Is This Problem Deterministic or Non-Deterministic?
We solve many problems over the course of a day, week, month, year. Some problems are difficult because the problem is difficult to solve. Some of my book projects are…
Read moreAre You Fighting to Build Your Empathy Skills?
I was writing the geographically distributed agile teams book this morning with Mark Kilby. I said, “I have to fight for all my empathy skills. They might come naturally to…
Read moreWhere Do We Go From Here?
We encounter a problem somewhere, at work, at home. We often reflect, to discover the root cause(s). That might be useful, especially if we discover a common cause, something within…
Read moreHow Can You “Just Get Over It”?
You encounter a setback or a loss. Someone, a well-meaning someone, tells you to “just get over it.” How can you? The quick answer is you don’t. (Well, I don’t.)…
Read moreHow Can You Create Time or Space for More Options?
One of my problem-solving approaches is to generate options. When I don’t generate enough options, I don’t see how to proceed. Before I knew about the Rule of Three, I, often,…
Read moreWhere Do You Have Redundancy?
I was thinking about resilience and redundancy a lot this week. We had a big weekend last week (we gained a son-in-law) so this week was a week of what…
Read moreWhat’s the Difference Between Problem Whining and Problem Solving?
I see problems—often system problems—everywhere. It’s partly that I trained myself to see problems. Sometimes, I trip over them. (Literally. Ouch.) I like to solve problems, too. That’s what consultants…
Read moreWhen Do You Need a Tool?
I recently listened to a podcast about scaling agile. I was sort of okay with what they said until they said this: “You need a tool to do this thing right.”…
Read moreWhen Can You Play the Perfection Game?
I’m participating in several different writing projects: books with colleagues, shepherding experience reports, and a group book effort. We are all working to make the writing and eventual product better.…
Read moreWhat Behavior Can You Change?
I was thinking about some of the changes my clients are considering. Most of them want to use agile approaches, all the way through the organization. A laudable goal because…
Read more