Agile in a Flash

I try not to do too many "news message style blogs", ones where all the blogger does is repeat somebody else’s message and hyperlink to it.

I would rather the majority of my posts reflect my personal experiences and add some significant value.

Still, every once in awhile something comes along that impresses me enough that I can’t resist.

Jeff Langr and Tim Ottinger are blogging about a concept called Agile in a Flash, which brilliantly, and build on the concept that real tangible, concrete tools that you can touch often have way more impact than equivalent software solutions.

This is one of the base principles of agile. I.e. planning boards that are clearly visible to that everybody passes by, are way better than software project plans. Using collaboration cards to build models with your stakeholders are way better than software models that you simply review.

Agile in a Flash builds on this concept by placing specific best practices on distinct cards, everything from technical practices like using meaningful names when creating code, to project management practices like daily standup meetings and retrospectives. What is really interesting is that power cards are also included in the deck, such as extreme measures.

The two authors have positioned using Agile in a Flash as a great way to anchor one’s thoughts, as well as a mechanism to quickly teach and provide learning to people who are not aware of some of these practices. I personally like the idea of actually placing the specific cards are actually being used by a team on the actual planning board. That way everybody in the organization who goes by the planning board will have a clear understanding of what actual practices are being followed by the team.

I think tools like this are great enablers for change management, and personally, want to brand some of these cards according to look and feel of my clients logo, and start introducing them to the various technical people that I work with on a daily basis.

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