Written by Traci Lester on May 15th, 2012
by: Chris Goldsbury
Have you ever been through a meeting where the purpose was unclear, the background was misty, the discussion drifted in confusion, none of the attendees were introduced and one week later a follow-up meeting was scheduled only to repeat the same listless course of direction? “Let’s table this discussion and come back to it next week after we’ve had time to think about it,” the facilitator states emphatically. But when you return the next week everyone has forgotten the topic and since no notes were sent out it becomes a game of he-said-she-said as to what really transpired. The team leaves each subsequent meeting more confused, and lost than the last. Eventually people stop attending, and whatever effort, project or issue was supposed to be addressed is escalated.
A crisis in project leadership often starts with poor meeting facilitation skills. The meeting is a tool. Used well, any individual, irrespective of role, can orchestrate and lead a group of people toward a goal. Used poorly, the meeting becomes a stage to illustrate why you shouldn’t be leading anything. Tough words? Not as tough as the criticism and rumors that will fly behind your back….but yes, I’m not holding any punches back. Click to continue »
Posted in Agile, Management, Project Management, Scrum, ScrumMaster, teamwork | No Responses »
Tags: ASPE, ASPE-SDLC, Chris Goldsbury, effective meetings, Meetings, organizational dynamics, scrum, scrum master, scrummaster
Written by Laura Daughtry on May 14th, 2012
As companies work to migrate their software development approach from Waterfall to Agile, they often begin to discover that the limited set of tools offered by the Agile (or Scrum) framework alone do not satisfy organizational needs. Larger projects, more teams, and limited resources are often the hallmark and impetus to implement a Lean development approach where value streams and waste elimination drive the creation of better products, more profitable efforts, and fully utilized resource teams.
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Posted in Agile, Free, Kanban, Lean, Web Seminar | No Responses »
Written by Laura Daughtry on May 14th, 2012
Recap
When your boss comes to you with a problem, how often does he/she provide you with a manual on how to solve the problem? If you answered never, you are absolutely correct! If your boss knew how to solve the problem they wouldn’t come to you in the first place. Your boss hired you to solve business problems, but how can effectively do that? Simply by learning and using the strategies of business process improvement (BPI). When you improve your organization’s business processes, you can generate the crucial benefits of cost savings, efficiency gains, improved customer loyalty, and increased profits to your organization’s bottom line. This all sounds straightforward but navigating the waters of BPI can be daunting, especially during challenging times.
On Wednesday, May 9th ASPE instructor Kelley Bruns presented the free web seminar “Navigating the Waters of Business Process Improvement.” In this web seminar, Kelley discussed how to identify, plan, analyze, and redesign business processes. In addition, she also talked about how to acquire needed resources, implement a redesigned business process, and continually improve business processes. Viewers left with an understanding of how to tap into the power of business process improvement.
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Posted in BPI, Business, Business Process, Business Process Improvement, Free, Web Seminar | No Responses »
Written by Laura Daughtry on May 14th, 2012
Recap
As a business analyst, you are most likely highly organized, but without the planning tools and business analysis expectations; you may have the appearance of being disorganized in your plight to deliver effective requirements. If we do not pause to plan our work, it is as if you are trying to ride a bicycle before the wheels have been attached. You might be able to sit on the bike and think about where you want to go, but you won’t get anywhere at all. In a rush to provide a solution, the problem still might not be resolved because users are still unskilled. So the cycle of design a solution, find a problem, design a solution, and find a problem just continues, with everyone who is involved still unhappy and unproductive.
Most organizations have identified productivity as a strategic goal for all employees. Business analysts can contribute by developing their plans and working toward the plans. We are challenged to deliver with speed, increased productivity & efficiency, and to help deliver a competitive advantage. Management will most likely press to complete the analysis phase quicker than possible. The plans will provide you the ammunition to discuss the options to meet aggressive timelines.
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Posted in BA, Business Analysis, Free, Web Seminar, business analyst | No Responses »
Written by Katie Cothran on May 7th, 2012
by ASPE President David Mantica
It’s a simple question: Why grow your personal brand? Monster was yesterday’s top job finding tool, today’s is social media. If you want to find a job with the least amount of pain and suffering, build and maintain your personal brand online. You will be found and hired before a position is even posted.
How do you do this, and do it well? Here are our top six personal brand growth strategies. Click to continue »
Posted in Jobs, Leadership, Personal Brand, Uncategorized | No Responses »
Tags: ASPE, ASPE-SDLC, David Mantica, Personal Branding, Personal Growth Strategies, SDCL professionals
Written by Traci Lester on May 7th, 2012
by: Christopher R Goldsbury
You’re excited to make your move to agile. The agile coach you’ve brought on board has briefed you on his engagement plan and everything seems in alignment with your goals to make your IT group more agile. But before you sign the statement of work he looks at you and says: “Now, what’s not written in this contract is the level of change that is going to occur. There’s going to be a sweeping transition, and I need your support to make it effective. I’ll be frank…some people won’t make it. They may opt to leave.”
What Changes?
What’s not well understood is the sweeping organizational and cultural changes that must occur with an agile adoption. It’s not uncommon to read an agile book or blog and walk away thinking: “Seems simple to me. It’s just about breaking things up into mini waterfall efforts. Easy.”
But the real meat of an agile adoption is in the cultural transformation. It’s about internalizing certain principles, behaviors and attitudes. These are widely known as the Agile Manifesto.
But, specifically, what changes? Why is this cultural shift so hard? Click to continue »
Posted in Agile, Gathering Requirements, Project Management, Project Managers, teamwork | 2 Responses »
Tags: agile, Agile Culture, ASPE, aspe inc, ASPE-SDLC, Transitioning to Agile
Written by Laura Daughtry on May 2nd, 2012
Recap
Prior to implementing Scrum, many of us are classically trained Project Managers. We are taught to master the tools and techniques of the profession. Unfortunately, many of us are not taught key leadership skills and we struggle to fulfill the purpose of the ScrumMaster role. When we manage, rather than lead, our teams can feel controlled and their productivity can suffer. On Tuesday, April 24th, Tom Wessel presented the free web seminar “How to be a Great ScrumMaster.” In this web seminar, Tom discussed learning the core behaviors of a leader, so that you can help foster the kind of environment where hyper-productive Scrum teams can flourish.
Recording
Listen to the recording of it in its entirety by clicking View Event Recordings (at the top right) to learn the fundamentals of Agile Leadership as they apply to the ScrumMaster role.
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Posted in Agile, Free, Scrum, ScrumMaster, Web Seminar | No Responses »
