Category Archives: Musing

Reflections, observations or just musing on something that sparked my interest

Forget Agile. Focus on What Works

Posted on by

Back in 2001, having recently arrived in the UK from New Zealand, I stumbled upon Extreme Programming (XP). This framework, and its relatives, promised to revolutionise software development. At the time, “Agile” was an enigma – a term met with puzzled looks and raised eyebrows. Fast forward 24 years, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. “Agile” has come and gone. People are shouting “Agile is Dead!” If somebody says “Agile” they are met with scepticism and, in some circles, outright disdain. Anti-Agile is the new Agile dogma but I’ve never been much for dogma. I care about what works. Despite the changing tides of terminology and perception, the core principles that drew me to Agile remain the bedrock of my daily practice. I just don’t often say that.
Continue reading →

Leaders Turn Up

Posted on by

I’m proud of all my teams – good people doing great things. But I’m particularly proud of my current team because it was the hardest to form, being split between London and Berlin. I formed this team by turning up. A simple message although quite painful for myself and my family. Actually that pain is part of the reason my approach works. Leaders turn up and the team appreciates that.
Continue reading →

Programmes are more than Big Projects

Posted on by

Some projects deliver products and some programmes also deliver products. The difference is the goal. The goal of those projects is to deliver the product. However, the goal of these programmes is to deliver benefits deriving from the new product. I’ve written about the difference between programme, project, portfolio and product management before, but feel in need of a new rant – a rant brought on by DAD.
Continue reading →