People & Teams

Articles

photo from pair programming sessions Pair Programming in the Clink

In this personal experience story, Daryl Kulak relates the day he spent behind bars. He was there to participate in a program that pairs prisoners with software developers “from the outside” to explore the art and science of agile software development. “It’s like a code retreat,” Kulak notes, “except it’s inside a prison.”

Daryl  Kulak's picture Daryl Kulak
Burning With Excuses

We all know what it’s like to be frustrated with someone else when that person isn’t being as responsive as we would like. It’s especially easy to do when our own work or responsibilities are on the line. In this tale from Naomi Karten, she shows that a lack of response doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of care and explains how very important it is to have the full story before you get too worked up.

Naomi Karten's picture Naomi Karten
From One Expert to Another: Simon Baker From One Expert to Another: Simon Baker

In this interview, author, speaker, and agile tester Lisa Crispin speaks with Simon Baker, cofounder of Energized Work and recipient of the Gordon Pask award, about the approaches and tools his lab uses.

Lisa Crispin's picture Lisa Crispin
Agile Customer Validation Vision

When applying validation, should you limit yourself to the end-of-sprint review or demo—the practice most people associate with agile validation—or should you utilize other validation types where customers provide feedback? Where do the customers who attend validation sessions come from? In this article, you will learn about the importance of the ACVV and how to establish a vision to benefit the product and each project therein.

Mario  Moreira's picture Mario Moreira
Simulation Games: A Way to Improve Communication in the Team

One of the hardest daily tasks developers, QA, ScrumMasters, and product owners encounter is effective communication with others. Sound implausible? According to many articles, research, and personal observations, the main cause of project failure is not technology or hardware, but inefficient communication stemming from lack of effective communication between team members, incomplete business analysis, imprecise requirements, and vaguely formulated business objectives.

Monika Konieczny's picture Monika Konieczny
For Project Managers, Agile Is About Asking a Different Question

Daryl Kulak explains that if we don't ask the right question at the beginning of the project, then no matter how well we answer, it won't be helpful. Perhaps the biggest difference between agile and waterfall is the question being asked. The scope of the project and any judgments of progress are related to this very fundamental question.

Daryl  Kulak's picture Daryl Kulak
From Red Tape to No Tape: Organizational Misalignment with Agile Values

Charles Suscheck writes that if you’re in an organization that has signs of post-industrial orientation, now is a good time to take a fresh look at your organization’s underlying (and often oblique) belief system.

Charles Suscheck's picture Charles Suscheck
whiteboard Experimenting: The Way Forward for Agile Development Teams

If you asked anyone on my team what agile practice is most responsible for our success over the past eight years, I bet they'd say retrospectives. But I wonder if it's not so much the retrospectives themselves, as the "small experiments" (to borrow Linda Rising's term) we perform to try to address our problem areas.

Lisa Crispin's picture Lisa Crispin
From Red Tape to No Tape: Maximizing Agile in Your Organization

Companies using agile development must recognize that they won’t reap the benefits of agile without the correct organizational philosophy. Companies often don’t even realize that they are following a path that can limit agile adoption. Here, Charles Suscheck describes two organizational philosophies—one that is adverse to successful agile adoption and one that facilitates the agile processes.

Charles Suscheck's picture Charles Suscheck
Mission Possible: ScrumMaster and Technical Contributor

Teams trying out Scrum might not be able to justify a full-time ScrumMaster to the organization, so the role is filled by a contributor on the team. This can be a challenge and, if done incorrectly, a problem. Learn some potential issues to be aware of and how to make the hybrid role work.

Steve Berczuk's picture Steve Berczuk

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