danprager

Team focus factor

As a coach I see many teams struggle with the cognitive overwhelm of low focus, and frustrated senior managers who want teams to deliver high value pieces of work rather than “a bit of this and that”. By measuring focus (or lack there of) we can have conversations that lead to real improvement, and usefully blend qualitative insight and creativity with quantitive simplification. We can get more focussed about getting more focussed!

Scrum can be great (or terrible) for teams

I have something of a love-hate relationship with Scrum. Let me count the ways …

Intrinsic Motivators: set up your CAMP

Dan Pink popularised Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose as the big three intrinsic motivators, but we can go one better by adding Connection into the mix.

To fix Legacy Code you need a cocktail of techniques

No one technique will cure Legacy Code, but in most situations a combination of approaches — much like how a cocktail of treatments is needed to effectively treat HIV — can work very well indeed.

Inviting Change beats Imposing Change

You know the adage “People resist change.” It is not really true. People are not stupid. People love change when they know it is a good thing. No one gives back a winning lottery ticket. What people resist is not change per se, but loss. When change involves real or potential loss, people hold onContinue reading “Inviting Change beats Imposing Change”

Untangling Legacy Code

Legacy code (code without good automated test coverage) is an insidious burden that slowly strangles software development velocity, kills development team morale, and ultimately destroys Business Agility by reducing speed and quality, increasing risk, and eroding culture. Legacy code: code without automated tests, or equivalently, code that developers are afraid to change MICHAEL FEATHERS & J BContinue reading “Untangling Legacy Code”