Author: agile-to-agility

To avoid local optimization and suboptimal decisions that might exacerbate the value stream performance, we suggest exploration of the value stream simulation technique to validate the improvement hypothesis before implementing them.

In the competitive landscape of modern business, companies often strive for operational efficiency by optimizing individual components of their value stream. However, this approach can lead to local optimizations that, paradoxically, impair the overall performance of the value stream. The challenge lies in making decisions that enhance the entire system without inadvertently introducing inefficiencies. Our proposed solution to this dilemma is the implementation of value stream simulation techniques.

Value stream mapping is an important concept, but few people can gain buy in for the activity. My talk covers techniques so anyone can get started, even if there is little buy in and no funding.

Many people call Value Stream Mapping “transformational” and “a game-changer.” But what if people aren’t ready for a large heavyweight activity with leadership buy in? Do you just give up? Understanding the entire system end-to-end is crucial for Agile-DevOps product development, and improving your ways of working. By mapping the system, including delays, handoffs, and information passed along, you can measure and optimize the entire path to value. In this session, Heidi shares what she has learned across years of both doing, and attempting to do, Value Stream Mapping — both as an employee inside organizations, and as a consultant. We demystify the concept and show anyone how to get started, in an agile way, of course. By the end of the session, you’ll have a better understanding of the goals of Value Stream Mapping and be ready to start using it for your organization’s benefit. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to level up your ways of working and optimize your value delivery!

Real-life examples of value streams in a traditional organization. Problems that solve. Managing stakeholders.

This session will take you on an exhilarating journey through the implementation of Value Streams, showcasing their transformative impact on our operations and culture. Discover how this strategy has empowered us to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and significantly improve service delivery to our customers. We’ll share captivating insights from the frontline of change, revealing the challenges and triumphs encountered along the way. You’ll learn how Value Streams have not only accelerated project timelines but also fostered an environment where continuous improvement is the norm. This talk is more than just a success story; it’s a blueprint for those ready to revolutionize their own organizations. Join us for a narrative that blends innovation with practicality, offering a unique perspective on driving sustainable change in a complex industry. Get ready to be inspired, to think differently, and to ignite your own journey towards operational excellence.

Lets Make Remote Meeting Effective and FUN!!

As Scrum Teams, we are used to collaborative, highly interactive meetings. How do we make sure we still enjoy our remote interactions and don’t end up with Zoom fatigue? This session will explore 14 Essential Steps for Making Remote Meetings More Engaging, Interactive & FUN!

Let’s explore what we can use to increase the energy, engagement and success of our virtual events, whether it’s Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospectives, Classes or any other Virtual Event! Imagine being able to say “That was a FUN event” – Join us and explore How we can do this!

How you begin a workshop can greatly impact desired outcomes.

A good facilitation plan–just like a good story–requires a strong beginning, middle, and end. That means that both writer and facilitator must hook their audiences right from the beginning or risk losing them before the beginning of Act 2. Check-ins and Designed Team Alliances (DTA) can hook participants early, set a positive tone for the entire workshop, and lead to successful workshop outcomes.

Many agilists know them to be useful; however, these impactful activities are often overlooked or ignored altogether. Outside of the agile world, they rarely happen at all. Using both or even just one of them, can build better relationships between participants and make the task at hand easier to accomplish resulting in better outcomes.

This presentation will look at how to skillfully use check-ins and DTAs to set you and your teams up for success from the very beginning.

Let’s deep dive into a specific workshop type that is needed in most projects – the idea generation workshop. In this kind of workshop we want the group to come up with ideas to address a particular topic and, crucially, to prioritise and select ideas to continue with. We’ll look at how to set up the context so people actually have ideas, how to build on an initial set of ideas, how to decide on selection criteria and then select from the ideas (spoiler – no dot-voting!). And we’ll discuss the human element – why it can be hard for people to feel comfortable in this kind of workshop and why it will often end up with mediocre ideas.