Being Agile

They say being Agile is all about the mindset, and the more I learn about it the more I agree. However and maybe I should have put this in a bigger font to make it a bigger however, You need to start somewhere. I have found that people need some extra guidance for the beginning. They need to feel a little bit of confidence that they are doing the right thing in this every changing, very vague, agile environment

I recently read a book called Think Agile by Taffy Williams purchase on Amazon

I found the book useful but more aimed at the Entrepreneur but has some good ideas that anyone can incorporate in adapting to change in an agile manner.

Some ideas to keep in mind and make it easier for yourself that I picked up from the book.

1. REVIEW and REFLECT- use the scrum review and retro idea in your daily life. Always ask yourself if your approach is working or if you are stuck in a rut. How can you do things differently, what worked and what could be done better. Do you need to focus on the relationships or are you just meeting a target. I find my emotions still get in the way a bit here. I want to be bringing everyone along on the journey with me but then I am such a task driven person and I just want everyone to pull there socks up and get the work done.
2. BE CURIOUS – LEARN just remember to do this at the right pace. I’m learning on way too many fronts at the moment and my brain is still processing in the middle of the night instead of recuperating.
   LOOK FOR THE OPEN DOORS – This environment of change provides more opportunities than every before. Find out the knowledge you lack so that you can be the catalyst for change. Look for those positives and help others see them too.
3. NETWORK – people relationships are so important. Meet with people who possess the knowledge you lack, learn from them and or seek mentors. People you can trust who will have your back.
4. KEEP MOVING FORWARD-ok so that didnt work, what else can you try. Continuously reconsider your goals and adapt your strategy. This is where you put into action what you have learnt. How has what you have learnt or experienced affected the options you have available to you or the way you work? What other options are there, what if you turned it around and looked at it from a completely different viewpoint, what options would you have then? What if you thought about it from a year or 10 years in the future, how would that impact your decision making. Ask yourself What If all the time.

By using the knowledge that you gain and feeding that into your goals and strategy for the future you will be more prepared for success, to see opportunities and be in the position to grab them, even if they were not options you considered viable earlier on.

Agility is about looking at things from different angles, always questing and testing new approaches, pivoting to new directions when you see new opportunities or options or even old options that all of a sudden become more attractive. It’s about not always being right or perfect, but making mistakes and that being ok because you are learning from them. About taking what you have learnt and being easy on yourself so that you can tweak what you are doing without self criticism but with eyes on the end goal and adapting your strategy and approach to the changing conditions to meet that goal.

In the agile ICT world we work on smaller iterations to reduce the risk and to minimize the impact when something does go wrong. It makes us more resilient. Don’t let fear of failure hold you back, failure is a valuable learning tool. You will hit obstacles along the way, It’s part of life, in fact the game I am playing (talking tom gold rush) is all about failing and then getting back up and doing it again – trying a different approach to get past the next level, using agility to maneuver around, under, over the obstacles. I didn’t give up the first time, I have kept trying different techniques and I am getting better at it each time.

“It is better to be doing something than nothing, for even if you are moving in the wrong direction, you have the agile ability to pivot and shift directions when required.”

Core characteristics – not everyone can be completely agile, it will depend on your core characteristics as to how easy you find it to go a different approach. If you like short to the point discussions, you will find meaningless chit chat a struggle, but being aware of this is the key.

Becoming agile doesn’t usually come overnight, its a mindset, some people will struggle with and some won’t. It’s a change in culture that has to be driven from the top to allow people the flexibility and autonomy to be agile and it starts with a series of small, gradual steps.

Networking at events for the introvert

Networking at Events

When networking at events and conference always work out how you can help the other person first. 

• Check out the attendees on facebook and twitter before hand to learn a little more about them.  How can you help them, how can they help you add them to your list and contact them before the event.
• follow them on facebook or linked In, if you like something they posted reply and mention you noticed they are attending the event and look forward to meeting them.
• For conferences, check out the facebook or twitter hashtag associated with the event to track conversation before, during and after the event.

 

good book Dave Delaney – New Business Networking 

Self managing teams – not sure we are ready.

I have been a practising Scrum Master for 6 weeks now.  I have a little team.  It’s me, my colleague who is shadowing and assisting me as another recently qualified Scrum Master, our Wonderful Developer, our tester and a graduate tester, our Product owner (more like business owner) and My mentor and experienced Scrum Master who drops in every so often to make sure we are on track.

We have been getting some amazing feedback and results so far, we are developing a online form with workflow and business rules for performance and development reviews on our Sharepoint platform.

Our Business owner has been amazing,  fully engaged and attending all the standups,  which means they are fully aware of what is happening and able to provide answers to our questions almost before they are asked.

Our Developer is incredible, the work they get through is amazing, the understanding and relationship they have with the rest of the team is admirable and I am so grateful to have them on our team.

Then comes the fact that I don’t have a permanent BA on my team.  I am a Business Analyst myself and have been trying to fill the role of both the BA and the Scrum Master.  Along with doing the other project work I have to do, because a Scrum Master role doesn’t involve much time surely!  Turns out when you don’t have the full resources on the team and you are filling two roles which are not very complementary (BA is down in the detail and Scrum Master needs to be up higher and have an idea on the bigger picture and process) it gets hard to remember all the things you should be considering.

Add in that some people in the team may not have the required attributes to self manage or the knowledge to understand the priorities and how best to manage their work load.

To take from the SFIA website. https://www.sfia-online.org/en/how-sfia-works/responsibilities-and-skills

The responsibilities are defined by attributes

Autonomy – Works under supervision. Uses little discretion. Is expected to seek guidance in unexpected situations

Influence- Minimal influence. May work alone or interact with immediate colleagues.

Complexity – Performs routine activities in a structured environment. Requires assistance in resolving unexpected problems

Business skills – Uses basic information systems and technology functions, approaches, and process. Demonstrates a organised approach to work. Learns new skills and applies newly acquired knowledge. Follows code of conduct, ethics and organisational standards. Is aware of health and safety issues. Has sufficient communications skills for effective dialogue with others. Contributes to identifying own development opportunities

As a Scrum Master – you have to remove the impediments, so my question then is, Does the Scrum Master role also include the micromanaging of a dev team members priorities? or is that overstepping your role?  and would highlighting that to their reporting manager be enough?  It almost feels like dobbing someone in.   Though I guess I should think of it in terms of their development, they have shown where they need assistance and guidance and in that view it is my responsibility to remove that impediment for them and get them the guidance and assistance they need.

My Goal is to help the team meet the deadline which is fixed.

 

9 tips for career future proofing and making the most of networking

I have lost count of the number of times people have said that we are training our kids for jobs that don’t even exist.  I  still think Research and networking is the key. –  though I tend to feel so very out of my depth when it comes to networking.  What’s my strategy?  What am I planning to achieve? Do I just want to make friends? or am I looking for connections that can help me in my career?

I am a natural introvert, though I can play the extrovert when needed, it takes a lot out of me. I need an action plan on making the most of the time I can be an extrovert. Its been interesting talking with a colleague at work, she is an extrovert, a person who loves talking to people, being around people, a natural networker you would think.

She has been doing a lot of research around where she wants to go with her career and job path. she has looked at jobs in the market and working out what employers are wanting from their candidates. She has been asking recruitment agencies and has determined her path. Now she is working on making sure she has the skills and experience. I have been doing similar in that I know what skills I want to develop, I know what area’s I want to expand my skills in to gain the role I want to do.

We are the hybrid models, two key skills in one person. She is a change manager / project manager with Scrum master and I am a Business analyst / project manager with Scrum master.

Neither of us need to change roles at yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to keep up to date.  And that way we will be ready to take the opportunities that may present themselves to us quickly and confidently.

Our Plan

1. Our c.v’s are up to date.
2. We have a base covering letter that just needs tweaking to address the specific role.
3. We know what companies we want to work for.
4. We know the roles we are aiming for and the skillsets required of those roles.
5. We are upskilling on the skills we need to improve on and taking opportunities within our current roles to develop further.
6. We are taking initiatives inline with industry best practise
7. We know the people we need to connect with and follow them on twitter. I have never really got into twitter but I can see how inspirational people would be good to follow. will just have to hunt out my password now and put check twitter in my weekly schedule. I also need to utilise Linked In for finding people in specific companies I may wish to meet.
8. We are looking at local events we should attend, meetup, linked in, etc. I have joined an agile group and instead of thinking as I did before, oh it’s too hard to get too, I am now thinking oh, what opportunities are there at this event for me, to learn, to meet, to grow. Still being very mindful about which events I attend.
9. I have updated my contacts list to include some classic CRM type fields for managing my network group. I have something similar for my PTA group as well. It’s all about having the information to engage in everyday conversation easily with the person and be available to help or support them. That way hopefully when the time comes they will be able to offer me help.

 

The extra fields I have added to my contact list includes:

• twitter
• facebook
• linked in
• how I can help them
• How they can help me.
• meeting status
• outcome
• followup.
• date of birth – or at least day and month so I can wish happy birthday.
• their hobbies
• their family information so I can ask about the kids, partner, pets by name

I’m too nervous, I can’t present!

I have yet to meet a presenter that doesn’t show some minor sign of nerves.  Everyone feels the same way and I think the sooner we all realise that the better.

For me I remember that everyone (mostly) in the room wants me to have a great presentation, they are generally there because they want to hear what I have to say.  They also don’t think as much of me as I may think they do.  They are more likely thinking of themselves.

Some good tips for overcoming nerves is to:

• Breathe – take a few moments to do some deep breathing and while you are there imagine you are delivering that presentation and it is wonderful.  I have read many times that the mind doesn’t really know the difference between real and imaginary, so imagine it and then make it real.
• BE PREPARED – here is the practice bit again – practice and make sure you have a checklist to reassure yourself as you get closer to the deadline.
• Go for a brief walk to get your nervous energy out.
• Go somewhere quiet and practise some affirmations while also having your arms up in a V shape (victory pose) hold this for a couple of minutes while imaging your success at your presentation.

Presentation Style

Practice, it’s seems to be the way to go, all that I read all that I hear from great presenters is that you just need to practice, practice in front of friends, practice and record yourself and critic it.  Even hire someone and get them to watch you and record you and help you present better.  Try different techniques and see what response you get.  Find what works best for you with technology and format of presentations.  Find out how you feel and look best presenting – are you a pacer, do you like to use props  etc.   Get feedback on your presentation at every opportunity.

Creating wow in your presentation requires the use of language and interaction to build rapport with your audience.   I have seen people use stories, intensify their language by emphasizing specific words, use rhetorical and challenge questions and bold facts.  I made a presentation the other week that required me to pause, I hadn’t known it when I was practicing as I was too focused on trying to remember my words, I had forgotten the content and what the audience would be taking in.  I had to pause and wait for the laughter to die down. 🙂  Pauses helps the audience stay on the journey with you.

I know my presentation style needs quite a bit of work,  I get awfully excited about my subject at times and run away with it.   I know I need to slow down,  to engage my audience and make sure I am using the right intonation to still portray my passion and to check in with the audience to make sure they are still with me.  Hopefully with more practice I will also get better at knowing how loud to talk with and without a microphone for the other day I spoke directly into a microphone and could be heard 3 rooms down!

Body language

It has been said that body language accounts for 55% of the success or failure of a presentation.  As a presenter you need to give the audience confidence in you, let them know that for the next little while you will be taking care of them, guiding them and informing them.

Smile, make eye contact around the room, stand straight with good posture, keep your feet rooted like a tree in the ten  past ten clock position or stroll across the floor if that is easy for you and use your arms as branches to gesture and point to key points on your presentation or list off items.  When you want to show vulnerability open your arms palms out as if coming in for a hug.

Dress relevant for your audience or position, it’s always better to be overdressed than under dressed, be sure you are clean and well presented with hair tidy.  The way you present yourself can also help give you confidence to make your presentation great.  I have a dress that makes me feel pretty but is also corporate, just great for presentations and interviews 🙂

 

Organisational change.

My notes from the book Trust in Transition (navigating organizational Change) by Bob Whipple

Organisational change is all about people,  although many companies focus only on the mechanics of the change, the structure and the processes. It is the people that make the difference between success and failure.  You need to work help people work out what’s in it for them,  get them motivated about the change so they will be an advocate and help make the change a success.

The standard approach

The senior managers come up with and idea or reason to make a change.

The management team then operate secretively to do the initial research and analysis. It is the mechanics of the process that is taking all the focus at this point in time and nobody is talking about it.   The rumour mill goes berserk and trust is lowered dramatically.

Without communication management seems to be insensitive to how people might be interpreting these activities.

Once the official process starts, management is not available or busy all the time in meetings and this barrier when employees need the most information further lowers trust and feeds the rumour mill and the fears about the future.

The announcement is made and all employees realise they are impacted in some way.  The shockwave / earthquake goes through the office. At this point managers usually hide and be unavailable which is a huge mistake.   Employees feel shock and some relief that they have some information.

who goes and who stays is announced and there is a loss of productivity as employees worry about their survival and a general feel of being powerless.  Many good staff who would be beneficial to the new structure, decide this is no longer for them and move on.

The change is implemented and the processes are slowly worked out.  A framework begins to emerge and people begin to accept their fate and contribute to the new structure.  It is through contributing that the healing can begin.

 

What is needed.

• do not deceive people.
• good communication is essential
• managers at all levels need to listen to the rumour mill and answer questions as best as they can.  Managers need to be available and open and transparent, to check in with people and pursue activities that will help keep the team morale high.
• an understanding of cultures in teams and the organisation. – How will people fit into the new team culture.  What challenges will they face.
• trust is built with lots of honest communications and that pattern must continue throughout the periods of uncertainty.  Legal restrictions provide a challenge for communication but are not a reason to go silent,  people will appreciate if you tell them that there are things we can’t divulge for legal reasons.

 

I’m afraid I didn’t end up finishing this book, it was another book that I found was very common sense, though I suppose based on the bad restructures I have gone through it is needed.  As far as I feel, those making the change really need to be transparent and honest about what is being done and why.  Bring people along with them on the journey instead of forcing the change on people.  And that is pretty much it.