Beyond Story Points: A Practical Guide for Grown‑Up Agile Teams
Story points aren’t the problem. They were created with good intent. A soft way to guide planning without the stress and politics of time estimates. Ron Jeffries, one of the ...
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Agile Compass
A growing collection of articles on agility, innovation, leadership, and product management. Practical insights to help you navigate change and build high-performing teams.
So You Think You’re Agile?
The Ladder That Separates the Pretenders from the Practitioners “We work in two-week sprints.”Cool. That’s not agility. I’ve heard it a hundred times. Maybe a thousan...
Inside the Red-Green-Refactor Cycle: A Ritual for Flow, Feedback, and Fearlessness
This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Beyond Testing – The TDD SeriesBeyond Testing – The TDD Series If You Think TDD Means Automated Tests, You’re Missing the Point Inside...
The Story Point Illusion: Why "Per Person Velocity" is a Corporate Fairy Tale
The first time I heard someone talk about “per person story points,” I laughed. Surely, it was a joke. Like someone suggesting we measure teamwork by how many push-ups each p...
If You Think TDD Means Automated Tests, You’re Missing the Point
This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Beyond Testing – The TDD SeriesBeyond Testing – The TDD Series If You Think TDD Means Automated Tests, You’re Missing the Point Inside...
Why Do Organizations Want to “Go Agile”? – A Brutally Honest Look at Real and Misguided Motivations—for Coaches and Decision-Makers
Why Do Organizations Want to “Go Agile”? A Brutally Honest Look at Real and Misguided Motivations—for Coaches and Decision-Makers “Agility is not a goal. It’s a tool. A power...
Respect: The Missing Ingredient in Your Agile Transformation
Why respect isn’t just a soft value — but your system’s only real chance at speed. Shinjuku Station is the busiest railway station in the word. 4 million people passing th...
Learned Helplessness: The Hidden Barrier to Agility
Why your team isn’t stepping up—and what you can do about it. You’ve probably seen it. You’re working with a team that’s been told: “You are now self-managing!” ...
Stop Praising Suffering: Rethinking “Hard Work” and Finding True Productivity
Ever notice how, deep down, a lot of us still believe work is supposed to hurt? Like there’s something virtuous about suffering on the job? Call it a holdover from Calvinism,...
The AI Developer Apocalypse Might Be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Software Engineering
There’s a lot of anxiety in the air. AI is coming for developers. Coding assistants are getting smarter by the month. Junior roles are vanishing. Whole classes of developers ...
Are Your Most Respected Practices Now Your Greatest Risk?
Why old rituals won’t protect you—and how to outgrow your sword worship. A samurai in his armour in the 1860s. Hand-colored photograph by Felice Beato Imagine a w...
How to See the Future Before It Happens
In 2004, during my Silicon Valley days, my mission was straightforward yet challenging: predict markets 5 to 10 years into the future, spot emerging technologies, and craft r...
Low Performance Is a Leadership Problem, Not a People Problem
The term “low performer” is not just outdated — it’s destructive. Labeling people this way reveals an antiquated view of human beings that not only demotivates employees b...
How Apollo 13 Proved the Power of Distributed Leadership
Understand the unique leadership style that enabled Apollo 13's survival. Empowering teams can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Access this content with a premium subscripti...
The Story Points Trap: How We Lost Sight of Real Value
“How many story points do you complete per sprint?”“What’s your team’s velocity?”“Why isn’t it improving?” If you’ve heard these questions before, you know they’re usually...