As we work with clients who are moving up the Agile maturity curve there is increasing interest in the subject of Lean management frameworks for complementing Agile practices. Because the two value systems and supporting management techniques share so much in common, it’s often helpful to compare and contrast the two in order to better Continue
Agile and the Devilish Details
While most of the Agile community is comfortable promoting Agile and Scrum practices as relatively simple and straight forward, they overlook the fact that in many organizations these new “required” practices are anything but simple to implement. The reality is that there are devilish details to concern yourself with when nurturing Agile process, planning, engineering Continue
Is Agile Really Just a Happy Accident?
In recent weeks, there has been increased discussion among some in the Agile PMI community who are seeking empirical proof for how and why autonomy and team empowerment actually works. What I find interesting is how difficult it is for Agilists to provide much more than anecdotal evidence supporting this foundational Agile principle. This discussion Continue
58% of Software Bugs Beg for Agile Relief
The latest Osterman Research on the state of test processes and automation revealed what those of us pursuing Agile engineering practices have known for nearly a decade… that the manner in which Test and QA are typically executed in most companies is appalling and worse, dishonors the QA and Test professionals who aspire to add real strategic value to software products and solutions. The fact Continue
Do Agile Teams Know Who Their Customers Really Are?
The last few months at Gear Stream have involved intensive work helping new clients, welcoming new colleagues, and most importantly, delivering on the potential of Agile. Throughout all this crazy growth is a recurring client challenge that I’d like to highlight that has the potential to undermine Agile success and worse, introduce outcomes nearly as Continue
