Process Optimization

Making the case to stop starting and start finishing, analyzing the negative effects of context switching.

In this brilliant visualization, Henrik Kniberg shows the effects of context switching and how even a perfect multitasker will deliver results two to three times slower than someone that does not switches projects back and forth.

Demonstrating how keeping people busy does not necessarily result in higher throughput, and how it mostly depends on flow.

An excellent and brief visual demonstration of the impact of flow on throughput. As Henrik Kniberg puts it, "when you focus on keeping people busy, what you get is a bunch of busy people". By focusing on throughput, this short lesson shows the difference between push and pull, and how much work is actually completed by using various methods.

Examining the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think.

Career analyst Daniel Pink makes a very interesting Ted Talk presentation on the dilemma that hovers above motivations in the business world stating that social scientists have the answer but managers don't. He uses the ''Candle problem'' to factually explain that traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think citing that if a task is a bit complex, they do more harm than motivate the team. Watch the Ted Talk to know more about the puzzle of motivation - why rewards work best in straightforward tasks, and why they restrict our possibility when handling complex tasks.

Optimizing value and creating transparency between team and stakeholders over the product increment.

Are you interested to know more about the Sprint Review and the value that it drives to an organization? Sprint Reviews are informal meetings held consecutively to discuss about the product increment with the intent of obtaining feedback and fostering collaboration between the Scrum Team and the stakeholders. However, who should be available in the Sprint Review, when should it be held, how should it be prepared, and how long should it take? Sjoerd Nijland provides the answers to these questions and more with deeper explanations.

Strategies for dramatically improving flow using Theory of Constraints, by applying 3 different strategies to the bottleneck.

In this mind-blowing demonstration you will see three different ways to handle the flow of water out of a glass bottle. During the experiment, Arrie van Niekerk, one of the leading TOC Experts, shows the strategies for dramatically improving flow using Theory of Constraints. By comparing the different flows and understanding the natural movements that are created, you will understand the potential improvements that can be unlocked if the right strategy is applied at the bottleneck.

A deeper understanding on an opportunity for the team to develop transparency and inspect and adapt.

Sjoerd Nijland provides in-depth information about Sprint Retrospectives noting that their main purpose is to encourage improvements within the Scrum framework. They give the Scrum team the opportunity to identify improvements to be made based on the previous Sprint, inspect these upgrades, then adapt to implement them during the next Sprint. But, how often should you hold the Sprint Retrospective, how long should it take, and who are the right people to attend this meeting? Let's find out these and more here.

7 Strategies For Jumping Over The Compliance Hurdle

Compliance regulations exist for a good reason. They protect the customers and investors from unvalidated risks, and increase trust in potential customers. Regulations in industries are often seen as roadblocks to innovation, and Erwin De beuckelaer shares 7 practical strategies that demonstrate that compliance is more an aid than a hurdle for your innovation projects. In his view, not every risk is worth taking but some risks can be calculated.

Understand how systems with queues behave in the R&D domain.

Queuing theory is specially relevant in large scale environments since traditional batches of work have a non-linear impact on cycle time. Understand how systems with queues behave in the R&D domain, and apply those insights to managing queue sizes, work-in-progress limits, multitasking, work packages, and variability.

Audit requirements and strict compliance processes can be handled with the right Agile method.

When faced with audit requirements and compliance, companies can dismiss Agile - and its focus on working software over comprehensive documentation. The author has found it more meaningful to focus on the types of regulation and reporting teams are facing - they are either descriptive or prescriptive. Agile, he has found, can create more empowered teams who embrace both types, optimize their work while meeting all regulatory requirements.

What a commitment to experimenting continuously (in order to find better, faster ways of working) can find.