Agilewashing is a tradition as old as Agile itself; however with Scrum’s rise in popularity we are seeing the practice go completely epidemic. Projects race to declare themselves Agile in large numbers by implementing superficial practices and ignoring more demanding practices that fundamentally improve software production. An agilewashed project looks Agile on the outside but lacks authenticity when the hood is lifted to examine the inside. These projects are doomed to underperform in such large numbers that the Agile brand itself could be at risk. And yes, I blame the industry’s thickening layer of Certified Scum Masters as the main culprits. [More]

Programming language design is a concern for every software developer. While most modern programing languages are technically capable of the same operations, the design of a language deeply influences [More]

What one word best describes Agile? Is it Iterative, Flexible, Disciplined, Transparent, or something bigger? More importantly, what do most people think that one word is? Are the Agilistas eating too much of their own dog food? Are we walking into a trap that we’ve been caught in before? [More]

It’s no surprise that our IQ can be assessed from analyzing things we writes but it may be a surprise that now IQ can be assessed from how we type by measuring what buttons we press and how frequently we press them. [More]

Just a few weeks back, I attended SXSW. At the conference it was clear we are in the midst of a “maker revolution”, referring to a do-it-yourself (DIY) community of people who create and build products. Makers make things. [More]

Design is about delighting people. The goal is to blend ergonomic and stylistic treatments in a way that improves a product’s functionality and aesthetics. The best Designs impute a strong center that differentiates the product while exuding wholeness, consistency, and authenticity. Great designers focus on the big picture and on every tiny detail, moving between them as if they were the same. [More]