Is chaos like a wild horse? The root for the word "manage" is an Italian word that means "to train a horse." Inhumane horse trainers (managers) see a rebellious animal who must adjust to a new environment. They transform the horse through a process they call "breaking." They break the will of the horse so it submits to the will of the human. … [Read more...]
Rethinking Measurement Concepts, Part 1
What is a measurement? I would answer a careful observation. Ponder the following questions as you encounter measurements today: What observations do you trust? What observations are you skeptical about? What observations do you believe are phony? What observations don't have any value? What new observations would have value? … [Read more...]
Critical Lesson in Estimation
What critical lesson have I learned about the process of making an estimate? Have your most pragmatic, experienced people do the estimate. Minimize the number of people who are members of the estimating team. A team size of three, in my experience, is ideal. That's enough members to trigger divergent estimates, which creates arguments, which … [Read more...]
Rethinking Stand-Up Meetings, Part 2
I argued in my first article about stand-up meetings that the right participants were the key to a successful meeting rather than whether the participants were standing up or sitting down. Despite my dislike for forcing people to stand up, I mentioned in that article my positive regard for other elements of the standard stand-up meeting. What … [Read more...]