Tag Archives: Agile Manifesto

The Critical Path by Derek Huether Free Project Management Information, Advice, and Templates

Before you spend the next week, redesigning the TPS report, you need to stop and ask yourself a simple question.

Why?

Why are you doing it? If you can not map the task back to a stakeholder or customer objective/requirement (goal) you better stop now. Some people call this gold-plating. Additionally if you can not map the task back to one of your personal goals, you better stop now. I call that flushing time down a toilet.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic? Are you spending all of your time doing stuff that is not getting you any closer the real goal? Well, stop for a minute and pretend you are a 5-year-old.

Whenever you ask a 5-year-old to do something, they never seem to do it without first asking why.

Go sit down
Why?

Because it’s dinner time.
Why?

Because you need to eat your dinner.
Why?

Because I don’t want child protective services saying we don’t feed you.
Why?

Because we’re trying to get you to adulthood without scarring you too much.

What’s our main personal goal as it relates to our son?

Goal 1: Get him to adulthood without scarring him too much

Now, as project managers and leaders, what are your primary goals? Is it keep the project on schedule? Is it keep the project from going over budget? Or, is it one of the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto? Whatever your answer(s), when asked to do something, keep asking why until you reach your main goal(s).

We want to add this change to the next deployed version
Why?

Because it is now a priority
Why?

Because it will either save time, money, or both

What’s one of our documented goals related to our project?

Goal 1: Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

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Principles Behind The Twitter Manifesto

Derek Huether

– September 14, 2010Posted in: Agile, Social Networking

We follow these principles:

Our highest priority is to satisfy the follower through early and continuous delivery of valuable tweets.

Welcome a changing Twitter stream, even late in the day. Twitter processes harness change for the follower’s informative advantage.

Deliver working links frequently, from a couple of hours to a couple of days, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

Tweeters and followers must work together continuously throughout the day.

Write tweets around motivated followers. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the retweet done.

The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within the Twitter community is continuous conversation.

Reading informative tweets is the primary measure of progress.

Twitter processes promote sustainable tweeting and retweeting. The tweeters, followers, and twibes should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

Continuous attention to tweet excellence and good spelling enhances retweeting.

Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of letters not used–is essential.

The best blog posts, pics, and links emerge from self-organizing twibes.

At regular intervals, the twibe reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Thank you to the authors of the Agile Manifesto. Without it, my life would have less direction and this post would have even less value.

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Tags: Agile, Agile Manifesto, Twitter

Using Agile does not mean a lack of defined process

Derek Huether

– March 2, 2009Posted in: Project Management

Sometimes I’m not surprised to hear one of our current contractor say they are now using Agile. This is their explanation for ad-hoc builds, lack of documentation, and lack of predictable process. It can be frustrating to hear of development groups using it as a scapegoat. Waterfall has been the decided process for our main program I’m working and it makes sense. The requirements have been clearly identified, for several years. The budget and schedule have been fixed, for several years. I’m not saying we can’t use Agile in different areas of the program. But, most important the current contract is not structured to support it.

The contractor does not seem to understand the difference between cowboy coding and Agile. Agile teams, do follow defined and often very disciplined and rigorous processes. What is lacking, by this contractor, is any example of a defined process.

Agile certainly can work well if utilized by people who know what it is. I’ve signed the Agile Manifesto. I know what Agile is. Don’t use a lowecase “agile” and think you’re getting away with it.