Author Archives: Michael DePaoli

About Michael DePaoli

Michael DePaoli is a thought leader in Agile / Lean transformation through systems and holistic thinking. He is a regular speaker at conferences and active member and participant in the Agile Alliance and the Lean Software & Systems Consortium communitities. His personal blog can be found at theagilehorizon.wordpress.com.

What Happens When the CEO is the Product Owner and Part-Time Developer on the ‘The Team?’

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

I recently visited with a client where the CEO and founder of the company is also an active part-time developer on the Dev Team.  This provides an interesting dynamic that has some advantages but also some genuine risk. This company is … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Management, Agile Teams, Scrum Methodology | Leave a comment

Does ‘Who Makes a Good ScrumMaster’ Have Much To Do With Their Current/Past Role?

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

Recently I’ve read a few blog posts and forum posts discussing, ‘what role do the best ScrumMasters come from?’ One post in particular suggested that perhaps Technical Leads are the best candidates because they have deep knowledge of the technical … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Management, Agile Methodologies, Agile Project Management, Agile Teams, Scaling Agile | 2 Comments

Thoughts From the LSSC 2012 Conference – Boston, MA

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

I just recently returned from LSSC 2012 Conference in Boston, MA.  Besides getting my iPhone stolen, it was a great conference.  The keynote speakers were both thought provoking and entertaining.  I especially enjoyed the fact that the presentations demonstrated interdisciplinary … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Methodologies, Kanban, Lean Software Development | Leave a comment

Estimation in an Agile Organization – A Barometer of Dysfunction?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

Estimation in agile organizations still seems to be a pretty hot topic.  I was reading a recent post by Mike Cohn on his blog about it.  Mike states: “Because I’m so interested in estimating and planning, I always take notice … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Management, Agile Metrics, Agile Teams, Agile Velocity, Lean Software Development, Scrum Development | 3 Comments

The Change to Agile Development – Make it Visible

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

A common occurrence when driving the change to agile development is that once you start to try to increase the circle of influence of the initiative, you will undoubtedly run the risk of encountering cultural, personal and political resistance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Adoption, Agile Benefits, Agile Development, Agile Management, Agile Methodologies, Agile Project Management, Agile Software, Agile Teams, Enterprise Agile, Kanban, Lean Software Development, Scrum Development, Scrum Methodology | Leave a comment

Part 2 of 2: Kanban vs Scrum Myths & Hype

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

In the first part of this post we established a context about Kanban as an agile software tool (not to be confused with the manufacturing term, kanban).  I also explored some of the key myths and hype behind Kanban vs … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Software, Kanban, Scrum Development, Scrum Methodology, Scrum Software | Leave a comment

Part 1 of 2: Kanban vs Scrum Myths and Hype

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Michael DePaoli

Recently, I heard folks at a few of my clients and at a couple conferences talking about why they are considering moving to using Kanban vs. Scrum.  I have no preference to either method other than choosing the right agile … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Software, Agile Teams, Agile Tools, Kanban, Scrum Development, Scrum Methodology, Scrum Tools | 11 Comments

User Experience – Integrating UX Into An Agile Initiative

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Michael DePaoli

I frequently get asked about how to best integrate UX / UI teams into Agile initiatives, so that they work in a more iterative, incremental manner. UX folks coming from a more sequential development environment often report that Agile compromises … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development | 1 Comment

Agiles 2011 Buenos Aires Agile Methodologies Conference – Agile Interest Growing

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Michael DePaoli

I write this on my return journey home from Buenos Aires, Argentina and speaking at the  Agiles 2011. This is the fourth annual Agiles Conference. The organizers should be commended. The conference has improved each year according to attendees, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Development, Agile Methodologies, Agile Training | 1 Comment

Peeling the Onion on Agile Software Development

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Michael DePaoli

It is shocking how few folks in leadership positions seem to grasp the difference between strategy and tactics.  I think this may be a symptom of the incredibly short attention span most businesses have today… looking at the current quarters performance.  Probably no where … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile Adoption, Agile Development, Agile Management, Agile Project Management, Lean Software Development, Scaling Agile | Leave a comment