Years ago, I worked with a team, and they showed some remarkable results after I suggested some pretty bold changes. On that team, there was one person who continued to work the way they always did. The team was frustrated with them and eventually ex...

I find myself in an interesting position where I’m doing good work, but my client isn’t entirely on board with the results yet. Now, this is a problem I’ve created as a consultant by not keeping people aligned, but it happens. I’m confronted with two...

"You're going to what?!" the director asks me. "I'm going to let them choose. It will be optional," I affirm. "But what if they just stop!? That seems really risky," "Well, if I do my job right, that won't be an issue. Give me three months." I have c...

A new team, a high-profile project, and a commitment to doing the best. They build software that delights people in their demos and sprint reviews. Every project status is green. Until the end. They are months away from getting their code into produc...

There is a funny thing that happens when consultants are around each other. They keep using big important words. One such set of words that get thrown around a lot is strategy and tactics. I heard these words over and over. Even people had it in thei...

Let’s talk about a situation that happens in almost every team I see. After meeting everyone and getting access to things, I will look at whatever tools they use to manage their work. I do this because while most people are adamant they use the tool,...

My favorite chef, Jacques Pepin, says that he judges a chef by what he does with eggs. That eggs are so simple in concept, but require precision to get right. He goes further to talk about the importance of technique, and that learning to perfectly h...

I’ve been working on a workshop to help teams and Product Owners understand user stories. One of the topics that very important for this group is sizing and breaking stories down. The classic exercise for this is called Elephant Carpaccio, but I want...

There was an interesting movie from when I was younger that I sometimes think of when I work with people on product management concepts. Many of us know the 80/20 rule about effort and whatnot, but what about in terms of adoption? Can you add one fea...

In this last article in my Six-Figure Resume, I want to put all the pieces together into a process that allows you to refine your resume and improve your interviewing rates. Don’t Let Your Resume Collect Dust That phrase, “Dusting off the resume,” ex...