Your stories are too big

TL;DR: Many teams ask for larger stories because they do not see how to slice the work into smaller chunks. When you give into this anti-pattern you are making developers work harder, and possibly decreasing the value of what you deliver. Write smaller stories and your team will be both happier and more productive. 

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November 12, 2012 – 6:00 am | By Jeffrey | Posted in business analysis | Tagged , , , | Comments (8)

Test Driven Retrospectives

TL;DR: Retrospectives can lead your team to becoming a powerhouse. One method of ensuring you making real improvements is Test Driven Retrospectives, where you define the desired state during the retrospective. By writing provable statements ahead of working on the task, you ensure everyone has the same understanding and knows what successful change looks like.

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November 5, 2012 – 3:55 pm | By Jeffrey | Posted in stories & communication | Tagged , , , | Comments (6)

Agile User Stories Are Easy (IIBA Fort Worth)

I had the pleasure of speaking to the IIBA chapter in Cowtown last night. That’s Fort Worth for those of you unfamiliar with the Great State of Texas. Total attendance was 15 people and we had some good conversation. There were not many questions during the presentation, but enough to let me know they were listening. …

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October 26, 2012 – 12:33 pm | By Jeffrey | Posted in business analysis, presentations | Tagged | Comments Off

#BAOT & #BDD pics

Here are some pics from #Agile2012, the premier gathering of Agile practitioners and thinkers. Of course, I focused on pics from my own interests, Business Analysts and Behavior Driven Development. Here’s @Kupe, @BeyondReq, and me   I’m holding the new book by @mbgorman and @ellengott, Discover to Deliver (no Amazon link, the book is too new!)   …

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August 16, 2012 – 10:33 am | By Jeffrey | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Behavior-Based Requirements

I am excited more people are talking about Behavior Driven Development (BDD) for Business Analysts. I know of three different presentations about the topic in Wisconsin this year! I had no idea this state was such a hotbed for BAs. I am giving two different versions of my presentation this coming month. The first presentation …

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August 7, 2012 – 8:42 am | By Jeffrey | Posted in presentations | Comments Off

Greatness Comes from Showing Pictures

As far as I’m concerned there are three skills a BA must learn to be great. How to ask questions How to explain concepts graphically How to tell stories Everything else, and there is a lot to the everything else, takes second place to these three things. The first item is vital because it’s how …

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August 2, 2012 – 5:07 pm | By Jeffrey | Posted in business analysis, stories & communication | Tagged | Comments (2)

Is Agile Just for Developers?

Are you a scrum master, coordinating with another team? You might be told, “Why isn’t that done? It should be ready by now.”  Are you a business analyst, talking about a change that doesn’t impact today’s stories? You might be told, “Don’t mention it during the stand-up meeting.”  Are you QA, trying to determine if this is …

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May 23, 2012 – 5:52 pm | By Jeffrey | Posted in building teams, business analysis | Tagged , , | Comments (10)