Agile Coaching Code of Ethics – Release 1.0 Has Been Released

If you have not gathered, I am passionately invested in a code of ethics for Agile Coaches.  A CoE is important for a wide range of reasons, but most importantly it is important for delivering value to the people and firms delivering coaching or being coached. I am convinced that without a code of ethics agile coaches will be like Peter Pan and the children that never grew up.  While that might be a bit of hyperbole, ethics are highly related to professionalism. As part of my goal of pushing for a code of ethics, I got involved with the Agile Alliance’s Agile Coaching Ethics Initiative.  The initiative is being chaired by Shane Hastie and Craig Smith who are also acting as product owners.  Currently, there are 20 – 30 people involved from across the globe. The people involved are amazing; I actually look forward to group working sessions (we are mobbing) and pair Zoom calls. Who really looks forward to meetings? I am a better guide, coach, and person from working with this diverse group of amazing people.

 

Agile Back To Basics: Daily Scrum and Stand-up

Standing Up?

Shu Ha Ri has become a common pattern transplanted from martial arts into the agile vocabulary.  The pattern describes the learning journey from student to master. Students follow their masters, and masters create new patterns of knowledge to teach students. A common issue I observe in many organizations and teams is that as a person, team, or organization matures their agile and lean practice they let the basics atrophy. It’s almost as if there is a gremlin that whispers in practitioners’ ears, “basics are for learners, you are a master.” This laxness is observed and emulated. The Daily Scrum or standup meeting is a case in point. 

 

SPaMCAST 617 – Pomodoro and Productivity, Grateful Leadership, Essays and Conversationsp

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 617 features our essay on rediscovering productivity.  One of the tools I have embraced is Pomodoro. It is a great approach to staying focused and helps unwonkify time in my home office!

Also this week, Susan Parente brings her “Not A Scrumdamentalist” column to the Software Process and Measurement Cast! Susan begins a three-part series on grateful leadership.  Grateful leadership is so much more than just saying thank you.

In between the essay and Susan’s column, we have a promo for the Agile Online Summit 2020.

 

Agile Teams In A Waterfall Environment: Reactions

The idea of an agile team toiling away trying to be agile in the face of a waterfall organization evokes a huge amount of passion. 

 

SPaMCAST 609 – Agile and Collaborative Contracts, An Interview with Dr David Rico

Play Now!
Listen and Subscribe on Apple Podcast
https://bit.ly/3fmn1IAListen and Subscribe on Google Podcasts

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 609 features our conversation with Dr. David Rico.  Dave is returning to the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss the concept of agile and collaborative contracts. Contracts and agile don’t often work well together. That does not have to be the case!

 

Delay

A quick update for readers and listeners: both the blog entries for Saturday and Sunday and the podcast episode scheduled for Sunday, May 31, 2020, are delayed due to issues with my month old laptop. It has decided to no longer boot (second time in one month that this issue has occurred). Since I was traveling this weekend I was not able to pull out the back-up machine until now. Rest assured, I will have things back on track beginning Tuesday.

 

Patterns Video Podcast Introduction

Play Now Medium Resolution

Play Now High Resolution

Today, a special announcement: I would like to introduce you to the Patterns Video Podcast.  Ben Woznicki and I have been working on this project for nearly six months and it is finally time to stop starting and start shipping (that’s an agile joke). 

Our idea is to share patterns (hence the name) for how teams and organizations can release sooner with higher confidence. Both Ben and I have helped a lot of different organizations. We’ve seen things that work well, seen things that work poorly, seen some things that do both, and unfortunately some things that would make your hair stand up. The effective patterns are what we are here to share as well as provide space for you to interact and learn. All of the videos will be on the shorter side.

 

IdeaFest 2020 – April 21- 22 Promo!

Join us to hear great ideas from industry leaders while they share their stories about CMMC, Agile, Transformation, Culture, CMMI V2.0, High Performance, and more! All from the comfort of your couch!

Audio Promo: https://bit.ly/2XuEw3K

Attendance is limited to 100 people, so register today – only $99!

Keynote: Ty Schieber, Chairman CMMC Accreditation Body
Keynote: Jim Bouchard, The Sensei Leader

16 of your favorite speakers throughout the day – live and virtual!

http://www.ideafest2020.org/

 

 

SPaMCAST 594 – Behold the Cryptopreneurs, An interview with Dennis Lewis

Listen Now! Subscribe: Apple Podcast Check out the podcast on Google Play Music   The SPaMCAST 594 features our interview with Dennis Lewis.  Mr. …

SPaMCAST 594 – Behold the Cryptopreneurs, An interview with Dennis Lewis

 

Simple Approaches To Build Trust On Remote Teams

Deconstructing Value Is Just Like Demolition!

Trust is an important component for building effective teams, unfortunately, you can’t buy a bag of trust and like plant fertilizer, sprinkle it on a team. In a special panel discussion aired on SPaMCAST 591, Jeff Dalton reminded us that trust is built; it does not magically appear because we want it to. Many of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and Blog listeners have been thrust into situations where they are suddenly remote and learning to build trust as part of newly remote teams. Sandeep Koorse made an interesting observation in the same podcast that many of us had been lulled in a false sense of trust and intimacy because we have been face-to-face for so long. The implication is that teams don’t invest the time needed to build trust that can withstand shocks like we are now facing. A few simple (no consultants needed) ideas to begin building trust on your suddenly remote team include: