Since we announced the forthcoming “Big Agile” webinar (click here for details), I have been exposed to numerous questions and comments about “Big” vis-a-vis “Lean” in the Agile context.  The intensity of some of these discourses was so high that I decided to comment on the subject in advance of the webinar. A lively debate during the webinar is, of course, goodness. In contrast, starting the webinar with a potentially gross misunderstanding as to where we are coming from and where we are heading is not too desirable.

In general, “big”, to me, can be “lean”. As a matter of fact, big should be lean as otherwise scale will quite possibly pose a problem.

Specifically, in the Agile context I expect “Big Agile” to incorporate various elements of Lean. For example:

Utilize Value Stream Mapping Measure Cycle Time Read more …

The fast rise of software talent marketplaces like oDesk and uTest represents a profound transformation. Software is no more a world of places – Silicon Valley, Seattle, Bangalore, Krakow or Tel Aviv. Rather, software is fast becoming a world of work streams. These streams are tied together through social networking and collaborative techniques in which virtual team spaces replace the site, the conference room, the metaphorical shelf on which the software artifacts are stored… and the water cooler.

Three trends drive this transformation in software from a world of places to a world of streams:

Shortage of talent. Have you recently tried to hire highly skilled programmers in areas such as mobile applications or cloud computing? No matter where you site might be located, most of the skills you need in these critical domains are not within a Read more …