How would 10 years of commitment change you?

Sat, 02 Dec 2017 14:09:04 GMT

When I started, I never knew it would end up being a long term commitment. I just didn't think about that. I was focused on the present and what I thought I could do then.

Later, much later, I started to think about it as something that would be a long term part of my life. That shift in thought changed my approach subtly, but also generated a new level of commitment. Managing for the long term is very different than a short term fling.

What are you learning?

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 21:10:41 GMT

"Leaders are learners." At least that's how the saying goes, and I think there's some good truth to that. When the mind goes soft, leadership morphs into ... something else less savory.

I think this aphorism is good beyond strictly leadership. Many of us don't see ourselves as leaders. Said another way, we don't occupy a leadership position on a corporate org chart. That doesn't mean that we don't need to be learning.

Why is it called SCRUM?

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 10:05:01 GMT

If you're new to Agile software development, no doubt you've encountered a number of new terms. One of the strangest is the word "scrum" which defines the team and team effort to develop software using an agile approach.

But where did such an odd name come from?

Jeff Southerland, who developed the scrum process back in 1993 got his inspiration for the name from a

I've already written about ranking and prioritizing as well as how stories tend to multiply and generally complicate the whole process. Today I want to focus on building a product vision.

Visionin

Scrum Transition Journal: Grooming Woes Part 2

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 10:05:01 GMT

As my organization transitions farther into the process of adopting agile scrum for our software development, I'm learning more and more about what keeps a Product Owner busy!

Yesterday I wrote about grooming the backlog and prioritizing all the stories. But there's a big piece that I missed. Stories tend to multiply. So at any given time, the priority list can spontaneously generate new stories that have to be included.

Scrum Transition Journal: Grooming Woes Part 1

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 22:13:44 GMT

I've been writing about the process of shifting from a "semi'-agile" development model into a more formal scrum process. I'm a product manager/product owner. So for most people who deal with scrum based methodologies, I think my perspective is a little bit unique.

I attend the daily stand up just like everyone else. Of course, anyone who has questions about the process is free to grab my time to get clarity. That goes without saying.

Give Thanks

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 13:30:38 GMT

Thanksgiving, the US holiday of gratefulness for bounty, salvation and continued life has come and gone. Before the overt commercialism on the ongoing holiday season overwhelms, I want to take a moment to speak some thanks that are meaningful to me.

I am certainly thankful for my family. They have been a strong supporter of my many endeavors. Their love is unconditional and their companionship is invaluable. Having such strong support at home mak

Net Neutrality: Policy or Market Forces?

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 23:26:35 GMT

it seems like the entire internet is on fire this week about the FCC, Ajit Pai. and the plans to undo the previous administration's Net Neutrality rulings. My understanding is that reddit is about to self-immolate over this issue. Just about every news source is on fire with multiple articles advocating one position or another (mostly opposition from my non-scientific survey).

In my opinion, the situation is pretty bad. I'm not talking about Net Neutra

Scrum Transition Journal: This pace is brutal!

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 23:38:36 GMT

So we’re moving to an Agile scrum process. This is a dream-come-true for the development team. But it’s a decent sized change that is going to take some getting used to. I’m not complaining. But I am painfully aware of some of the impacts on me as a product manager.

One of the first things that I have noticed is that the cadence is relentless. My job is to groom the backlog and make sure that everything is prioritized and

Adopting Agile Scrum - is change & hard work

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 22:01:02 GMT

With a change of leadership comes many other changes. In my work week, this has meant a change to Agile Scrum as a development methodology. And along with that comes a number of learnings that are worth repeating here on my blog.

Agile isn't entirely new. Our approach before this had been semi-agile. We used some principles of Agile software development to adapt our environment to the best practices we could reach.

Who knows the truth?

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 18:40:11 GMT

Getting the straight shot is not as easy as you might think it would be. This might be reflective of a human desire to oversimplify the frequency of "truth". This puts quite a burden on us today to be selective about what we accept and what we hold at arms length.

Let me just say that this is not a new phenomenon. I'm a big student of history. My phone is loaded up with podcasts ranging from the English language, to Byzantium and a wide variety o

Oxymoron: Online Service Lifetime Subscription

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 19:29:48 GMT

I was flicking through my feeds today and I ran across an advertisement for a "lifetime subscription" to a digital service. I've had a hard time getting my head around why someone would sell a lifetime subscription for a single price. And an even harder time figuring out why someone would buy it.

Let's be really honest here. "lifetime" is a funny word in this context. It sort of gives the impression of "as long as you are alive". But I don'

Leadership is a funny thing

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 22:57:50 GMT

Depending on where you sit, it will look completely different.

We've had some leadership changes at work. I think it's a good thing. But with new leaders there are a lot of expectations that come into play. I've found it interesting to sit back and observe my own reactions.

First and foremost, as "the led" I have a very keen desire to know how the new leaders are going to lead. In some cases I've heard how they plan to lead

What did you do today?

Fri, 27 Oct 2017 18:04:23 GMT

What did you do today? As I write this, it's approaching the end of the day on a Friday. I'm feeling thoughtful and retrospective. That can be a good thing.

What did you do today? Was it what you wanted to do? Was it what you needed to do? Did you even know what was the most important thing to do?

Some days I'm like that. I wake up and simply start running. By the end of the day I'm exhausted a

Original Thinking