Leading the conversation on digital connected work
“Effective communication, in turn, enables us to psychologically connect better with others, win people over, negotiate better and establish better alignment.” (Jan de Jonge, business psychologist) It is no secret that effective communication is a key leadership (and life) skill required for being able to better connect with people across the organization’s hierarchy, with customers,...
Stress in the workplace has been a common theme for decades and technological advances have done little to alleviate it. It is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year and with “always on” e-mail, it means that there can often be nowhere to hide, destress and recharge for under-pressure employees. For...
You’ve probably heard about how Kanban is a great collaborative tool. But aside from managing tasks, what are the real benefits of Kanban? Turns out, there are a lot of ways it can improve working conditions. From maximizing efficiency to reducing job-related stress, Kanban offers a number of benefits that ensure your projects run smoothly....
Polaris Industries’ crowdsourcing case study is inspiring people both internally and externally—and their story is still relevant today. As a strong believer that the key to success is in the ethics and values of its employees, Polaris has made the creation of great products not just a job, but a way of life. “We’re proud...
The part 1 of this series, 5 Lean and Agile Metrics to Measure Track with Your Team: Lead Time and Cycle Time, I shared two of the five Lean and Agile metrics to track. In this blog, we’ll talk about measuring batch size, WIP, and throughput. Let’s get started. The goal for any Agile team is...
There’s a growing interest to incorporate Scaled Agile Delivery principles across the organisation. Companies are learning how lean and agile delivery methods are impacting visibility, strategic alignment, funding, and accountability. It’s a new way of working—one that comes with challenges to overcome, but worth the effort as it can positively influence strategic agility. In the...
A project sponsor is an important link between a project team and other stakeholders, including more senior executives. We have already addressed how to identify a project sponsor, so here we will focus on what their roles and responsibilities are. These can vary depending on the industry and type of project, but can generally be...
Now more than ever, organizations are relying on software applications and outside technology vendors to meet their information technology needs. Yet, as these requirements evolve, it becomes difficult to keep track of what applications you have, the purpose they serve, usage, and value. This is a problem that application portfolio management (APM) can solve. What...
Management expert Peter Drucker is quoted as saying, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” something most product managers or reporting nerds would agree with—especially when it comes to trying to improve the workflow of a development team. That said, not everyone is as chummy with Lean and Agile metrics as I am, which is...
Welcome to the finale of our four-part series that reviews the types of planning organizations have at their fingertips to convert strategy into results. At the beginning of this series, we discussed the importance of developing plans that are dynamic and continuous in order to adapt to change. Now, we will summarize the different types...
