The Origins and Evolution of Story Points
Mike Fisher Mike Fisher

The Origins and Evolution of Story Points

Over time, the use of story points has evolved. Initially, story points were used within XP to compare the relative effort of tasks. This method quickly gained traction across various Agile frameworks, particularly Scrum, for its simplicity and effectiveness in Sprint Planning and people allocation; however, as Agile practices became more widespread, so did variations in how story points were understood and applied, leading to both innovative uses and some misinterpretations.

Read More
From "Shared Resource Pools" to Agile People: A Pathway for Long-Term Success
Mike Fisher Mike Fisher

From "Shared Resource Pools" to Agile People: A Pathway for Long-Term Success

Large organizations entrenched in traditional Waterfall practices, utilizing "shared resource pools" and "resource management," often struggle with shifting to Agile. This article explores the critical steps to transition from a model where people are shared across multiple projects with competing priorities to forming small, long-lived, cross-functional, and autonomous Agile teams.

Read More
The Worst Way to Develop Software
Mike Fisher Mike Fisher

The Worst Way to Develop Software

In software development, differentiating between good and bad ideas is critical. "There is no right way to do the wrong thing." Despite this, one of the most criticized concepts still in use is the waterfall model. Although widely recognized as flawed, it remains the default methodology for some organizations, often without them realizing it.

Read More
3 Things First - The Formula of Product Delivery Success
Mike Fisher Mike Fisher

3 Things First - The Formula of Product Delivery Success

Three Evidential Elements are crucial for any transformation to deliver better products faster. Understanding and implementing these three core elements of “The Formula of Evidential Elements of Agility” are essential for teams to achieve and sustain highly effective performance indefinitely. Here, we explore these elements and why they are critical for your Team’s journey towards agility.

Read More
Rethinking Success: Delivering True Value Over Vanity Metrics
Mike Fisher Mike Fisher

Rethinking Success: Delivering True Value Over Vanity Metrics

In today’s fast-paced market, businesses often fall into the trap of prioritizing time and schedule—the old vanity metrics that no longer suffice to measure real success. However, as industries evolve, so does the definition of effectiveness. It's time to shift the focus from merely meeting deadlines to truly delivering value to customers. This article explores why delivering value should be at the heart of every business strategy and how companies can make this pivotal shift.

Read More