NEW – The Agilista PM Facebook Page
The Agilista PM is now on Facebook !!!
Our mission is to enable organizations and project teams to be as Lean-Agile as possible — by helping them determine HOW, WHEN and WHERE to utilize Lean-Agile practices along side their Traditional Waterfall methods to “Deliver Results Quickly”
Go to The Agilista PM Facebook Page
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How To Implement Scrum in 10 Easy Steps
Scrum is not a hard concept to understand. But there are a lot of parts ot making it successful. I found a great article that explains how to implement Scrum in just 10 easy steps from getting your backlog in order to tracking progress through burn charts, and more… Thanks goes out to Kelly Waters, from All About Agile, who writes:
When I first encountered agile development, I found it hard to understand. Okay, I might not be the brightest person you’ve ever met! But I’m not stupid either, I think 
There’s a myriad of different approaches, principles, methods and terms, all of which are characterised as ‘Agile’. And from my perspective, all this ‘noise’ makes agile software development sound far harder, far more scientific, and far more confusing than it really needs to be.
Collaboration by Leveraging Better Problem Solving
Toyota Motor Corporation is famed for its ability to relentlessly improve operational performance. Central to this ability is the training of engineers, supervisors and managers in a structured problem-solving approach that uses a tool called the A3 Problem-Solving Report – that facilitates and improves knowledge sharing and collaboration.
The term “A3″ derives from the paper size used for the report, which is the metric equivalent to 11″ x 17″ (or B-sized) paper. Toyota actually uses several styles of A3 reports–for solving problems, for reporting project status, and for proposing policy changes–each having its own “storyline.”
The A3 Report is one of the most powerful tools in the lean toolset. Although it looks pretty simple, it is one of the most effective means of pulling together many of the tools used in problem solving and reporting. You can’t go wrong by learning how to use this tool and then implementing it within your organization.
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Burn Down Chart Tutorial: Simple Agile Project Tracking
For me, going from a non-agile development methodology to an agile one should have been simple. I had read the articles, attended the seminars, and knew the theory. However, what I did not have was a basic template for project tracking throughout an iteration. This article provides that template with the burn down chart shown below being the end goal. The only tool we need is a spreadsheet.*
Visually Communicating Project Progress
One of the traits of a great PM is their ability to communicate visually – presenting the progress of a project in a single glance so that one can see if things are going to plan or not. When you look at your world through visual lens that help you solve problems in business in new ways !
Edward Tufte teaches the gift of visualizing information in a way that people can take action on.
Agile teams often place large charts and graphs in their workspaces to radiate important information. It doesn’t matter if you are developing software, delivering IT infrastructure solutions, building a house, hardware products or systems – you can visually see if you project is on track or not.
Burn Charts
Agile teams often track project progress through ‘’Burn charts’’ (burn-up, burn-down and cumulative flow) which are a very popular way to give visibility into a project’s progress. Burn Charts are a graphical representation of the work left to be done and of the progress that has been made. The chart is typically drawn to show progress against predictions.
They are extremely simple and astonishingly powerful. They reveal the strategy being used, show the progress made against predictions, and open the door to discussions about how best to proceed, including the difficult discussions about whether to cut scope or extend the schedule.
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LIVE COACHING RECORDING – Accountability: Creating Winning Teams !
Back by popular demand…Join us at this 1 hour live coaching session where Birgit Zacher Hanson, author of Who Will Do What by When? will reveal how to change the accountability game and make it winnable. Birgit will also answer questions in real-time while coach participants on real-life-issues that relates to getting others to commit and follow-through.
Birgit helps corporations with the following – she can help you too !
- Strengthen leadership capabilities and help leaders develop coaching skills that lead to sustainable excellence
- Build collaborative teams and work cultures that enable superior project execution in alignment with business strategy
- Empower individuals to fulfill on their potential and reach new levels of success
Can you make people do anything they don’t want to do?
Holding others accountable is a myth. It’s like Sisyphus being condemned to pushing the rock up the hill… It’s exhausting. If you are a manager whose job it is to get a team to work together and get the job done, this may be bad news. I am sorry.
I know it can be extremely frustrating when nothing you say or do seems to make a sustainable difference with some people.
You can micromanage, push, scold, even threaten certain people and get what you need for a little while, but as soon as you turn them loose, the rock rolls downhill again. And you start over, doing the same thing you have been doing – pushing, scolding, complaining like a broken record.
Agile Open Southern California Conference 2011 (Sep 15-16)
THEME: People, Principles and Performance
WHEN: Thursday and Friday, September 15 & 16
WHERE: University of California, Irvine
What is Agile Open California?
You don’t want to miss this! Imagine an event where experienced Agile practitioners and newcomers alike come together for two days to discuss, examine and otherwise brainstorm the most timely and relevant topics in Agile development today.
Agile Open California is a coalition of agile practitioners and advocates intent on providing an opportunity for learning, networking and growth to the Agile community in California and to others who are interested.
What Will I Get?
- A 2-day conference pass – up to 24 sessions to choose from each day
- Continental breakfast and lunch both days
- A networking reception on Monday evening
- Free Agile Alliance 1-year Membership - a $100 value! With your registration and attendance, you can receive a free one-year membership in the Agile Alliance, which is a $100 dollar value. Just check the option when you purchase your ticket!
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Certified Scrum Master Course (July 30-31) – $500 earlybird special
This highly interactive certification course by Platinum Edge provides in-depth understanding of the Scrum team-based approach to iterative development. The course trains participants in the full range of Scrum topics, from basic theory to organizational implementation, including practical applications, roles, and scaling.
This course provides 16 PDUs toward PMP recertification and PMI-ACP certification.
Scrum methods support responsive development that:
- Adapts to volatile business needs and ongoing refinement of business solutions
- Drives efficient and effective production
- Ensures closer adherence to customers’ real-world needs through streamlined planning
- Supports faster deployment of production-grade solutions so your organization can gain market advantage and business value
- Reduces project risk through rapid iterations of development that inform opportunity assessments
When this course has been completed, attendees will have gained in-depth practical knowledge of Scrum and its benefits.
WHEN: July 30, 2011 at 8:00 AM – July 31, 2011 at 5:00 PM (PT)
WHERE: Costa Mesa, CA
COST: The Agilista PM Early Bird Special – $500 (sale ends 7/28); ………….Standard Price after 7/28 – $600 Read more
NEW RECORDING: COACHING – Accountability: Creating a Winnable Game
Can you make people do anything they don’t want to do?
Holding others accountable is a myth. It’s like Sisyphus being condemned to pushing the rock up the hill… It’s exhausting. If you are a manager whose job it is to get a team to work together and get the job done, this may be bad news. I am sorry.
I know it can be extremely frustrating when nothing you say or do seems to make a sustainable difference with some people.
You can micromanage, push, scold, even threaten certain people and get what you need for a little while, but as soon as you turn them loose, the rock rolls downhill again. And you start over, doing the same thing you have been doing – pushing, scolding, complaining like a broken record.
NEW RECORDING – Lean/Agile project controls for Project Managers
Every project manager can successfully integrate agile in a waterfall environment to improve project predictability, cost effectiveness and ultimately project and professional success.
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Agile was once considered a fad
by project management professionals.
In the 10 years since the agile manifesto was written agile has matured; it has moved from being a core methodology and from small software companies to the point where it is used, to some extent, in a majority of enterprise organizations today. Agile isn’t a silver bullet for every context though and agile methods need to adapt to the changing contexts of the enterprise.
This webinar will examine how project managers can successfully apply Agile to their projects in an enterprise context.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Why we struggle Agile in an Enterprise
- Mapping project controls to agile project metrics for improved project control and reporting than on plan driven projects: Scope, Schedule and Budget.
- Three approaches to creating a Gantt chart for an agile project
- How to handle external dependencies
- Nine principles for bringing a little bit of agile into any project
Let’s Connect!
My Speaking Engagements …..
-Apr 18: TOYOTA HQ: Start Using Agile|Lean in your Projects Today
-Nov 10: HOW TO PLAN, MANAGE, and TRACK ITERATIONS (ProjectTimes)
-Dec 16: DEALING WITH THE TOP 10 ISSUES DURING & AFTER AN ITERATION (ProjectTimes)
-Jan 13: AGILE REQUIREMENT GATHERING & DOCUMENTATION - BEYOND USER STORIES (ProjectTimes)
-Feb 10: DEALING WITH THE TOP 10 ISSUES IN AGILE ADOPTION (ProjectTimes)
Some Agile User-Groups and Links…
