When the rains came down and the flood waters rose in Nashville TN one month ago, it became clear the Agile Alliance would have to “respond to change” rather than “following the plan” for our annual Agile 2010 conference—with the conference scheduled to open in only 14 weeks.
While in Washington D.C. last month, for the first time I visited the U.S. Library of Congress. Guided by writer and experienced LoC researcher David Schmaltz, I received a temporary library card to research early management thought.
In the glorious reading room under its amazing dome, I held two precious books. One, an (out of print) copy of Mary Parker Follett’s Creative Experience is so old it didn’t have publication date or place data printed in it. However, a little diligent searching told me the edition I held was published in 1924. The book contains ideas offered...
For some time, I’ve been ruminating on how to answer folks who query, “How do I convince people that Agile is better?”
I’ve been fortunate to have experienced many great team building moments, activities and events on several great teams. One of the best, involved feeding each other.
In Fearless Change, Mary Lynn Manns and Linda Rising counsel that a pattern called "Do Food" "makes an ordinary gathering a special event" and reference Christopher Alexander’s pattern "Communal Eating." Linda and Mary Lynn note, "sharing food plays a vital role in almost all human societies to bind people together and increase the feeling of group membership." Eating together has a long and documented history in building shared culture.
Agile retrospectives aren’t just for teams or organizations. Individuals (like you and me) also use them as a way of taking stock and choosing how to move forward—reflecting, inspecting, and adapting to the changing conditions in our lives. Chronological milestones serve as a great prompts for a personal retrospective (e.g., year’s-end, birthday, anniversary, solstice, etc.).
We find ourselves at the end of 2009, looking toward 2010 with eager anticipation and/or reluctant anxiety. What a great time to retrospect!
First, plan your retrospective.
Where will you focus? Choose a focus or theme for the retrospective that holds meaning for...
In this video from the ÖreDev conference, I present some ideas about the changing role of managers in organizations that have adopted Agile methods.
I've been on the road a lot and away from my blog lately. I'm glad to be back and happy to announce the latest iteration of:
Secrets of Agile Teamwork: Beyond Technical Skills
February 24-26, 2009, at the Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon.
Invest in three days with Esther Derby and me learning the interpersonal tools and skills that support highly collaborative software development.
Improve team communications, learn how to give and get feedback in a way that builds strong working relationships, identify and navigate conflict, and help grow your team.
We'll be back at the Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon...complete...