Modern Agility Sampler

The Agile, Scrum, Kanban, etc. zoo

A number of agile frameworks and methodologies exist. Without knowing the project and team parameters it’s impossible to say which are the best ones. Suffice to say that properly implemented, any will get the job done, but some will incur a higher price in terms of throughput, efficiency or the happiness of the team.

The Daily Standup Meeting is a great way to keep in sync

It’s not done until it’s done!

Definition of Done

“I’m finished but ...”

As engineering manager hearing that a task is finished only to find out that it still lingers around for way too long after it’s presumably done is one of the most frustrating experiences. Teams can get around this by agreeing and formalizing what “done” actually means in a Definition of Done.

Sprint Cycles for Risk Reduction

In Scrum, sprints are a fixed period of time used to reduce the risk of an unshippable product at the end of the project. Each sprint is planned and serves to satisfy a goal and results in an increment to the overall product. Thus, a product remains potentially shippable at the end of every sprint, throughout the development process. When managed properly, the financial risk of an unshippable product is limited to the team size multiplied by the sprint duration.

Sprint

Strong Values Make a Strong Team

“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:25

Values are what binds the team at its core. Celebrate the different strengths but keep unity through openness, respect, courage, focus and commitment, the five Scrum Values.