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Food for Agile Thought #427: Continuous Product Improvement, Changing Teams, Use Cases & User Stories, The Tech Gamble of Over-Engineering

by Stefan Wolpers | 2024-01-26 News

TL; DR: Continuous Product Improvement — Food for Agile Thought #427

Welcome to the 427th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 47,634 peers. This week, Jeff Patton outlines a continuous product improvement cycle, highlighting its critical stages, and Brian Link delves into the evolving landscape of agile practices, reflecting on the recent dynamics. Heidi Helfand shares valuable strategies from her book “Dynamic Reteaming,” while Joost Minnaar advocates personal transformation as a critical element in successful organizational change. Also, we ask whether Scrum GPTs pose a challenge to Scrum Masters.

Then, Roman Pichler shares essential tips on product portfolio strategy, while Alistair Cockburn advocates using simple use cases and user stories in Agile teams. Jason Evanish guides Product Managers on helping engineers improve feature delivery estimates, and Thiago Brant explores the importance of Business Agility across all areas of your organization, pointing to useful practices and helpful frameworks.

Lastly, Alex Ewerlöf discusses the concept of ‘tech gamble’ and the importance of informed decision-making in technology development. The Consortium for Information & Software Quality™ highlights the high cost of poor software quality in the US, and Dave Snowden reflects on his early work with matrices and their alignment with complexity science. Shane Hastie’s interview with psychologist John Fisher explores the Fisher Change Curve and its applications in change management. Finally, Economist Tyler Cowen delves into the evolving role of AI, from its potential for leveling the playing field to its broader societal implications in various domains.

Food for Agile Thought #427: Continuous Product Improvement, Changing Teams, Use Cases & User Stories, The Tech Gamble of Over-Engineering — Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #426: Continuous Integration, More Features = More Problems, Rebuilding Trust, Job Stories Revisited

by Stefan Wolpers | 2024-01-19 News

TL; DR: Continuous Integration — Food for Agile Thought #426

Welcome to the 426th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 49,156 peers. This week, we explore Martin Fowler’s essay, advocating for Continuous Integration for team efficiency, while Martijn Oost critiques quick Agile transformations, emphasizing a tailored approach. John Cutler discusses rebuilding trust in leadership, and Chris Corrigan explores organizational life cycles with the ‘two loops model.’ Lastly, we identify the signs of a Scrum Master’s journey nearing its end, reflecting on evolving organizational dynamics.

Then, Maarten Dalmijn delves into feature development, highlighting the actual value not in the features themselves but in the opportunities they create for users. Janna Bastow contrasts the complexities of overseeing multiple products in large enterprises with the more focused task of managing a single product. Additionally, Lenny Rachitsky and Dan Hockenmaier emphasize the significance of deciphering your business’s core dynamics using a fundamental equation that encapsulates inputs, desired outputs, and their interconnections.

Finally, Jason Cohen highlights the complexities of forecast evaluation using weather prediction examples, focusing on accuracy beyond just surface-level results. Benjamin Huser-Berta explains Monte Carlo Simulations’ role in forecasting and effective planning. Mads Soegaard and another article discuss the significance of user story mapping and Job Stories in product development, enhancing UX design and aligning with user perspectives. Lastly, Howard Tiersky advocates for agile adaptation in digital transformations to meet evolving technological and customer demands.

Food for Agile Thought #426: Continuous Integration, More Features = More Problems, Rebuilding Trust, Job Stories Revisited — Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #425: Change Agent Tips, Product & Engineering Mindset, Utilization Fetish, Is Diversity Beneficial?

by Stefan Wolpers | 2024-01-12 News

TL; DR: Change Agent Tips — Food for Agile Thought #425

Welcome to the 425th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 49,156 peers. This week, John Cutler presents 20 change agent tips. Additionally, in two academic studies, Kristin Geffers, Karen Eilers, Sarah Oeste-Reiß, and Ulrich Bretschneider explore Agile Leadership’s key roles, while Christiaan Verwijs and Daniel Russo examine diversity’s impact on software teams. Moreover, Charity Majors discusses the necessity of engineering managers in startups.

Then, Jason Cohen shares WP Engine’s eight-step journey to success, emphasizing fit and strategic, retention-focused development, and Lenny Rachitsky interviews Will Larson on systems thinking and productivity in product and engineering. Also, Petra Wille explores impactful product culture and leadership, and Maarten Dalmijn introduces ‘humble planning’ as essential in Agile practices for creating valuable products, discussing friction and intent-based leadership.

Lastly, J. Meadows critiques the belief in maximum staff utilization in software organizations, showing its negative impact on productivity and innovation. Adam Thornhill explains Brooks’ Law, where adding staff to delayed projects increases delays, and Kent Beck discusses the complexities of measuring engineering productivity and suggests a balanced approach. Finally, Dave Hora explores the changing role of research in organizations, stressing the importance of understanding current states for effective product integration.

Food for Agile Thought #425: Change Agent Tips, Product & Engineering Mindset, Utilization Fetish, Is Diversity Beneficial? – Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #424: Reimagining Agile, Product in 2024, Dual Track Agile Lessons, Bets & Roadmapping

by Stefan Wolpers | 2024-01-05 News

TL; DR: Reimagining Agile — Food for Agile Thought #424

Welcome to the 424th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 49,131 peers. This week, Jim Highsmith, Jon Kern, Heidi Musser, and Sanjiv Augustine introduced the Reimagining Agile Initiative to modernize Agile practices, while our Lemon seeks advice on a ‘Junior Agile Coach summer internship.’ Jakub Svoboda discusses the implementation of Dual Track Agile in his team, and David Rodenas critiques common Agile misconceptions, advocating for a holistic approach. Lastly, Henry Stewart highlights the importance of coaching in self-managing organizations and its role in employee empowerment and growth.

Then, Marty Cagan discusses critical 2024 trends, including the impact of generative AI. Eira Hayward predicts a transformative year for product managers focusing on AI and profitability, and John Cutler explores decision-making frameworks in product roadmapping in a great essay. Moreover, Lenny Rachitsky and Judd Antin discuss evolving user research strategies. Also, Steve Portigal, in a podcast with Jason Knight, highlights the importance and methods of effective user research.

Lastly, Maarten Dalmijn reflects on improving user story creation in agile processes and Shai Yallin’s critique of reliance on estimates in software development. Also, Benjamin Huser-Berta compares Monte Carlo simulations with average-based estimates in agile forecasting and Shane Hastie’s interview with Tim Ottinger on mob programming and AI in software development.

Food for Agile Thought #424: Reimagining Agile, Product in 2024, Dual Track Agile Lessons, Bets & Roadmapping — Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #423: How to Ditch the Project Mindset, Who Rules Product, Thoughtful HIPPOs, Radical Candor

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-12-15 News

TL; DR: How to Ditch the Project Mindset — Food for Agile Thought #423

Welcome to the 423rd edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 49,908 peers. This week, Janna Bastow discusses how to ditch the project mindset, emphasizing user-centric development, and Annie Duke and Howard Marks explore decision-making in uncertainty. At the same time, John Cutler examines the value of top-down decision-making, and Martijn Oost critiques the “SpotiSAFe®” model’s harmful effect on transformations. Also, I highlight pitfalls in the Scrum Framework from my book, “Scrum Anti Patterns Guide.”

Then, Itamar Gilad advocates for evidence-based leadership in product development, critiquing Airbnb’s approach. Noah Desai Weiss of Slack reveals his bold overhaul of user experience, while Jeff Gothelf discusses the effectiveness of empowered product teams over output-driven feature teams. Stay SaaSy contributes practical tips to enhance team velocity, focusing on removing dependencies and streamlining project narratives.

Lastly, Kate Leto highlights the importance of conflict resolution and emotional intelligence in product development. Also, Kim Scott and Lenny Rachitsky explore Scott’s books “Radical Candor” and “Radical Respect,” focusing on leadership and feedback. Ben McRedmond discusses principles for increasing startup product velocity, and Chris Lewicki recounts a near-miss incident at NASA, emphasizing resilience and learning from mistakes. Finally, we unravel the secrets of what makes a Scrum Master not just good but amazingly outstanding. From regularly achieving Sprint Goals, delivering value to customers, and building stakeholder rapport easily, discover the traits that set apart successful Scrum Masters.

Food for Agile Thought #423: How to Ditch the Project Mindset, Who Rules Product, Thoughtful HIPPOs, Radical Candor — Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #422: Human Misjudgment, Evaluating Product Managers, Fake Agile, Scaling Simplified

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-12-08 News

TL; DR: Human Misjudgment — Food for Agile Thought #422

Welcome to the 422nd edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 49,901 peers. This week, Farnam Street highlights the revised edition of Charlie Munger’s “The Psychology of Human Misjudgment,” Nigel Thurlow critiques “Fake Agile,” while John Cutler analyzes Brian Chesky’s leadership insights. Also, Marco Nink identifies key traits of agile companies, and we examine how to miss Sprint Goals consistently.

Then, Jeff Patton offers a framework for assessing Product Managers across seven vital areas. Moreover, Roman Pichler discusses the role of a validated product strategy and the Opportunity Solution Tree in product discovery, and Richard Mironov critiques annual planning, advocating for continuous, inclusive corporate and product strategy.

Lastly, Troy Lightfoot and Andy Cleff discuss with Prateek Singh and Dan Vacanti their book “Scaling Simplified,” focusing on Agile scaling through flow. Mark Ridley investigates Bruce Tuckman’s “Stages of Group Development,” its evolution, and its current relevance. Additionally, Casey Rosengren addresses startup decision-making, underscoring the impact of fear and uncertainty, and Dr. Stuart Woolley critiques the gap between management practices and their effectiveness in software engineering.