Refactor — You Keep Using That Word…

I stumbled upon a thread recently where the question was posed, “What are some common mistakes when refactoring code?”

The answers were interesting. The more I read, the more I realized that folks weren’t talking about the same thing. They…

Escape Velocity — What is Velocity?

Velocity is a vector

Velocity Anti-Patterns — Demand for more velocity

This is far and away, the most common Velocity Anti-Pattern, and quite possibly the most harmful. It manifests itself in a number of differing fashions, but the basics are the same: Somebody determines that the team needs to get more done in…

Metrics Misuse — Goodhart’s Law

Now, metrics are not bad. But, they are often used in bad ways.

It might help to be aware of some of the side effects of mismanagement of metrics. From inadvertently creating behaviors that actively work against our best interest, to altering the…

Velocity Anti-Patterns — Introduction

If you’ve been on an agile team that uses velocity as a key metric, you’ve probably experienced or at least witnessed some pretty strange behavior.

I asked a group of agile coaches and practitioners via Twitter and LinkedIn about…

Velocity Anti-Patterns — Attempts to show more velocity

When leadership asks for an increase in velocity, there are a few common behaviors that occur. Each of them are an attempt to satisfy the potentially unrealistic ask.

Velocity Anti-Patterns — Enticing greater velocity

Leaders (and teams) attempt to achieve velocity increases in numerous ways. Most, as you can imagine, have unintended side effects on the teams and none significantly improve the actual flow/delivery of value to their customers. Here we…

Using Collaboration Contracts

Collaboration Contracts are a way of identifying who is involved in a decision and what level of decision-making authority each participant has. This isn’t a delegation model where some individual is empowered and imparts unto others some fraction of their authority for a…

The Experiment Canvas

There are three basic parts to the canvas — Definition, Experiment, and Conclusion.

Metric Misuse — The Hawthorne Effect

Now, metics are not bad. But, they are often used in bad ways.

It might help to be aware of some of the side effects of mismanagement of metrics. From inadvertently creating behaviors that actively work against our best interest, to…