Agile Bites

Explore how visualizing work in progress can reveal bottlenecks and enhance decision-making. Discover the challenges of managing too much ongoing work and learn practical strategies to set WIP limits. The discussion dives into the benefits of prioritizing task completion and staying responsive to organizational pressures. Plus, find out how Lean principles can help maintain a sustainable workflow, ultimately leading to more efficient delivery and higher-quality outcomes.

Discover how visualizing work in progress can transform workflow management. The discussion dives into the challenges of tracking invisible work like software development. Learn about the benefits and downsides of various visualization tools, including Kanban boards and lists. Uncover hidden bottlenecks and inefficiencies to boost team efficiency. This insightful conversation encourages thinking creatively about workflows to enhance transparency and collaboration.

The podcast delves into the often-invisible processes in software development, emphasizing the power of visualization. It explores how mapping workflows can spotlight weaknesses, improve communication, and reveal complexities. Listeners learn the importance of questioning existing team processes before making changes. The role of Kanban in visualizing workflows is highlighted, showcasing strategies to enhance collaboration and boost efficiency. Practical tips for continuous improvement and optimizing team dynamics are shared throughout the discussion.

Diving into the world of managing software development teams, the discussion emphasizes starting with fact-finding and reason-finding. The importance of asking insightful questions, particularly 'why,' is highlighted as a way to uncover hidden strengths in existing practices. A focus on understanding context paves the way for meaningful improvements. Additionally, cultivating trust and a safe environment fosters open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving, setting the stage for effective change and empowered teams.

Many of us who were thrown into management positions over development teams had to learn on the job. And when that happens, it can be easy to fall into the role of what you THINK a manager should do—be the rule enforcer and hold the team accountable. But as a dev team manager, your primary role should be to enable your team to deliver value effectively and efficiently. In other words, get out of your team's way and empower them to do their best work. How does this actually play out, though? In this episode, I'm sharing the lessons I've learned and things I wish I had understood when I first started managing dev teams. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned veteran, this episode provides practical tips for keeping you and your team on the same side working towards a common goal.

Explore the misconception that agility equals speed in software delivery. Discover the delicate balance between fast delivery and quality, with insights on effective workload management. Learn how Little's Law can illuminate the relationship between task concurrency and progress. Dive into workflow management strategies that prioritize tasks to boost productivity. Say goodbye to multitasking and embrace a sequential approach to enhance efficiency and satisfy stakeholders!

Have you stopped and asked yourself and your organization, “Why are we doing this?” You may or may not be surprised to find out that a lot of organizations make decisions, choose frameworks, and prioritize projects simply because of inertia and not because there's a real reason behind it.  Why would you put time and resources into maintaining structures whose reasons have been lost to antiquity or never existed in the first place? It seems like common sense to individuals, but that often doesn't translate on the organizational level. This episode delves into the importance of understanding the reasons behind technical decisions and the pitfalls of following practices or working on projects without understanding their original purpose or questioning their current relevance.  Defining the ‘why’ helps ensure that actions are not only based on historical momentum but are relevant, justified, and beneficial in their current context. 

Hey managers, let's talk straight: Is Agile a scam? In your context, it just might be. Agile has become the default for teams, but do you truly understand WHY you're using it or if you even need it? In this episode, we're stripping away the Agile buzzwords, getting back to basics, and exploring the essence of Agile from a manager's perspective. Forget sprints and user stories—Agile is all about responsiveness to change. By starting with this fundamental principle, you can avoid getting tangled in specific practices or frameworks that don't fit your organization.

Should we be slicing stories vertically or horizontally? Does it even matter?   Should we organize the requirements in our user stories by architectural layers or by small units of functionality?    Both approaches divide the work up into smaller batches, but what good are pieces of software if they're not actually usable? That's what happens when we slice stories horizontally (e.g. a user story to build a non-functional screen).    Horizontal slicing brings on risks to the organization, like: Prematurely prescribing an implementation Lengthening the feedback loop Delaying value delivery Misaligning user story delivery metrics Vertical slicing, however, allows our teams to be agile by ensuring the delivery of functional, valuable capabilities driven by user needs and feedback

Wondering what scaled Agile framework is right for your organization? If this is your question, this episode is not going to answer it for you because we don't think that's going to bring you the most value. Instead, we're going to challenge you to take a step back and ask why you need to scale and why you're Agile in the first place. Just because your organization is “big" and your current framework is causing friction, that does not mean finding the right scaled Agile framework is the answer (in fact, it's usually not). And implementing a scaled framework might actually cause more pain than not. In this episode, we explore the underlying reasons and common misconceptions behind scaling, from the classic scenario of numerous teams to the allure of frameworks like SAFe. Discover how you can navigate dependencies, optimize team structures, rethink release cadences, and look at your team's framework from a different perspective to get to the Agility you're looking for.