Category Archives: mindset

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Agile is NOT a Methodology

As we all know, Agile has become a popular approach to software development and product development in recent years, but it’s often misunderstood.

Many people think of it as a methodology, and many call it a framework.

It is neither of it!

Agile is not a methodology.

Agile is not a framework.

Agile is Mindset!

The Agile movement, a movement which has been gaining increasing traction in today’s world, has its roots back in Feb 2001, with the weekend skip trip in Utah

The Agile Manifesto was born out of an incredible weekend-long journey, where a group of passionate individuals from different backgrounds came together, united by a common purpose.

As a result of their efforts, the Agile Manifesto was created, a set of values that we as agile practitioners strive to uphold and live by. These values are essential for a success of agile and form the bedrock of our approach to software development. We recognize that the Agile Manifesto is an ever-evolving document, providing the foundation for a continuous process of improvement and adaptation in our industry.

Agile Manifesto

Furthermore, this manifesto is backed by a set of 12 core principles that provide a strong foundation for its aims and objectives. These principles serve as a guideline for the manifesto, outlining the core values and principles that are essential for its successful implementation.

12 Agile Principles

The 12 principles provide a comprehensive set of guidelines that focus on the best interests of all involved, and ensure that the manifesto is implemented in a manner that is equitable and fair.

Remember, there are 4 core statements that define the agile values, and these are supported by 12 underlying principles.

These 4 value statements (agile manifesto) and 12 principles collectively form what I call Agile mindset!

It is a mindset that strives to embrace change and improvement, a way of living that encourages collaboration and open communication, and a way of building and delivering products in an incremental and iterative fashion, constantly striving for excellence and progress.

This mindset is based on the principles of agility, and by following these principles, teams and organizations can achieve remarkable success.

And, then, there are many frameworks that strive to live by these values and principles. Scrum and Kanban are two examples of such frameworks, that emphasize agility, collaboration, and iterative development, and have become widely adopted in the software development industry.

Agile is Aloha

Remember, Agile is a mindset!

It is not a methodology.

It is not a framework.

Agile is aloha!

Agile is a way of living!

It is a way of building and delivering products, incrementally and iteratively.

It is a mindset!

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Start with WHY..

#makeTheShift: Start with WHY, and End in their (your customers) Hearts!

Simon says…

People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.

In his book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Simon Sinek talks about what separates APPLEs from the TIVOs of this world, and why it is important to start with the purpose behind what you do. 

Looking at it from another angle, they are the vision, mission, and plan. Here is my very simple and minimalistic definition:
  • Vision is WHAT we want to become. It is the Destination. It is WHERE we want to get. 
  • Mission is WHY we want to become that entity, it is the reason why we are on that journey.
  • Plan is the vehicle that gets us there. It is HOW we intend to get to our destination. 

As @simonsinek says, we often start with the outer layer going in. Most of us are focused on showing the product (WHAT), without connecting with the audience on emotional level with our WHY. 

WHY is the soul of any product, any organization. Trying to sell the product without clear WHY is like selling hollow product(s) without any ‘soul’ in it.

start with Why

            People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.

On the other hand, starting with WHY, you are connecting with the audience on an emotional level, on a much deeper level. As Simon indicated in the video, you buy with your heart, and then rationalize your purchase with your mind. You got to have a cause before you create a product and (try to) sell it. Start with the inner circle, start with WHY and everything else will fall in the right places. 

Case in point from the recent history, look at Tesla. Mr. Musk sold the WHY to us, simple. The company spends very little, next to nothing in the advertising money. Instead, people have bought into the WHY of Mr. Musk, and the companies he is leading. 

[bctt tweet=”#makeTheShift:  Start with WHY, and End in their Hearts! ” username=”beyondCSM”]

Start with the mission and then build products around it, products that help you satisfy your mission.

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Back from my mini retirement..

I wrote about “taking Sagmeister” in my earlier post last year. This is based on a book I read about two years back. In this book, Drive, author Daniel Pink talks about “taking Sagmeister”, inspired by designer Stefan Sagmeister. Essentially, it is about taking mini and micro retirements NOW rather than deferring the big retirement. 

https://instagram.com/p/BWFlH9WD7tq/

This year, I took about two weeks off from routine life, and was on European vacation. We went on to Portugal-Spain tour, and it was amazing! I highly recommend visit to these two beautiful countries, filled with lots of history, architecture, and natural beauty.

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Tree hugger in #Barcelona

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Now, snapping out of the vacation and back to work! Rather, start working towards the next mini-retirement!

Remember, we work for living, and not living for work. You got to have fun, so sprinkle the mini vacations in your year. Have fun!

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (New York: Simon & Schuster, May, 2016)

the-wright-brothers-by-david-mccullough

The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Remember Wright Brothers if you ever catch yourself complaining that you cannot get there, you cannot achieve that big thing because ..

  • you don’t have the resources
  • you don’t have the money
  • don’t have the connections
  • you don’t have the experience
  • etc.. etc..

Pick up this book and know why you cannot complain for lack of those resources. What you need is the resolve,  what you need is the attitude! Pick up this book, read it, and I can ascertain that it will lift your spirits. You will soar through the world if you keep the Wright Brothers on your side!

If you ever feel down, if you ever feel that you are not going anywhere, just remember Wilbur and Orville, and how they achieved such big feats with such modest, humble beginnings in their life.

“The Wright Brothers” – very well written book. I felt like I was walking with them (the Wright Brothers) as they were inventing their flier that would change the world.  And, I felt that I was walking with them as they demonstrated their flying machine on two sides of the Atlantic. I was really sad at the end of the book when each member of the Wright family exited this world as their lives came to an end, as they left this stage, what we call this world.

The two brothers supported by the silent partner, their younger sister Katherine, are an inspiration. An awe inspiring story of family love, the tenacity, perseverance and above all following one’s passion.

“The Wright Brothers” – a must read. It will definitely be a pick me up!