“Requirements are guesses. Designs are guesses. Estimates are guesses. What matters is how fast you can find out.”  Mary Poppendieck “The problem isn’t that we don’t know how to build software. The problem is that we don’t know how to build software together .”  Gene Kim Waterfall works very well when you know exactly what you are building. If you are constructing a house, pouring a foundation, or installing a system with fixed specifications, defining the work in detail up f

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do.” Steve Jobs “Most organizations do not have a technology problem. They have a coordination problem.” Gene Kim I did not begin my career thinking about Agile or SAFe. My early work was focused on large, high-pressure IT projects delivered through waterfall. And if you have lived in that world, you know exactly how the requirements looked. Thousands of “the system shall…” statements created through hundr

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”— Stephen Hawking “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”— John F. Kennedy Haven't we all seen this? Executives get promoted because they are subject matter experts within their domain. Then one day they’re told to lead something completely different: an IT overhaul, an Agile rollout, a data modernization effort. Suddenly, they’re in charge of people who are working on somet

AI without experience is a bad call! My first job was as a cashier at Piggly Wiggly, a southern grocery store. The registers were manual,...

Risks can turn into issues! “ Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” —Warren Buffett “Plans are worthless, but planning is...

Story points need to stay arbitrary! “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” —...

Definitions matter! “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.”  W. Edwards Deming “You...

Issues can become risks! If you're a program manager! “There will always be external and internal factors that influence [your] plan....

You should seek input for every significant initiative! "The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been...

What continuum? “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they’re not.” Albert Einstein “Just because it moves in...

Why do executives seem so out of touch? “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”  — Ralph Nader “The...

What other legacy processes should we rethink? "Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."   General George S....

Burnout is real! “Being busy is not the same as being productive.” – Tim Ferriss “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for...

The SMART acronym has changed! "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." – Tony Robbins "You are never...

PMI has multiple approaches to risk management “Opportunities multiply as they are seized but so do risks when ignored.” – Sun Tzu “If...

Where is PMI heading with their Agile certifications? The Project Management Institute (PMI) has long been a source for project managers...

I was always curious about the difference between SAFe® and the Disciplined Agile Framework®. I currently have the PMI Agile Certified...

“There are only two options: make progress or make excuses.” Tony Robbins “Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity.” Thor...

“No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it.” Peter Drucker “No man ever reached to excellence in any one...

“Bad governments always lie because telling the truth requires honor and courage!” Mehmet Murat ildan “To sin by silence when they should...