Last Saturday, I led two sessions at P-Camp. The first was “Agile 101”, and you can read about how that went here. The second session was “Why do Agile Projects Succeed (or Fail)?” In this session, the participants shared over 20 practices that they felt were key to the success of their past agile projects. Here we are discussing an idea.
I spent yesterday at p-camp, an unconference for agile product managers. The event was hosted at Yahoo! and put on by the folks at Enthiosys. I led two sessions: Agile 101, and Why do Agile Projects Succeed (or Fail)? This post is about the Agile 101 session. Watch for future posts about my other session, and some more pictures.
At the February IEEE Silicon Valley Technology Management Council meeting the group did an exercise to generated practical suggestions for implementing four management ideals. The group broke up into 4 teams; each considered one management ideal, and then reported their suggestions for implementing the ideal back to the whole group. The whole exercise took 30 minutes and included networking as well as idea generation.
Here are my notes on the ideas that each team generated. Clarifications and additions are welcome!
A manager who listens well…
– will be told more
– will be confided in
– will understand their people better
– will resolve conflicts easier
– will be listened to
The Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group took a look at One-on-One meetings in February. I promised the group that I would publish my suggested agenda for a one-on-one as well some pointers to further reading. Here it is.
Today’s engineering managers need to be able to manage projects where some, or even all, of the engineers are located offshore. While the situation is becoming more common, the challenges and opportunities are still not widely understood. On the evening of March 6, the Silicon Valley IEEE Technology Management Council is bringing together 4 panelists, with diverse backgrounds and experience, to answer your questions about managing with offshore engineers.
Tonight I will be presenting my SWOT analysis workshop to the East Bay Innovation Group’s Software Development Best Practices SIG. The event is free and they will feed you!
When:
Tonight at 5:30 PM
Where:
Communications Technology Cluster
300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 210
Oakland, CA 94612
I’m very enthusiastic about agile software development. I have a special place in my heart for eXtreme Programming (XP), which was where I started with agile. That said, I don’t have anything on these guys.
For those of you who couldn’t be there, here are Abe‘s Powerpoint slides.
Nothing influences motivation, satisfaction, and retention more than the relationship an engineer has with their manager. Give your direct reports your time and attention, show them that you value them for who they are, as well as for what they do, and they will go to the wall for you. One of the most effective tools for establishing this kind of rapport is the weekly one-on-one meeting.
We will discuss the elements of effective one-on-ones, including what should be on the agenda, how to schedule them, and where to have them. We will also discuss how to initiate one-on-ones if you aren’t already doing them. If you are doing one-on-ones, bring your experience and suggestions to share with the group.