Agile
Moving from SAFe to Just In Time (via Leading Agile)
- Is it okay to use only parts of SAFe? Yes; all methodologies serve a specific purpose if you have the problems those methodologies were built to solve. For example, SAFe is good at multi-level orchestration problems.
- Coaches look at the problem, and find what helps get to a solution — they don’t pick a framework.
- Planning is about dependency management; you can only go as fast as your dependencies.
- Your customers dictate how long your increment is — maybe it’s a quarter, month, week, or hour. It’s based on how fast you need to validate or pivot.
- Maybe it takes so long to plan because you don’t have an architect to manage dependencies.
Hybrid Work
5 New Rules for Leading a Hybrid Team (via HBR)
- Make work purpose-driven; connect people’s work to the org’s mission
- Trust your people more than feels comfortable; offer direction, not directions
- Learn in the small moments and make sure those don’t get lost in the shuffle
- Be more decisive than seems comfortable; when people know what’s happening, they can make the best choices for themselves
- Include everyone, and take a long hard look in the mirror
Leadership
How to Influence Attitudes on your Team for Better Results (via SWLW)
The phrase that came to mind for this article is “Leaders set tone.” If you’re negative about something (programming framework in this instance), it can be contagious.
Project Management
The Project Economy Has Arrived (via HBR)
I agree with the author that today’s work involves a mixture of traditional project management techniques and Agile techniques. It’s not one or the other, as they both optimize for different (and valid) outcomes. However, the author is a former president of the Project Management Institute, and the article reads like a promotion of PMI and that “projects” aren’t dead. His “Project Canvas” is no more than a typical project management plan and, while valid, doesn’t seem all that innovative to me. In general the piece sounds more like a defense of projects over products; also, he doesn’t explain how operations should work (i.e., projects that don’t end).
Retention
6 Strategies to Boost Retention Through the Great Resignation (via HBR)
- Add monetary incentives for staying
- Provide better career opportunities
- Elevate the company’s purpose
- Prioritize culture and connection
- Take better care of employees and their families
- Embrace flexibility