Scrum in Australia

Last week of May I was with Jens Østergaard in Brisbane, Australia, to run two Certified Scrum Master classes. We were really well received by the australians. We had great fun and managed two make some impressions in blogs as well. Both James Brett and Steve Dalton acknowledged our classes.

Kanban

I am at Øresund Agile today. This morning I had the opportunity to present experiences of using Scrum within the telecom industry.
Right now I am listening to an interesting debate regarding what Kanban is. Some disagreement is always refreshing ;-)
Some definitions of Kanban:
Def1
A Kanban is a signaling device (usually a physical card in a clear plastic envelope) that instructs the moving or creating of parts in a "pull" production system, invented and developed as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Before getting into Kanban in software development, here I take a close look at its original usage i.e. Kanban in TPS.
Kanban's aim is to minimize WIP (Work-In-Process), or inventory, between processes by making sure that the upstream process produces parts only if its downstream process needs it. "Pull" means that the downstream workers withdraw or "pull" the parts they need from their upstream processes.
Def2
Kanban: A Japanese term. The actual term means "signal". It is one of the primary tools of a Just in Time (JIT) manufacturing system. It signals a cycle of replenishment for production and materials. This can be considered as a “demand” for product from on step in the manufacturing or delivery process to the next. It maintains an orderly and efficient flow of materials throughout the entire manufacturing process with low inventory and work in process. It is usually a printed card that contains specific information such as part name, description, quantity, etc.In a Kanban manufacturing environment, nothing is manufactured unless there is a “signal” to manufacture. This is in contrast to a push-manufacturing environment where production is continuous.

See also my Kanban favourites.

Word of today

Today I came upon a great new word: "slideument". See the definition.

A quote on change

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."
- Alan Cohen

Me, an Earl?

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Earl Arne the Carnivorous of Larkhill under Porton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Leadership

Last weeks in Sweden we have read in the papers, listened on the radio and seen on television a lot about the soccer stars not following the rules and political spyes from Folkpartiet. Both stories have one thing in common: bad leadership.

Good leadership will never result in members of a team breaking the commonly agreed rules or individuals not respecting the ethics.

Memory and organization

How is it possible to remember all these user-IDs and passwords?

Working more in less time

Something to strive for: to work more in less time.
In order to do so focus and uninterrupted time is needed.
Getting Things Done is a good mantra.