Unemployed Agilists: How to Move from a Staff Role to a Line Job, Part 2
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
3d ago
You're an unemployed agilist. And even if you can find an agile coaching or Scrum Master job, the pay is so terrible, you don't want to take it. That's because potential employers think these jobs are staff positions. Your previous managers and potential managers don't see the value of someone in your position. That's because these managers think agile coaching and Scrum Mastering is a staff job, not a line job. Staff jobs only offer intangible and peripheral value, as I briefly discussed in Unemployed Agilists: How to Show Your Value to Support What Managers Want, Part 1. But line jobs offer ..read more
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Unemployed Agilists: How to Show Your Value to Support What Managers Want, Part 1
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
6d ago
Every day, I hear more stories of agile coaches or Scrum Masters losing their jobs. Why? Several reasons: No manager cares about “agile” even if they care about agility. So, selling “agile” into the organization doesn’t create any traction for change. Agile coaches and Scrum Masters are staff positions, not “line” jobs. Worse, many agile coaches and Scrum Masters do not add more value or realize the value they are supposed to deliver. You might not like these ideas. But they are the reality of what my clients discuss with me. If you want a new job that will allow you to support more agility ..read more
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60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for March 8, 2024
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
1w ago
This week, the 60 seconds is from the as-yet-untitled speaking book. Enjoy! Listen here: The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is 60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for March 8, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This excerpt is from the speaking book. Is Your Content Good Enough? Let me turn this question around and ask why you want to speak. I suspect you have some hard-earned experience or expertise. If you have general expertise or experience, ask yourself how you can narrow your focus to showcase your expertise so you can satisfy your audiences ..read more
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April 2024 Writing Workshop Open for Registration
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
1w ago
Do you want to improve your nonfiction writing skills? I offer a 6-week writing workshop to do just that. You'll learn how to write faster and better, all while educating, influencing, and entertaining your readers. (That's a big part of how you sell your nonfiction ideas.) You write. I offer you specific feedback on your writing. In addition, I offer general feedback to each cohort. That way, you can all learn from each other. There's a reason I called the book and the workshop “Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer.” That's my promise to you. (Hint: You can safely ignore much of what your Engli ..read more
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Effective Agility: Three Ways to Change Your Team’s Project Culture, Part 3
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
1w ago
In Effective Agility Requires Cultural Changes: Part 1, I said that real agile approaches require cultural change to focus on flow efficiency, where we watch the flow of the work, not the people doing tasks. Too few organizations can do that. Then I offered three suggestions for teams in any lifecycle in Effective Agility: Three Suggestions to Change How You and Your Team Work, Part 2. What about those cultural changes? Can you create an agile culture for your team even if you can't change how the organization works? (Where the organization rewards resource efficiency, not flow efficiency.) N ..read more
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60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for March 1, 2024
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
2w ago
This week, the 60 seconds is from the as-yet-untitled speaking book. Enjoy! Listen here: The transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is 60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for March 1, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This excerpt is from the speaking book. Identify Your Ideal Audience Who is your ideal audience? It's not “everyone.” In fact, it's the smallest possible audience that desperately wants to solve their problem. Let's unpack that, especially if you think successful speakers often deliver keynote talks to thousands of people. Back in 2009, I ga ..read more
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Why We Continue Our Quest for Silver Bullets
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
2w ago
For years, managers have been trying to find ways to make software product development faster and easier. As an industry, we've tried tons of things. Here are just the one I've experienced in the 70s, 80s, 90s: Structured Analysis and Design. (That was the precursor to Big Design Up Front.) The SEI's Capability Maturity Model The waterfall lifecycle (In Project Lifecycles, I said this might have been a pagination error.) I never had to experience CASE tools in the 90s. Now, we have at least these: Low code environments so people can write their own code. I think of spreadsheets as an unint ..read more
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60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for Feb 23, 2024
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
3w ago
Today's 60 seconds of WIP is part of a mystery short story. Enjoy! Listen here: Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is 60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for February 23, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This excerpt is from a short mystery story. That’s when the guy next to her stood up. He wore Patriot’s gear that matched hers. Then in a low voice, he asked, “What’s the password?” Ashley shook her head and turned toward him. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. At a minimum of six-four and wide enough to have been a football player, he to ..read more
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60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for February 16, 2024
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
1M ago
This is from a short mystery story. Enjoy! The Transcript: I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is 60 Seconds of Johanna’s WIP for February 16, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress. This excerpt is from a short mystery story. The food court buzzed with happy diners, eating their mall Chinese, mall pizza, and mall popcorn. All Ashley James could do was breathe in all those delicious odors, her stomach churning. This was her first time as part of a heist, and she knew she was nervous. It was a good thing she knew the Nomis Mall like the back of her hand. As a tee ..read more
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Ship Decisions: Use Value to Decide When to Experiment and When to Finalize
Johanna Rothman, Management Consultant
by Johanna
1M ago
As a consultant, I create many kinds of information products: both writing and speaking. I use the ideas of experiments and finalization to decide what to ship and when. That allows me the most flexibility in my product development. However, too many organizations don't differentiate between what they need to ship as experiments and when to finalize the product. They persist on working on products that don't offer enough value for anyone. Not the customer and definitely not the organization. Worse, it's actually easier to experiment with software than it is with information products. I'll use ..read more
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