Go Home Already!
Yesterday morning I decided I needed a break. Not that life had been excessively stressful recently (quite the contrary!), but sometimes you just need to step back, take stock of your surroundings, and...
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Lessons from the Pasture: Leadership and Systems Theory from Surprising Sources
The Word ProblemImagine you're leading a diverse group of people on a nature walk. The pace is supposed to be slow enough for everyone to enjoy the walk, including the elderly and out-of-shape. Easy,...
View ArticleSeptember's Bay Area TDD Course is Not Just for C# Developers
I'm holding a public Essential Test-Driven Development course at the end of September, through Agile Learning Labs. Chris Sims and I separated this one, and another in December, by programming...
View ArticleA Real Quote about Real Leadership
I'm sometimes frustrated by folks (mis-)quoting famous quotes without attribution. I recommend bloggers and tweeters do a little Google-icious research, try to get the quote right (it's not always...
View ArticleEssential Test-Driven Development: Just Say No to Unit-Testing
Wait...Is He Kidding?A while back I was working with a large client to plan their Agile training curriculum for teams across the country. They wanted to have ready a few courses on Agile development...
View ArticleFive Key Ingredients of Essential Test-Driven Development
There are any number of ways to think about TDD. For example, I use one metaphor when describing the business value of TDD with the organization's leadership, and another when describing the personal...
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The Agilist's Dilemma
Let me tell you a dirty little secret: An Agile approach to crafting software comes with its own challenges.I'm guessing you already knew that. Does the following tale seem familiar? Fields of Green...
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Productivity Versus Quality in the Iron Cage of Death
The Classic Iron Triangle (Re-)Introducing the Iron TriangleYou and your team, division, tribe, or organization are given a task. You must complete the whole project, you don't have extra money to hire...
View ArticleThe ROI of Test-Driven Development
Leadership wants to know: "Why should my teams be doing TDD? What is the return on investment?"Though TDD is, of course, not a "silver bullet," we've found that TDD solves a number of key software...
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A Recipe for an Agile Team Space
I was recently asked to help design team rooms for a client. They may have been planning to hire a ergonomic architect/designer in addition to an Agile Coach. Great, but before they got that far, I...
View ArticleStartups and TDD: Building The Next Big Thing with Disciplined Agile...
I've coached and trained so many start-ups who are in a later round of funding, or are building the next release of their software, and wish they had done things differently. Usually, I'm there to help...
View ArticleThe Pattern of Mutually Assured Failure
The article found here provides very nice coverage of some of the real challenges of an agile transition. Unfortunately, I did not notice coverage of the issue raised by someone's unhappy client in...
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A Happy and Prosperous New Year from Agile Institute!
The Times Square Ball in July.Agile Institute had a wonderfully successful 2012. My thanks to all the clients and colleagues, commentators and critics (yes, even the critics) who made the year so...
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The Sportscar Metaphor: TDD, ATDD, and BDD Explained
Your Mission, Should You Accept...You've been tasked with building a sports car. Not just any sports car, but the Ultimate Driving Machine.The Ultimate Driving MachineLet's take a look at how an...
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Yet Another Blog Post About Women in Software
Why say more?Last week, the Internet burst forth with wild, bizarre vitriol that one dear friend of mine called "Donglegate." Since I wasn't in attendance at this conference, and since I had exhausted...
View ArticleYet Another Meeting?! How to Make the Daily Scrum (or Stand-Up) Meeting Work...
PurposeLet's cut to the chase: No one likes meetings. A status meeting every day is enough to drive you crazy.The Stand-Up isn't meant to be a status meeting. Status may get communicated, and...
View ArticleSolving the Legacy Code Problem
What is Legacy Code?In his book, Working Effectively with Legacy Code, Michael Feathers defines legacy code very simply: Code without tests. He isn't trying to be inflammatory, or suggest that you...
View ArticleAn open letter to the Editor in Chief of Dr. Dobb's
Here is the letter I just sent to Andrew Binstock at Dr. Dobb's regarding this editorial:http://www.drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/the-corruption-of-agile/240166698Hello Mr. Binstock,I agree with...
View ArticleWhy I Never Liked Scrum's Chicken and Pig Metaphor
A poem by Howard Nemerov:Bacon & EggsThe chicken contributes, But the pig gives his all. I've never been a user of Scrum's Chicken/Pig metaphor. It's a metaphor used by many Scrum coaches and...
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Benefits of Pair Programming Revisited
Let's take a fresh look at pair programming, with an eye towards systems optimization.Pair programming is perhaps the most controversial of the many agile engineering practices. It appears inefficient...
View ArticleAdopt a Californian: Systems, and the California Drought
I'd like to invite you to #AdoptACalifornian ("...before we're all extinct!" ;-) It's extremely easy, and may just be good for you, too.The System We Live InYou've likely heard that we're experiencing...
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How to Know if TDD is Working
How will you know if TDD is working for your teams, program, or organization?I've noticed that small, independent teams typically don't ask this. They are so close to the end-points of their...
View ArticleReligion: An Apt Analogy for Agile
There are very few topics of exploration that have unceasingly retained my curiosity throughout life. One is software development, another is religious thought.* But in my teens and 20s, I didn't...
View ArticleRandom Thoughts on Business Models and Cost of Delay
I cover Cost of Delay and CD3 (Cost of Delay Divided by Duration) in my Essential Agile Product Leadership course. (CD3 being similar to WSJF). This part of the course is derived from from the work of...
View ArticleAgile Institute has become part of Agile for All
Agile Institute (me, essentially) has merged with (joined) Agile for All. What does this mean for you?Not much will change for you, because not much is changing for me. All my courses are still...
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