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# Larry Apke

A Leader in Software Development, Agile Coach, and Nonprofit Leader in Training and Workforce Development.

## Sitemaps

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## Posts

- [Agile Principles: How to Maintain a Sustainable Pace](https://larryapke.com/agile-processes-promote-sustainable-development) - Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. When I think on this principle I cannot help but think about the potential "dark side" of agile and how it can be misunderstood and implemented incorrectly.
- [Open Sourcing of The "Agile MBA" Recordings](https://larryapke.com/open-sourcing-of-the-agile-mba-recordings) - #Earlier this morning I completed by last class as a member of The Job Hackers. Thank you to everyone for your kindness and support as I move on. Two things I want to say to everyone. First, the Job Hackers will continue on. I have given 7 years of my life to help build this
- [Public announcement of my resignation from The Job Hackers](https://larryapke.com/public-announcement-of-my-resignation-from-the-job-hackers) - It is with mixed emotions that I announce my resignation as a member of the Board of Directors and as Chief Agile Officer for The Job Hackers nonprofit organization, effective May 19, 2023. After much consideration and personal reflection, I have decided to step down from these positions. When I began teaching the classes we
- [Maybe It’s Time to Stop Using the Word "Sprint"](https://larryapke.com/maybe-time-stop-using-word-sprint) - There is an Agile principle which states, “Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely”. It has become obvious to me, the word “sprint”, which, although it may have a specific meaning in scrum, generally is understood to mean “an act or short spell of running at full speed.”
- [Hit Rock Bottom? Maybe Now You’re Ready for Agile](https://larryapke.com/hit-rock-bottom-maybe-now-youre-ready-for-agile) - So when my friend mentioned that a good indicator for agile transformation success was a company had hit rock bottom I knew exactly what he was referring to. In this particular case he used the examples of the FBI Sentinel Project and Healthcare.gov website debacle. In both cases, it wasn’t until each was a total disaster that Agile was actually tried with any seriousness and rigor and in both cases the results were amazing.
- [Agile - It’s All About Making Better Decisions](https://larryapke.com/agile-its-all-about-making-better-decisions) - As I think back on my coaching work in agile, the blogs I have written, the many discussions I have had and the presentations I have made, I think that all of these boil down into one very simple thing – my work is all about helping people understand the true nature of the software development business process and, thereby helping them to make better decisions.
- [You Can Be Right or You Can Be Successful](https://larryapke.com/you-can-be-right-or-you-can-be-successful) - This applies to my work of transforming companies from waterfall to agile approach. While I may be 100% correct and it may make me feel good to be right, by presenting my viewpoint as THE way, I will not meet my objective. If I choose to be successful then I must take a different approach. I need to get to know the people involved, understand their concerns, not threaten their ideas, but allow their defenses to be lowered by listening to their ideas and then, and only then, if my ideas are truly right will I have the chance to convince them of or, better yet, guide them to the truth.
- [Technical Debt on the Balance Sheet](https://larryapke.com/technical-debt-on-the-balance-sheet) - Israel’s assertion is now that there are ways to rather easily assess technical debt (like SonarQube with SQALE plugin), technical debt could (and should) be added to a company’s balance sheet. I applaud and support his efforts.
- [The High Cost of “Low Cost” Software Development](https://larryapke.com/high-cost-of-low-cost-software-developemt) - What is the high cost of “low cost” software development? This is the tendency for people involved with financial decisions regarding software development to put too great an emphasis on the cost of software developers.
- [Type Three and Four Errors – Solving the Wrong Problems Flawlessly](https://larryapke.com/type-three-and-four-errors-solving-the-wrong-problems-flawlessly) - When someone mentions “waterfall has always worked for us”, I believe this is an example of Type Three error. The real question - has waterfall been optimal? The example I always give is that the covered wagon was successful for transportation, but when I look out the window of a plane, I don’t see any crossing the prairie. In the case of those applying the values and principles of agile properly there is little doubt as to which is the airplane and which is the covered wagon.
- [Managers from Hell and Agile Transformation](https://larryapke.com/managers-hell-agile-transformation) - A few months back I stumbled onto some research done by Gallup on employee engagement quoted from above. I would like to say that their findings were shocking, but having been an Agile Coach at many large organizations, I find the statistics (and conclusions based on the statistics) to track quite close to my own experiences. For example, Gallup found that only 30% of all employees in the United States are “engaged and inspired at work” and about 20% are what have been defined as “actively disengaged” employees who “aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.” The remaining 1 out 2 workers are defined as “not engaged” and “essentially ‘checked out.’ They’re sleepwalking through their workday, putting time — but not energy or passion — into their work.”
- [Understanding The Agile Manifesto: A Brief & Bold Guide to Agile - Podcast Now Available](https://larryapke.com/understanding-agile-manifesto-now-podcast) - I am pleased to announce that my first book, Understanding the Agile Manifesto: A Brief & Bold Guide to Agile is now available as a podcast. Over the next few days / weeks I will be releasing the book, chapter by chapter, on this website and through the iTunes store under my "Agile Doctor" podcast.
- [How Would You Rate Your Organization?](https://larryapke.com/describe-organization) - While browsing the 2014 State of DevOps Report, the authors referred to a study by a Professor Westrum of Eastern Michigan University called A Typology of Organizational Cultures. In this article, Westrum studied the flow of safety information within hospitals, how that flow could be classified into an organizational typology and what effect that typology had on
- [Agile Principles: Simplicity is Essential](https://larryapke.com/simplicity-art-maximizing-amount-work-done-essential) - In 2002, Jim Johnson of the Standish Group (made famous by their Chaos Report of software project “success”) presented findings of features and functions used in a typical system. The number of features that were never or rarely used totaled a whopping 64% while sometimes, often and always weighed in with 16%, 13% and 7% respectively. For those acquainted with the Pareto principle (80/20 rule), notice how the often and always used features - those things we should concentrate on building for our customers and those things things that bring us the most value – is exactly 80%. In other words, a great deal of our effort is generally spent creating things that customers do not use or want.
- [Two Time-Management Techniques to Aid Agility](https://larryapke.com/two-time-management-techniques-aid-agility) - Originally published on ScrumAlliance.org With Agile as a philosophy and Scrum as a framework, ScrumMasters are sometimes on their own, left out in the cold when it comes to specific tactics. While I heartily recommend such practices as BDD (behavior-driven development), continuous delivery, and so on, there happen to be some simple time-management practices that I
- [Message from the CEO: We Must Evolve](https://larryapke.com/message-from-the-ceo-we-must-evolve) - On the flight home from a recent assignment I fell asleep and had a wonderful dream about a speech that a CEO gave to his employees. It went something like this... In order to survive long term a species must evolve. So must companies. So must we. Our company is heavily reliant on our software
- [Silent Grouping - Rapid Story Pointing and Story Value](https://larryapke.com/silent-grouping-rapid-story-pointing-and-story-value) - I have presented in the past something I called Rapid Release Planning. While I stand by this method for teams that have a history of delivery, I have found a much better way for new teams or teams with no previous history of delivery. It's called Silent Grouping. If you are interested in possible mechanics,
- [Want a Quick Agile Win? Try Office Hours](https://larryapke.com/want-a-quick-agile-win) - When you are an Agile Coach you sometimes must resign yourself to the fact that it will usually take team members awhile to get it and victories can be few and far between. One thing that I can recommend for a quick win and something that has worked well for me on multiple occasions (when
- [Product Versus Project Management](https://larryapke.com/when-you-are-in-the-project-management-mindset-all-effort-is-made-to-complete-the-project-on-time-and-on-budget-with-the-maximum-amount-of-features-those-things-that-do-not-count-as-important-to-thes) - I spent a great deal of time trying to find others who have written about product versus project management, especially as to how it relates to Agile. Unfortunately, it is not a hot topic. This is a shame - it should be. I have had the pleasure of working with teams and organizations that are
- [Wideband Delphi and How I Re-Discovered It](https://larryapke.com/wideband-delphi) - While on my way to researching something else I can across an interesting blog entry on Atwood's coding horror site about Planning Poker. Over the years I have been a scrum master I have evolved a pretty effective way of getting relative story sizes as quickly and accurately as possible. I do this rapid release
- [Chaos to Waterfall to Agile - The Evolution of Software Development](https://larryapke.com/chaos-to-waterfall-to-agile-the-evolution-of-software-development) - I spent some time recently in a PMO meeting about project metrics. Seems that the big bosses want to create some service level agreements based on these metrics. The most interesting part of the meeting was sitting back and watching the process. As an Agile proponent I was amazed at the lunacy of central planning.
- [What is Backlog Grooming and How Much Time Should I Invest?](https://larryapke.com/what-is-backlog-grooming-and-how-much-time-should-i-invest) - After my experience working with dozens of scrum teams in transitioning to Agile, I am thoroughly convinced that a great deal of Agile success is wrapped up in the two things that most lower functioning teams do not do well – Release Planning and Backlog Grooming. So what is backlog grooming? Personally, I do not
- [It's the Discipline Stupid](https://larryapke.com/its-the-discipline-stupid) - I spend a good deal of time trying to make myself a better Scrum Master (see blog). This means reading lots of books, a great deal of googling and reading many blogs. Recently I ran into one called Coding Horror by Jeff Atwood. He had a great entry about Discipline in software development. I had
- [Agile Principles: Team Reflection Provides Growth](https://larryapke.com/regular-intervals-team-reflects-become-effective) - Retrospectives are my favorite of all the scrum activities because they represent the opportunity to reflect on how we are implementing and to adjust our behavior to be more effective. I have said to my teams on many occasions that if I were forced to choose only one scrum ceremony that my choice, without hesitation or reservation, would be the retrospective. Without it, how could we ever expect to improve? What essential difference would an “Agile” project have over the many death march projects that teams have come to accept?
- [Agile Principles: Why You Need Self-Organizing Teams](https://larryapke.com/why-you-need-self-organizing-teams) - I have often argued that the founders of Agile did not provide reasons why their approaches worked just that they did. Their was empirical evidence, proven by doing the work, or, as they state in the beginning of the manifesto - uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. From their very pragmatic approach, they figured out that better software was created by following the values and principles. One of those discoveries was that better software was created by self-organizing teams.
- [Agile Principles: Excellent Design Needs BDD & TDD](https://larryapke.com/continuous-attention-technical-excellence-good-design-enhances-agility) - This principle is much like the one previous about sustainable development. Agile doesn't ask us to shortcut quality and increase technical debt in an effort to deliver software faster. It is precisely because we do not shortcut quality and incur technical debt that we are able to move faster. I have worked with many teams to introduce Behavior Driven Development (BDD) because, among a great number of other advantages, BDD allows developers an easier way to access the practice of Test Driven Development (TDD). And, in my experience, TDD is the only way I have seen out of the practice of “Big Up Front Design”.
- [Agile Principles: Working Software is Primary Progress](https://larryapke.com/working-software-primary-measure-progress) - Metrics. Metrics. Metrics. We love numbers. We measure and put numbers to all kinds of things. We use these numbers to mark our projects as red, yellow and red (of course, the project is always green until there are a few weeks left when someone finally blinks and acknowledges reality and begins to use yellow or, god forbid, red). Unfortunately, in our headlong rush to create metrics we tend to forget the why of what we are doing. Numbers and statuses become an end unto themselves.
- [Agile Principles: Face to Face Conversations](https://larryapke.com/face-face-conversation) - The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and with a development team is face to face conversation. Since there are so many misconceptions about miscommunication around agile, I created my business cards to contain the entire Agile Manifesto so that when people confuse scrum framework with agile philosophy or say, "This is agile blah, blah, blah," I can hand them my card and say, "This is agile." Then I let them know that agile is nothing more than a philosophy, a series of values and principles.
- [Agile Principles: Motivation is the Key to Quality](https://larryapke.com/agile-principles-build-projects-around-motivated-individuals) - If I had to take exception to any value or principle this would have to be the one. While I have the utmost of respect for the original Agile signatories, they made a slight mistake because this principle refers to only projects. I have ranted often enough about the distinction between project and product management (See this post for more), but it is important to understand that Agile works best when we build a product (not a project) mindset. By having a principle that mentions projects might hinder folks from transforming their thinking to product-centric thinking.
- [Agile Principles: Work Together Daily or Fail](https://larryapke.com/agile-principles-business-development-must-work-together-daily) - I quote this principle verbatim to all the teams I coach constantly because it is the only completely prescriptive principle. While other principles use more vague words like "early", "late" or "shorter", "daily" is not open to negotiation or interpretation. The word "must" is also unequivocal as are the roles described. That prompts the following question - why were the founders of Agile so strident with this principle while allowing for broader interpretation with all other values and principles?
- [Agile Principles: Frequent & Working Software](https://larryapke.com/agile-principles-delivering-working-software-frequently) - While there are many people who believe that the key reason to adopt agile frameworks and methods is for increased productivity, I tend to find this to be more a healthy byproduct of a team working together over time (and thus could be found in other methodologies). The real benefits of agile lies in greater transparency, predictability and faster time to market. The third agile principle speaks directly to these, especially quicker time to market.
- [Agile Principles: Welcoming Change](https://larryapke.com/agile-principles-welcome-changing-requirements) - The world changes fast. The software development world changes faster. Locking into a long term plan and remaining steadfast to that plan might bring comfort when the world around us is awash in change, but it doesn't give the flexibility necessary to remain competitive.
- [Agile Principles: Customer Satisfaction](https://larryapke.com/agile-principles-customer-satisfaction) - As an Agile coach I am in the Agile transformation business. Coaches are rarely employed when an organization “gets” the philosophy and properly implements an Agile framework or methodology. In my experience those that are most challenged are those who seem to concentrate on the ceremonies while failing to focus on the bigger picture concerns – those more interested in “doing” rather than “being.”
- [Agile Values: Responding to Change Over Following a Plan](https://larryapke.com/agile-values-responding-change-following-plan) - The interesting thing about big upfront design is the gall it takes to even begin to believe that all can be known at the beginning of a complex endeavor. This harkens back to some of my earlier posts, including Software Development is Communication, where I argue that those in charge of software development decisions (like team size, composition, physical location, etc.) have no clue about software development. Software development is most often a complex undertaking.
- [Agile Values: Why Contracts And Software Development Don't Mix](https://larryapke.com/contracts-software-development) - We all have customers. If we didn't there would be no reason to do what we do. If we didn't their would be no one to pay our invoices. And when someone agrees to pay you for work, they generally want to have some kind of agreement on the nature of the work for the money that is being paid. This agreement is usually put in writing and voila, we have a contract. This is an important part of the process and as everyone knows, contracts are valuable documents for both the customer and yourself. But as the Manifesto states, it's important to not get caught up in negotiation fever.
- [Agile Values: Working Software Over Documentation](https://larryapke.com/agile-values-working-software-documentation) - Of the four agile values, this is probably the least understood and most often misinterpreted. It certainly does not say that there should be no documentation as some (the less ambitious developers and teams) propose. It says that there is more value to actual software than comprehensive documentation.
- [Agile Values: The Importance of Individuality](https://larryapke.com/agile-values-importance-individuality) - The Agile Manifesto is best seen as a reaction to the environment at the time. Many authors are saying that software development values have gotten out of whack because the majority of companies now value processes and tools more than individuals and interactions. Obviously in order to create better software this needs to be corrected!
- [The Five Attributes of a Good Scrum Team](https://larryapke.com/five-attributes-good-scrum-team) - Between these presentations and my daily coaching practice, I am reminded yet again at the importance of forming a good scrum team. This, along with proper backlog compilation and maintenance, can make the difference between success and endless frustration. In my experience, proper scrum team formation is the area where companies who are unsuccessful in Agile transformations fail most often.
- [“We Can’t Find Good People” Myth and the Rise of Trump and Sanders](https://larryapke.com/cant-find-good-people-myth-rise-trump-sanders) - Companies complaining that they cannot find good people, so much so that they have to go outside to United States through programs like H1B (or worse yet, ship work completely offshore), while there are over 200 people actively looking for work. There are so many good people looking for work that there is a waiting list to enroll in a program that helps them to find work. Hate to veer to political, but if anyone is still mystified by the Trump and Sanders “phenomenon” they should look no further than a ProMatch meeting in Silicon Valley!
- [Will Your Development Practices Shield You From Malpractice?](https://larryapke.com/will-development-practices-shield-malpractice) - Perhaps malpractice litigation will not affect the realm of software development as I anticipate, but that does not mean it is not appropriate. In some cases, people who with authority to make decisions regarding software development show a willful ignorance of the nature of software development. I believe their behavior is not only detrimental to the production of quality software and the satisfaction of customers and employees alike, but certainly borders on the realm of malpractice.
- [Cooks, Chefs and Agile Scaling Models](https://larryapke.com/cooks-chefs-agile-scaling-models) - I am often reminded of the difference between a cook and a chef in my agile practice. I have used this story numerous times with developers to explain agile development practices. Like me, it seems that some developers will always be cooks. While there are some who don’t know the difference, I have even run into some that prefer to be cooks instead of chefs. Not that there is anything wrong with choosing to be a cook, but it helps when one is aware of the choice and makes a conscious decision to be one.
- [Yahoo! – Some Thoughts on Regaining Former Glory](https://larryapke.com/yahoo-some-thoughts-on-regaining-former-glory) - My topic this week is the fall of a company I (still) have a great deal of affection for, one that I continue to support. To me this company “was” the internet and their rise and past prominence represented what was best of Silicon Valley. More troubling is their subsequent lack of direction and downfall represents what can be thought of as the worst of Silicon Valley. I am not the first (and will not be the last) to weigh in on the tragedy that goes by the name of Yahoo!
- [The 3Ps of Agile Software Development](https://larryapke.com/the-3ps-of-agile-software-development) - I am often faced with explaining the various aspects of Agile to people new to Agile and I have come up with a very simple way to remember (and explain) Agile. I present to you now the “3Ps of Agile Software Development” with the hope you find this useful to your own understanding and an aid in your ability to explain Agile to others.
- [You Have a Friend – Another Reason Scrum Works?](https://larryapke.com/you-have-a-friend-another-reason-scrum-works) - Scrum teams that work are small, co-located, dedicated, stable and cross-functional. These elements are essential in working in the complex world of software development. Recently, I stumbled across another reason that may explain the gains found on proper scrum teams – friendships.
- [Project Manager/Scrum Master: A Cry for Agile Help](https://larryapke.com/project-managerscrum-master-a-cry-for-agile-help) - This particular problem manifests when a company desires the potential benefits of Scrum without really understanding Scrum. Without a good understanding, people attempt to map their existing roles with those of Scrum. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. The role of Scrum Master is unique to Scrum and any attempt to map it to existing roles will only result in confusion, frustration and less than optimal outcomes.
- [The Most Important (and Least Understood) Software Development Fact](https://larryapke.com/the-most-important-and-least-understood-software-development-fact) - If we want to create better software we would be well to head Glass’ fact. We need to stop treating software development like we are building a house or assembling a car. Software is much too complex to be built using the tired old mechanistic means. Remember that as complexity of the problem increases, the complexity of the solution increases at a much higher rate, along with the risks attendant on increased complexity.
- [Wagerfall](https://larryapke.com/wagerfall) - While other scaling frameworks have detailed flowcharts, organizational structure documents, etc., Wagerfall avoids such complexities. Mindy Minter, Head Architect at Great Big Company, praises Wagerfall for its simplicity. “We are big believers in the KISS principle. You can’t get more KISS than Wagerfall. Pay your fee. Get your certification. Claim you’re Agile.”
- [On Better Hiring (or Do Coding Interviews Work? Part 2)](https://larryapke.com/on-better-hiring-or-do-coding-interviews-work-part-2) - This begs the question of what should those who are not Google or Facebook, those without unlimited resources and legions of potential candidates, do to improve their hiring of software development professionals? The first thing is to be aware of the true costs and benefits associated with pursuing one path over another.
- [Do Coding Interviews Work?](https://larryapke.com/do-coding-interviews-work) - I expect that coding interviews will be with us for some time to come, but at least I can look forward to the day when I write the blog “Company X abolishes the coding interview (and Admits Earth is Round).”
- [Brainstorming – Effective Technique or Sacred Cow?](https://larryapke.com/brainstorming-effective-technique-or-sacred-cow) - With scientific evidence questioning the effectiveness of brainstorming vast, the real question is why does the use of brainstorming persist? The question is at the heart of much of my agile practice in that the prime issue is not whether one is merely effective, but that one is optimal. It is obvious to me that several cognitive biases are in play in keeping brainstorming around.
- [Five Impactful Interview Questions for Prospective Scrum Masters](https://larryapke.com/five-impactful-interview-questions-for-prospective-scrum-masters) - If people cannot fail a test how good can the test be. Given this fact I am not even certain that a CSM should be part of the job description. A few months of “boots on the ground” scrum is better than the two-day training.
- [On Death and Dying and Agile Transformation](https://larryapke.com/on-death-and-dying-and-agile-transformation) - Once we understand that the grief stages are in response to the loss of an idea, it is not a great leap to apply this to any company transformation. It is well known that there are some who will readily embrace change, but there are a great number that see any change as a threat.
- [The VW Scandal as a Cautionary Tale - Cultivating Fear Always Ends Badly](https://larryapke.com/the-vw-scandal-as-a-cautionary-tale-cultivating-fear-always-ends-badly) - My advice to leaders is to pay attention to the VW scandal and heed its warning. You will most certainly reap what you sow, karma will catch up with you and cultivating fear will always end badly.
- [You Say You Want to Change the World?](https://larryapke.com/you-say-you-want-to-change-the-world) - When we look at those things that we say have changed the world, what, in fact, has changed? Is the world really radically different or is it our perception that has changed? I think if we give it any thought at all we would easily conclude that the world really doesn’t change much, but when new things, whether products or ideas, come our way and these allow us (or force us) to see the world differently, then the world itself has changed.
- [Stop the Sprint Slop and Shot Your Zombie Stories in the Head](https://larryapke.com/stop-the-sprint-slop-and-shot-your-zombie-stories-in-the-head) - “Zombie stories” are a great indicator of team maturity, the origin of which is mostly related to either stories that are too large, poorly written and poorly refined or teams that are pressured to plan more in a sprint than is possible or are victims of "false" dependencies.
- [Accenture Ends Annual Review (and Admits Earth Orbits the Sun)](https://larryapke.com/accenture-ends-annual-review) - In the case of annual reviews we have such a wealth of evidence they do not work it is amazing so few companies have actually done away with them.
- [Real World Agile Q&A](https://larryapke.com/real-world-agile-qa) - One of the reasons I have proposed the concept of CAO (Chief Agile Officer) is for situations such as these where someone at the top level of the organization can arbitrate using the entire organizational as a lens to determine best courses of action. It sounds like you are both on the same organizational level so it would help to appeal to a higher management level in instances where two of the same level cannot come to a satisfactory conclusion.
- [One Effective Interview Question for a Scrum Master or Agile Coach](https://larryapke.com/one-effective-interview-question-for-a-scrum-master-or-agile-coach) - One of the things I have noticed during this time is, as Agile (and especially Scrum) have become more mainstream, the quality of individuals calling themselves scrum masters and agile coaches has become more variable.
- [Patterns, Anti-Patterns and Pilots – Guidance versus Governance](https://larryapke.com/patterns-anti-patterns-and-pilots-guidance-versus-governance) - Patterns, Anti-Patterns and Pilots. Not only does this option have alliterative qualities, but it also allows for a much greater environment for teams to self-organize and experiment. The process is simple. There are certain things that we know to generally work well for teams. One example is Behavior Driven Development (BDD). This would be considered a pattern.
- [Fear, Slack and Agile Transformation](https://larryapke.com/fear-slack-and-agile-transformation) - So, if there are any “leaders” out there looking to make significant changes in your organization, like an agile transformation, please pay attention. If you want change, you must first remove fear. In its place, install some slack. Give back some time. Allow people to learn. Allow people to reflect. Allow people to change. Allow people to fail gracefully. You want to lead? Give them a reason to follow, something that aligns with their own intrinsic motivation. Stop using motivational junk food. Stop using fear.
- [A New Chapter Begins](https://larryapke.com/a-new-chapter-begins) - We call our new effort 10XP Solutions. “10X” comes from the well known adage that the best programmers are ten times more productive than the least. The “XP” alludes to Extreme Programming whose emphasis has always been on high quality code, something that is central to the value that we bring to our clients.
- [When it Comes to Software Development - Size Matters](https://larryapke.com/when-it-comes-to-software-development-size-matters) - When I talk to people about good Agile teams, especially good scrum teams, I talk about five attributes - size, co-location, dedication, stability and cross functionality.
- [No More Agile Checklists - Can We Concentrate on Outcomes?](https://larryapke.com/agile-checklists-proliferate-agile-doesnt) - As an agile coach and change agent I am always asked how maturity can be measured at the team and organizational level. What I have found over the years is that there is no lack of different checklists that can be used to give us these "metrics". In fact, a recent Google search gave me a page that contains links to literally 41 checklists. In addition to these I have personally worked on many different custom checklists myself as if the 41 currently available do not adequately address the needs of teams transitioning to agile! Why is it that these already existing measures are not enough?
- [We Must Inject (not just inspect) Quality](https://larryapke.com/you-cannot-inspect-quality-into-a-product) - Not sure where I first heard the phrase "you can't inspect quality into a product" but I have certainly used the phrase myself all too often in my consulting gigs. After a quick Google search, I found the originator of the quote was Harold Dodge and it was first used in a manufacturing context. While I generally eschew appropriating manufacturing analogies for comparison to software development, in this case, it is certainly apt.
- [Individuals, Teams, Systems - The Evolution of Agile at Scale](https://larryapke.com/if-you-have-any-interest-at-all-in-agile-if-you-read-agile-blogs-if-you-follow-agile-trends-you-most-certainly-have-been-over-exposed-to-one-phrase-scaled-agile-i-myself-recently-received) - Once upon a time I coached one of the most amazing agile scrum teams. They were able to deliver things that their management found quite unbelievable so much so that they conveyed a meeting to find answers to why this particular group of people were able to so greatly outperform others in the organization. As an aside I was not originally invited to the meeting but the team lobbies for me to be there as they considered me one of the team and, as a team member, partially responsible for their success.
- [The Theory of Change & Why I Get In Trouble](https://larryapke.com/the-theory-of-change) - As an agile coach that has been fortunate to work at a good number of clients over the years, you get an opportunity to experience some interesting similarities among clients. Some are tragic, some are funny and some are just downright intriguing. I recently spoke with another agile coach and I discovered one particular pattern
- [The PMO is Dead. Long Live the PPMO!](https://larryapke.com/the-pmo-is-dead) - One of the most enjoyable parts of my work and my life is delivering presentations or giving talks to outside groups. During one particular Q&A session I was asked a question along these lines - "If you had unlimited power in an organization, what would be the very first thing you would do to ensure agility?" My answer, "Oh that is easy. The very first thing I would do is get rid of the Project Management Office." At which I unfortunately took a pause. The collective gasp from the crowd filled that void and the ensuing murmur drowned out my next statement. You see, I was addressing a PMI group, and my statement proved to be provocative to say the least.
- [The Gang of Four - How Optimization Perseveres](https://larryapke.com/the-impetus-for-the-gang-of-four-was-the-desire-of-four-agilists-coaches-to-try-to-do-the-right-things-with-regards-to-implementing-agile-and-scrum-to-do-things-that-were-generally-acknowledged-as) - The impetus for the gang of four was the desire of four agilists (coaches) to try to do the right things with regards to implementing agile and scrum - to do things that were generally acknowledged as good agile practices but things that were not necessarily politically palatable. In other words, we were something of a clandestine organization.
- [The Difference Between True Rockstars & Pretenders](https://larryapke.com/difference-true-rockstars-pretenders) - I've had the pleasure of working with hundreds of teams during my time as an Agile coach. I have loved and enjoyed working with each and every one of them. There are some though that are more memorable than others. Frequently it is those teams that I coach first in any organization - in psychology
- [Timely Feedback - Why Agile Works](https://larryapke.com/timely-feedback-agile-works) - Sometimes my passion provokes long stories, explanations or asides. Lately though when I speak to others about why agile works I eschew my sometimes verbose ways and reply with two words - "timely feedback".
- [Sony IT Insider Claims Hack Not From North Korea](https://larryapke.com/sony-insider-claims-hack-north-korea) - One of the contacts, who just happens to work at Sony, reached out to me this week and urged me to "blog to the world what really happened" and that the recent hack on Sony was not perpetrated by the North Korean government, but was one of a series of attacks that have been going on "for over two years". According to my source, these recent attacks were part of a longer term "series of snooping breaches" that included "successful DDoS (denial of service) attacks during the World Cup based on Sony sponsorship of FIFA."
- [Technical Debt: What It Is and Why You Should Care](https://larryapke.com/technical-debt-care) - I was recently invited to write an article about technical debt for Software Development Times (SD Times). My personal experience is that technical debt is rarely understood, especially by our business partners, and is a symptom of the continual misapplication of project-centric thinking in software development. - Larry Apke
- [Deming, Agile and SAFe](https://larryapke.com/deming-agile-safe) - This week was a big week in my quest for lifelong learning - one in which the learning should prove beneficial to my furtherance of agile values and principles; a week that I think I will think of a the week of Deming since I completed my reading of two of Deming's books - Out
- [How I Know You Are Flailing at Agile](https://larryapke.com/how-i-know-flailing-agile) - As a consultant I try my best to keep abreast of industry trends in technology and software development. Often one of the best ways to observe trends is to check out job boards to see what positions are being posted. For example, job postings can show trends in programming languages. You can see which companies
- [Too Many Bright Shiny Objects (BSOs)](https://larryapke.com/too-many-bright-shiny-objects) - As an Agile Coach who has worked at his fair share of large companies, I spend a lot of time researching what can go wrong with an Agile transition. One of the things that I don’t recall being mentioned is the sheer number of projects that some companies try to run concurrently. I have
- ["Are You Crazy?!" - Project vs Product Focus](https://larryapke.com/project-versus-project-focus) - When You Have A Project Focus Coach: If we take some time to learn and adopt excellent software development practices like BDD/TDD, CI and refactor some our code to remove some technical debt, we will be able to development higher quality software and deliver it to our customers faster. Project Manager: Are you crazy?! We
- [Technical Debt in the Real World](https://larryapke.com/technical-debt-real-world) - I came across a video the other day that compares the relative devastation caused by two similar earthquakes – a recent 6.0 magnitude earthquake in August 2014 in Northern California and a 6.1 magnitude one in that same month in Yunnan Province, China. The differences are astounding. I created a simple table below to show
- [Story Points Revisited - Presentation](https://larryapke.com/story-points) - Story Points Revisited from Larry Apke If you missed it, here's my newest presentation about story points that I gave to the Phoenix Scrum Users Group yesterday. Here is also a cool video of the meeting that Alan Dayley shot using the new Hyperlapse app. Thanks for everyone who came out! I had a lot
- [The True Value of the CSM](https://larryapke.com/true-value-csm) - I was on a call with one of my Agile colleagues the other day and he mentioned that there are now over 300,000 Certified Scrum Masters. Should I be excited about this fact? While this is a great marketing achievement for the Scrum Alliance and I would guess it to be profitable for some folks,
- [Why You Are Agile Coaching at the Wrong Level](https://larryapke.com/agile-coaching-at-the-wrong-level) - The way I go about choosing which blogs to write is a very simple process. During odd moments in the day, something someone says or does will trigger an idea. If I don't capture the idea immediately, chances are that I will most likely forget the idea (one of the disadvantages of human aging) so
- [One More Big Reason for Adopting BDD](https://larryapke.com/another-reason-bdd-provided-joel-software) - I have always considered Joel on Software as one of the best bloggers on software development that exists. I absolutely love his approach to software development and should he ever open an office west of the Mississippi I would be the first to send my resume! While doing research on another blog topic, I came across his
- [Why Agile is Leadership & Waterfall is Management](https://larryapke.com/agile-leadership-waterfall-management) - As an agile coach who has had the wonderful opportunity to work with many diverse companies in many different fields, I can attest that one of the benefits of having a coach is having a wealth of experiences from which to draw upon and over time we are able to notice patterns even among disparate
- [Why Agile is the Answer for Healthcare.gov](https://larryapke.com/agile-answer-healthcare-gov) - I have purposely tried to not comment about the Healthcare.gov website and it's issues, but the landslide of wrong-headed information written on the subject has prodded me into adding my small voice on the upside that someone reading my this post will learn from this software development fiasco that we all have paid so dearly
- [Why Project Focused Mentality is Killing Software Development](https://larryapke.com/why-project-focused-mentality-is-killing-software-development) - So, the other day I was listening to NPR in the car (like most people when they listen to talk radio). And the talk was about peace in the Middle East. One of the experts mentioned that, in his opinion, unless both sides owned the process, it was never going to come to fruition. This
- [The Night Sky and the Tea Koan](https://larryapke.com/the-night-sky-and-the-tea-koan) - As a coach, there are a number of stories that I usually talk about to my new teams to help them understand what my job is all about. One I like to use with teams that think they already know agile is one I call "the night sky" which I based on my own personal
- [Agile and Antifragile](https://larryapke.com/agile-and-antifragile) - I submitted a few posts months back on Nassim Taleb's book Antifragile. Recently I heard from Stuart Wray who also made the connection between Agile and the book Antifragile on his blog On Food and Coding with his post Agile is Antifragile. I appreciate his contacting me and encourage my readers to check out his
- [Software Development is Communication](https://larryapke.com/software-development-is-communication) - The longer I stay in the software development business the more I am convinced of certain things. One thing that has hit home recently is this very interesting fact - on the whole, those in charge of software delivery are fundamentally ignorant of how software is made. I have written previously about how software development
- [Apke's Law](https://larryapke.com/your-transition-to-agile-will-only-go-as-far-as-the-highest-ranking-manager-who-understands-and-supports-it) - Most of my 7+ years of Agile coaching and scrum mastering has been working with existing waterfall organizations and helping them become more agile. During this period I have seen a wide range of companies and a wide range of successful adoption, but I have noticed one thing that is constant. This was brought home
- [Recommended Reading](https://larryapke.com/recommended-reading) - Since I am often asked (and often offer without being asked) what books I have read that have helped me to better understand and implement Agile, I have created a page for recommended reading. This (and posting a new blog update) has been something I have wanted to do for some time so I wanted
- [Predictability and The Gold Standard](https://larryapke.com/predictability-and-the-gold-standard) - I am often asked as an Agile Coach when I know that I have been effective at my job. The answer is simple- my work as a coach is done when the team in question is capable of being predictable. And what, you may ask is predictable? For me it is a team that is
- [Software Development is Like 30 Rock - A New Software Development Metaphor Part 2](https://larryapke.com/software-development-is-lie-30-rock) - Back in January I stressed the need to come up with some new metaphors regarding software development because our old metaphors were causing some problems. I still believe this to be true more than ever. Developers are not just cogs, but are individuals. Research has shown that the most productive developers are up to 10
- [Philosophy Versus Practice](https://larryapke.com/philosophy-versus-practice) - When trying to get waterfall teams and organizations to move to a more Agile development methodology there are two training strategies - philosophy and practice. The philosophical approach relies on teaching the history of software development and the philosophy behind Agile - the manifesto and principles. This approach assumes that as long as one is
- [Looking for Agile Success - All You Need is Love](https://larryapke.com/looking-for-agile-success-all-you-need-is-love) - Like any professional should I spend a great deal of my time attending user's groups, reading professional articles, speaking with leaders in my field, etc in an attempt to find ways to do my job better. This morning I stumbled upon a couple of interesting articles, The Unintended Consequences Of A Leader’s Lack Of Trust
- [Not Building a Car - The Need for More Appropriate Similes in Software Development](https://larryapke.com/not-building-a-car-the-need-for-more-appropriate-similes-in-software-development) - As humans we learn by analogy, metaphor and simile, adding new knowledge by initially relating the new to our existing understanding of the world. When we try to explain the software development process to the initiated (translation business stake holders), we use all kinds of similes to help them understand the process. The problem with
- [Thoughts on Agile Coaching](https://larryapke.com/thoughts-on-agilecoaching) - When I tell people I am an Agile Coach, unless they are in IT, I tend to get a lot of strange looks. Most of the time they will say something like, "I get the coaching part, but what the heck is Agile?" It is at this part of the conversation that they experience immediate
- [Agile = Antifragile Part 2](https://larryapke.com/agile-antifragile-part-2) - I entered my previous post on the subject when I had just begun Taleb's book Antifragile. As I continue my reading I have run into some very specific passages which lead me to theorize that the reason Agile development works so well is that it is a living, breathing example of what Taleb would call
- [Agile = Antifragile?](https://larryapke.com/agile-antifragile) - I am currently reading the book Antifragile: Things that Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I loved two of his other books, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable and Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets so I thought that I would give this one
- [It's Time for Companies to Add Agile to C-Level](https://larryapke.com/chief-agile-officer-time-for-companies-to-add-agile-to-c-level) - The more companies, teams and C-level employees that I work with (and I have had the good fortune to work with many), the more I am convinced that implementing Agile can only go as far as the highest knowledgeable company officer who is supporting it. What we need are some Chief Agile Officers - CAOs.
- [Larry's Top Ten Agile and Scrum Myths](https://larryapke.com/larrys-top-ten-agile-and-scrum-myths-2) - I gave the Larry's Top Ten Agile and Scrum Myths talk to the Java Users' Group in Phoenix recently and people have asked me what the top 10 myths are. I have posted a copy of the powerpoint, but for quick reference, I have listed below. Myth #1 - Agile is a Framework/Methodology Myth#2 -
- [Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and Why Agile Works](https://larryapke.com/drive-the-surprising-truth-about-what-motivates-us-and-why-agile-works) - In Daniel Pink's bestseller Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the author persuasively argues that what motivates people in the knowledge economy (of which software development is squarely seated) "is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our
- [Larry's Presentation to Java Users Group](https://larryapke.com/larrys-top-ten-agile-and-scrum-myths) - Last night I had a wonderful experience presenting to the Phoenix Scrum Users Group on Larry's Top Ten Agile and Scrum Myths. It was a very friendly audience and there were a great number of comments and questions from folks representing the whole Agile spectrum. I have uploaded my PowerPoint file of the presentation for
- [Recent Agile Speaking Engagements](https://larryapke.com/recent-agile-speaking-engagements) - Boy it's been some time since I have blogged! I have been busy with all things business, personal and have had a great number of recent speaking engagements with any free time I have been able to find. I am passionate about Agile and love the opportunity that speaking brings. My most recent gigs included
- [Are You a Scrum Master? Be a Gardener.](https://larryapke.com/are-you-a-scrum-master-be-a-gardener) - I have recently been reading Jurgen Appelo's book Management 3.0: Leading Agile Developers, Developing Agile Leaders. For those wondering what management's role in an Agile organization should be then this is a good read. In my current consulting gig I am coaching someone to replace me as a scrum master so we spend a great
- [Announcing New Position](https://larryapke.com/announcing-new-position) - I am happy to announce that as of August 28 I am now a Managing Consultant with Neudesic. I believe that this new position will allow me to continue my passion for Agile development and allow me to help more teams and more organizations become more Agile.
- [What Agile Processes and Diets Have in Common](https://larryapke.com/what-agile-processes-and-diets-have-in-common) - I have spent a great deal of time lately reading blogs predicting the end of Agile. There are a lot of good people making a lot of good points but I think that there are some major problems the arguments predicting the end of Agile. There is a very real tendency for people to confuse
- [The Fourth Agile Principle](https://larryapke.com/the-fourth-agile-principle) - "Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project." I was in a backlog grooming meeting this morning when I was given reason to reflect on this, the fourth, Agile principle. The reason was that the team I was working with was struggling/arguing about the proper wording of a story. To a few
- [The Reason Your Agile Implementation will Fail](https://larryapke.com/the-reason-your-agile-implementation-will-fail) - I have had the good fortune of managing Agile (scrum) implementations at a number of different companies over the years. I have had some great success and some implementations that were not so great. While not unique, my experience is such that I have enough data points to start seeing patterns, especially patterns of failure.
- [10 Reasons Why BDD Changes Everything](https://larryapke.com/10-reasons-why-bdd-changes-everything) - Recently I have been working with my two scrum teams to implement a BDD approach to our development. I'd have to say that the early results are astounding! While I have always known and believed in BDD in theory, I continue to be amazed by its simple power in practice. For anyone reading who is
- [Measuring Agility](https://larryapke.com/measuring-agility) - On February 7, 2012 I spoke at the Phoenix Scrum Users Group about measuring agility. For those who might be interested, I have posted my presentation on measuring agility.
- [Not Burning Down? Diagnosing and Fixing the Some of the Problems](https://larryapke.com/not-burning-down) - Of course you would not expect every sprint to have a perfect burndown. You would not expect to complete every story in every sprint (my goal has always been 90% or greater stories complete), but if you are finding yourself with many "overhanging" stories each sprint there are a number of things that you can
- [Welcome to 2012! Getting Back to Agile.](https://larryapke.com/welcome-to-2012-getting-back-to-agile) - Wow! Just noticed that I had not blogged at all since October of last year! Between starting a new gig on October 31st and the holidays I have been way too busy getting acclimated to my new surroundings, shopping for the perfect holiday gifts, feeding my face with holiday cheer, etc. to spend time writing
- [What to Expect from a New Agile Team](https://larryapke.com/what-to-expect-from-new-agile-team) - Whenever I work with a new Agile team I have some stock "speeches" that I tend to give. One of my favorites "speeches" covers my expectations are for a newly formed Agile team, namely increased transparency and predictability. Notice that I did not say increased velocity. That may or may not come with time, but
- [Why I Don't Like Whiteboards, the Last Sacred Cow and Why I Will Burn in Scrum Hell](https://larryapke.com/why-i-dont-like-whiteboards-the-last-sacred-cow-and-why-i-will-burn-in-scrum-hell) - I doubt there are many people in this world who have the passion or spend more time researching about Agile than I do. Over the years I have seen many sacred Agile/Scrum cows questioned. Usually when one has the guts to do so there are scores of Agilistas ready to denounce anything that goes against
- [Thoughts on Leadership](https://larryapke.com/thoughts-on-leadership) - When in doubt, google. I found the definition for leadership from about.com – “Leadership, a critical management skill, is the ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal.” I would guess that this definition is innocuous enough, but I just can’t seem to completely agree. I know that a lot of people
- [Trust and Agile](https://larryapke.com/trust-and-agil) - I had the wonderful opportunity to have a panel discussion recently regarding Agile. In my warped world, there is no greater pleasure than getting grilled on how Agile can be implemented in the real world. As such conversations are wont to do, a consistent theme emerged. In this particular conversation it was all about Trust.
- [Can We Call it Something Other Than Scrum Master?](https://larryapke.com/can-we-call-it-something-other-than-scrum-master) - I have become what I cannot stand a Scrum Master. Not that I believe that what I do for a living is not valuable. It is highly valuable as I spend my whole entire existence in support of creating and delivering high-quality, high-impact software on a regular basis. In fact, my mantra for my scrum
- [Agile as Religion](https://larryapke.com/agile-as-religion) - For the sake of full disclosure I am not a big fan of organized religion. I truly believe that each and every individual has their own needs when it comes to “spiritual” matters and there are many ways to achieve the basic human need to feel connected to our fellow humans and the universe as
- [Measuring Agile Progress – Not Losing Sight of the Big Picture](https://larryapke.com/measuring-agile-progress) - Agile, while light on “metrics,” does have some artifacts that are used to help track progress. Burndown and Burnup charts are extremely helpful in measuring sprint progress and helping to correct course. Capacity and velocity measurements are great at helping us determine how and what to plan for a sprint and a release. These are
- [Using Individual Burndowns](https://larryapke.com/using-individual-burndowns) - I have my very own Scrum team right at home. There are seven of us in the family. I love each and every one of my family members equally, but that does not mean that each one of my family members is the same nor would I treat each one exactly the same. Of my
- [Attack of the Agilistas](https://larryapke.com/attack-of-the-agilistas) - As someone who has been operated as a day-to-day scrum master for over five years, I have had the pleasure of working with over a hundred people in a Scrum setting. Their prior knowledge about Agile and Scrum ran the gamut from those who had never heard of Agile or Scrum to those who have

## Pages

- [Agile MBA Videos](https://larryapke.com/agile-mba-videos)
- [PMI PDU Instructions](https://larryapke.com/pmi-pdu-instructions) - Click this link to return to the videos. In order to claim PDUs, please follow the directions below. Bookmark this page for easy access later. Here is my step-by-step guide to make it easy for you to report PDUs and stay current with your certification. Step 1: Visit https://www.pmi.org/ and log in to your account. Step 2:
- [My Books](https://larryapke.com/my-books) - Over the years I have taken content from this blog and made two books that are available via kindle and paperback. Agile is one of the most popular software development methodologies used by organizations all over the world. It is characterized by adaptability, flexibility and self-organization, but what does it mean to truly "be" Agile
- [About Larry Apke](https://larryapke.com/about-me) - Software Development Leader | Agile Coach | Nonprofit Innovator Welcome to my website! I am Larry Apke, a seasoned leader in software development and an expert Agile Coach. With a wealth of experience in driving Agile transformations, coaching teams, and delivering high-quality software, I am passionate about empowering organizations to thrive in the dynamic world
- [Contact](https://larryapke.com/contact-larry-apke)
- [The "Agile MBA"](https://larryapke.com/the-agile-mba) - If there is something I am known for in public as an Agile Coach, it is likely the "Agile MBA" class I taught for seven years - the first two years on my own and the last five under a nonprofit organization I co-founded called The Job Hackers. That organization continues to offer live versions
- [Recommended Reading](https://larryapke.com/recommended-reading)

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