I was recently asked the following question: “If AI is writing the majority of the code, how much of the agile process goes away? What parts need to change? For example, we won’t need story point sizing anymore.” It took me aback a little, not because I hadn’t been thinking about it, but because it […]
AI Magnifies What’s Beneath It
Protecting the foundations of delivery in an AI-accelerated world. I’ve spent a lot of years inside Agile systems, long enough to see small teams do remarkable things when the fundamentals were protected. Long enough to see those same fundamentals slowly whither as organizations grew and pressure increased. In all of those instances, the frameworks didn’t […]
Adding Artificial Intelligence to our Agile Coaching toolset
Hear me out, I think Artificial Intelligence Ethics should be added to the Agile Coaching Growth wheel. Using AI is a toolset in its own right, and I propose that it’s a solid tool the output of which any good Coach and facilitator could draw tremendous value. Warning, this is a bit of a rambling […]
The 4 Product Owners you meet in Hell, (and the 1 you meet in Heaven)
There are several traits that are essential to good Product Ownership, but, like many aspects of an Agile organization, there has to be a balance. Out of balance, pretty much everything goes to hell. I hinted at this topic recently in a series of podcast interviews with Vasco Duarte on the Scrum Master Tool Box. […]
Back from the Outside: Agile in a COVID world
I took a long break there, not just from this blog but from being fully immersed in Agile teams and organizations. Life threw some curveballs that I couldn’t hit, and distractions began to pile up. In many ways though, time away gave me a fresh perspective. Being on the outside of the struggles of Agile […]
An Agile Coaching Certification Journey
Pretty regularly, I mention to people that I have this blog, “So Agile it Hurts Sometimes,” but I have to admit that I have been a negligent blogger. An absentee landlord of this page. A loser. You know the part of the title “it hurts sometimes?” Neglecting this blog has been one of those times. […]
7 Things in My Agile Rear-view Mirror for 2018
Yeah, the title is a little “Click-baity,” but, dammit, I learned 7 things, and I want to share them. More importantly, I feel like I should be able to tell my readers that there are 7 things they are about to read. So, yeah, here I am at the end of one heck-of-a year with […]
Estimating for Better Understanding.
Over a year ago, my wife and I hired a company to convert our garage into a family room–estimated to be a 4 month project at most. That was 3-4 months faster than I estimated that I could do it myself. A full year and a month later, the family room project is unfinished, […]
Agile For Personal Improvement Experiment: Weeks 6,7, and 8
You know the scene in the sci-fi horror film where we recoil at the sight of the abandoned lab? Bottles filled with mutated embryos suspended in formaldehyde, fluid dripping from the ceiling, and steel cages ripped open from the inside let us know that whatever was supposed to have gone down in here. . . […]
Agile For Personal Improvement Experiment: Week 5
This last week’s iteration of self improvement was an utter meltdown. Not only did I not accomplish what I set out to do, I went BACKWARDS in using Agile. Each day went by, and I looked at my kanban board and said “Man, I really need to get back to that!” I made up excuses, […]