agile

Acronym Quiz

by David Lowe
May 20, 2014April 7, 2022
1 min read

The Agile and Lean communities love an acronym, but will settle for an initialism if they have to. For clarification, an acronym is when a word is formed from the initial letters of words in a phrase, and is then pronounced as a separate word (for example, BAFTA or WYSIWYG).… Read More »Acronym Quiz

Do big companies have too much money to be agile?

by David Lowe
March 20, 2014July 15, 2022
2 min read

Does having too much money discourage a company from being agile? Why are cash-starved start-ups often much better at it? Over the years I’ve found that larger companies struggle at being agile whilst it is almost second nature to start-ups. Within big organisations, blame is often directed towards “old-school managers”.… Read More »Do big companies have too much money to be agile?

Is your business really agile?

by David Lowe
December 6, 2013July 15, 2022
3 min read

Is your business agile? Yes? Are you sure? Do you mean that your IT team is agile or do you mean that the whole of your business is working in an agile way? I keep speaking to people who say “we are an agile company” but, upon further discussion, find… Read More »Is your business really agile?

What is an agile coach?

by David Lowe
1 Comment
October 3, 2013May 28, 2014
3 min read

How different is an agile coach from a ScrumMaster? Are they interchangeable? Is a ScrumMaster always a coach, and a coach always a ScrumMaster (assuming you’re using Scrum)? These were just a few of the questions that were raised at this week’s LADG when we met to discuss “how to… Read More »What is an agile coach?

Agile on the Beach

by David Lowe
September 24, 2013May 28, 2014
2 min read

“Agile AND a beach party? Sounds like my kind of thing” was my response when a colleague asked me if I was interested in going to Agile on the Beach 2013. And it didn’t disappoint. Nearly 200 people converged on the university at Falmouth, UK, for 2 days of… Read More »Agile on the Beach

#NAPagile2013

by David Lowe
August 15, 2013May 28, 2014
2 min read

I’m happy. NAP agile 2013 went without a hitch. 54 guests drank, ate and discussed the evening away in Net-A-Porter’s beautiful offices – discussing everything from Scrum boards to using agile at an enterprise level. Our aim was to get agile practitioners along to discuss a variety of subjects; not… Read More »#NAPagile2013

Agile at General Assembly

by David Lowe
July 21, 2013May 28, 2014
6 min read

On 20 July 2013, I delivered my first workshop for General Assembly. The “global education network that transforms thinkers into creators through education and opportunities in technology, business, and design” launched its new campus in London in June 2012 (only their second after NY) and already has a wealth of… Read More »Agile at General Assembly

The Lowe family goes agile

by David Lowe
July 6, 2013May 28, 2014
2 min read

“Could I use Scrum to run my family?” I pondered as I slumped onto my sofa at 7pm on Friday night. I’d just spent the week looking after my little darlings. For the most part, it had gone well, but there had been various trying occasions: my 5 year old… Read More »The Lowe family goes agile

The 3-minute agile expert

by David Lowe
May 31, 2013May 28, 2014
1 min read

“The problem is”, said the exec, “I keep getting told, by the team, that they can’t do what I’m asking because it’s not agile.” Lots of questions started filling my head: what was she asking? What are their processes? Is the team hiding behind agile to fob her off? Then… Read More »The 3-minute agile expert

Scrum is a framework, not a directive

by David Lowe
February 20, 2013July 15, 2022
2 min read

I seem to be encountering more and more people who say stuff like “We were using Scrum but X didn’t work for us, so we stopped using it”. Let’s be clear about this: there is no single implementation of Scrum. Or Kanban. Or any other agile/lean framework. As Dan Brown… Read More »Scrum is a framework, not a directive