Blocked Columns vs Stalled Work in Project Boards
Explains why using blocked columns for stalled tasks on project boards harms workflow, and suggests better ways to highlight and address blocked work …
Applying practical, experience-based problem-solving in complex environments.
Pragmatic Thinking is the application of practical, experience-based problem-solving in complex environments, enabling teams to navigate challenges effectively. This approach prioritises actionable insights over theoretical constructs, fostering a mindset that values real-world applicability. By focusing on what works in practice, teams can adapt their strategies to deliver value predictably and sustainably.
This concept is crucial in environments characterised by uncertainty and rapid change, as it encourages a culture of experimentation and learning. Teams employing Pragmatic Thinking are better equipped to identify and implement solutions that resonate with their specific context, rather than relying solely on prescribed methodologies. This adaptability not only enhances responsiveness to customer needs but also promotes resilience in the face of evolving market dynamics.
Pragmatic Thinking supports long-term systemic improvements by embedding a continuous learning ethos within the organisation. It empowers teams to reflect on their experiences, iterate on their processes, and refine their approaches, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and value delivery. By integrating this mindset into daily practices, organisations can cultivate a robust framework for sustained innovation and effective problem-solving, ensuring they remain competitive and relevant in their respective fields.
Explains why using blocked columns for stalled tasks on project boards harms workflow, and suggests better ways to highlight and address blocked work …
A London flood shut down most datacentres, but Rackspace stayed online by regularly live-testing failures, proving true resilience comes from …
Explores how fear hinders true agility in teams, emphasising the need to foster courage and trust for effective Agile, Scrum, and DevOps practices and …
Many agile transformations restrict team autonomy, leading to control and compliance instead of true ownership, adaptability, and meaningful …
Agnostic Agile is a movement that promotes ethical, context-driven agility by prioritising principles over rigid frameworks. Championed by thought …
Common Goals are a first principle of effective delivery. They align strategy with execution, enabling every decision, every Sprint, and every line of …
Explores why team autonomy in Scrum must be balanced with alignment to strategic goals, highlighting the role of clear objectives and leadership in …
Explores key qualities of an effective Scrum Master, focusing on team empowerment, backlog management, collaboration, and removing organisational …
Explains how Scrum Masters are naturally chosen by teams based on trust, experience, and leadership, highlighting the importance of peer selection …
Highlights the importance of delivering a usable product each sprint in Agile, warning against focusing on process over outcomes and emphasising real …
Minimising waste while maximising learning in product creation.
Testing product ideas with real users to ensure market fit and customer value.
Copying scaled agile frameworks fails because each business needs a tailored, evidence-based approach to agility that fits its unique culture, …
Learn how to successfully implement OKRs by aligning clear strategy, fostering transparency, empowering teams, focusing on outcomes, and establishing …
Getting Started with the Definition of Done (DoD). Every team should define what is required, what criteria must be met, for a product increment to be …
Delaying software releases increases failure risk. Frequent, small releases improve success rates, adaptability, and recovery, as shown by CHAOS …
Applying software engineering principles to ensure scalable and reliable systems.
Many Scrum Masters lack core Scrum knowledge and technical skills, leading to poor team support. Learn key competencies needed for effective, …
Learn how evolving engineering practices like Feature Flags, TDD, and refactoring enable smoother Sprint workflows and reduce technical debt in Scrum …
Explores how staging environments aim to reduce risk in software development, their hidden costs, and modern alternatives like feature flags and …
Empowering teams to take ownership and drive value autonomously.
The Agile ideal: teams with all the skills needed to deliver end-to-end value.
Enable seamless collaboration with Asynchronous Development. Improve efficiency, flexibility, and delivery across distributed teams.
Overwhelmed by tech trends? Learn how CTOs can cut through the noise, gain clarity, and lead with confidence—without chasing every shiny object.
A practical framework guiding organisations to adopt AI by prioritising real problems, clarifying context, and enabling adaptive, evidence-based …
Mentoring program for developers and teams to master Agile, DevOps, Kanban, and evidence-based practices, fostering engineering excellence and …
Struggling with inconsistent delivery? Discover why a shared definition of done is key to predictable, high-quality results your teams—and …
Martin is in EST for 6 months and available for hands-on consulting in North America. This month’s spotlight: How tracking estimation accuracy is …
Stop relying on memory for quality. Discover why automated pipelines beat manual checks, and how embedding quality gates ensures trust, speed, and …
Explores how empowering Agile teams to adapt their processes boosts flexibility, continuous improvement, collaboration, and maximises value and return …
Explores why true organisational agility depends on empowering teams with agency, not just adopting frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, or DevOps, to …
Identifying and resolving issues in software, hardware, and systems to maintain functionality.
Scrum can drive organisational change, not just product features, by using backlogs, teams, and feedback to enable real, evidence-based agility across …
Explores the US Department of Defence’s shift from traditional waterfall delivery to lean-agile methods, highlighting new procurement rules and the …
Unlock your team's true potential—discover why a powerful definition of done drives real business impact, customer value, and lasting competitive …
Adding more staging environments does not reduce deployment risk; true safety comes from automated testing, continuous integration, and quality …
Measuring the time from work initiation to customer delivery, helping teams monitor workflow efficiency and improve value delivery.
Explains how true quality improvement needs both tools and a culture of safety, using Toyota’s andon cord as a lesson for Agile and Scrum adoption in …
Visualising workflows to identify inefficiencies and optimise value delivery.
Stop chasing hype. Discover why context-driven tech choices—not the latest stack—lead to real, sustainable value for your team and business.
Explore how combining human decision-making with AI-driven automation boosts team accountability, agility, and measurable value in modern …
Frequent software releases reduce risk, enable faster feedback, and help teams adapt to user needs, preventing costly mistakes and improving overall …
Explore practical strategies for overcoming legacy system challenges, addressing technical debt, compliance, integration, and guiding effective …
Discover how the Advanced PSM course helps Scrum Masters shift from admin tasks to empowering teams, supporting Product Owners, and tackling …
Most disaster recovery plans fail in practice due to overlooked dependencies and lack of real-world testing, leaving organisations vulnerable when …
Explores how teams misuse self-management to dodge alignment, clarifying that true autonomy requires accountability, shared goals, and adherence to …
Inspecting and adapting the increment to ensure transparency and stakeholder feedback.
Struggling with vendor lock-in? Discover practical steps to break free from legacy contracts and regain control of your business’s systems of work.
Agile and Scrum expose underlying team and workflow issues, helping organisations address real problems rather than masking dysfunction with process …
Transform legacy engineering with a proven, step-by-step approach—learn how to automate, adapt, and build a resilient, modern DevOps culture.
Unlock engineering excellence with Azure DevOps—boost traceability, transparency, and developer experience for agile, high-performing teams.
Explains why a “Blocked” column in Azure DevOps hinders workflow, and suggests using tags and tracking to manage blocked work more effectively and …
Explores how teaching the reasons behind Agile practices boosts team engagement, collaboration, and continuous improvement, helping teams adapt and …
Using hypothesis-driven approaches to test ideas and validate assumptions in agile workflows.
Explains how true self-management in Scrum requires active, disciplined effort from Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Developers, not chaos or lack …
The art of unlocking potential in teams and leaders through guidance rather than directives.
Manage Agile projects effectively with Azure Boards. Track work, optimise planning, and improve team collaboration.
Time to Market is one of the four key value areas of Evidence‑Based Management that focuses on organizational capability. It is not a single measure …
Explores how lack of authority hinders teams from removing project blockers and overcoming organisational inertia, stressing the need for real …
Explores why Scrum Masters need authority, not just influence, to enforce Agile practices, remove blockers, and ensure teams follow Scrum for true …
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
Big Data for Humans
DFDS
Philips
Lean SA
NIT A/S
ALS Life Sciences
SuperControl
Sage
Emerson Process Management
Xceptor - Process and Data Automation
Slaughter and May
ProgramUtvikling
CR2
Ericson
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Milliman
Epic Games
New Signature
Nottingham County Council
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Washington Department of Transport
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Royal Air Force
Philips
CR2
Trayport
Teleplan
SuperControl
ALS Life Sciences