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Rediscovering Agile: A Journey Back to Lightness
The Rise of the Beetles Once upon a time, in a corporate field not so far away, a group of beetles found a better way to work. They were tired of the heavy creatures and their giant plans, endless approvals, and serious meetings about things that might happen someday. So, the beetles chose a lighter path. They worked in small steps, stayed close to reality, and adjusted as they learned. For a while, it worked beautifully. Then success attracted experts. One beetle suggested a
Mar 184 min read
Why Agile Is Essential in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is accelerating the pace of work in ways few could have predicted even three years ago. Code is generated instantly. Research is synthesized in seconds. Roadmaps are drafted before meetings begin. The surface narrative is clear: productivity is increasing. But speed alone does not create advantage. In fact, in the AI age, speed without clarity may be the greatest risk an organization can take. This is why Agile values and principles are not becoming o
Feb 124 min read
Re-centering People in Agile
Agile today faces a paradox. Practices created to free people have become enslaved by tools. What began as a human-centered movement that emphasized collaboration, conversation, and community has too often slipped into dashboards, metrics, and software. The very supports that were meant to enhance agility have instead shackled it, replacing curiosity, dialogue, and genuine human connection. Many organizations now treat Agile as a mere compliance exercise. Success is measured
Oct 2, 20253 min read
Is Agile the Kowloon Walled City?
The Kowloon Walled City once stood in the heart of Hong Kong, a phenomenon of human ingenuity and resilience. I only observed it out the window of my jet as I have flown into the region on many trips, but I have always seen it as mystical. It stood out as an anomaly to everything around it—something that feels very similar today. Known for its dense population, labyrinthine pathways, and self-sustained community, Kowloon was more than just a chaotic settlement; it was a testa
Jun 13, 20244 min read
From Software Patterns to Organizational Design
Microarchitecture design patterns in software development are fundamental constructs that enable developers to solve common problems in system design with reusable solutions. These patterns have evolved, encapsulating the collective experience and wisdom of the software engineering community. Interestingly, the principles and insights derived from microarchitecture patterns can also be applied to organizational design, mainly when aiming for agility and innovation. Microarchi
Mar 13, 20243 min read
Are you giving up on Agile? Well, here are six things you should not leave behind
Every day, new articles appear discussing the end of Agile or how companies are reducing their reliance on Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Agile coaches. Some companies believe that these roles have fulfilled their purpose and that the most important aspects of Agile have now become institutionalized. On the other hand, unfortunately, some have fallen victim to dishonest salespeople and inexperienced consultants, resulting in failed Agile transformations and lost investmen
Feb 6, 20243 min read
Abandoning the Agile Brand
I just returned from attending the Agile 2023 conference in Orlando, and something has been on my mind. I noticed that a fair number of individuals I met at the event had removed the term "Agile" from their job titles. This has piqued my curiosity and made me wonder about the implications for the future of Agile. So during my time at the conference, I spoke to several people to understand their motivations for rebranding themselves. Reason 1: It's a Label That No Longer Fits:
Jul 29, 20232 min read
Agile at Scale: How to Avoid Missing the Point
As companies expand and evolve, scaling Agile becomes increasingly important due to the rising complexity of product delivery with more people and customers. While the typical approach is to implement a popular out-of-the-box Agile framework across teams, departments, or the entire organization, it's crucial to acknowledge that these frameworks have limitations and may not always prove effective. A key goal of implementing Agile throughout an organization is to encourage inno
May 11, 20233 min read
Shifting to Agile: A Guide for CIOs, CTOs, and the People Influencing Them
As businesses strive to keep up with the ever-evolving digital age, Agile is becoming an increasingly popular methodology to stay ahead of the curve. However, for CIOs and CTOs, implementing Agile can pose a significant challenge as it requires a fundamental shift in how they think about and manage projects. One of the biggest hurdles is surrendering control as their role shifts from managing projects to being a facilitator and enabler. This shift can be difficult for some th
Mar 28, 20233 min read
Fixing Non-Agile Scrum
Scrum is often touted as the silver bullet for faster delivery, better quality, and improved customer satisfaction in our industry. However, despite its potential benefits, many Scrum implementations fail to embody the Agile values and principles, instead relying on outdated 19th-century management theory. As a result, Scrum teams often feel micromanaged and disempowered working in a rigid and bureaucratic culture. My experience with over a thousand Scrum undertakings across
Mar 16, 20234 min read
Don't Force it
There is a concept in Taoist philosophy called Wu-Wei. It refers to the idea that one should act in a way that is in harmony with the natural flow of things rather than trying to force it. In product development, the principles of Wu-Wei can be applied by embracing change and allowing the development process to unfold naturally. Product development should feel more like a sailing ship going with the flow of the wind rather than a galley ship forcing itself through the water
Jan 23, 20233 min read
What if the Agile Manifesto Was Authored Today?
It's hard to say exactly what the Agile manifesto would say if it were written in 2023, as it would depend on the specific perspectives and priorities of the individuals involved in its creation. In 2001, the original manifesto was authored by a group of software development experts who had grown dissatisfied with traditional, heavyweight software development methodologies. They believed these methodologies were inflexible, bureaucratic, slow, and hindered software developmen
Jan 18, 20233 min read
The Basics: A Guide to the Agile Approach and Why It Matters to Your Company
Welcome to 2022! I thought an excellent way to start the new year would be to take a few minutes and review the basics of Agile. This might be an old topic for some of you, but, over the past year, I have heard plenty of stories about companies that were having trouble adopting it in 2021. So, I thought it might be beneficial to revisit the fundamentals of Agile, its importance to organizations, and what you need to know to start applying it. What is Agile? The Agile approach
Jan 5, 20224 min read
Daily Planning with Kanban Journaling
Getting yourself aligned with your day is by far the most important ritual to help you take control of your time for maximum productivity and balance. This ritual is something that you will do daily as you use your Kanban Jornal, and overall it is not hard to do. Just give yourself at least 15 to 30 minutes to do it. The purpose of your planning is to choose a reasonable amount of tasks to get done based on things you may have put in your Future Log, project plans, group
May 11, 20202 min read
Introduction to Personal Agility with Kanban Journaling
In this video, we cover the basics of how to visualize and manage your work to achieve flow. This includes the basic setup of your journal to take advantage of the Kanban Journaling method. Explore this topic Related articles Daily Planning with Kanban Journaling Explore a practical daily routine for visualizing work and choosing a manageable workload. Forget New Year’s Resolutions and Try This Method Instead Consider how manageable actions can support personal goals beyond
May 11, 20201 min read
Not just for software: Agile for Embedded Systems
Despite what some people may say about Agile being just for software development, Agile does work for other types of product development and support systems. Let's explore this topic a bit deeper by looking at a few different aspects over the next several blog posts. For today, let's talk about embedded systems. As an engineer, I have always loved working on embedded industrial systems. My first job happened to be working on control systems that pumped fluids, pressu
Apr 16, 20184 min read
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