Tag: Agile

Scrum is synonymous with software development, a practice going back decades at this point. It serves as Silicon Valley’s killer app, the engine behind rapid deliverables that let tech giants pivot on a dime. As the global economy grows increasingly more volatile and customer expectations shift toward instant gratification, Scrum isn’t just for software these […]

Today’s marketplace is increasingly competitive, with organizations facing mounting pressure to reduce time-to-market while maintaining current quality standards. For Six Sigma practitioners, the answer is relatively simple to reduce shipping times, and involves the integration of Agile teachings and techniques. By taking a systematic approach toward iterative development, defect prevention, and integrating continuous improvement, organizations […]

The Scrum Guide is something of a living document, undergoing frequent revisions and changes to better suit the changes of today’s business needs. The most recent edition of the guide is the 2020 one, authored by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. Now, for the average person, this is a fairly dense document, in part thanks […]

Kanban makes for a wonderful complementary tool in your Agile workflows. If you’re looking to optimize your software delivery workflow, then looking at a visual means of organization is a great way of keeping things centered on continuous flow. Further, it fits right into the somewhat looser principles around Agile, which focus primarily on results. […]

Agile isn’t supposed to be a state of permanent urgency. For many organizations, however, this proves to be the case. They undergo a relentless cycle of sprints, reviews, and backlog cleaning sessions that generate motion but don’t maintain any sort of long-term progress. Deliverables are shipped, processes are iterated upon, and the organization stays stagnant. […]

Integration of Hoshin Kanri into an Agile workplace can seem somewhat daunting at first glance, given how disparate both approaches are. However, teams on the hunt for a hybrid approach that emphasizes strategic planning might find this combination to be just what the doctor ordered. It does take a deft hand when it comes to […]

In Six Sigma, we’re often taught that variation is the enemy. We apply a deeply analytical lens toward complex projects to seek out wastes, excesses, and bring them back under heel. When applied to a complex workload like software development, the most feared and hated sort of variation you’ll come across is scope creep. It […]

If you’re not keeping up with the latest threats, your overall security posture is at risk. Cybersecurity is a central concern for any organization’s operational strategy. Managing security initiatives is inherently complex, owing to the sheer scale and scope of even minor networks. Further, threat landscapes are constantly changing, along with shifting compliance requirements. Teams […]

A missed deadline often is a symptom of a bigger problem centered around planning, communication, or execution. Regardless of your organization’s industry, whether you’re in software development or manufacturing, delays erode stakeholder confidence and increase costs. As such, the challenge lies in aligning multiple teams with dynamic requirements under tight delivery windows. Scrum, an Agile […]

It should go without saying that in the grand scheme of corporate life, whether your business is big or small, innovation can be your lifeblood. Whether it’s standing out from the competition or continuing to innovate on a product customers already love, there is so much to be said about consistently coming up […]

DevSecOps is built around the principles of speed, automation, and iteration, resulting in a flexible security environment. You can take the standard operations done under DevSecOps and create a far more powerful and versatile hybridized approach by implementing tools, principles, and concepts from Six Sigma. While the industry is still focused on shifting […]

It should go without saying that there are fans of both Lean and Agile in manufacturing, and for all the right reasons. Both of these business processes are well-loved in various circles for reasons that have been shown to work across hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses over the past few decades. The […]

Modern cybersecurity practices require speed, something that traditional ways of managing departments like Waterfall won’t accommodate. However, by utilizing Agile sprints and other tools from the methodology, you can set a rapid cadence that is focused on security, stability, and minimizing downtime. Further, you can make it so your security team is constantly […]

Agile and cybersecurity go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Traditionally, cybersecurity practices are largely reactive, siloed off from the rest of the company. Now, as we’ve seen with recent data breaches and incidents over the last decade, this isn’t the best way of handling things. In reality, the ideal of a cybersecurity […]

In any business, no matter what you are delivering to customers, whether it’s widgets, computers, or automobiles, the focus should first and foremost be on customer value. This is the reason you have customers, and if there is any reason why this customer value breaks or the customers no longer see a reason […]

Lean and Agile make for a potent combination when considering any cybersecurity operations. When taking a look at these two disparate methodologies, you’d be forgiven for thinking they might be ill-suited for building a culture of security. That said, finding the synergies between the two enables a more resilient, efficient organization that readily […]

Lean Six Sigma and Agile make for a potent combination when deployed in several different environments. However, one area where you can leverage this powerful combination for exemplary results is in software development. Software development is a tricky business sector to hem in, thanks in part to the actively shifting targeted goals of […]

Six Sigma and Agile are two of the major methodologies behind businesses these days. While today’s article title might lead you to believe this is a shootout of sorts, I didn’t have that in mind. Instead, when it comes to the question of Six Sigma vs. Agile, I was wondering where these methodologies intersect […]

If you’re working for any organization these days, big or small, there is a good chance that you have at least heard of Big Room Planning (BRP). While there are mixed reviews on whether Big Room Planning works, some companies and employees feel the opposite.  In the world of agile methodologies, Big Room […]

What are the best tools for Agile? Agile as a methodology can seem somewhat freeform, despite following rather rigid planning. Further, since Agile projects are typically broken down into individual components, complex projects can spin out of control quite quickly. As such, it makes sense to employ solid and dependable tools for the […]

Where do stakeholders in Agile come into play? Any project management methodology is going to have a stakeholder of some sort at its core. However, learning the roles and overall function of these individuals in the grander scheme of your Agile project can make quite a bit of difference when moving through sprints […]

How do you get past resistance to Agile? Change is a tricky subject for any company to navigate. This is doubly true when looking at instituting a methodology like Agile for your project management needs. If you’ve got an entrenched method of work, changing gears so abruptly can lead to some setbacks. However, […]

Agile vs. waterfall, what is the best methodology for managing your projects? There is no shortage of project management approaches when it comes to businesses. Agile is one approach that has taken off in the world of software development, with new practitioners even extending it well outside of the tech industry. Waterfall is decidedly different, […]

How does Agile project management fare beyond the world of software development? Software development has adopted Agile as an industry standard, but the same principles can be applied across the band to a wide variety of industries. Furthermore, many industries would benefit from implementing the Agile methodology in their current project management workflow. […]