Projects projects projects

On July 21, 2019August 25, 2019 By Scrum Under SiegeIn Thrift ScrumLeave a comment

Projects projects projects podcast – #35

This was a fun one when I sat down and started to brainstorm ideas on what relates to our latest podcast about projects projects projects. I believe this should be very relatable to everyone reading this. In our daily lives we take on several things during the day or week that we need to juggle at home.

I’m picturing my week right now. I need to set my schedule and get into a routine for the upcoming week. There is the laundry and meal prep on the weekends that needs to be done in order to prepare for the week. During the week I need to plan around busy schedules to have dinner plans set. Now that doesn’t seem to bad, but we also need to determine when to podcast. So the Scrum Under Siege crew needs to get something on the books. Sometimes it feels a little overwhelming, but the best way to get through everything is to take small task and complete them. Eventually I establish a cadence that I can use to determine what I can accomplish.

Now how does this relate to our latest podcast? Well sometimes you are going to be at work and assigned several projects. Part of it is understanding why it happening. Most cases this will be out of your control. Part of it is establishing a cadence so you can help determine when your work will be done. We have helpful tips in the podcast to help talk through a lot of this. Check out the episode above.

I ain’t got time to agile

On July 14, 2019August 25, 2019 By Scrum Under SiegeIn Thrift Scrum2 Comments

Podcast about part time agile.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemon aide”. Thats a beautiful quote. If more people believed in that quote, more people would be happier. Don’t let life completely dictate your fate. For instance, I love to fish. Do I have time to fish a lot? Nope. Do I have an awesome fishing boat? Nope. Do I understand all the specifics about fishing like lure colors and water temperatures? Nope. That doesn’t stop me from fishing when I get the chance. I also have realistic expectations when fishing. Catching fish is not the goal (but it does help when the fish cooperate). The act of fishing is the goal.

Sometimes you might find yourself on a side project where the team has very little capacity. You probably won’t have the time or resources to do all the cool agile stuff. Don’t let that stop you from trying. Listen to the podcast about some things to think about if your team is running agile as a side project.

On a related note, the “I ain’t got time to agile” title is a play on worlds from arguably the great action movie ever made –> Predator. I’m a child of the 80’s and this movie hit all the notes for me. Guns. Alien. Special Forces. Movie quotes. Arnold. And finally Jesse The Body! The Body was a pro wrestler and he gives the best line of the movie imo. Check it out.

Alabama ticks are the worst.

No Scrum Master available ATM

On July 7, 2019August 25, 2019 By Scrum Under SiegeIn Thrift Scrum1 Comment

What to do when team does not have a Scrum Master.

What does not having a Scrum Master compare to in real life? I was just wondering that myself. One thing that comes to my mind is cooking. As like many of us aim to have more home cooked meals, we learn its not easy. I myself have aimed for a lifestyle change where I focus on controling what I’m eating. With so many convenient choices at our finger tips, its easy to look at apps like: DoorDash, PostMates or Uber Eats and select something from a local favorite resturant and order it. The only catch is that you will be paying a premium to get it delivered and less control of what goes into your food.

What I learned on my own is that not having a plan for dinner will result in failure. I often have wondered how people who love cooking know what to make. So I turned to the Food Network to see what they were making and to see if I could borrow any recipes. I watched a show called Chopped on the Food Network. I admired how they could take random ingredients from a basket and make something that looked exquisite. Now I really wish I could afford to hire a chef to teach me about different flavor profiles and combination that I could use on my own. I wouldn’t complain if they taught me to mince, dice and filet like they do. However I don’t have the budget allocated to allow for that.

My next best option was checking out the old interweb to find recipes that I could follow. They were simple enough and easy to follow. I was able to make some really good dinners without much effort. As every new cooking lesson passes, I do learn more about The difficult part of all of this was the need to pick up specific ingridents that aren’t available in your pantry. Their is a upfront cost that needs to be put in to buy herbs and spices that will be the staple of every ingrident that I use. This similar to working without a Scrum Master. Expect to stumble along the way with your Agile team, but doesn’t mean you can’t have success. Check out our latest epsiode where we will give you advice.