Agile Development

This article explores the synergy of Scrum and Essence, a domain model of software engineering processes, intending to become a common ground for software development methods, bringing clarity into the composition of methods from individual practices.

What do we mean by Quality? The word Quality is commonly used in software development, but it isn’t always clear what is meant by it. Teams create Definitions of Done, configure thresholds in their CI/CD pipeline, write performance tests and agree service level agreements, but are these sufficient for the level of Quality the customer expects?

This post is an exploration of whether you should be estimating Expense or Effort. Both are required from different processes within the Scaled Agile Framework and there is a route to convert between the two, but which should be the principal estimate and which the derivation?

The purpose of governance is to provide confidence that expensive development projects are progressing at a satisfactory pace and will deliver the required outcomes at the required quality. They are often applied at a ‘whole organization’ level, with all teams required to report into them in the same way. They have often evolved from traditional, linear project management processes, often with checkpoints, gateways, milestones and compliance documents. Which is fine if we believe that the solutions being delivered are relatively stable and unlikely to change. However, what if that’s not the case? How do they cope if the problem space evolves, the criteria for success are unclear or the stakeholders change their minds?

Portfolios need to build roadmaps to facilitate forecasting activities and to assess time-criticality during prioritisation. This post looks at why Portfolios need to build roadmaps and explores some of the challenges that Portfolio Level Roadmapping faces.

Portfolios are responsible for managing the funding. This post visualises the flow of money within a Lean Portfolio and what that money is pruchasing.

A revised introduction to the Lean Portfolio within the Scaled Agile Framework. It builds the Portfolio up from first principles and showing how all the pieces fit together.

Portfolios are responsible for managing the funding. This post explores Participatory Budgeting, the suggested process within SAFe for determining the investment profile, the budgets, for the Development Value Streams within the Portfolio.

Portfolios are responsible for managing the funding. This post explores what happens when The Team gets funded and becomes a Value Steam.

Portfolios are responsible for managing the funding. This post explores what happens when The Work gets funded and becomes a project.