Agile Guidance for All

Crystal Clear - A Book for Small Teams

2008-07-21T23:30:00.000-05:00

I recently started writing a book review on Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams by Alistair Cockburn. I have read Chapter 1 entitled Explained (View from the Outside). It was a very interesting chapter that set Crystal Clear as the answerer to Alistair Cockburn. It made many aspects of the Crystal family clear in my mind. I enjoyed the questions, and the answers were insightful and helped me to put the ideas into a whole picture. It is an intriguing Agile book!

At the moment I am reading Chapter 2 entitled Applied (The Seven Properties). Frequent Delivery, Reflective Improvement, and Osmotic Communication made sense to me and aligned somewhat to my own beliefs. When I started reading the fourth property, Personal Safety, certain parts seemed fine, while others set off warning bells. I believe that the purpose of any team is to progress. This is achieved through trust, respect and unity.

Cockburn says “Once personal safety and amicability are established, a useful, playful dynamic may emerge. People may wage competition with each other. They may argue loudly, even to the verge of fighting, without taking it personally. In the case where someone does take it personally, they sort it out and set things straight again.” – page 31.

The statements above concern me. Cockburn addresses trust by saying that people will not take it personally. Respect is lost because they “… May argue loudly, even to the verge of fighting”. I would be unable to say that I respect someone if I yell at them or even raise my voice. Now unity is completely destroyed. For some reason our society and many societies around the world not only condone competition, it is seen as a way to judge attributes of excellence in an individual. This is not a good sign for our progress towards unity in human civilization.

I agree that being polite and not stating one’s opinion is harmful for trust. However, it is preferable to use consultation instead of competition. Imagine that a team is encouraged to compete with itself to achieve better results. Would there not be feelings of resentment or heightened levels of stress? Now imagine a team that is encouraged to consult and raise the team together without focusing on individual success. Would not this team feel excited to be around each other? Would they become fast friends and grow as a unit? Would family members of the team be enthusiastic to be included in picnics and socials?

Now the big question:
What is better, individual success or team unity, to add value to all who interact with them?

Agile Tools & Agile Books

2008-06-04T16:00:00.003-05:00

I have been working with Agile for a few months. At Berteig Consulting we are using Agile to run our small business. As such we try to use various tools to make our life easier. I have already mentioned that we use CardMeeting for our cycles and tasks. I have tried using PlanningPoker for online estimation. It seems useful, but maybe our team is too small to make great use of it. I am also looking for other ways to manage the reflections and learning from each cycle.

I have received an email from David Wolrich of CardMeeting that states: “Anyways, I rely on the trickle of news from legitimate organizations like yours to let users know that CardMeeting is still around, that I am still adding features, and to generate interest; thanks again.” So maybe some of you could try it and give him a shout. Much like other free applications on the net such as Drupal and Neo Office this one could become more robust and useful.

I am wondering if I am spending too much time on tools and not enough reading and researching Agile methods. I am enjoying reading about Agile success stories. Anybody know of small businesses that have documented or written about achieving success in Agile? Is there an Agile bible or maybe a book about the best ways to succeed using Agile?

So this is the question that I am wondering: Are tools better than books when it comes to Agile?

Agile Project Management with Scrum - a very technical book

2008-05-09T22:38:00.001-05:00

I have been reading a book entitled “Agile Project Management with Scrum” by Ken Schwaber. It is an interesting read. The examples and stories that he shares of companies who have struggled with Scrum and those that have succeeded are fantastic. The way Schwaber breaks up the book and explains all the roles then gives example makes it a great learning tool. It is also really funny and clever.

One complaint I have with the book is that it is very technical, it seems that the reader is assumed to have many years of software development experience. It is interesting that the projects that Schwaber discusses that have the most trouble with Scrum are those that are “stuck” in their old ways of working. It’s almost as if the old saying of “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing” is true for Scrum implementations. “Scrum means doing things in small cycles – so I will do everything the same except in shorter cycles.” Anybody ever heard of that type of reasoning?

I definitely recommend this book for those who have considerable experience in the technology field. For those who don’t this book might be challenging at times, espcially with the computer language words that are used.

I want to continually learn for my own personal and professional growth. So I would like to know which books do you suggest? Are there any books that share examples and stories that are not focused on software development? If you disagree which my review of the book please comment.

First Try with Agile in my Home

2008-04-28T21:33:00.000-05:00

I have been practicing Agile for the last few months for my job. With Mishkin we have been following many of the Agile rules as a small team. It has been very successful, and the learning is tremendous.

So, like Mishkin, I wondered if I could use the same practices at home. A few days ago I asked my wife (Laila) if we could try using cards, a list of work (work queue), and cycles. She thought it would be great idea to put all our tasks on post-its so we wouldn't have to remember them.

Yesterday we made the work queue, did some estimation, and decided what we would commit to for our first cycle. We consulting and decided that one week cycles would make the most sense for our schedules.

Right away I noticed a relaxation that came over Laila. I guess that it is very tough to maintain a work queue in your head day-in and day-out. I will continue to post my thoughts on our progress.

Has anybody else used agile practices outside of your work? How did it work? What did you learn? Maybe my wife and I can learn from you and avoid those challenges.

An Agile Tool for a Distributed Team

2008-03-18T20:00:00.001-05:00

For the last 3 months I have been lucky to work in an environment that is Agile. My job requires lots of small projects and tasks and my job title is clear but my work is every changing. I like new challenges and creative tasks.

Recently our small team has been using http://cardmeeting.com/ an online tool to add ideas, set up tasks, and keep track of what the whole is doing and what still needs to be done. We decided to use this tool because of how much we are a distributed team most of the week. I would rather be all together in one place. However, this is not possible for the near future. What I like about this tool is that it works just a like a physical wall with sticky notes that can be placed wherever you like. It also expands as required.

I am looking for more tools to make our agile practices more streamlined and efficient. Any suggestions or ideas?

Being a ScrumMaster is Hard

2008-02-11T15:00:00.002-05:00

As a Certified ScrumMaster, I need to do many things to help my team. Not only do these things include practices but principles as well.

Practices of a ScrumMaster

Ensures that the team follows the rules of Scrum
Removes obstacles that stop the team from delivering value
Facilitates the meetings in Scrum

Principles that are important for a ScrumMaster

The Agile Manifesto, which states

individual and interactions over processes and tool
working software over comprehensive documentation
customer collaboration over contract negotiation
responding to change over following a plan

Inspect & Adapt
Stages of a Team

forming
storming
norming
performing

With all of this in mind and much more to consider, I can see why a ScrumMaster is a full time job!

Attended My First ScrumMaster Seminar

2008-01-18T23:05:00.001-05:00

I recently joined Berteig Consulting, with a focus on marketing, and Mishkin Berteig suggested that I attend his 3-day Certified ScrumMaster training seminar.

Wow, what an experience! Mishkin blew my mind wide open with concepts such as an empowered team who handles its own work, visibility of work to all, and a learning framework that helps individuals and teams become hyper productive.

All should attend a Certified ScrumMaster seminar to open their own minds!

Link: my Scrum Alliance Profile

Visit: professionalsalesplus.com

2007-09-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

Professional Sales Plus: Our Philosophy

Where is the value for you when you work with Professional Sales Plus? It's not about the name; it's about what we can do for you. We offer timely and effective performance, consultation and facilitation to improve productivity through behaviour modification.

With Clear Vison and Inflexible Determination, corporate executives, sales managers and sales professionals, and indeed, all corporate employees can achieve their personal and corporate objectives. Our corporation is set up to help your company achieve its' goal through programs of classroom training balanced with field experiences.

Visit: professionalsalesplus.com

February 18 - 23, 2007: Cat & Family

2007-02-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

These are some pictures of my family cat Tigger, some Gopauls and some Heidema's and Laila's cat Rahja.

February 15 - 17, 2007

2007-02-17T08:59:00.000-05:00

Valentine's day, Kianfars, and friends.

February 11 - 12, 2007

2007-02-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

Always on the lake.

February 6 - 8, 2007

2007-02-08T20:14:00.000-05:00

This was a fun week of bowling, lobster, my mother's boutique, and fun on a frozen lake.

Birthday Song on my Birthday

2007-02-05T14:27:00.001-05:00

Laila and I went out for coffee and then picked up my mom from her barbershop chorus group. You can check out their site by clicking here.

They sang Happy Birthday for me and Laila filmed it. So I put it on youtube for all to see.

Click here to see it for yourself.

Tigger in the Bag

2007-02-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

My family cat Tigger is quite the explorer. She likes to get into anything that she can fit in. So today she noticed that I was cleaning my old room... the obvious thing to do was to be curious as a cat and visit the exotic garbage bag. Tigger is the toast of the trash!

My 30th Birthday

2007-02-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

Today was my party for my 30th birthday. It was great! So many people showed up, even people that had exams the folowing day... a shout out to Prince.

We ate some good food and played a ridiculously long game of president. If you don't know what that card is then post a comment and I will explain.

Excitement on the Highway

2007-02-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

My parents came to pick Laila and I up from her parents home. On the way we saw what seemed like a drunk driver in front of us. So my dad, who was driving, followed him for a long and I called the police.

It turned out to be a sleepy man who needed to stop and get some coffee. The 911 people were so nice and the cop was great too.

Pic -> Watching the cop car in front of us as he talks to the "crazy" driver.

Game and Chat

2007-01-29T09:05:00.000-05:00

Today was all fun. Laila, Sanjiv (Laila's brother) and I played a game called 13 Dead End Drive. It is somewhat like Clue but you have to get your player of the house with the loot without getting killed or caught by the detective. Later in the day Laila and I went to chat with our good friend Faran. A delightful day.

Devotional and Brunch

2007-01-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

Today Laila and I went to a devotional. This is where people come together to pray and socialize after. It was quite good, especially the food.

Cora's Breakfast

2007-01-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

Today Laila and I went out to Cora's for breakfast. We had a coupon so we didn't have to spend much. The food was fantastic and the waitress was quite funny. Notice how cute Laila is with her fruit crepe and how greasy I look with my dish.

Out in the Cold

2007-01-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

Laila and I have been doing many errands these last few days. At this point in the pictures we were waiting for a bus in the dreadful cold weather. So we decided to pose for pictures to share the stupendousness that is Newmarket, Canada

1 Great Year

2007-01-21T21:23:00.000-05:00

I have been very fortunate in my life. I have fantastic parents, a great brother and sister, wonderful friends, and all the opportunities in the world.

But the best of all was back in January 21, 2006. That was the day that I met Laila. She is all that I ever wanted and more in a girlfriend, and a future wife (cross my fingers someday).

Meeting her has changed my life. I planned on traveling to Australia for Teacher's College and then leave Canada for a long while. But I met her before I left for Australia. So things in my life are great. Thank you Laila for all that you have given me and allowed to give to you.

Baha'i Feast in Newmarket

2007-01-20T23:52:00.000-05:00

I am a Baha'i and so with this comes community events. One of which is a Feast. This is not an event where people come to eat crazy amounts of food. But it usually has snacks.

A Baha'i Feast is made of three parts. First, we have a spiritual part where we say prayers and readings. Second, we have a consultative part where the community discusses as a group. Third and last is the social part where we get to know each other and eat good food.

This Feast was great. I was able to meet so many new people and connect with them. The children were superb. They were so kind, funny, and just a hoot to be around.

Crazy People

2007-01-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

Sometimes people do things that aren't quite the norm. But you must understand that sometimes the norm is boring and overdone. People should be allowed to express themselves in unique. Granted some of these ways could be different or possible even scary. That is not a good reason to resist trying new things.

Take Laila and I. We seem normal on the surface. We have faces and bodies. We have parents and families. We have friends... maybe they are paid friends. But overall we seem somewhat normal, right?

This is all Laila's idea so please blame her for the pictures that follow... I think that they are self-explanatory.

Brunch with the Petersons

2007-01-14T09:45:00.000-05:00

My parents (Jim and Bonnie), Laila and I went over to Jeffrey and Farzineh Peterson's home for brunch today. Farzineh runs a fantastic school and Jeffrey is a creative architect/designer. Their home is very ecclectic with various colours and styles. We were fortunate enough to have Jeffrey's famous french toast. It was unbelievable!

Family Dinner

2007-01-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

My parents, Bonnie and Jim, and Laila's parents, Gaye and Mitra, and Laila's brother, Sanjiv, spent some time together with Laila and I. We all had a good time chatting, eating, and laughing.

That's a Spicy Meatball

2007-01-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today Nishma, Laila's cousin, made all kinds of Indian and Mauritian foods for dinner. It was superb. The spices used were mild since I am a huge wimp when it comes to anything over mild, such as salsa. I blame my parents for that! Just kidding mom and dad.

Laila and I in the freezing cold on the way back to her parents place.

From Left Clockwise:
Nishma, Laila, Sanjiv, Nilesh, Paul (me), Mitra and Gaye.

Nilesh trying to handle to spicy sauce... just a little sweat!

The Freaks Will Inherit the Earth

2007-01-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

Laila and I are somewhat abnormal. We like video games, sayings from pop-culture, and whatever is weird at the time. We seem to become stranger the more time we spend together.

The wind was so cold that it felt like our ears were being stabbed by knives and poked by needles. So when we were walking home we decided to protect each other. I walked backwards while holding Laila's ears and to protect her from the cold to her head and body. She walked forward while looking straight down to see where we were walking and covered my ears. While we were walking like an insane crab people were driving by and giving us funny looks. It was a good time.

1. Paul (me) the regular freak

2. Laila the ultra-superior freak a-la-mode!

Laila and Laura

2007-01-07T23:37:00.000-05:00

Today my girlfriend (Laila) met my friend (Laura). We all went out to Jack Astor's to catch up. Laura has been in British Columbia (west coast of Canada) for the last year. She is back for a bit then leaves to go back there this week.

It was fantastic to catch up and for Laura to meet Laila and vice versa.

Pic ->
1. Laura and Laila
2. Laila and Paul (me)
3. Laura and Paul (me)

Ever notice how two girls talking can have their very own language?

Laila's Peeps

2007-01-07T14:55:00.001-05:00

After a hard day's work of cleaning a rental house that Laila's parents own we had a great dinner together. Woo... do we need fresh air. The guys seem to need haircuts... nuts to all the barbers out there!

Pic ->
Gaye (Laila's mom), Mitra (Laila's dad), Paul (Laila's boyfriend - me), Laila (Laila's actual self), Sanjiv (Laila's brother), and Nilesh (Laila's cousin).

No More School

2007-01-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

Laila and I went to help Michelle with her classroom. She is a grade 2 teacher this year. We marked some tests, organized books, and did whatever she needed.

Pic ->
1. Laila marking english tests while sleeping
2. Paul (me) faking to mark math tests
3. Laila is Vanna White

A Big Step

2007-01-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

Laila and I took the plunge... we rode the bus together. It was a big step. I sometimes have reoccuring dreams where the bus is a monster and sucks us into it. So scary... ... ... ... sorry I had to sit and breath for a little bit.

Pic ->
1. Laila
2. Paul (me)
2. Us on that fateful and hugely successful bus ride.

New Year's Eve Party 2007

2007-01-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

A gang of us celebrated the start of 2007 by laughing, singing, dancing, joking, and being goofy. We even played dancing charades for a bit.

Pic ->
1. All of the girls
2. All the guys

Click here to see us playing dancing charades.

Still Going Strong

2006-12-30T15:26:00.000-05:00

My dad just had his birthday today. He is energetic, cool, funny, kind, cheesy, suave (well I guess at one time), and courageous. Jim (my dad) is the kind of person that I look up to and cherish to have in my life. We are somewhat similar... nah!

Happy Birthday Papa Bear!

Pic -->
1. The cake
2. Mom and Dad
3. Back Row : Cynthia, Bonnie, Jim, Heshmat
Front Row: Chris, Matt, Nathan, Laila, Paul (me)

Vertical Limit Too

2006-12-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Climbing is not most peoples' forte, but Laila and Chris proved me wrong. She was willing to go all the way and to listen to me. What a thrill! Chris needed no assistance while he traversed the perilous caverns within East Park.

For more vids of us rock climbing click here !

Pics ->
1. Chris
2. Paul
3. Laila
4. Laila (again)

[ Lots-o-Laila ]

Dancing Fever

2006-12-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

The crew re-synergized in an all-out dancefest. Unfortunately, my true nature refrained me from participating in this salsa extravaganza. As you can see, however, the others had a blast! Afterwards, we all congregated at the Rohani residence with chatter, cheekiness and cheese pizza. As you can see, Laila and I were the life of the party.

Pics ->
1. Paul (me), Laila, Justin, Amid, Kamyar, Sana, Bahiyyih, Chris
2. Sana and Chris
3. Me (sleeping)
4. Laila (contemplating life, the universe and everything)

Friends from China

2006-12-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

Si Wen, Richard and baby boy

Chris, Laila & Paul (me)

Jim and Si Wen

Today we had the honour to have over some friends of my Dad's from China. Si Wen and Richard with their little baby boy. They are amazing people that have huge hearts and strong values. It was great to finally put a face to the name that my dad has talked about for such a long time.

Must Reconnect...

2006-12-25T23:39:00.000-05:00

Well we did reconnect with a few friends. First was a family that we have known since Chris and I were in Elementary School. The next family we have known since living in Israel together.

Pics -->
1. Us with the Winter's.
2. Us with the Kolterman's.

A Fun Dinner in Newmarket

2006-12-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

My father, mother, Chris, Laila and I went to Newmarket for a dinner with many friends and family. It was a night of laughs, games, interogations, questions, jokes, games, answers, nervousness and fun.

The Heidema Family Reunites

2006-12-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

Today we were happy to get Chris back from Vancouver for a little while. All five of us hung and did what any group would do in a hotel - watch tv and order room service. Ahh now this is the life.

Jon's Game

2006-12-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

This is a game much like charade's but it gets harder in each round. Below is Laila trying to get Jon to guess the word.

Do you have any guesses?

Me Va Me

2006-12-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

Inspiration has many names... but in this case it came in two forms. Faran Vafaie and Justin Kianfar. Both Laila and I were inspired, excited, and laughing because of these two gentlemen.

Pics -->
Faran
Justin and Laila
Paul and Justin

Down Time

2006-12-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

This is when the big boys exercise their minds with drugs and excellence. Sorry I was talking about coffee and "unique" people like Laila.

Pic --> Reza / Paul
Faizi / Reza & Laila

Back in Canada

2006-12-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

Well I had a great flight from Perth, Australia to Singapore to Hong Kong to Toronto, Canada. It took about 28 hours from start to finish. I was pleasantly surprised to see not only my parents but also my Laila at the airport. Life sure is good.

Canucks, Eh?

2006-11-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

Tonight a bunch of the Canadians (Canucks) went out to two clubs to let loose after a long 5 weeks of teaching. It was great. We all needed the release from the pressure of creating lessons, teaching, and assessing our students. This was just what the doctor ordered.

Pics -->

Scott

Me and Meaghan

Family and Liam

2006-11-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

Usually for dinner it is just Ashwin, Sehra and I. But today we were honoured to have Liam in our home. He is a great guy. We all wonder why he isn't married yet. The food was good and so was the company. All my best to you Liam.

Prac Pals

2006-11-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

I have been teaching at a primary school for a 5 weeks now. This is the gang of people that also taught at the same school. The teachers are fantastic and the kids are well - kids.

Pic -->

Back Row: Krystle, Tonny, Alicia, Nathalie
Front Row: Scott, Paul (me)

Tennis Rematch

2006-11-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

Again I went to Faran's home and played some tennis. This time it was a grudge match with all the teasing and goofy play (just kidding.) It was great fun. I won again... but as the games went on the closer and more evenly matched we became.

Day 22: P90X really works it!

2006-06-17T05:47:00.000-05:00

Hey all...

So I have been doing P90X for more than 3 weeks now. I have used the rest day as a non-workout day sometimes and it feels good at the time. However, the following after my workout I feel the burn much more.

It is a habit for me now. I know that I must wake up each morning about 1 - 1 1/2 hours before I need to leave to allow for enough time to complete the workout. I have been following the lean workout routine. I figure that it is better to be lean than to be big and have to maintain the big size.

I hope that you are all taking advantage of the outdoors and getting active.

Any suggestions for me to make my overall results even better?

Day 8: P90X is Great!

2006-06-03T18:06:00.000-05:00

So now I have completed 8 straight days of P90X. It is one tough and rewarding workout program. I am sleeping better, feeling healthier, eating better as a result of exercising, and my energy are fantastic!

It is also great that I look forward to waking up in the morning to my workout at around 6:00 am. I hope that you are all happy and healthy.

Keep up the fight for smackin' good bodies and happy days.