As those who follow my blog posts are well aware, I like to think of myself as a student of human nature. As a result, I am constantly on the lookout for opportunities to apply Agile values and principles, not just by applying the Scrum framework to software development where it is traditionally found, but also in a variety of projects outside of the software development world.
Value Cube
As the Everyday Agilist, I also strive to live by the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto as well as the 14 Values of the Toyota Production System (which I consider to be the predecessor of the Manifesto). And in fact, I look for ways to help my clients bring Agility to their operational environments. I see the connection between Scrum and Lean in terms of a Value cube:
Having spent close to 15 years as a Continuous Improvement Specialist with a large telecommunications company before retiring to start Pyxis Great Lakes and to take up the mantle of the Everyday Agilist, I found myself disappointed in the training available for Operations teams, particularly those of the non-manufacturing sector. Many of my clients lack the availability of data that would make Six Sigma valuable and as a practitioner of Six Sigma, I was always disappointed with its favour of Quality over Value and Values.
Agile for Operations
I knew in my heart that there was a need for something new. So I created a new training course specifically for Operations teams based on my years of experience and my broadening knowledge of Agility. Agile for Operations is now available as a training offering through Pyxis and I invite you to take a look at it.
That approach still does not seem enough to contain the observations of multiple teams in many challenging scenarios, so I have decided to write a book as a companion to Agile for Operations.
Of course, what kind of Agilist would I be if I disappeared for 18 months and produced the book to be released as a single offering without feedback or input from my readers? So although I will not be using Scrum implicitly, I will be writing my book with an iterative and empirical approach. My plan is to test each and every piece of content as an iteration. It means that if you follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Agile Know-How, you will receive all of the content of my book without ever spending a single dime.
Of course, if you enjoy my blog posts, stories, chapter summaries, thoughts of the day and a little feature I call “Barb-isms”, I hope that you will tell me so and perhaps consider buying the accumulated writings when they are finally published as “The Other Side of Agile”.
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