Joy In Reaching the Destination

It is written that the joy in reaching the destination is in making the most of the journey. Today I propose that the joy should start much earlier than that! When all is said and done, the resounding question should be what drives us to take the journey to begin with? Are we on a mission with a sure-sighted destination? Or are we taking a more casual approach to our travels and meandering to and fro? Do we have deliberate expectations as a result of our journey? Or are we still learning it is ok to expect the unexpected?

One thing that I have learned watching organizations transition to Agile Methods, is often times they are so focused on reaching utopia that they miss out on the joy of the journey. We have all been told that the path to success is straight and narrow, but we also need to recognize the hard work that goes into having a path at all. All it takes is one International Airline flight to discover that people are in so much of a hurry to get there, they miss out on all that is happening around them. The challenge I extend to you on this brisk morning in the UK, is to search for how the path got there. Observe the people around you and your surroundings. Remember the team who helps make done possible. Most importantly, remember to not only focus on the joy in reaching the destination but the joy of the journey to get there.

The Agile Runway

Many teams and coaches profess that Agile means very little up front planning. In many cases, I do disagree with this statement. We do need a place to take off and land when we are intending to fly through our sprints.

The question is has your organization discovered who might be responsible for making certain this runway was in place and operating properly? Who sets the tone of evaluating the experience as part of the discovery process to help determine if the flight pattern is one you wish to take again?

Most importantly, who is part of the ground crew making certain the team and project has a place to land? The November Agile Mentor Newsletter discusses this very issue and identifies what we should be doing organizationally to set the correct size and tone for facilitating these types of meetings.

Take a look at the latest edition and let me know your feedback.

Agile in 1948? Agileism?

I just had a chance to watch a short cartoon about America and how it was back in 1948 and the things they worried and or cared about most. What I found most ironic, is that we are doing the same thing with Agile. When it works, the pieces to be improved become our whipping boy. When it fails, Agile itself is the whipping boy. Yet we allow these snake oil salesman to come into the industry and promote their silver bullet cure all methods of treatment. Take a look at the following video, then leave a comment regarding technical debt, the state of Agile, and the future of making the workplace a better place!






Lee ~ AgileDad

Understanding Technical Debt

No matter how you look at it, debt is debt! Whether we are talking about improving our on personal credit score, or talking about how to decrease technical debt, the theory behind the madness is one in the same.

Just as our creditors judge us based on our ability to earn a living compared to our outstanding judgements, we are judged on Agile projects based on our past delivery cycles and the assurance that we will be able to deliver on time in the future.

In these tough economic times, many organizations have been forced to scale back spending and in many cases as a result have scaled back the workforce. This has created a pathway of destruction for many software and hardware vendors who were put in a position where they were being asked to deliver more and more with fewer and fewer resources at their disposal. Thus, quality has severely suffered and the key stakeholders are not very happy.

In the October edition of the Agile Mentor Newsletter, we address technical debt and talk about what causes it, how to avoid it, and most importantly what we need to do to eliminate it all together. Just to put your mind at ease, the newsletter was written with the mindset of keeping things simple and looking for practical solutions regardless of the size and or Agile capability within your organization.

Take the time to explore and have a look at what you can do to decrease technical debt within your organization.

The October Agile Mentor Newsletter

Just so you are all aware, I am having problems with my FTP server so the Agile Mentor Newsletter for October has been delayed as a result. Crews are working around the clock to get the issue resolved.

Thanks for your patience and remember to STAY AGILE!

Lee ~ AgileDad

Taking some MUCH needed time off!

A wise person once told me that everyone needs a break sometimes! So do I! After multiple speaking engagements at conferences, some of the most amazing training classes I have ever offered, and a whole lot of time away from the family, I have decided to take a couple of weeks off.

Someone asked me at Agile 2009, with all of the achievements you have had this year, now what do you hope to do? My answer, I am going to Disneyworld!

I am certain I will be looking for all things Agile while I am there, but I am trying to do this sans computer or cell phone for the enjoyment of my family. Hopefully we can keep things on auto-pilot while I am gone and Agile Project Management will continue to progress! Go Agile! See you in a couple of weeks!

Agile Mentor Newsletter

Were you aware that as a public service AgileDad has created the Agile Mentor Newsletter? This publication has been distributed all over the world and has an ever increasing subscriber base! The newsletter is published monthly and is a GREAT resource for any Agile team! Today I decided it would be a great idea to get everyone caught up on the cool topics that have been addressed in this newsletter:

September 2009 - Agile 2009 In Review - the top 10 list of Agile 2009 Happenings!

August 2009 - The Cost of a Bug - Christian Hargraves, an AgileDad feature writer discusses the benefits of Test Driven Development TDD.

July 2009 - The Hunt For Continuous Improvement - Managers are always looking for Increased Agility. Is there a line? If so, where do we draw it?

June 2009 - Has Your Team Been Personally Touched? - Empowering Agile Managers to Empower Agile Teams.

May 2009 - Facilitation Foundation - Not Just Another Agile Meeting - Based on the Conference presentation with the same name, this newsletter discusses what to do when meetings become less meaningful and how to address the teams needs.

April 2009 - April Agile Brings May? - Now that your organization has decided to adopt Agile, what should you expect next?

March 2009 - Scrum Gathering Orlando - A recap of the happenings at the Scrum Gathering

February 2009 - Agile & Software Capitalization - Someone out thre is counting the money! When do actuals really matter?

January 2009 - Agile Theory vs. Workplace Reality - When 'but the book says we should...' is just not enough. How do we piece it all together?

If this post is helpful, Please do leave comments and I will review all of the Agile Mentor Newsletters from 2008 and create an additional post for them with details. I will let you go now.. You have a LOT of reading to do!

Lee ~ AgileDad