Francie Van Wirkus's Blog, page 33
May 1, 2015
April 20, 2015
The Culture Fallacy
“We have a team working on talent and culture.”
“We must create a culture to learn and grow.”
“We’ve created a change enablement roadmap.”
“We want to cultivate an Agile culture.”
Sound familiar? These statements are not wrong, but they can easily steer you off course. When adopting Agile and Lean, companies are really, really good at pinning the change on culture. Not only does it sound good, it…
April 17, 2015
March 29, 2015
Kinda Sorta Agile
“It’s a definite maybe.” My father used to say of the impending real estate deals he brokered.
“We’ll see.” Was my mother’s way of telling me probably not.
Some things in life are like that. Lots of wiggle room to evade commitment. If you’re not careful, Agile adoption in your organization can be like that, too.
Being all in, as discussed in the Agile Ice Bucket Challengeblog, is critical to your…
March 22, 2015
Agile Leaders: Keep the Focus on Value
Agile Leaders: Keep the Focus on Value
This weekend, I had the honor of announcing a state championship swim meet for younger kids. There were tons of parents and grandparents present to watch. Well-intentioned, but over-enthusiastic parents and grandparents. It reminds me of those leading and supporting Agile adoption. It is possible to push too far, too hard.
The Whistler
If you’ve experienced a kid’s swim meet, you definitely have…
March 15, 2015
Respect for People: Being all-in
Respect for People: Being all-in
During a recent retrospective, an Agile transformation team was discussing if they needed to post how many days were left in the sprint. Was it enough to post the dates of the sprint, or should they also display how many actual working days are left? They kicked around on how prescriptive they needed to be.
“I think it’s a good idea.” A team member who was a manager chimed in. “It fits right in…
March 13, 2015
February 15, 2015
Agile Adoption Needs Your Time
Agile Adoption Needs Your Time
Last weekend, I showed my father Instagram. Both amateur photographers, we were discussing how photography has been, and continues to be, disrupted by technology. He remembers the days of SCUBA diving with a rented film camera and waterproof case. He would have to take the same photo three different ways, in hopes that one of them will turn out. I remember all those slides…
He wasn’t impressed…
February 13, 2015
January 17, 2015
Three Thieves of Agile Adoption
Three Thieves of Agile Adoption
Businesses have always defended themselves against thieves. Long ago, before my mother was even born, my entrepreneurial grandmother had to protect her business in rural, Northern Wisconsin. She and my grandfather owned a tavern and service station. During difficult times, my grandfather earned extra money working as a logger, leaving my grandmother was solely responsible for their business.
O…
