I spoke to someone about being a Product Manager and what made them successful in the role. Of course, whole books have been written about the topic so I don't think I can do it justice on one blog article. One topic stood out for me though - the value of a wise and experienced… Continue reading Ignorant and curious or worldly and wise

I was re-reading a book called The Speed of Trust and it had some reminders in it that are both energising and scary. The book starts by setting a challenge that it should provide advice that is Timely, Relevant and Actionable. Great I thought, I can apply that to any coaching advice that I give… Continue reading Trusting agile coaches

I just heard the quote "the obstacle is the way," which I have heard more than once. I think it was originally said by Marcus Aurelius about 2,000 years ago. He probably actually said something similar in Latin and may have stolen the quote from someone else. Either way I think the idea is that… Continue reading The obstacle is the way .. or not

I was retrenched a few years ago (maybe 20) and one of the benefits I got was working with a coach who helped me work out what I wanted to do and also some "boring things" like writing resumes, going to interviews and other skills that I actually lacked. Applying for a job was something… Continue reading Staying in the game is winning too

A lot of people I talk to are working with legacy code - old clunky systems that are hard to work with. These systems are slow to change, poorly understood and often fragile. The often seem to rely on one or two gurus, who know the tips and traps for working with them. What is… Continue reading If legacy code is the excuse, legacy thinking is the cause

I recently posted some "agile tips from my Grandmother," or some old saying that still apply in agile teams today. I want talking to someone this week and I shared another old saying: We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. On old quote I think the saying is true, we do… Continue reading We (should not) judge ourselves by our intentions

When I was at school, I used to take great joy in arguing with my friends. When I want to University I learned to argue more seriously - putting forward strong, logical arguments for the position I chose to take in an essay. At work I have learned to put forward strong, considered arguments and… Continue reading Winning the argument

I was dispensing advise to some teams on minimising WIP, keeping focused and pacing themselves, when I could almost hear my parents and even my grandmother giving me the same advice. So here are some of the tips that I heard as a child, that still seem to be good advise in an agile context.… Continue reading Agile coaching tips from my grandmother