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Sept 23, 2021 I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating it is to be in a contentious team discussion when we realize that we are either four names for the same thing or one definition applied to four disparate terms. It would be so much better if we were all talking about the same […]

Jun 11, 2020 How can Shared Services team members—such as security, infrastructure, and end user training—effectively participate in Program Increment (PI) Planning? I’ve developed the following tips over the past 7 years of helping people adopt the The Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe). I usually share them online and with colorful handouts. The PI Planning event enables 5-12 teams on

Nov 13, 2019 Your first Program Increment (PI) Planning event is on the calendar, and you feel ready to kick-off your first Agile Release Train. It’s time to align the teams on their work for the next three months. No pressure here—PI Planning is only the most pivotal, face-to-face event in the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe). Maybe you’re envisioning a

Aug 8, 2019 Agile is disciplined; not reckless. “That’s not how we do things here.” “That will never work for us.” “That’s not our culture.” Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve heard or even said one of these phrases before. If so, you might be trudging through a Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe) Transformation. If you think that your SAFe

Sep 20, 2019 DevOps is a market buzzword, with nearly every enterprise trying to implement DevOps to remain relevant in their industry. When I was first introduced to DevOps, I was skeptical—over 40 deployments in a day and 200x shorter lead times? I was extremely concerned about the security and robustness of these builds being

May 13, 2019 As a leader, how do you create an environment that is nimble enough to thrive in an era of digital disruption? Certainly not through “Command and Control,” which has been the prevailing management model for decades. Nothing limits creativity or the growth of new leadership quite like an “I know best” attitude. So

Apr 17, 2019 Program execution is one of the four SAFe® Core Values. To achieve successful program execution, organizations need an efficient system that defines the backlogs of the value to be delivered, the roles that manage them, and the proper timelines for refinement at every level of SAFe. Understanding that we are already doing some

Feb 1, 2021 Are you stuck in traditional budgeting approaches and looking for an alternative? If you feel like you’re wasting your energy working on products that are obsolete, then you are not alone! Most companies are beginning to wake up, realizing that Project Cost Accounting doesn’t allow for the agility needed to adapt to your customers’

Dec 9, 2020 About a month back, I wrote an article called One Year as a Dojo Coach. I threw some shade at external Agile Coaches, aka consultants. It went like this: “Traditionally, Agile transformations and trainings involve consultants…who come in to shake things up and throw out abstract concepts for people to nod at. The

Aug 23, 2019 All politics about fake news aside (PLEASE!), I’ve heard a growing number of reports, sighs and cries about Fake Agile. It’s frustrating when people just don’t get it, especially when they think they do. We can point fingers and vilify those who think differently—or we can try to understand why this “us vs them”