• Tag Archives agile

  • Need A Creative Spark? Pursuing Excellence Is Better Than Perfection

    Posted on by Tim

    While browsing my LinkedIn feed I saw a post by Daniel Pink. I can relate to what Daniel is saying. Pursuing perfection is not the same as pursuing excellence. I’m a recovering perfectionist.

    The associated article unlocks a concept that I didn’t have words to describe.

    Striving For Perfection, Rather Than Excellence, Can Kill Creativity – Research Digest (bps.org.uk)

    For me, this quote says it all:

    The results revealed that the more participants strove for excellence, the greater originality and openness to experience they showed. In contrast, the more perfectionist participants were, the fewer original ideas they had and the less open to experience they were. This suggests that an element of flexibility not present in perfectionism can improve our creative thinking.

    Emily Reynolds

    In product and service development, teams need to be creative. I encounter the “perfect” conversation weekly. There is a magnet on my dry erase board to remind me, Done > Perfect.

    Pursuing Excellence Over Perfection

    Engineering is an exacting profession. As engineers, people strive for perfection due to many factors. If lives are at stake, then it could be argued that perfection is needed. And yet, nothing is ever perfect.

    We live in a complex adaptive system the pulls toward chaos. We strive to order chaos and fail. So, if we can’t control the weather to create perfection conditions, why try to perfect every product and service going to the customer?

    This is where excellence steps in. In my opinion, excellence is knowing perfection cannot be achieved. And yet, excellence brings creators close to perfection by help them keep open minds.

    Taking this one step further, excellence help frame answers to questions. Instead of saying “it’s impossible”, excellence says, “what if it were possible and how might that look?”

    If focusing on excellence is a key to creating quality, shouldn’t that be the focus? It’s something to think about.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Teamwork 📎and tagged

  • Coasting Versus Conquering: Getting The Most Out Of Yourself

    Posted on by Tim

    Gaining and maintaining personal momentum is really hard. I suppose it is harder today than say 10 years ago. Each day should be a personal challenge to get the most out of yourself.

    This is not about “toxic positivity” or whatever popular phrase is trending on the internet.

    This is about subtle shifts in doing and thinking that add up over time.

    Many of the world’s most recognized and respected brands have humble beginnings. Apple and Toyota are two examples.

    Apple started in a garage.

    Toyota started with weaving looms and moved into automobile manufacturing after World War 2.

    Books in my office

    Each of us is responsible for improving daily. You’re either growing or dying, the choice is yours.

    You might be thinking, “Where do you suggest I start?” My answer is, “What is causing you the most pain?”

    Pain is relative. I deal with a whole military career of pain each day. The list of challenges I work through is long and not worth writing about.

    Personal Challenge

    You need to ask yourself a question. Am I coasting or conquering?

    Is technology a hurdle for you? May I suggest you find someone you trust to help you learning about technology?

    If you’re an introvert, like me, then public speaking could be a huge hurdle. Toastmasters can help overcome that fear.

    Perhaps you struggle with learning in general. I wrote an article on “micro learning” that can help you get started.

    Once you lock in on the one or two things you want to improve on, choose people to be accountable to for taking action. Accountability is a catalyst for personal growth (and a follow-on post).


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Teamwork 📎and tagged

  • How To Spark And Sustain Humane Creativity

    Posted on by Tim

    Right before the Thanksgiving (US) holiday, I had a fantastic conversation with an Improving colleague. Lemont Chambliss and I were discussing Norm Kerth’s “Prime Directive” and wandered onto the concept of humane creativity.

    I want to give credit where it is due. Lemont mentioned humane when we were discussing how we arrived in the Agile product and service development. I mentioned creativity, so this is how I arrived at the concept of “humane creativity”.

    To be clear, Lemont and I met on our professional journeys in a similar fashion. The result has been, for me, eye opening and consciousness expanding.

    In my opinion, we pursue technical solutions to complicated and complex problems without much thought for the people who solve the problems. I might be wrong, but this is the impression I get while reading the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.

    As well, I get a similar impression from Toyota as well. It has an entire section on its website the outlines the philosophy and vision behind the company. Much of Toyota’s focus is on how humans build for humans.

    Humane Creativity Is The Ideal

    First, I’m not naïve enough to believe any business can create a culture where humane creativity is pervasive. Second, company culture changes over time. It may start as ripe for innovation and then become toxic and then get shifted back with tremendous effort. Finally, culture that support invention can be quickly destroy as it requires elements of positive intent, mutual trust, psychological safety, and other factors.

    My encouragement is work hard to create and nurture positive culture. If it’s at the team level, great. As an executive responsible for a business unit or department, wonderful. As well, board members or senior executives have power to sustain the right environment.

    Culture is everyone’s responsibility to build and support. In conclusion, take charge of making the culture ripe for humane creativity.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • Agile Principle #1 – Highest Priority To Deliver Delight

    Posted on by Tim

    Part 1 in a 12-part series. This post covers continuous delivery.

    The first principle;

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

    Principles behind the Agile Manifesto

    For this series, think of software as products and services. Customers will not pay for crappy products and services, unless they perceive value.

    That might come as a shock.

    Allow me to provide a comparison. One of the first cars I was allowed to drive is shown below.

    Toyota Tercel Wagon

    One of the first cars I chose to buy is also shown below.

    Buick Regal Coupe

    For me, the better value was the Buick. It didn’t matter that the Toyota was a better quality product. At 16 to 17 years-old, I wanted a car that girls would ride in!

    Deliver Continuous Value

    Let’s redefine the conversation to cover more than just software. I suggest that we look at products and services based on value. Customers care about value and we have to as well.

    How do we get to continuous delivery of value? Look at Agile Value #1; Individuals and Interactions.

    First, we talk with customers and get their thoughts on value. Next, we create a small sample of what we understand from the conversation. If the sample doesn’t match the customers understanding, we fix it until we get is right. Finally, we adjust and scale to a viable product and service customers will buy based on value.

    Yeah, this is a simplified process. No disagreement on that feedback.

    What matters is the continuous delivery. Conditions will change. Preferences will change. As long as discussions are frequently happening with customers, we can deliver value and adjust as needed.

    This principle is uncomfortable to accept. I struggle with it because I want our team’s products and services to be perfect. The work done doesn’t need to be perfect, just have value the customer pays for.

    Principle 1, Principle 2, Principle 3, Principle 4, Principle 5, Principle 6, Principle 7, Principle 8, Principle 9, Principle 10, Principle 11, Principle 12


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • Agile Value #1 – People And Tools

    Posted on by Tim

    Part 1 in a 4 part series. This post covers communication and collaboration.

    To start 2022 off right, I’m writing a series on the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Given that the Manifesto is quickly reaching 21-years-old, I wanted to cover my learning and reflection on its impact.

    Two disclosures:

    1. I am not a software developer
    2. When this was published, I thought it was a fad

    The first value;

    Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

    Manifesto for Agile Software Development

    Communication and collaboration. Keys to positive and productive human interaction. For each of us, this takes on different meaning depending on the context of the interaction.

    As I wrote in my first post of the year, tools don’t fix problems. People fix problems. The Manifesto signers understood this in the context of software development.

    And yet, this also applies to other pursuits as well.

    If a team doesn’t know what the problem is, let alone how it might be solved, do processes and tools matter?

    For me, the answer is a simple ‘no.’ No, processes and tools alone will not identify the problem. I am writing from experience.

    If I have a bent nail I need to remove from a wood board, would I use a screw driver to fix the problem? No, I would need to find a claw-head hammer to remove the bent nail.

    Houston, we have a problem (communication and collaboration)

    Stepping back, if the financial health of my company is failing, do I know what the points of cause are for the problem? Maybe, maybe not, it depends. Discovery is required to figure out what may be cause the money loss.

    Can a tool determine the cause, not knowing what the problem is?

    Can a process define the problem?

    Simply answered, no. It takes bright, talented people working together (individuals and interactions) to define the problem. Then those same people set out to solve the problem.

    In life, there is no certainty from one day to the next day. It’s time to embrace the uncertainty and get down to working on today’s problems.

    The key is using communication and collaboration to solve the right problems.

    Value 1, Value 2, Value 3, Value 4


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • No More Rainbows, Unicorns, Pixie Dust, And Wishful Thinking

    Posted on by Tim

    Technology will not fix problems. Problems come from processes or human relationships.

    I’m a recovering, well sort of recovering, tech geek. I see a new software tool or some tech hardware and I immediately start thinking I need it to make life better or easier. Over time, I’ve learned that it is a fallacy to believe this and it brings more challenges.

    How many times have you seen a new software or hardware tool get rolled out at work? One, two, three, or more times?

    Did that tool work flawlessly right from the start?

    If you answered honestly, you may have seen more sputtering starts to new tool adoption than zooming success. Blame the quick reference guides, the supporting instructions, the operating documents or whatever.

    A pile of satellite dish receivers and wiring
    Cleaning up a technology mess

    It’s time to stop blaming objects and start asking curious and honest questions.

    • Have we considered all the different ways the work might be done?
    • Have we asked for the HR department to work with us to understand how they do their work today?
    • What might we learn from watching Gemma, Mary, Ravi, and Ivan working together?

    As a technologist, I am scared when I consider the answers these questions might show.

    As a result, I am not foolish or naïve enough to believe anything can be fixed overnight. In fact, I’m reminded that Rome was not built in a day, a month, a year, or even a decade. Rome was built over 100s of years to what it is today.

    With that written, I’m going to get back to the opening. Again, technology will not fix problems. Listening and learning from the people who have the problems will go a long way to making better technology.

    Seems like yesterday

    Why do I say this? Because, it was a major issue over 20 years ago when the Agile Manifesto for Software Development was agreed to address the problems. We are better at building technology.

    I know we can be better still. And by that, I mean we can build better experiences alongside technology.

    We need to meet each other with empathy as humans being. We need to do more than hear each other, we need to deeply listen.

    Firstly, look at human interactions. Secondly, learn to understand how people work. Finally, build delightful products and services based on learning.

    Be bold, be courageous, be willing to fail (learning from the failure), and be humble enough to admit you’re wrong if you’ve acted on assumptions.

    I know that I have been wrong. As a result, it’s not bad to be wrong, it’s just humans being.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Technology 📎and tagged

  • Reflections On Agile: Creative Work To Delight People

    Posted on by Tim

    To start 2022, I’m going to write three series of posts with reflections on Agile product and service development.

    The intent is to focus on the people aspects of Manifesto for Agile Software Development. First, the four values will be covered in a set of quarterly posts. Second, the 12 principles will be covered in a set of monthly posts. Finally, the five Scrum values will be covered in a set of quarterly posts.

    Scrum Values (credit Scrum.org)

    This series is the glue between teams, technologies, and training. Foundationally, products and service don’t get created without each area. The goals is to bring all of this together by reflecting on how we can work together today.

    Since this blog covers the creative space around “humans being”, soon it will cover the concepts around how creativity can be enabled. Until now, the posts have covered my experiences around technology and teams.

    The shift toward Agile content is coming!

    I feel good about switching gears. Following the year’s end with a shift feels right. The Reflections on Agile series allows exploration.

    As a result, there will be a mixture of posts throughout the coming months. Sometimes, there will be three posts that are Agile specific. Other times, there will one post. I intend to make content writing sustainable for me in 2022 and this is a way to make cadence happen.

    When I started posting, I did not realize then the need to look at how Agile has influenced my thinking. Now, I understand how important covering Agile is to what I blog about. Subsequently, writing about this topic makes me happy.

    Enjoy the Reflections on Agile series!


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • Buying Time To Create And Express Ideas

    Posted on by Tim

    Kent Beck posted on LinkedIn an interesting statement shown below. This is a topic I’ve been considering for a while as finding time to create and express ideas seems to be scarce.

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kentbeck_25-years-of-trying-to-explain-software-development-activity-6869343385417867264-tvlT

    My response to Kent was basic. It’s short and works for me. But, it may not work for everyone.

    Kent may not have intended for me to respond this way. I don’t really care one way or the other. My point is, I’m not buying time to create and express.

    I respect the work Kent has done in the product creation field. He is an author, speaker, and one of the original co-signers of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. He is an icon in the software development space and he is a creator.

    Thanksgiving And Being Grateful

    This post is being typed on Thanksgiving morning from my home office in the United States. I’m not “buying time” as Kent would suggest to create and express today. I am investing time into this blog specifically and the community generally.

    I don’t know who will read this post today. If you are reading this and you create products and services to delight your customers or clients, I hope this inspires you. I want you to invest in yourself by setting aside time to create and express for you and people you care about.

    I can’t tell you how much better I feel after I write an article or post. It gives me a sense that I accomplished something of substance, something that mattered, for the day.

    I am grateful for the quiet hours I have to type this and many posts. I am grateful for the technology I have to express these views. It is amazing to living in today and I encourage you to make the most of today.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • Don’t Be So Quick To Kick The Door, Agile Ranger

    Posted on by Tim

    I was talking with my colleague, Lucus, the other day.  I drew a connection between the Ranger units I supported in Afghanistan and the Agile community. There is a connection between Rangers and Agilists and I’ve watched it.

    “What in the Sam’s hill are you writing about?!”

    “You cannot be serious in pulling a thread between the Rangers and Agile product development!”

    I get it, and it’s fair to be skeptical.  Here’s the thing, what do most Agile consultants do that is similar to the Rangers?

    We parachute into a transformation as the experts in Agile framework(s), policy, process, and procedure (3-P’s).  We come in and kick some executive doors open, disrupt some teams, and then go on our merry way after a year or so and call it ‘mission complete’.

    Well, not all of us.  Some of us go beyond the 3-P’s and learn to sense the environment we’ve been asked to assist move toward increased agility. 

    Challenge coin bottle opener
    Command coin received from the 1/75 battalion commander

    About the Rangers

    The Rangers have expertise in understanding tactical context and they adjust their approach to mission as more information becomes available.  They “shoot, move, and communicate” and deviate from the plan as it is needed to achieve the objective.

    Rangers have a master’s understanding of the 3-P’s or “the box” and extend their awareness beyond “the box”.  They adapt and adjust on the fly because the enemy will adapt and adjust to their operations once under threat.

    Back to Agilists with expertise  

    Finally, here is a connection between Rangers and Agilists.

    We might call them practitioners, journeyman, or jack’s of all trades, who cares about labels as it’s not the point.  Since Agilists with expertise are less concerned about air dropping in and rolling to their next engagement, these common-sense Agilists are looking at their entire toolbox to assess which tools work best in a specific context.

    Moving a business into a new way of working is a journey.  Find people who have the right attitude and tools to help an organization navigate to point to point along the way.

    Hire them because they get that understanding context is critical before kicking in doors.  Look for the ones that don’t claim to be experts, but talk about continuous learning.

    Be bold hire the ones who are ready to break some stuff!  Just like the Army Rangers!


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Teamwork 📎and tagged

  • A Journey Results In Transformation And It Requires Endurance

    Posted on by Tim

    I spoke to my Dad over the weekend of October 9th and 10th.  We have insightful conversations, more like friends catching up than Father/Son discussions.

    A point he mentioned took me back, way back.

    High School

    Dad reminded me of high school. My English teacher was concerned about the bullying I was receiving in her class.  So she felt compelled to call my parents at home and talk to them to ask if it was affecting me. Forever my fan, Dad told her, “I would be more concerned about the other students than Tim.”

    Navy Active Duty

    Again, Dad walked me through my early years in the Navy. I was served on board the nuclear, fast attack submarine, the USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678), and would call my parent out of frustration from time to time. As a result, I told them about my struggle to find my place, to fit, in an alien (to me) culture.

    SSN 678 deploying from homeport
    The USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678) heading to sea departing its homeport of Groton, Connecticut, USA

    The Private Sector

    Dad and I continued to talk about more recent rolling hills and deep valleys I navigated professionally in the private sector. As he walked me through pivot after the pivot, change after change, and low point after low point in the journey.

    My Dad traced a thread for me throughout my life and reminded me of what all those knock-down, drag-out seasons created in me.  As a result, he shared one word, a single concept.

    ENDURANCE

    A Challenge For Insightful Conversations

    Because a race is not started at the starting line, preparation is required. Because change does not happen overnight it is a journey. A commitment to move a business, from one way of working to a new way of working, must happen for the journey to begin.

    All these examples and many more require endurance.  Toyota did not earn its reputation for quality in one or two decades.  It was accomplished over many decades, as a result of a relentless pursuit of quality to create value customers pay for.

    A missing ingredient in most business efforts is endurance.  I challenge business leaders to consider this before they embark on a “business transformation” initiative or “digitalization journey”.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged