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How Agile Managers Use Uncertainty to Create Better Decisions Faster

Johanna Rothman

Strategy and Product Feedback Loops Many of my middle-management and senior leadership clients want certainty about future work. One of these managers said, “I have so much uncertainty and ambiguity. But most of my business focuses on coaching, workshops, or consulting. Does that sound like an agile team to you?

Agile 96
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Tired of Fake Agility? Choose When to Experiment and When to Deliver

Johanna Rothman

I have a new book: Project Lifecycles: How to Reduce Risks, Release Successful Products, and Increase Agility. I wrote it because I'm concerned about what I see in too many supposedly agile teams: Crazy-long backlogs and roadmaps. A focus on a “standard” agile approach, regardless of how much agility is in that approach.

Agile 84
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How to Change a Workshop In-Person Game to a Remote Simulation for Effective Results

Johanna Rothman

If you took an agile workshop sometime in the past 15 years, you probably played the “ ball game.” Especially since they've probably suffered through way too many “agileworkshops with more and more games. I explain the activity in this way: Your managers wanted you to fix this problem yesterday.

Agile 75
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Q2 2023 Writing Workshop Open for Registration

Johanna Rothman

I have opened the Q2 2023 Free Your Inner Writer workshop for registration. If you want my support in your writing, take the workshop. (If If you haven't yet bought the book, I'll give you a copy as part of the workshop.) See the syllabus on the Free Your Inner Writer workshop page. I can help. Register now. Contact me.

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Announcement: New Distributed Agile Teams Online Workshop

Johanna Rothman

After Mark Kilby and I collaborated on From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams , we decided to start creating online classes. We have just opened registration for our first geographically distributed agile teams class. See Prepare for Successful Distributed Agile Teams. It's a self-study class. Any questions?

Agile 51
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Want a Successful Agile Project? Start with Why Before How

Johanna Rothman

The managers don't believe the teams need product owners, so the teams don't have POs. The managers think a Scrum Master can support at least four teams. The managers (often with the assistance of a consultancy) decided Scrum was the answer. However, the managers didn't define the problem(s) they want to solve.

Agile 108
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How To Recognize Effective Project and Program Management

Johanna Rothman

Several people on social media have denigrated the terms “project manager” and “program manager.” ” These people claim there is no need for either role in an effective team, especially an agile team because the team can manage its own deliverables. Facilitating the team's collaboration.