Pamela Schure, MBA

Interesting to read the article…. And actually I was surprised about the connection between Agile Project Management and Polyvagal Theory!

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Innovation isn't just a meme — it's a complex discipline that demands rigor. Innovation concepts like "Business Model Canvas," "Get Out of the Building," and "Build an MVP" are widely known. However, these terms are too often reduced to buzzwords and lose their transformative power when treated superficially ("innovation theatre', anyone?). True innovation requires more than familiarity with trendy phrases. It's about challenging assumptions, deeply engaging with customer needs, and strategically experimenting to learn and adapt. Innovation isn't a checklist; it’s a mindset—a commitment to rigorous learning and thoughtful application. #innovation #MVP #businessmodelcanvas #getoutofthebuilding #innovationtheatre

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They have removed the attendance limit for tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 30). These Meetups are informal and should be fun (and not recorded, so you can speak your mind!). I will talk not only about Agile design and how it relates to strategy but also review the basics of strategy versus business plan versus strategy framework (strategic plan), etc. Note the time: 2:00 EST/19:00CET Gregory Keegan Thoralf J. Klatt #Emergentstrategy #Emergentapproach #Petercompo

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Does your organization use the DVF framework to define the constraints for an idea to be successful and valuable? Desirable (people want it), Feasible (we can actually do it) and Viable (we don’t go broke). If you are interested in earning the ICAgile Product Management certification, we are running a Buy One, Get One Free special through Aug. 31st. Our next dates that the course runs are Sept. 16-18. Email [email protected] if you're interested. #productmanagement #icagile #softed

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I found so much value in Bob Galen’s recent thoughts on Navigating Agile Coaching Value, especially where he cautions us not to project our agile biases on our client’s goals. When we prioritize on our needs and preferences as coaches, it’s so much harder to see what our clients need.  Check it out here! https://lnkd.in/expcQw2m

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In coaching agile teams there are tell tale signs that the team is struggling and the project is not going well. Here are some of the most common ills and suggestions on how to overcome them. https://ed.gr/db1g3

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The people who run Agile CoE's and Lean Agile Centers of Excellence have a difficult job balancing what is best for the organization. It may be tempting to scale up as much training as possible to educate everyone en masse. "if everyone just knew all the things... it'd be easier for the company to make progress being agile" ... It's also tempting to focus on leadership first. Senior leaders need to set the example. Say the right things. Reinforce the right behaviors. Put an end to older unhealthy behaviors. Teach middle managers how to support agile ways of working. And yet... this can take time. Because "we also need to build the value streams and figure out how we'll become a product-led organization and define the strategy" ... And it's more than tempting, but very popular to first work on "making teams awesome". Let's build up the scrum masters and product owners and get the teams to start working in an agile way before we "scale". By defining our agile point of view as a company, we can help those on teams feel more connected to our strategy and focus on value delivery not just the squeakiest wheels asking them to "build stuff" ... And yet ... if you've been on enough agile transformations you know there's something wrong with every single one of those three approaches. So what do you do? Every organization is different, so there's no clear answer. But what I can tell you is that you have to feel that out and find a way to create tight feedback loops so you can even think about possibly working on more than one of the three at a time. Just like learning to coach a single team we have to "meet them where they are"... Maybe the strategy should be to build a few model agile teams first. Educate *their* leaders so they're well supported. Build the training just in time as it's needed so this one corner of the organization has most of what it needs for your new model for success. Then evolve organically. Ask yourself frequently, "what would be the right best next thing to do NOW?" ... because it will inevitably change. And maybe very quickly. Consider the pushback in our industry on SAFe. Most coaches dislike it because it's misunderstood by executives, as if it's a defined roadmap to success... a way to "install agile at scale". (Nevermind the capital A capitalism) But even SAFe is not meant to be implemented all at once. Some of their success stories are "partial installs" at best. Companies need to decide what suits them. No single framework should be ever be absorbed and adopted wholesale, IMO. You have to think and know what you really need and why you need it. Maybe the right approach is something like the sentiments in the "Manifesto for Scaling Agility". A value based approach to adapting as you scale. Focus on building a shared understanding of the vision, organic growth over predefined structures, favor a high performing organization over any one team or part, and team empowerment up the chain over old policies. 🤷‍♂️ YMMV

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Loved chatting about misconceptions in test automation with Joe Colantonio on his podcast recently. If you are struggling to have success with your automation efforts, I highly encourage you to check out the full episode! #testautomation #qa

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Happy #FriYay Product Peeps. Time to pick your PO poison—whose happy JIRA-poster-induced, GAI-assisted, voice-of-the-comedian rant is getting raised in your roadmap rage retro today? Bill Burr: "‘Happy teams have to start with Jira,’ right? Yeah, sure, until three sprints in and you have to become a feature hostage negotiator over epic nonsense! You’re juggling chainsaws while blindfolded, trying to figure out how that 3-point story turned into 13. Who’s doing this math, huh? Have to be a magician to keep this thing going! Happy teams? Yeah, if happy means you have to survive a mental breakdown every sprint!" Lewis Black: “‘Teams have to start with Jira to be happy’? Are you KIDDING me? Who wrote this? Some maniac who’s never had to deal with an actual project? Jira doesn’t make you happy! It makes you have to deal with tickets multiplying like cockroaches! You have to keep putting out fires with a water gun, while your sanity slowly slips away. If happiness means I have to lose my mind, count me out!” Jim Gaffigan: "Happy teams start with Jira? Oh sure, like I’m happy to start my day with a treadmill. It’s there, you know you need it, but you really just want to go back to bed. Opening Jira is like opening the fridge—you know it’s just leftovers from three sprints ago." Chris Rock: "Jira makes teams happy? Man, that’s like saying taxes make people rich! Every time I open Jira, it’s like, ‘What fire do I have to put out *now*?’ It’s not sprint planning, it’s sprint panic. We should call it ‘Feature Hostage Negotiation 101!’" Ricky Gervais: “Oh, ‘Happy teams have to start with Jira,’ do they? Well, I have to call bull! You start off all cheery, and next thing you know, you’re a feature hostage negotiator trying to get epics out of captivity! Every time you open Jira, you have to play a game of ‘Which one of these tickets will ruin my week?’ It’s not happy teams—it’s teams that have to laugh or they’ll cry!” Jerry Seinfeld: “What’s the deal with Jira? Apparently, happy teams have to start with it. Have to, huh? Like you have to enjoy staring at 600 unresolved tickets every Monday. Jira’s like one of those nesting dolls—you have to keep opening them, and each one’s worse than the last! And the feature requests? You have to be a hostage negotiator just to get through the sprint planning. Happy? You have to be kidding me!” Pick your fave—because nothing says ‘FriYay’ like roasting the tools that keep us barely sane while juggling chainsaws with one hand, while in the other, dealing with the bitter reality that you're going to have to somehow make a beautiful banquet out of road map road kill. #ProductManagement #Humor #Jira #ProductOwner #Comedy #FeatureHostageNegotiations #SprintSurvival #ChatGPTComedy

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I saw another post today targeting agile certification. I understand the frustration of seasoned practitioners who may be struggling to find work, they look to each side and see neophytes and Joanna-come-latelys “diluting” the talent pool and making it harder for the old pros value to be seen and selected. The message was about having lots of badges but no real life experience being bad. It made me feel sad. (Maybe because of the lack of empathy… we all had to start somewhere didn’t we?) ********** I gave this response: “Is it true, is it kind, is it necessary? I wonder if this type of post actually pushes people, starting their journey, towards certification. Maybe instead of publicly devaluing and deriding classroom training and certification we should be publicly shouting out to those people “don’t spend your money at a time when money is scarce…. Come and do real life learning with me? “Want some real life experience, I’ll will help you get it” Otherwise what are these posts about, what are we really doing here?” ************ To those who know me, and how much I try to live my values I would like to ask a huge favour. Now I understand that this could be seen as self aggrandising and promotional (I’ll just have to take that criticism on the chin if it comes) but I would really like to promote not myself but a different attitude which I hope I live up to. Please, as I speak of in my response to the sad post… If you have ever benefitted from my time and effort and knowledge and generosity in a professional sense (not the times I was paid to work with and for you… the other times)… if you feel you were mentored or coached or advised by me or attended a meetup I ran or listen to the podcast I cocreate - because I want to personally invest in you and your potential… to raise you up, and reach a hand and have you benefit from my experience… Please could you respond to this post. Say what you want or say nothing… but lets role model that promoting positivity is generative and no one wins when we criticise our own or those wishing, somehow, someway to join us. Thank you

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“How do you navigate product development when uncertainty is the only certainty?” This question often leaves teams scrambling for answers. What’s the next step? How do we ensure we’re adding value? The key is leading through outcomes and taking small steps to learn and deliver. The Next Right Solution Canvas can help you break down challenges and deliver continuous value. Ready to explore this approach? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/et7FjZiX

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My book What Drives Quality: It's a Deep Dive into Software Quality with Practical Solutions for Delivering High-Quality Products. Packaged with the Agile Quality Coaching Cards on @Leanpub buff.ly/3AXDX8d #book #coaching #agile #quality

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For decades, Theory of Constraints (TOC) has provided an invaluable perspective for optimizing system performance. Learn more on how the TriValue Thinking support the Theory of Constraints during accelerated times! https://bit.ly/4bmccUp #enterpriseagility #businessagility #EAWC

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