update with Agile overtones

In case you care, and some of you do because I have received a few emails, I wanted to make a quick post updating things on this end.

You may know, I lost my Dad and best friend about 5 months ago and my Mom is very ill. Also, about a month ago, a major contract fell through due to a change in managerial direction. So, things are pretty tough and I have done good old prioritizing in regard to MY stuff and my duties.

I have not found much use in discussing Agile or Project Management in light of this personal business (although I can’t stop arguing with or discussing things with people on LinkedIn and Twitter), but I will submit that the lessons I have learned from being a software process guy and software team guy have been somehow integrated into my daily life.

For instance, I have a standup with myself every morning. I plan sprints (week-long). I am getting things done and the fact that a new difficulty has knocked at my door is easily accomodated by the flexibility this routine affords me. I am fortunate to have a great development team that I can continue to work with, and do mental “timeboxing”.

Scrum didn’t help me, and I cannot say that by the book Scrum has helped all my Clients or all the teams I have worked with. Same can be said for RUP, PMI, etc. However, the totality of experience – that which makes us who we are really (some philosopher said we are the sum of our experiences) – has proven invaluable.

I could not have predicted this course of events nor have been nearly as successful at pulling things off if I had a waterfall mindset.

Agile is a state of mind. It is helping me in my personal life and professional life. I urge everyone to read as much as possible. It is about being human, among humans, and getting things done. Try to be technology and methodology agnostic. Try to just learn. That’s my unsolicited advice. Like every day is new, every project is new, and like every project yields fruits of knowledge… so do the things that life throws at us.

Hope you are well.

Best,

Josh