I often hear collaboration touted as the magic ingredient for team success. If we simply (re)organize in a way to create synergies (side note: a single synergy is never enough, more is always better), we will organically achieve all the outcomes we desire. And while the ability of teams to work together seamlessly certainly can be a game-changer, we almost never achieve genuine collaboration through something as simple as drawing lines on an org chart. True collaboration is a complex and dynamic process that goes beyond reporting structures. So sit back, dear reader, and let me wax poetic abou ..read more

People often ask me “what do you do for a living?” My immediate thought, of course, is the scene from Office Space, where the HR consultants ask “what would you say you do here?” as I chuckle quietly to myself. But then I give a variety of answers, depending on the context of where and when the question is asked. Since Agile is fairly ubiquitous these days, saying I’m an Agile Coach sometimes gets head-nods. Saying I’m a Product Management Consultant elicits more excitement, with the occasional follow up question. But sometimes, if I’m feeling like a smarty-pants, I’ll say “I get paid to get p ..read more

In this blog post, we'll explore popular scaling methodologies and their advantages and disadvantages. But because I’m an Agile nerd and a Star Wars nerd, and a new Star Wars show (Ashoka) just launched, I couldn’t help but use my favorite space opera as inspiration. And if you think Star Wars and Agile scaling methodologies don’t have much in common, then you need to explain to me how the Rebellion launched a multi-pronged assault on the Empire's Death Star involving multiple cross functional teams, each responsible for a crucial component of the attack, that had to be collaborated flawlessl ..read more

It’s probably not pumping my own tires to say that agility has become the cornerstone of success in the last 15-20 years. Organizations that can swiftly adapt to change, respond to customer needs, and not flinch at emerging opportunities are the ones thriving. And many have gotten there by embracing Agile methodologies. However, merely adopting Agile practices isn't enough. You can’t Daily Scrum your way to success, that’s not a thing. Organizations both big and small that attempt to transform through practices alone often create a frustrating environment and see little in terms of the value o ..read more

This can’t really work, can it!? If you've heard the expression “I was today years old when I found out…” you know what I’m describing. It’s generally associated with some fascinating fact or a life-changing tip, like peeling a banana from the bottom, or that you can use mayonnaise to get rid of water stains on wooden coffee tables. Wait. What!? Anyway, it's that moment of surprise and realization that we never stop learning, regardless of our age or experience. What makes the moment so powerful is its simplicity. It happens quite a bit in “life,” but also quite a bit at work. Sometimes, you ..read more

If you watched “The Karate Kid” in the ’80s… wait a second, that sounds stupid. If you were over the age of 7 during the ’80s, you watched “The Karate Kid.” If you didn’t, stop reading this immediately and go watch the movie (I’ll wait). That movie was my first exposure to a Dojo, the Cobra Kai Dojo to be exact, and this is what I discovered. The Dojo is a place for learning. It’s a place for focus. It’s a place to build muscle memory through repetition and applied learning. All of those things can easily be lifted out of the martial arts world and applied to real-world settings. At Hard Yard ..read more

I want to talk about the best bands. The Beatles? The Stones? The Clash?…no no no, not that kind of band. I’m talking health and fitness! The infamous Whoop Band One of my colleagues, I won’t name names, is a faithful user of the Whoop Band. (Okay, it’s Mark Pushinsky). If you’re not familiar with the Whoop Band, per their website it’s “the latest, most advanced fitness and health wearable available.” And I must admit, it sounds pretty cool. It tracks your heart rate, sleep patterns, and even your "strain" (which seems to be a fancy way of saying how hard you worked out). But as far as I can ..read more

At this point, personas and persona creation is a pretty widely adopted norm in product development. Rarely do I ask someone if they have seen or used a persona and am met with blank stares. The advent of user stories has drawn attention to the need to have personas.  How else can you fill in the <blank>  “As a <blank>, I can. . . so that. . .” People begin to think that building a person is a check-the-box exercise that we have to do to be a good agile team.  This couldn’t be further from reality. This mindset to persona development typically leads us ..read more

Before you begin, I need you to jot down: an adjective, a vehicle, a relative, a type of doctor, and a mean adjective.  Got your words? Okay, good. Pencils down, let’s begin. Remember Mad Libs? Of course you do. Use the words you wrote down to finish this one. “Mad Libs were the ___[adjective]___ activity we used to do in the ___[vehicle]___ on family vacations, or while waiting for ___[relative]___ to finish up at the ___[type of doctor]___ ’s office.” Fun right!? I talk about them as if they’re a thing of the past, like vinyl records or (wait… what!?). Anyway, for me, Mad Libs used to ..read more

“He is wanted in every city, town and village - in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such; he is needed and needed badly - the man who can.” Written by Sarrah Abdulali and Tori Custer A Message to Garcia is sent to every new hire at Hard Yards. The story depicts a soldier who is ordered to deliver a message and goes about doing it without hesitation, showing great initiative and determination to “get the job done, done right, and right on time.”  There is some irony in this fact, as we did not read it. We found ourselves in a meeting with Jason Lamb, the fou ..read more