Goal, Goal, Who’s Got the Goal?

Goal, Goal, Who’s Got the Goal?

“If you don’t know where you are going, you probably won’t get there.“ Yogi Berra The pager tones sounded at 2 AM. It blared “Squad 86, car accident with personal injuries on Highway 268 west of Pilot Mountain.” I don’t know how...
Why Agile Works

Why Agile Works

omeone once asked me, “Don, what does even the wisest person overlook?” The answer was “his nose.” You can see your nose if you focus, but you generally don’t bother. You assume it’s there. Likewise, as I have gained experience in...
No Group Is a Team on Day One

No Group Is a Team on Day One

The agile training class for a newly formed team was almost complete. We’d covered values, practices, roles, the product backlog, done simulations teaching the Scrum process and I could see the end of training. A little team building activity, and we could start...
Why Not Ask Why?

Why Not Ask Why?

It all started with a tweet I posted: “Why” questions trigger feelings bypassing data input and thinking. #dontdothat As this got retweeted, interesting questions started coming my way: What about the Five Whys? Do you have data? What is your context? All...
The Blame Game

The Blame Game

Engelbert watched Pam nervously chew on her knuckle as she stood in the door of his office, answering his call. “Come in and close the door.” He motioned her to a seat, then stood and pointed an accusing finger down at her. “We need to decide how...
The Identified Patient Pattern

The Identified Patient Pattern

Engelbert frowned, trying to understand why Pamela had been acting strangely. Her programming skills were among the best in the company. She had a way of getting things completed. That’s why he made her project lead for Uberdenke’s next UDCRM product...