One of the myths about agile is that in agile there is no planning. This myth probably stems from comparison with waterfall approaches, where detailed up-front planning is the norm. In agile, there is still a need to plan over a long period of time, commit to a completion date, plan resources, and align the…
In her book The Great ScrumMaster, author Zuzana Šochová reminds us that we may have lost our way in understanding the role of the ScrumMaster in agile. She describes the role using the #ScrumMasterWay concept which, according to the author, finally provides ScrumMasters the answer to their most common question: “What will the ScrumMaster do…
When it comes to choosing either an agile or a traditional project management methodology, we don’t necessarily have to pick either one. Hybrid project management is a better answer, because it combines the best of both worlds and it allows a smoother transition from traditional to agile as compared to making the transition in one…
Alongside with DevOps, which ideally means deploying code into production with the click of a button through a well-defined process, data professionals are thinking about a similar concept for moving data into production. What if a business user wants new data in an analytical application, can we do it with the click of a button?…
As a practicing agile professional and a holder of both the PMI-ACP and Certified ScrumMaster certifications, I will share my insights on how such agile certifications compare in order to help you decide which one is better for you. The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner certification or PMI-ACP is issued by the Project Management Institute. I…
Whenever I hear that someone refers to PMP or PMI as a methodology, I want to tell them that neither of these is a project management methodology (PMP is a certification and PMI is the name of the organization that issues the certification). The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is also not a methodology…
There are various opinions on mixing agile and waterfall. On one hand, there are strong arguments against mixing agile and waterfall, for example the term scrummerfall was coined to denote a combination of the two approaches and defined as “the practice of combining Scrum and Waterfall so as to ensure failure at a much faster…
Recently, I was approached by a colleague who is preparing to take the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) to share my experience. It has been almost 5 years since I passed the exam and I would probably have forgotten many of the details, were it not for this article that I wrote for the…
Agile methodologies typically focus on software development. It may appear as if writing code is the only aspect of agile delivery. But we know that most applications use data and this data must be stored somewhere, preferably in a database. This is an integral part of any application. The question then becomes: how do we develop…
While my memory is still fresh after attending the Scrum Gathering in Munich 2016, the first thing that comes to mind is that it’s all about coaching. My impression was that the main purpose of the conference was to come together so that independent consultants who offer coaching services can have access to a huge pool…