Category: Agile

Agile

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On determination

iulianalexandrustoica

Difficult times are often seen as appropriate occasions to reflect on the organisation needs, structure, vision, strategy, as moments to restructure things. Nowadays, as the level of uncertainty is increasing, things get even more complicated and part of the already created plans become redundant. However, the organisation vision, the north star for the organisation remains the same if it was thoroughly thought of when it was designed. So what keeps the organisation on the right path towards reaching the north star? I would say determination, a skill that has an impact much higher than it is perceived. Determination means being … Continue reading On determination

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On frameworks

iulianalexandrustoica

When an organisation doesn’t reach the expected results one of the first action points considered is to change the current framework. However, in many cases, the current framework is partially adopted or misunderstood, which leads to the false conclusion that it is the root cause, thus the need to change it. Instead of focusing on the human capital, the most valuable “asset” an organisation possesses, the decision-makers focus on the new framework implementation which is put to light as the salvation, the superhero. I think that the true superheroes are the employees working day by day for the organisation, the … Continue reading On frameworks

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On standards

iulianalexandrustoica

Working alongside product companies allows experiencing the impact of sharing the same practices across the entire enterprise architecture. Some call this standardization, which in theory brings only advantages for both the product company and the end-users. Reusing same technical, functional and user experience design across products or modules of the same product offers consistency and provides the future direction. But what happens when you realize that the current practices, referred to as standards, are outdated or contain techniques which are far from being best practices? You have a choice. You can continue the work as it is. Or you can … Continue reading On standards

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On resolutions

iulianalexandrustoica

Almost every year there is a top resolution on our list: new year new me. Is it the new me that will guarantee an improved outcome at the end of the year? Or it can be the same me, but more focused on the steps to get there? Most of the time, focusing on the right things represents the most important tactic in achieving our goals. Along the way, part of the plan might change, but as long as we reach the end goals throwing everything away and starting from scratch may not be the way to go. Do we … Continue reading On resolutions

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On agility

iulianalexandrustoica

Did you know that faster time to market and faster innovation are the top two benefits of organisational agility? According to the THE ELUSIVE AGILE ENTERPRISE study, conducted by Scrum Alliance together with Forbes, other top benefits are: improved non-financial results employee morale ability to attract and hire top talent improved competitiveness improved financial results ability to better manage across geographies/verticals In the rapid pace of technology, innovation and development we are in today organizations need to deliver results faster than ever. The Take-Away Agility is not only delivering products faster than the competition.It belongs to the enterprise level of … Continue reading On agility

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On crafting products

iulianalexandrustoica

Do you have an idea which can be transformed into a great software product? And maybe you don’t know which is your next next step or how to proceed? From determining the product market fit, spending enough time in both problem and solution space, creating the strategy, the road map, the backlog, prioritizing the product backlog items, finding the right technique for defining the first version application scope I can guide your effort and transform the idea into a product customers love. There are many other items to consider, besides the above list. Luckily for you, I know them too. … Continue reading On crafting products

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On Agile mindset

iulianalexandrustoica

We hear more and more often about the individual terms Agile and mindset but also about the concept which results by combining them. But what is an Agile mindset? In my opinion, an Agile mindset is based on the following pillars: The ability to have a clear vision about own work and teamwork, from small topics to larger topics like product vision The ability to understand what inspect and adapt really means – inspecting the results at the end of each period of work (sprint) and adapt activities planned for future periods of work (sprints) The ability to understand change … Continue reading On Agile mindset

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On improvement kata

iulianalexandrustoica

In martial arts, a kata is “a routine you practice deliberately, so its pattern becomes a habit.” Kata it’s a way of transferring skills and developing the mindset, helping in the translation of concepts into practical reality.         For sure kata sounds familiar for martial arts enthusiasts but what is Improvement Kata? The Improvement Kata, as explained by Mike Rother, is a general-purpose framework and a set of practice routines for reaching goals where the path to the goal is uncertain. It requires us to proceed by iterative, incremental steps, using very rapid cycles of experimentation. This model is described in … Continue reading On improvement kata