Core Values and Agility Move Southwest Airlines Through the Good & Challenging Times
There have been many times in Southwest Airlines history where times were great. However, there are other times Southwest refers to as “existential moments” where the outcomes were not obvious and the company was forever changed because of it. These are the defining moments in a company’s history and have ultimately helped shape the industry […]
Systems Thinking Approach to Implementing Kanban (STATIK) for Scrum Teams
STATIK (Systems Thinking Approach To Implementing Kanban1 2) can be a great technique to help teams get up and running quickly, even teams that are using Scrum. Applying the STATIK approach leverages the first principle of the Kanban method, “Start with what you do, or know, now”, in order to help avoid over-thinking how […]
Agile Coaching – A Key Role to Improve Performance
What Does An Agile Coach Do? We’d wager most people think of coaches in the context of sports – Vince Lombardi, Phil Jackson and Pat Summit. These are some of the greatest coaches in the history of sports, but coaches exist in every profession. Simply put, a coach (in any context) helps people, teams, and […]
(Re)Discovering Business Agility in a VUCA World – Video & Summary
We’re living in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. The global pandemic has accelerated the need for agility, making alignment on what agility means for an organization critical. By understanding what your organization values in today’s hyper-turbulent world, you will be able to prioritize the activities and tasks needed to better achieve your business’ […]
The “Agile C-Suite” and Its Role in Growing an Adaptive, Resilient Organization
My previous post focused on the Harvard Business Review (HBR) article “The Agile C-Suite”1. In the Forbes article “Agile Isn’t New: What’s New Is The C-Suite Embracing It”2, Steve Denning provides his own perspective on the HBR article, as well as additional insights that help get readers closer to embracing the realities of shifting toward […]
Commentary on 14th Annual State of Agile Report – Part 1.
The eagerly anticipated 14th Annual State of Agile Report was published earlier this week, and like previous publications, there are some fantastic insights. With over 1,100 responses collected from August to December 2019, there appears to be good representation from organizations of various sizes as well as an increase in global representation in the survey. […]
Combining DevOps and Agile Transformations to Achieve Business Outcomes
Is your organization well underway implementing DevOps? Or maybe you’re just getting started with a DevOps initiative? Did you know you can maximize your chances of achieving desired business outcomes by combining DevOps with an Agile Transformation? You Keep Using Those Words… When you hear “Business Outcomes,” “DevOps,” and/or Agile Transformation” – what comes to […]
Leadership Skills for the New Normal
Leadership Skills that focus on “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools” In volatile times like these, leaders can have a tendency to focus heavily on tools and processes. There’s also a danger that they head into micro-command-control mode through a desire to “Stay in the loop.” In doing so, leaders can easily lose the […]
7 Lessons To Help Transitioning to Virtual Workshops Easier
As a person who has a high preference for in-person workshops, transitioning to a 100% virtual delivery and facilitation has been an experience to say the least. However, there are a few things I learned in the last few weeks that helped make our workshops more fun and engaging. I’m sure there are many more […]
Business Outcome-Based Metrics: How to Effectively Measure Your Agile Transformation Journey
Outputs or Outcomes? Many organizations are stuck measuring and making decisions based on outputs – like velocity. In fact, team velocity is one of the most commonly used, abused, and misused metrics in Agile software development as well as during digital transformations. Teams, their managers, and even their stakeholders often focus on “improving velocity” without […]