Archive for the ‘Agile’ Category

Who is Joke Vandemaele?

one comment | Posted on Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'BookList, Who is ?, WorkLifeBalance'

I don’t remember where I met Joke for the first time. I do remember that at Agile 2008 in Toronto she recommended two books to me. Innovation Games and a book about building bridges. I had read Beyond Software Architecture of Luke Hohman and I had the small innovation Game booklet in my bag. I had never heard of Gojko. I’m happy she convinced me to read his book.
That conversation is a typical conversation with Joke. Although she is very smart and knows more than most people I know, she talks about other people. I still remember XPday Benelux 2008. She had been doing an internal presentation about her power workshops at a client we both worked for. Xavier had convinced her to bring her material to the conference. During the conference there was a session cancelled. Joke proposed fill in for that session. Her session was selected for Mini XPdays 2009 (which is a "best of XpDays", 6 months later.) Joke is also the first person who negotiated a Who Is release date without having sent any answers to me. That says as much about my trust for her as her negotiation abilities.

 

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?
 
Even though I mention it in my bio, most people don’t know that I studied art and have an MBA. I am actually a Master in Visual Arts with a specialization in Graphical Design. After those studies I decided I didn’t want to do the graphical work itself but wanted to become the person in an Advertising Agency bridging the gap between the customers and the designers. Someone advised me to take an MBA and so I got into the Vlerick Management School for an MBA in Marketing Management.
 
When I graduated the head professor confessed that he had taken me on as an experiment, never having had an art student applying for an MBA before. He concluded it had been a success to create diversity in the group and add someone with a fresh and creative view on things.
 
With these diplomas I searched for a job and ended up in a web agency, the Internet at that point being a whole new world to most people.  My background in design and marketing brought me into the field of website usability, user experience, later acceptance testing, then analysis and eventually I got to know Agile.
 
If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

From all this you might conclude that if I would not be in IT, I would have been in advertising.  Who knows?
 
What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

My biggest challenge is not to doubt myself. People who know me might burst out in laughter hearing me say this because I have been called the ice queen and was asked where I was hiding my whip. But in fact I am, in my own way, very insecure. Yes, if you would compare me with most other people I would probably score high on self-confidence. But in my own eyes I am insecure which keeps me modest and open to continuous improvement.
 
What drives you?

In a way it is the same thing that challenges me. Once I get into a comfortable position I get bored and feel like I have to get to the next level so that I can doubt myself again, improve, get comfortable again, get that urge to do something more and so on.
 
What is your biggest achievement?

One day, getting frustrated while sitting through the umpteenth meeting resulting in nothing, I started summarizing the items that came out of the discussion on post-its, sticking them on the wall behind me. My colleagues started directing their attention to that wall, pointing at it, asking to move and add things. We managed to keep focused on the topic and our directed thinking resulted into a plan so that at the end of that meeting everybody walked out having a great feeling about the fact that something had been decided.
 
From there I worked towards the concept of what someone at some point started calling, ‘Power Workshops’, which are about organizing and facilitating workshops and are based on the lean and agile principles of teamwork, cooperative exploration, discovery of knowledge and visual representation of information. I’ve found that they are the most effective way to kick start an ICT project and offer the minimum amount of analysis up front necessary to reach a common understanding of project goals, scope, cost and duration between business and ICT resulting in a Product Backlog and basic idea of an architecture needed to start Agile Development.

My work in this area has been recognized with awards, endorsements and invitations to speak at international Agile conferences.
 
What is the last book you have read?

The last book I read is "The Fountainhead” a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. It speaks of an era where the mass keeps on copying the old ways and is scared of change and new things. The writer uses the topic of modernistic architecture to bring her views on change and what drives it to prove that all big thinkers and all improvements are always condemned and unwanted at first, but eventually get recognized.
Makes you think of Agile versus Waterfall, right!?
 
What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

Ask me why it took me so long (8 months since you first asked) to answer these questions. Well I’ve become a mom a while back and although it wasn’t my intention to put my career on hold, somehow it kind of happened. You get less sharp, you evolve slower, I didn’t come up with new things, which I could share with the community and thus didn’t feel like I belonged in this book for the moment.  But things are changing and besides the fact that I am pregnant again I have set some new goals I want to work toward this year.
 
Who do you think I should ask next?

This shouldn’t come as a surprise: Xavier Quesada Allue.

 

If you like these answers, you can by our book: who is agile.

Who is Jukka Lindstrom ?

one comment | Posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'BookList, Who is ?'

Jukka was invited by Esther. She says: Jukka has boundless curiosity about how people and organizations tick. What I wonderfull way to describe someone. Interesting is the least you can say of Jukka. When you look at Jukka’s Linkedin profile, you see he was

and now

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

I went to Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Visual Arts for high school. The school had a strong emphasis on visual arts (maybe 1/4 of the classes was something related to arts and creativity ) and it had a big impact on me. The atmosphere at school was quite unconventional as high schools go (at least so I think) and we were provided a quite a lot of freedom (/w responsibility) on choosing our studies and where to spend our time.

A part of my open-mindedness and creative out-of-the-box thinking has likely been influenced by my years doodling stuff and hanging out with the creative and interesting people there.

If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

Most likely an architect or engineer, but possibly a mathematician or physicist. Before high school I was striving to become an architect due my interest in arts. It would have been quite natural job selection as our family has a background in construction and engineering.

The employment situation at the time for architects wasn’t too good in Finland so I decided to pursue my childhood passion – computers and information science at the Helsinki University of Technology.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

I become absorbed in new interesting things very easily. When I find something interesting, other things that I have been focusing on all fall to the background.

I get a huge boost of energy when I learn or do something new, whether that is doing gymnastics, a new book, playing chess or giving effective feedback to colleagues. Because of that good feeling and energy I get a lot of done in a short amount of time.

The drawback is of course the lack of attention to other things – for instance I might realize after a month that I have not finished some other things I had picked up earlier (read a book, create a new training module). This makes me sad as it means at times I have a lot of WIP or loose ends. For example I have a huge (and I mean huge!) pile of books that I’ve started with enthusiasm but haven’t finished.

Overall I think this habit is good for me, because I love learning and making associations. Reading and trying a lot of different things I get new insights about how things relate to each other; and I can help others by pointing out to sources of information on different subjects.

What drives you?

The thing that has always driven me is challenge. If there’s a challenge it is highly likely that I will be very motivated on what ever the challenge is about. Learning is another big thing for me, I love learning new things and I have almost endless curiosity :) . Having a new insights is so big a boost for me, that I’m almost addicted...

Something that I’ve found more and more motivating during the last couple of years is helping other people.

When I see someone become more motivated, satisfied, happy and energetic, I get a huge boost of energy for myself.  I don’t know whether this is the cause or effect of my focus from coding and solving technical challenges to helping people and coaching people.

What is your biggest achievement?

Tough question. When thinking of my life, no specific one achievement jump to my mind. What I do recall, is  the many many hours spent on pondering and working on some challenges or doing something else I enjoy.

For me, the destination is not that important, it’s how I got there that I remember and value.

One the my journeys that I treasure is my personal transformation from an expert to a coach – the biggest achievement is that I decided to start this transformation. There’s many great learnings and insights I’ve had during the years on this road – and still learning! 

What is the last book you have read?

Well well.. :-) Does a partially read book count ?

The last book I read fully was The Anatomy of Peace by Arbinger Institute. It is an outstanding novel that helped me understand how I am not only responsible of my actions, but also of my feelings and how this revelation affects the relationships with people. It had a huge impact on my outlook on life.

After The Anatomy of Peace I’ve started about half a dozen books. Here’s the one’s that I am multi-reading and almost finished with:

What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

What’s your last significant insight related to your work?

I got big insight from David Rocks’ school of coaching which is based on latest brain science; When coaching, stay away from details, concentrate on the other coachee’s thinking.

Questions about details like "What happened next? What are the different factors of that problem?" are usually not too useful in helping the coachee go forward. They lead to information exchange between the coach and coachee, rather than create insights or momentum.

As a coach I don’t need to know the details of the dilemma, the coachee knows all of that already. In fact, my goal is not to know about coachee’s problem, but help that person go forward. For that I need to help that person come up with new insights about the situation. For example asking questions related to the coachee’s thinking has much higher probability on creating an insight for the coachee ("Where is your thinking right now on this issue? What have you learned? What else?").

The insight was not really while hearing or reading about this, but as I started trying this out. I’ve have great results trying this approach. You can read more about this from Quiet Leadership or Coaching with the Brain in Mind by David Rock.

Who do you think I should ask next?

Bas Vodde, who a nice wise guy living in Singapore.  I’ve known Bas for many years and I’ve never won an argument with him :) .

 

If you like these answers, you can find more in the “Who is agile” book. Jukka also answerd the Ola Ellnestam’s question: What is your favorite question right now?

ATQ: Standup, the monday answers.

no comments | Posted on Monday, March 12th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Daily Standup, Games, Quiz'

Last weeks Thursday I published another ATQ this one about Daily standups. The questions came from Simon Baker. Here are his answers: (I added my comments with his, to show there is not one truth)

1. What are the goals of the daily stand-up?

a) Share status information.

b) Report progress to the manager.

c) Identify impediments.

d) Set direction and synchronise the day’s activities.

e) Remove impediments.

f) Assign work to people.

Correct Answers:

a) Even when there’s promiscuous pair programming, it’s useful for individuals to hear fresh updates from their team mates (especially at the start of the day) to get a sense of overall progress towards the goals. It’s also helpful to share anything interesting and relevant that people may find  generally useful.

c) Impediments can’t be removed if nobody knows about them. It’s therefore important to make people aware of new impediments and raise early awareness, and also update them on progress to remove existing impediments.

d) With an understanding of current status the team can organize itself to provide assistance where it’s needed and work collectively to maintain the flow of work to done and move closer to achieving its goals.

Incorrect Answers:

b) The daily standup is the team’s forum for communicating the latest useful information to one another and collectively coordinating their activities for the day. It’s not a meeting for people to report to a manager or leader.

e) Removing impediments takes time and happens outside the daily standup.

f) Work is not assigned to people. People volunteer. The team is meant to be self-organizing and should decide for itself how best to deploy in order to achieve its goals.

Remarks from Yves:

F) >> this is were you see that details are important. When you assign the work in the team by the team. You could say it F is also ok. (Although I prefer people sign up themselves)

2. What do people talk about at the daily stand-up?

a) Impediments that are causing delays.

b) Percentage complete on work in progress.

c) What will be attempted today.

d) Solutions to problems.

e) Ask questions to clarify understanding.

f) What was accomplished yesterday.

Correct Answers:

a) People actively working to remove impediments and clear obstacles blocking stories provide updates on their progress.

c) Individuals state succinctly what they’ll be working on today.

e) It’s often necessary for people to ask clarifying questions of others to get a clear understanding of what’s been said. If a discussion develops about problem solving it should be taken offline and continued after the daily standup.

f) Individuals provide a bulletin on the progress they made yesterday. This is headline information and not details. It can be helpful to summarise the acceptance criteria satisfied (providing the acceptance criteria are expressed in a meaningful way).

Incorrect Answers:

b) Progress isn’t reported by the percentage done. As humans, we’re very good at knowing when something is started and when something has been finished, but we’re terrible at knowing anything in-between. It can be informative to talk about progress in terms of the acceptance criteria satisfied or outstanding (providing the acceptance criteria are expressed in a meaningful way).

d) Make people aware of any new problems but the daily standup is too short to fix problems. Discussing potential solutions and agreeing a way forward is done outside the daily standup.

Remarks Yves

B) Depends on how you look at progres. % progress on storys/task I agree.

If WIP is shown by one card per task/story. You do see some progress indication when some parts are done.

3. Why do people standup at the daily standup?

a) Stimulate a higher level of attentiveness.

b) More people can huddle.

c) Helps keep the standup short.

d) It’s easier for people to queue up to speak.

e) Avoid deep vein thrombosis.

f) It’s more sociable.

Correct Answers:

a) Standing up prompts people to engage as their physical movement stimulates a mental readiness, for a while at least.

c) Standing up provides everyone with a physical reminder to be expeditious. When people start fidgeting it’s a sure sign the standup is taking too long.

Incorrect Answers:

b) It might be possible to fit more people in when everyone is standing, and it might even make it easier for people to see the board, but in and of itself it’s not really a reason to be standing.

d) People don’t queue up to speak at the daily standup, the team walks the board, i.e. the story owners speak according to the order of work on the board. Typically, impediments are covered first followed by the stories in progress (including defects, systems work, and technical debt), either working down from the highest value story (story board) or working backwards from the done column (Kanban board).

e) While office workers probably do spend more time on their butts it’s arguably not long enough to develop deep vein thrombosis.

f) Sociability probably has more to do with how friendly people are, how well they know each other, how well they get on together, and whether it’s a safe environment than it does standing up.

4. What are the signs of a good daily stand-up?

a) Everybody gets to speak.

b) It happens at the same time every day, where the work happens.

c) It manages itself.

d) Afterwards, people feel energised and are clear about what they’re doing.

e) Stakeholders come to observe.

f) It takes less than 15 minutes.

Correct Answers:

b) Doing the daily standup at the same time and in the same place removes coordination costs and helps make it a habit. It also lets other people drop by and observe proceedings. A standup first thing in the morning provides a springboard for launching into the day. It makes sense to do it around the board because that’s where the information lives about what’s going on and it provides triggers on what needs to happen.

c) A good standup feels like it managed itself. I’ve seen daily standups done without any facilitation where people get to the point, share information, organise, and jump into the work day with clarity.

d) A good standup gets people energised.Maintaining a clear sense of purpose and urgency to make a difference rather than just get busy on activities reminds people why they’re dong what they’re doing and focuses their attention on what needs to be done to achieve the goals.

e) This may be a contentious view but I think it’s good to have stakeholders and people from other parts of the business present who want to hear about progress or relevant information. I include an ‘any other business’ piece at the end of the daily standup to allow stakeholders a few seconds to share relevant information with the team. Sharing information in the presence of stakeholders removes the need for other status meetings and reports.

f) The daily standup ought to be short and sweet. 15 minutes or less is a general rule of thumb, regardless of the number of people attending. Any longer than 15 minutes and energy dissipates and minds begin to wander.

Incorrect Answers:

a) Nowadays it’s common practice to talk about the stories rather than each person answer the three Scrum questions. Focus shifts from personal commitment to moving work in progress to done. This means it’s not necessary for everyone to speak at the daily standup. Perhaps the current story owners do most of the talking.

Remarks Yves

I do agree in general with the remark about A. Yet on not teams that struggle with commitment I can be good to have everyone speaking. And if people don’t speak, what they have done should have been discussed (f ex if the paired, their pair should have spoken)

Some URL’s about Daily Standups

See what wikipedia has to say about standups

A few years back Simon wrote a popular article about Standup’s.

Jason Yip wrote a few patterns about Standups (on Martin Fowlers blog).

Also Mike Cohn wrote about standups

On the first wiki (from Ward) there is also a page about standups

Even on Methods and Tools has an article on Daily Standups (from Mike Vizdos)

Big Visible has a post on extreme standups

Also the website Extreme programming has a post on standup meeting

Agile Thursday Quiz: Questions about Daily Standups…

7 comments | Posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Daily Standup, Games, Quiz'

Because of my work on the “Who is agile” book I did not publish new ATQ in a few weeks.
A lot of people struggle with a standup. As with a lot of things, it’s simple but not easy.
For this ATQ, Simon Baker helped me out with the questions.

1. What are the goals of the daily stand-up?
a) Share status information.
b) Report progress to the manager.
c) Identify impediments.
d) Set direction and synchronize the day’s activities.
e) Remove impediments.
f) Assign work to people.

2. What do people talk about at the daily stand-up?
a) Impediments that are causing delays.
b) Percentage complete on work in progress.
c) What will be attempted today.
d) Solutions to problems.
e) Ask questions to clarify understanding.
f) What was accomplished yesterday.

3. Why do people standup at the daily standup?
a) Stimulate a higher level of attentiveness.
b) More people can huddle.
c) Helps keep the standup short.
d) It’s easier for people to queue up to speak.
e) Avoid deep vein thrombosis.
f) It’s more sociable.

4. What are the signs of a good daily stand-up?
a) Everybody gets to speak.
b) It happens at the same time every day, where the work happens.
c) It manages itself.
d) Afterwards, people feel energized and are clear about what they’re doing.
e) Stakeholders come to observe.
f) It takes less than 15 minutes.

Who is Jenni Jepsen

one comment | Posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Agile, Who is ?'

I met Jenni a few years back at XPDay Benelux. She did a wonderfull session together with Portia Tung. I have to admit I was at the session because of Portia. I was so impressed with Jenni, I went to her flirting with your stakeholder session the next day. I left even more impressed. I had numerous online conversation with Jenni since. I was really glad when Nicole invited her.

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

Many people do not know that I had a sister who died in a car accident. She was nearly 18, I was 20. That was the first time I’d experienced a death of someone close to me. I felt a lot of guilt at the time – she was a much happier person than I was. And being the only surviving sibling, I felt a bit lost dealing with my and my parents’ grief. Of course, this is a sad story, but it has had a major influence on my life. I really appreciate who my sister was, and afterwards I can see that I appreciate others so much more, I think, than I would have without having gone through this loss. Living each day to the fullest is not a cliché for me. It’s helped me to make some courageous decisions.

If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

Hmmm, I guess I am now working in IT, aren’t I? I’m helping project teams improve their communication and collaboration. But I don’t have an IT background, so I don’t necessarily identify myself as “in IT.” I think that if I had not discovered Agile, I would still be working with executives and organizations helping them communicate the benefits of their products and services to end-user customers. I like what I do now much better. It’s more challenging, more interesting and I can see a greater good created by using Agile methodologies within the entire organization.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

My biggest challenge right now is to continue to integrate in Denmark. I moved here from the U.S. in 2008 (for love). My Danish is not quite fluent yet, but I’ve made major steps. My next goal is, in two years, to be doing my work completely in Danish if that is what the client prefers. Really learning the language is good for me because it’s been an unexpected “test” that I think helps keep my mind sharp. Isn’t that what they say, you should challenge your brain by learning another language? It’s either that or crossword puzzles…

What drives you?

Two things: my desire to share what I know with others to help them align with goals, create meaning for their stakeholders, and build trust within the organization, AND my perfectionist tendencies, which are not always a good thing. I want to do the best job I can at all times. Making my clients happy is critical, but making sure I feel I’ve done my very best is even more important to me.

What is your biggest achievement?

Helping raise my independent, clever, curious son. He’s 24 now and it’s so great for me to see his transformation and know that I played a part in that.

What is the last book you have read?

Fiction: Fire dage i marts, about a woman’s relationship with her mother, grandmother, son and boyfriend, and events that span four days in March – in Danish.
Non-fiction: SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath about organizational change.

What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

Q. Where do you go to learn?
A. Many places: conferences (especially the smaller ones), books, courses, blogs, twitter…but conversations, really deep conversations, with others both in and outside of the Agile community, seem to be where I learn most.

Who do you think I should ask next?

There are so many smart, talented people in this community. How about:

  • Ole Jepsen – my partner in all things, and the man that brought “Agile” to Denmark.
  • Martin Heider – young, energetic, helping lead the Agile movement in Germany.
  • Michael Sahota  – okay, I just feel good hanging around Michael. His focus is on using games as a way to align with strategies and get people really communicating.
  • Portia Tung  – her ability to get at the heart of the matter and work with teams to find answers is uncanny.

If you like these answers, you can find more in the book: who is agile. Jenni also answered Lisa’s question: What are you looking forward to most in the next few months?

Who is Shane Hastie

2 comments | Posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Agile, BookList, Who is ?'

Shane Hastie was proposed by Dennis. Shane is a CKE. CKE as in Chief Knowledge Engineer. I love that title. You might know Shane from [his articles for InfoQ. Shane lives in New-Zealand in a timezone exactly 12 hour difference from Belgium (where I live). That makes skype calls between us kinda funny. When I talk to him at 21 PM (my time), it’s 9 am the next morning (on his side).

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

As a teenager in the 70‘s I was really fortunate to get involved in a progamme run by the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) that was an introduction to computer science. I spent many Saturdays writing programs in Fortran and Assembler; we even had to build our own controlled logic device 4-bit computer to understand how they work. That instilled an interest in computing and gadgets, but I didn’t go into computing straight from school. Instead I initially worked in retail – jewelry and food – which gave me a reasonable understanding of ensuring that the product you sell must meet real people’s needs. When I moved into computing as a career I brought this customer focus into my work and have found that it helps me deliver better products that meet the customer’s needs.

Malcolm Watson from Pronto Software puts it perfectly: Technology exists to serve the human need, not to be the human need.

If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

Before I trained as a programmer I was managing a jewelry store, and was seriously considering becoming a gemologist. I’m still interested in sparkly things :-) I suspect that my wife would have enjoyed it if I’d taken that path.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?
I tend to be a workaholic, and struggle to say “no” when asked to take on something new, especially if it’s something I am interested in.

Getting the right balance is really hard, and I don’t think I’ve got there yet; my wife is certain that I haven’t!

Not so sure about the “good for me bit” – it’ll be good when I do manage to find the right balance though :-)

What drives you ?

I’m passionate about sharing what I’ve learned over the last 30 years in IT. I think that I’ve made most of the mistakes that are out there and have learned lots by doing so. If I can help some people and teams improve their way of working and instill a real focus on building products that create customer delight while having fun and working effectively together then I feel I have achieved something of value.

I’ve just spent some time with a team in Brisbane, helping them implement Agile techniques in their workplace. It was a wonderfully satisfying experience to hear them debating the merits of the practices and come to a deep understanding of what it means to work in this way. They really “got it” and we were able to put it into practice right away. The delight and happiness that this team feel in their work shines out of them and their customers really appreciate the products they’re building. Being able to help people rekindle their joy in work is tremendously satisfying. We spend most of our waking hours at work – it should be both fun and satisfying.

What is your biggest achievement?

Nancy and I have raised five wonderful children to adulthood, this I feel is the ultimate legacy – the values and principles we’ve helped instil in the lives of those who are closest to us.

My relationship with my wife Nancy has to count as a hugely important part of who I am – we’ve had 31 wonderful years together, have truly experienced the “in sickness and in health for richer, for poorer; for better, for worse” and are still on honeymoon.

On a professional level I would say getting my Master’s degree as an adult learner (I didn’t go to university after school, I got married instead) is something that I have found personally very satisfying. I approached it with a degree of arrogance (I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, what can these academics teach me) and found that there was a huge amount that I didn’t know, and needed to learn. It also gave me a strong understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of why the practices that I espouse work – I was working with a company in Melbourne who were adopting Agile as their way of working and studied them before and after the process change. So I learned (again) that Agile works, and also why it works so well.

What is the last book you have read?

I’ve just finished Specification by Example by Gojko. I’m busy building a course on business analysis in agile projects and his approaches are wonderful – he clearly explains the value and benefit of the ATDD practices in a simple pragmatic way. I’m planning to include his book as part of the course material.

I recently finished Radical Management by Steven Denning – another great read. He talks about overturning the fundamental ideas that underpinned management in the 20th century and focusing on the principles that drive business in the 21st – customer delight, joy in work, self-organising teams and professionalism.

What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

What are you working on at the moment and why does it matter?
Thanks for asking – I’m really glad to be working with an international team under the auspices of the Agile Alliance and the International Institute for Business Analysis on defining the Agile Extension to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge.
Currently there is a vast gulf in understanding about the role of analysis on agile projects, which is leading to distrust and misunderstanding in the professional communities. I want to bridge these gaps – analysis is a vital skillset that every team building software products needs to have, and the fundamental knowledge of the analyst is really important on an agile project. How analysis is undertaken changes significantly and business analysts need to understand that their role will be different on agile projects – in my opinion it becomes much richer and more rewarding as we shepherd the product to delivery rather than focusing on writing cumbersome documents that are frequently ignored.

Who do you think I should ask next?

1. Johanna Rothman: she’s a great author, inspirational and wonderfully pragmatic in her writings, fantastic to work with (I recently had the opportunity to build and deliver a workshop on working effectively in distributed teams with her), and deeply passionate about improving the world of work. The AYE conference (she is one of the organisers) is a life-changing event. If you haven’t got her already then she’s my number one.

2. My colleague Sharon Robson- one of the Influential Women in Testing, she was also profiled in the Women in Agile program at Agile 2010. She is a great tester who is influencing the direction of the craft, tells great stories and is making a real difference with her work.

3. A friend and confederate James King, he has a low profile in the Agile community but is doing some great stuff with the teams he’s working with across Australia. He has designed a couple of really good games that help imbed the agile attitudes and understand the principles.

If you like these answers, I hope you buy the book: Who is agile
In the book lots of agilists answer the same questions and Shane’s answers also
Yvonne vanderLaak’s question: Who inspires you/is your role model?

Who is Yvonne van der Laak?

one comment | Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Agile, BookList, Who is ?'

When I asked Yvonne to be in the book, she was really surprised. Not fake suprised, as some actresses do when they get an Oscar, she was surprised because technically she is not an agilist. She used to work for the Dutch branch of Xebia) as a Marketing Coordinator. I have not met Yvonne, yet for me, her interaction on twitter showed me that her mindset was really agile. I don’t know if that’s because of the influence of working for an agile company (which some of us would like) or because Xebia has great hiring skills. This book wants to show off people who understand agile and who breathe it and that is why Yvonne is in the book.

 

 

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

I am an idealist. My goal in life is to make the world a better place, especially when it comes to animal welfare. I have always known that this is something I care about, but only recently realized that it is actually the thing that drives me. My goal is to make a difference in the world. Social media helps me to get there.
 
If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

Well actually, I am not in IT myself anymore. I used to work for Xebia, but started my own business – Start With Y – in social media and online branding. I have a background in communication and marketing. Some of my clients, however, are from the Agile community.
I have never deliberately chosen to be in IT. It sort of happened, but I must say that working at Xebia has definitely changed me. I have met so many great, driven people that have inspired and encouraged me. They have introduced me to the wonderous world of agile which still comes in handy as agile is definitely not just an "IT thing" anymore.
 
What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

Being an entrepreneur. I am not a very disciplined and orderly person, so having to manage myself and not having anyone to report to, is quite a challenge sometimes. Still, I am also the one that feels the pain as soon as I am slacking, so that keeps me going.
Just recently I have decided to look for a ‘real’ job  again and keep my business on the side. Working for myself has been an amazing experience so far. It helped me figure out what I want and like and how to get there. It made me very independent, but it also reminded me that I have to ask for help sometimes…
 
What drives you?

Happiness. Respect. Personal development. Fun. My fiancé. Animal welfare. And of course, world peace Winking smile

I am always looking for new things to broaden my horizon. This often results in my friends saying ‘You are doing what?! Why?!’ or ‘That’s so typical for you’, whenever I tell them about my new Russian language course, sports club (rarely), collecting books for schools in Surinam (in progress) or organizing a beach cleanup (coming soon). I love learning new things and contributing to social or environmental projects. I love sharing knowledge and creating awareness, especially amongst my friends. And I am fortunate to have the most amazing guy supporting me and watching my back, no matter what I do.
 
What is your biggest achievement?

Leaving the stability of a job behind and starting my own business. With all the struggles and insecurities that come with it. And I am enjoying every minute of it. Well, maybe not every minute, but at least a few hours every day ;)
 
What is the last book you have read?

You mean actually finished? Let me think… I am halfway through Start With Why by Simon Sinek, the same goes for Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard. I am reading a few Dutch books about starting up your own business. And I have a pile of about 20 books that I still want to read, most of them related to social media, general management or personal development.
Furthermore, I’ve just read The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz by Denis Avey and I am now reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
The next book I am going to buy for fun is Il Etait un Fois by Benjamin Lacombe. I love fairy tales and picture books with pretty drawings.
 
What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

Who inspires you/is your role model? Similar to ‘what drives you?’ but not quite the same.
If I would have to name a few of my role models they would be

Sir Richard Branson (a self-made business man and idealist who works together with the biggest leaders in the world, trying to make a change and having fun while doing it),

Farah Fawcett (an amazingly strong woman who even when she was dying, wanted to help others by making a documentary of her illness)

Lady Gaga (a very young, driven and talented woman who has managed to build one of the biggest and tightest fan clubs in just a few years time).

And closer to home: Roos van Vugt, who is one of the biggest influencers in the Dutch social media/online community, has a great career, 4 kids and is a very nice person.

Last but not least my soon-to-be-hubby. Corny but true.
 
Who do you think I should ask next?

Definitely some Dutchies! I’d be curious about the anwers of Lillian Nijboer and some of my fomer collegues e.g.  

Last week Yvonne’s answers were already published in the Who is agile book together with the answer to the question: If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Why over how over what: Simon Sinek explains the agile mindset

one comment | Posted on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Agile, mindset, Video'

In his TED talk, Simon Sinek talks about how great leaders inspire action. The Why over how is an important part of the agile mindset. That is why agile is important for your business. First figure out why and only then how and what.

Who is Ola Ellnestam

one comment | Posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Agile, BookList, Conferences, Who is ?'

Who is Ola Ellnestam?
Ola Ellnestam was invited by Zuzi. Zuzi wrote she was interested in Ola‘s answers.
You might know Ola from his Mikado method. You gotta love a man that invents a method called Mikado. I’m not sure where I met Ola, I think it was at SDC 2010. Oh and don’t mix Ola up with Ole one letter different, two different countries (Ola is from Sweden, Ole from Denmark) and two total different people, both in their own special way.

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

I have no formal education when it comes to programming. Actually I haven’t attended any ‘higher’ education at all. After 13 years in school I decided I’ve had enough. So, at the age of nineteen I told my mother I wanted to work with people and computers and she looked at me like I was from outer space. ‘You can’t work with computers and people, it’s either or …’

Two months later I was hired as a software & hardware support technician at Sweden’s largest emergency hospital, where I stayed for three years. After coming in contact with a lot of bad and good computer programs, and more importantly the people who used them I realize how important it is for software to be really fit for purpose.

If I had continued studying I probably would have missed the computerization of the Stockholm area health care and a lot of learning opportunities as well.

If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

My first real memory regarding a career choice was related to flying. I dreamt about being a fighter pilot or traveling in space. Probably because I built a lot with Lego and around that time the coolest parts were the space Lego. Later when I considered myself too old for playing with Lego, I felt something was missing and it would take me another 5 years before I could put my finger on what. It was programming that filled the hole I’d felt, the creative, experimental aspect of it and the development and realization of ideas I had. They could all be done with computer programs.

In a way I have my dream job so I haven’t thought much about an alternative. But if I were to reconsider my career now, it would definitely include people and something very creative.

Maybe creating social games or being an artist.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

Living in the ‘now’ is what causes me most conflict really. I sometimes catch myself planning the next family dinner or party in my mind, while being at a party or having dinner with the family. It’s sort of the opposite of running around and taking photos of everything. Photographing would be documenting, while sort of trying to imagine the future and creating it, there and then.

What comes out of this constant planning for the future is a lot of options though, which I do appreciate. And this inclination I have towards exploring options and preparing comes in handy in my work where adaptivness and flexibility often are appreciated and a lot easier if you have thought a bit ahead.

What drives you ?

I guess it’s an [un]healthy mix of curiosity and a feeling that there’s always a better way. I constantly have this nagging feeling that I can do better, this code could be a bit clearer and I just can’t sit idle and watch something being done inefficiently. Or even worse, see people spend energy, money or time in a manner that I feel is ineffective.

What is your biggest achievement?

That’s a really tough one because I don’t feel like I ever achieve something as I tend to minimize my own part in what I do. But if I trick myself and rephrase things a bit I would say I’m very proud of my family, my three kids and my lovely and supportive wife. I’m also proud of the company I started 5 years ago with my colleagues. Again if you look at what drives me, I think my biggest achievement is somewhere in the future, I like to think that tomorrow I’m going to do even better.

What is the last book you have read?

The last one I’ve actually read the final page of was Idealized Design by Russel Ackoff et al. It was interesting because of its practical advice and interesting stories about systems thinking.

But my reading is more this pile of books that are lying around and waiting to be finished. I got a handful going at the moment and somehow it feels like I never really finish books, apart from fiction books, which I feel are more important to actually read from cover to cover. Books that are non fiction almost always cause me to pick up a new book, as I get ¾s into them. That obviously doesn’t help me in finishing books. At least not in the sense ‘reading the last page’.

What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

What is your favorite question right now?

The answer is ‘Could you please tell me something I don’t know about <>.

I love asking people that because it spawns really interesting conversations when you time it right.

Who do you think I should ask next?
Chris Matts or Aki Salmi .

Chris because of his energy, his drive and constant challenging of current views and ideas.
(Ola answered this before Chris his Who is was published.)

Aki because of his humility and his engagement in creating an active Agile community in Finland.

If you like these answers, you might want to buy the Who is agile book it contains tons of answers like this, with extra questions not on my blog.

How MVP & RDP support eachother…

2 comments | Posted on Sunday, February 12th, 2012 | Read more articles about 'Agile'
One of the thing I personally like in agile is a Minimum viable Product

With an MVP you publish a product as fast as possible. Yes even before it is finished. The idea about an MVP is to get fast feedback and not just any feedback, feedback from clients that will use the product.  And for me it also means feedback from all stakeholders.
(Somehow some stakeholders only start looking at a product when it’s in production.)

Now from time to time you will get a client or a stakeholder that when looking at the MVP, he will get angry. Angry because he does not like what he sees. He will feel ignored or worse, he might think that you did it on purpose to harm him. Personally I don’t know any companies that on purpose want to harm their clients.
As a customer, I sure have felt that my suppliers did harm me and in most cases it felt they did that on purpose.
As a coach I advise parties to use the retrospective prime directive. In other words: try to consider that the other party did the best he could with what he knew etc..
But what if they did? For that I advise you to read the wonderfull discussion posted at InfoQ a few years back.

I try to use the RPD in almost every interaction with other people. I say try because it’s hard. And I ignore the RPD from time to time; The moment I when I fail the most, is when I think I see people ignoring the RPD themselves. I can get upset when I see people by default assuming someone else did something on purpose.
Last friday that is what I did when I saw a whole discussion on twitter about an article on the agile alliance website.
I missed the first part of the discussion but what I saw was a lot of accusations that felt totally wrong (as I knew Laurent who wrote the article). I felt bad because I had a big respect for everyone involved in the discussion. And I felt that the discussion was really hard. Now make no mistake, I have no problem with hard discussion. I have a problem when I have the feeling that people attack persons and not actions.
I joined the discussion. I thought I did well,as I stayed calm and tried to explain why I thought Laurent was not such a bad person. I took a while before an elephant came out. David said that he felt that Laurent was acting as everything like the AA before. I realized that I had suspected that a lot was related to a history between David and AA. But I had not said it. In other words, I was not respecting David as the RPD is asking me to do.
When I realized that, I started a private chat with David. Right at the start he said that this had nothing to do for him with the history he had with AA. And I believed him. If he says it’s not related, I trust him for that. Now that the elephant was out of the way,  we could discuss about the. next issue, the one of correcting the article.
I don’t intend to share the private conversation I had.  What is important is that I realized that by me blaming him not to using the RPD, I was doing exactly that. (and then it does ot even matter if I am right or wrong. When I don’t respect him, why would he listen to me? )

Now this is something I see happening a lot at clients. (Or at my home) .
That is why I think the RPD is so important. It does not matter if David was right or wrong. As long as I did not respect him, we could not talk.

One of the anti-patterns, I see that peopele use to avoid hard feedback, is they postpone publishing products, blogposts, documentation etc. They postpone it untill they thing it’s perfect.
I never seen it work. The more it is finished, the harder the feedback will be when something is wrong. And something always is wrong.

I have the opposite reaction:
I publish my blogposts as fast as possible. And I learn from the feedback.
For me, it’s never about the first product or first draft of a book, it’s about the end result.

And yes you and I can find lots of ways how Laurent could have gotten feedback before publishing. I personally think, now he has gotten more feedback then in any other way.
And I’ m sure that this will lead to a better next result. And that is what we are (at least I am) after.

I don’t want the AA to be perfect. I want them to use agile and adapt. And learn fast. The world is changing fast. Also the agile world. If I want to change anything to the AA, I would want them to adapt faster.