Category Archives: Agile

Genchi Genbutsu – The real life of a taxi driver by Konrad Marshall

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

Challenged by a suggestion that victorian taxi drivers were “a new and disturbing category of the ‘working poor’ in Australia”  journalist Konrad Marshall sought to find out the truth about exactly how much money cabbies make, as well as gaining … Continue reading →

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Agile history article on ITnews.com.au – why the time is NOW for agile

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

I was kindly invited to submit an op-ed for IT News’s week of features on agile in Australia, and took the chance to outline my opinion that agile will continue to reveal itself as a black swan for modern business. … Continue reading →

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Shaping IT Organisations: CIO Strategy Forum presentation by Nigel Dalton

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

In which the 3rd Reich*, the Catholic Church, and Monty Python are resoundly thumped by William Edwards Deming in the race to design a healthy, productive IT organisation for the 21st century. By the time this is published I will … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile, Lean, Organisation, People | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Is the impact of Agile just a Hawthorne Effect ?

Posted on February 20, 2013 by

The Hawthorne Effect is a human behavioural theory drawn by various social scientists from trials undertaken between 1927 and 1932 at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works. The trials found that improvements in behaviour, and productivity changes observed after adjusting a workplace, … Continue reading →

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Agile, Lean and Systems Thinking – What’s the Deal?

Posted on January 3, 2013 by

A Luna Tractor client asked me the other day, “What’s the relationship between Agile and Lean? How do you know which to choose?”  It’s a great question and the answer is actually pretty simple: most of the time you need … Continue reading →

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What software people can learn from great Lego design – YOW 2012

Posted on December 16, 2012 by

At YOW! Australia in Melbourne I had the pleasure of introducing and getting to know John-Henry Harris, a product designer at Lego in Denmark. Originally from the UK, his passion for product design, and a love of Lego saw him … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile, Communication, Development, People | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Genchi Genbutsu – Go and See

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

Taiichi Ohno was reputed to take new graduates at Toyota to the factory floor and draw a circle on the ground.  The graduate would then be told to stand there and observe; if upon his return they had not seen … Continue reading →

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Ground Hog Day

Posted on September 17, 2012 by

I just saw this graphic of American Print Newspaper Advertising (adjusted for inflation) and had a strong sense of deja vu: Exhibit A: Newspaper Ad Revenue in the US Exhibit B: US Recorded Music Revenue in the US Business Insider … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile, Disruption, Strategy, Technology | Leave a comment

WHY ?

Posted on August 18, 2012 by

At various times I’ve heard Fiona, Nigel and myself telling people “If you only adopt one Agile practice make it the retrospectives” … But why ? The boards are useful, but they are really just give you a prompt when … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile, Communication, Customers, Development, Disruption, Lean, People, Strategy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Luna USA Field Trip: Kanban ice-cream – the case for limited whip?

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

In the delightful Hayes Valley in San Francisco, you will find a myriad of little design shops, clothing stores and cafes. Cheek by jowl 3 storey houses line the streets, and with lovely parks and a 20 minute walk to … Continue reading →

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