Appreciation in Agile teams - "Shout Outs"

Here's a simple idea that provides great benefits for teams. I was working with a team that started giving "shout-outs" at their retrospectives. Any team member could take a minute to recognize other team members for anything they did - whether it was to help someone, take on a task to help out, take on a role even if it's not their primary role.... how do you think this worked out?

Agile Lunch 'N Learns - ongoing practice

This is well known and simple to use. At my current client, which is in the middle of a large agile transformation, we have regular lunch learning sessions within the various Director's organizations. Not all groups are involved yet, but we working on it. In one of the groups I help we conduct a session about every 2 months with a final retrospective session near the end of the year.

Card Game Ends

It was fun while it lasted. You can look back over the various cards to see how they apply to agile, or maybe they don't apply. This card clearly ends the streak of cards that could be applied to and discussed in the context of agile projects. Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

If you're on a spiritual journey this card applies, otherwise it's just too much of a stretch to make this apply to agile development. So, the card game is over. Back to regular posts after this.

Agile - Act Now

Yet another card to continue the game of drawing cards. This one is about acting now. Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

This continues the theme of focusing on the now, not the later. Keeping in mind that we can only deal with the present moment, not the past and not the future.

Overflowing - Make room for new ideas, new practices, ...

The card game continues. Here's the card I drew this time... Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

So what does this one mean in an agile world.

Agile - Aware Now

Ok, so this picking of cards still seems to be working. This time the card reads:

How does this apply to agile? Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

Agile - now, for later

If you read my last blog you'll know that I pulled a card from a deck of 52 cards my wife has. I then decided I would try it again to see if the card provided impetus for this blog. Here's what the next card had on it: "Now or Later - If you desire a glorious future,, transform the present - Patanjali (circa: 2nd century CE). Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

Some say Patanjali was a single person, others say Patanjali was a series of people who wrote sage advise and wisdom some 5000 to 7000 years ago. I've read some of Patanjali's works and find them interesting.

Back to the card. Ok, so maybe this deck of cards is a pretty good content generator. We'll see when I pick the third card for the next blog. Who knows maybe I have 50 more blogs ready and waiting.

Agile Metamorphosis

I read the following card from a card deck my wife has, called Happiness is Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

When I think about it, that's what I try to do with the teams and team members I work with. I'm asking them to do something different, something foreign to them. Do they understand? Are they just following instructions? Is it becoming part of them? Do they understand how things are shifting?

Building trust on agile project teams

Do you want to know how to build trust? Make an agreement and keep it. Tell the truth. Be transparent. Be open and honest. Give without expectation of getting anything in return. Then do it all again.

In some engagements where I've worked to transform organizations, lack of trust was a big challenge. I've seen IT groups consistently miss commitments, leaving their business partners questioning IT's ability to deliver. Using the practice of incremental delivery with frequent demos & reviews is a great way to change this dynamic.

Want to deepen your knowledge on agile? Start teaching it.

The first time I heard the phrase 3rd person teaching I wasn't sure what the presenter was talking about. It was in a Covey Principle Centered Leadership class and I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the class who didn't know what it meant. Or maybe some of the others weren't brave enough to admit they didn't know and they breathed a soft sigh after I asked and the instructor answered. The simple idea is that someone teaches you, then you take what you've learned and teach someone else. When you do this your depth of knowledge increases. So why not try this with agile?