The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

What Are Non-Functional Requirements? I want to wrap up our back-to-basics series on user stories with a way to account for non-functional requirements in your backlog.Here in the U.S., we're in the midst of tax season. Our annual income taxes must be paid no later than April 18 this year. While thinking about—or gulp! actually paying—taxes is not very fun, it does provide a useful example of how to think about nonfunctional requirements.A nonfunctional requirement is a requirement about how the system exists in the world, rather than about something users can do with that system.Nonfunctional requirements are often about performance, capacity, maintainability, localizability, interoperability, usability, portability and so on. Because so many of these end with -ility, they are often called the -ilities of a system.For example, a feature or functional requirement of a word processor might be that it has a spell checker. The spell checker is something the user can do with the word processor.A nonfunctional requirement might be that the spell checker works in English, French, German and Spanish. This requirement is about how the spell check feature exists in the world; in this case, it exists in four languages.If the development team speaks English, that version will be the one developed first. And the team will have a nonfunctional requirement to make the spell checker work in French, German and Spanish.Whether this is thought of as one requirement for three additional languages or three requirements for one additional language each will not matter for my point in this tip.The effort to produce these translated versions of the product can be thought of as a tax on the development team’s performance. Consider whatever speed the team was going at before. They must now go a little slower due to the need to produce those translations.It doesn’t matter whether the translations happen in the sprint, a sprint behind or whenever. In the grand scheme, the team is going slower by the amount of effort it takes to produce the translations. That is, they are slower by the amount they are taxed.The amount of these taxes can become quite significant over time: Support the three last releases of three browsers. That’s a tax. Work on the three latest Windows releases. That’s a tax. Perform at this level. That’s a tax. Future scalability to that number of users. That’s a tax.I hope that through this metaphor about the costs of nonfunctional requirements, you can use it to think through the value of including each on your project. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

ScrumWOW - Scrum As An Infomercial Scrum is more than just a framework, it’s a way of life. It’s a framework that enables teams to work cohesively towards a common goal, and it’s not just for software development teams. It can be used for any project that requires teamwork. Scrum was first introduced in 1995 in “The Scrum Guide” and was based on the concept introduced in 1986 in the article “The New New Product Development Game.” At its core, Scrum consists of three main pillars: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. It’s also built on five core values: focus, commitment, respect, courage, and openness. Without these values, the project is doomed to fail. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

Product - Platform - Service - What Is The Difference? Product: an item, physical, virtual, digital, or hybrid that is produced; OR a service offered for sale to serve a customer’s need or want; OR a metaphorical vehicle. A vehicle that continually runs like a digital product for delivering value, where external customers and end users know what is produced or served when we mentioned it and people are expected to pay for it somehow, maybe with their money, data or some other consideration. A product can be built upon the building blocks of platforms, systems, subsystems, or components. Examples of products include a chair, a cake that I eat or maybe use of any learning service. an item, physical, virtual, digital, or hybrid that is produced; OR service; OR metaphorical vehicle. This continually runs but rather than being recognized by external customers and end users, it underpins and enables value. However, it does not in and of itself deliver value. It’s usually, but not always unrecognized by external customers and end users. Salesforce would be recognized but it’s usually not recognized as an internal backend system. It’s often mistakenly labeled a product. Examples of a platform include an enterprise resource planning system, a customer relationship management system, an e-learning system within the company and a podcast hosting redistribution system. A platform can also be built upon the building blocks of systems, subsystems or components. Service: I do some work; OR Assistance or advice given to some customers; OR Rental of a product, platform, system, subsystem, component or experience; OR Labor originated value. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

That does it mean when I say Identifying and Managing All Debt - Not Just Technical Debt? Some organizations understand that they have debt, but they only take the time to think about the technical debt. How do we handle all of the other debt that needs to be addressed in a timely manner? Join V. Lee Henson as we discuss the best way to address the debt by using a debt cancel sprint cycle. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Appreciation and gratitude are incredibly important for our mental and emotional well-being, as well as our relationships with others. When we practice appreciation, we focus on the positive qualities and actions of others, rather than taking them for granted or criticizing them. This can foster a sense of connection and positivity in our relationships, as well as increase our own sense of happiness and satisfaction. Gratitude, on the other hand, involves acknowledging and expressing thanks for the good things in our lives, whether big or small. Gratitude has been linked to a variety of benefits, including better sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, and improved relationships. By focusing on what we have rather than what we lack, we can cultivate a more positive and optimistic outlook on life. Additionally, expressing appreciation and gratitude can have a positive impact on others. When we let others know that we value and appreciate them, it can boost their self-esteem and strengthen our relationships with them. It can also inspire them to pay it forward and spread positivity to others. Overall, appreciation and gratitude are important practices that can help us cultivate more positive and fulfilling lives, both for ourselves and those around us. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

This week’s tip is about the imprecision of words. Take, for example, something I read on a website once: We provide bouncers for children’s parties. What did you think of when you read that? I thought of big, burly, heavily muscled men in tight T-shirts who won’t let certain kids into the backyard clubhouse. After seeing “we provide bouncers for children’s parties,” I was left wondering, what type of kid’s party needs a bouncer? And were there really enough kids in need of bouncers that this company had formed to serve them? But this isn’t what the company meant. The company provides those big, inflatable bounce houses kids like to jump in. And apparently those are called bouncers by those in the know. So, this company really does provide bouncers to kids’ parties. As much as I love words, words can be imprecise. They don’t always mean what we think they mean. My definition of bouncer and the company’s definition were completely different. Because words aren’t as precise as we might think, an over-reliance on written words can lead to misunderstandings. Writing is great and is sometimes the absolute best way to convey something. But sometimes, talking is better. One of the nice things about user stories is they combine both. User stories have a written element–often just a sentence or two on an index card. But the backbone of most user stories are the conversations aimed at discovering details. I’m confident that putting conversations back in your user stories will help you succeed with agile How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Do We Need an Agile Coach? Agile Coaches are creative, reflective and non-directive people who guide and mentor individuals or organizations through adopting Agile Framework or improving the current Agile system. Making significant organizational changes can be challenging since the members must learn to adapt and embrace changes. It might require a shift of cultures and even the way of Leadership. As we have seen, Agile Leadership is one of a kind. It requires the bosses to stop being bossy and managers to reduce control to achieve independent thinking among the scrum teams. We have just visualized an ideal example of how Agile might be challenging to adopt. It’s where an Agile Coach comes in. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

I have a theory. And it’s not much different than my theory on how to be a good human. And it is a simple list. Before offering any advice or counsel to anyone, you must first earn their trust. And the best way to establish and build trust between two people is to offer it first. Express humility and genuine interest through showing vulnerability and asking questions to which you do not know the answer and are honestly interested in knowing the answer. Have and express passion for the problem space that your client lives in. If you do not genuinely have passion for solving their problems, you will likely not be the best coach for them. Notice, I said problem space not solving or solutioning. You will further build trust by demonstrating your ability to understand the subtleties of their problem space and really, only then, will you best be able to coach individuals and teams. “Problem space” is intended to be a broad term that fully embraces the industry, the market, the company’s complexities (history, culture, politics), the technology, and their current state of change adoption and transformation. Be open and infinitely flexible when it comes to the client’s business, situation, politics, and complexities… and yet firm on the matters they have asked you to help them change. As agile coaches, we sometimes forget we cannot fix everything (and we often have opinions on virtually every topic). It is critical that we acknowledge our role in the corporate environment. If they’ve asked us to focus on one particular problem space or part of the organization, we should do so and no matter how much we’d like to offer advice on things outside of our purview, we should be cognizant of our role in their complex ecosystem and stick to the problem domain we’ve been assigned to. That said, an excellent coach may subtly learn to plant very small seeds that grow into ideas in the minds of others who may actually have the role and influence to impact those other areas. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Scrum is a path to business agility Organizations adopt Scrum to achieve business agility so they can manage uncertainty and risk in complex environments to achieve their goals. Scrum helps deliver high-value creative solutions in increments of value over short periods (no longer than a month), called Sprints.  The framework depends on having a clear vision and an understanding of what you want to achieve. It requires embracing an agile mindset, which involves collaboration, flexibility, team empowerment and a willingness to experiment in the face of possible failure to navigate uncertainty and enable continuous improvement.  So, how do you know if you’re getting the value you deserve from Scrum? Let’s turn to the three questions that can help you determine that. 1) Are you getting a return on investment soon enough? Whatever product or initiative your organization undertakes requires a discussion about the expected return on investment (ROI). Business owners and organizational leaders must decide where best to invest their staff and resources.  Delivering features and functionality your customers want and find valuable sooner significantly benefits your bottom line. Rather than tying up large amounts of budget for a long time without getting any return, using Scrum as intended by its creators allows you to deliver value incrementally and get some returns along the way. Even if your product is not sold to customers but instead used internally, it can still have ROI.  For example, you can measure value in terms of time saved, new customer services, or improved job satisfaction. 2) Do you have enough transparency, flexibility and control over investment decisions? Scrum gives the organization transparency, flexibility and control over investment decisions because it focuses on delivering a small slice of usable value every Sprint. This limits the investment risk to a shorter time frame.   Having a usable Increment every Sprint also enables frequent feedback and assessment of changes in your environment, allowing you to validate that you are moving in the right direction and honing in on the desired outcomes. If not, you can pivot. Sometimes the best decision is to stop investing in an initiative. The sooner you stop, the better because there won’t be as much waste. You haven’t tied up people and resources for months or years before discovering that what you created missed the mark or is no longer needed. 3) How easily can you change direction to take advantage of opportunities and respond to risks? Another way to word this question is, “How much waste will you have if the organization needs to stop investing in initiative A and pivot to initiative B?” There will likely be some waste, but you can work in a way that reduces that waste. And that also helps us avoid getting stuck in the sunk cost fallacy. When you are not bound to projects and initiatives with long time horizons before realizing any value, it’s much easier to change course. By delivering value in shorter cycles, you’ve realized whatever ROI you could, putting the organization in a better position to shift resources to take advantage of new opportunities that arise or respond to risks.   Innumerable circumstances require organizations to change how they invest their people and resources. Emerging markets, changing customer behaviors, new revenue streams, technological breakthroughs, and adapting business operations to meet new needs or world circumstances are just a few examples. Being able to respond to these conditions quickly is the ultimate competitive advantage.  How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

24601 is the prisoner number and protagonist of the famous novel "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo. His real name is Jean Valjean. Throughout the novel, Jean Valjean undergoes a profound transformation from a bitter and hardened criminal to a compassionate and virtuous man. There are several factors that contributed to Jean Valjean's transformation. Firstly, he was shown mercy and kindness by the bishop of Digne, who forgave him for stealing his silverware and gave him a second chance. This act of mercy moved Jean Valjean deeply and inspired him to change his ways. Secondly, Jean Valjean was deeply affected by the suffering of Fantine, a young woman he had promised to care for before she died. This experience opened his eyes to the plight of the poor and vulnerable in society, and he made it his mission to help others in need. Thirdly, the love and trust of Cosette, the orphaned daughter of Fantine whom he adopted, helped Jean Valjean to develop a sense of purpose and responsibility. He became determined to create a better life for Cosette and to protect her from harm. Finally, Jean Valjean was motivated by his own desire for redemption and his belief in the power of personal transformation. He recognized the harm that he had caused in the past and committed himself to living a life of compassion, integrity, and service to others. Through these experiences and the influence of the people around him, Jean Valjean learned to become a better man. He was able to overcome his past mistakes and live a life of meaning and purpose, inspiring others to do the same. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/