There’s really only one way to travel down a waterfall - in a barrel.  A lot of people died this way, but some survived.  Software projects have been predominantly waterfall projects since the start of software projects.  And stakeholders rode down those projects, basically in a barrel.  The people riding Niagara Falls 100 years ago didn’t know if they would survive until they got to the end.  Stakeholders in waterfall projects don’t know if they will succeed until the end.

An agile project is dependent upon tight interaction (and feedback) with stakeholders.

If you’re running an agile project, and your stakeholders are old-school barrel-riders, how do you make it work?

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Should your products be designed by your customers, or inspired by your customers?

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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The second productcamp for Austin is just around the corner!  Are you going to be there?  You should.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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A picture is worth a thousand words.  Agile values working software over comprehensive documentation, and it values customer collaboration over contract negotiation.  With that in mind, how much is a picture of a model worth?  Check out a simple example, how it helped, and what we didn’t do.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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How quickly is your market changing?  Bet it’s faster than you thought.

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It’s fitting that I’m writing this from the exit row of an MD-80 this evening on the way home from a customer visit.  I almost didn’t get the exit row, but I did.  I tried for an upgrade to first class, but I was 15th in line - it was a busy flight with a lot of high-status frequent fliers ahead of me.  But I’m thrilled to be in the exit row, with the lap-room available to type up these tips that will help you travel.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Satisficing probably makes more sense than perfecting your product.

Can?  Open.

Worms?  Everywhere.

Are we really saying “don’t make it perfect?”  Yup.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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We all have seen the commentary from economists, speculators, and journalists.  The messages vary from gloom-and-doom to best-opportunity-ever.  Warren Buffet talks about being afraid when everyone is buying, and buying when everyone panics.  Jason Calacanis talks about tightening our belts (but also talks about opportunity).  The general message from venture capitalists seems to be “stop being silly, and start making rational business decisions.”  So what are you seeing in your neck of the woods?

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Planning by ROI.  Hmmm.  Isn’t that impractical?  In an econometric way, yes.  But you can still estimate the relative value of the capabilities / stories you’re planning for your scrum sprints.  The point is - don’t look only at value - also look at costs.  While “ROI” may be a poor choice of terms, “bang for the buck” is not.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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You’ve got a giant backlog of user stories and product capabilities.  How do you determine which stories to implement right now?  By the estimated value of each story?  Pick the ones the developers want to build next?  How about picking the stories that maximize the ROI of the sprint?  To do that, you need to estimate both value and cost.  While remaining agile.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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