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Stories about Agile Software Development
IT Manager Metrics: Framework + Lead Time vs Cycle Time (1/3)
A clear framework for measuring the IT team and core speed metrics from a single page: what is the difference between Lead Time and Cycle Time, how to set a start-end rule, and when to use each.
What is the RICE model in product development?
In product development, we never have enough time or resources to implement all desired initiatives. Product owners constantly evaluate which developments to pursue and which to postpone, and making the right decisions is far from easy. The RICE model helps us make faster and more accurate decisions when prioritizing tasks.
The 8 Biggest Mistakes of a Product Owner
The role of the Product Owner is the most important role in a software development team. This role is far from easy, the area of responsibility is large and varied, the workload is usually as well, and so it may happen that “the seams start to burst” somewhere. I have compiled eight of the most common mistakes made by product owners that have the greatest impact in product development.
How to conduct a Scrum Retro meeting?
I am often asked how to conduct a Scrum Retro meeting correctly so that people would be happy to participate next time as well. And this is a very correct question, because if you conduct a Retro meeting in an incompetent way, it will most likely go wrong and people will have a traumatic experience instead of the expected benefit. However, a successful Retro meeting is extremely useful. Here you will find a detailed step-by-step description of how to carry out your first Retro or, if you have already done them before, you may find new useful tips.
How to measure the work of a Scrum Master?
How do you know that the Scrum Master of the development team does his job well? The success of a Scrum Master’s work cannot be judged on the basis of a few numerical values, but I will give you 5 main success criteria to follow.
Agility posters
Posters are very useful tools for conveying the message and there is great power in visualisation. Before the corona time, I used them on the walls of meeting rooms, but now in the virtual Zoom era, I used them in the Miro environment. Here you will find some of my agile posters and some favorites from other authors. Everything is meant to be used freely!
Agile Trends 2021
The unforeseen events of 2020 have shown the importance of adapting quickly to a changing environment and taking an agile approach. Agile trends in 2021 reflect the global economic situation and adaptation to the new needs of a changed world. Below, I will highlight the TOP5 agile trends that we will see more and more in the past and in the coming years.
Agile mindset and myths around it
The term “agile” has probably been heard by many people in different contexts – talking about dog training, talking about IT and software development, organizational management topics, and more. I will write down 9 myths that circulate around the term “agile” and that I have often encountered in my work.
What is Agile?
Agile is the ability to create and respond to change. It is a way to cope with and succeed in an uncertain and changing environment.
Contesting a public procurement in the IT services sector
For some time now, I have wanted to shatter the urban legend “All public procurements are contested”. I will bring out specific numbers that prove the opposite – contesting a public procurement is not a frequent phenomenon at all.
![Rules of procedure for an agile software project. Sample Rules of Procedure [2020]](https://agilecoach.ee/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/tiimi-kokkulepe-400x250.jpg)
Rules of procedure for an agile software project. Sample Rules of Procedure [2020]
The rules of procedure of a software project are an important part of starting cooperation with a new external partner, which, unfortunately, is often left undiscussed and unconcluded. Yet a lot depends on this agreement, because none of us is a telepath.
Who is a Scrum Master? An agile project manager?
Quite often, I see the following scheme in Estonian software development projects: the development company describes in its offer in eloquent terms that they develop agilely and use the Scrum methodology. The team’s description states that the role of Scrum Master is performed by the project manager. Looks okay?
But this is where the fundamental problems begin. I myself have been in the role of a project manager and a Scrum Master at the same time, and I have lived through all the painful personality split problems that such an arrangement has caused.
Jira and 8 other free project management software
This time I will talk more about project management software for agile development – I have selected 9 software that are popular in the world and also have a free version, some poorer, some more generous:
Website Business Goals – Why Set and Measure Them?
Website business goals (KPIs – Key Performance Indicators) are just as important in measuring web success as business goals are in business management, because “you get what you measure”.
If you haven’t thought much about this topic before, here are a number of examples that will help you analyze and create goals for your own website or online store.
Risks of a software project. Sample risk plan.
A dialogue about life itself, in the course of conducting a software audit. Me: “Okay, let’s review the risks of the project at the moment.” Junior project manager: “You know, I’m not really interested in these risks at all, I just want to finish the thing in a cool way.”
Free whiteboard tools
If you organize virtual meetings with your team and occasionally need to hold joint brainstorming sessions, participatory workshops, retrospectives, etc., then there are excellent whiteboard software to replace the physical whiteboard space.
What is the Knoster Model and what is it used for?
The Knoster Model [1] is a simple and powerful tool for those who need to manage important changes – project managers, team leaders, company leaders, etc. The model is useful if you want to understand how people psychologically adapt to change and how they cope with major changes in everyday life.
How to prepare a good online procurement? Sample technical specifications
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the technical specification, i.e. the quality of the terms of reference. You get what you ask for. I am sharing here a sample technical specification document, which you can either use as a basis or review whether you forgot anything important.
How to prepare a good online procurement? Selection of procurement conditions
In my previous blog post, I talked about the selection of evaluation criteria as one of the most common typical mistakes when preparing a public procurement. In fact, there are several other conditions in the procurement that should be paid more attention to.
Kanban vs Scrum
Scrum and Kanban comparison.
The two most common methodologies are Scrum and Kanban: according to various studies, the share of Scrum use is over 50%, Kanban and various hybrids around 15%.
How to prepare a good online procurement? Selection of assessment criteria
For an IT project manager who will carry out
a new procurement Lately, I have had a succession of online procurement projects on my desk, in the course of which I have helped the client to prepare procurement documents for either a website or a mobile application, including the technical terms of reference.
5 Minute Scrum Test
Scrum-checklist for regular health checks
Here is a simple Scrum test that gives you an instant idea of how well your team is following the agile Scrum Framework. It is based on Henrik Kniberg’s popular Scrum checklist that is the best Scrum checklist I have used in my work.
Agility enthusiasts in Estonia
Here is a brief overview of the agility-related communities, service providers and trainers in Estonia that I know of at the moment.
Agile Blog: What and Why I Blog
This is my second serious attempt in the blogging world, and I have high hopes that this time my motivation will last longer than the first time, when the initial GDPR enthusiasm waned after about a year – https://gdpr-blog.ee.
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