a year so that the project team can pause, reflect, discuss, and plan […]

Starting Strong – 5 Ways to Establish Good Team Dynamics & Norms

You just kicked off a project, and it went well! Everyone is happy, hopeful, and on the same page. But how do you keep that momentum and camaraderie going?

Five Reasons You’ll Be Asked to Cancel Sprint Retros – and Why to Say No

The sprint retrospective is one of the main Agile ceremonies. By definition, it is an opportunity for the team to reflect on the work completed over a short period of time and make changes. However important that may seem, eventually, you’ll consider canceling your team retros.

Test your Software Rewrite with a Pilot Release

Rewriting your organization’s current software is a huge undertaking. It can be intimidating and cause uncertainty, especially for those who are more averse to change. A pilot is a helpful exercise during any software development process, but especially so during a rewrite where the scope is very large. A pilot allows you to test the […]

Six Ways to Ensure People Don’t Dread Your Meeting

Meetings fill a lot of our working days, yet most people dread them or don’t understand why they have to attend so many. I haven’t confirmed this with Google, but I think meetings are in the running as the subject of the most memes. (Spoiler: None say, “Please schedule another meeting!” without sarcasm.) I have […]

Five Ways to Help Your Organization Embrace Software Change

They say change is the only constant, yet change is never easy. I consider myself pretty open to change, but I still find myself fumbling around for a few days when Gmail updates its interface or someone tells me about a new shortcut I should start using.

Three Ways to Build Trust & Safety as a Team Leader

More and more studies have shown that the most effective teams are the ones whose members trust each other and feel “psychologically safe.” Psychological safety is when a person feels he/she is safe to take a risk and does not need to worry that the team will punish him/her for asking questions, admitting a mistake, […]

Managing Product Dev. with a Digital Story Map

Have you ever scrolled through your product backlog and thought, “I wish I had a better way to visualize product development?” Development tools like Pivotal and JIRA are great for developers working through their stories, but they fall short when you want a holistic picture of the project. They can’t help you understand how a […]

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By: Amy Burke

Author: Amy Burke