When an agile team is adopting agile practices, the overall team culture would shift. This is where the team would start focusing more on the customer, business, and user benefits at the time of product development planning. In other words, this is where the team would focus on fluency.

Agile Fluency Model is all about exhibiting the proficiency of supporting the business to get its requirements catered through the agile development approach. In other words, a team that works under the Agile Fluency Model will have a clear understanding about the market needs and will work accordingly to cater to the market needs. Along with time, it would be possible for a team to ensure maximum fluency as well.

Achieving fluency under Agile Fluency Model is never an easy thing to do. For example, the team members will need to practice their skills under pressure. They will have to keep on performing under pressure as well. On top of that, it is important for them to deliberate and work along with consistent practice as well.

It is also important to understand that organizational fluency is related to the team fluency. Therefore, it is important to focus on the team efforts, which will eventually ensure the success of an entire organization. In the meantime, you should figure out that the fluency of a team would vary based on the capabilities of the individuals who are performing as team members. It would also vary depending on the organizational culture, relationships, management structure, and the technologies and tools that the teams are using. No matter what, it is worthy to have a clear understanding about Agile Fluency Model and implement that in the practical world, so that it is possible to experience all benefits that come along with it.

— Slimane Zouggari

DX, which is also known as Developer eXperience would refer to the overall experience that developers can get when they work with their developments. In an agile development environment, developers would be using various software designed for them. For example, they will be using an appropriate software to work on a complex piece of code. When the software is too complicated, developers will not be able to get the maximum out of it. This would ruin the experience of developers. That’s the main reason on why a concept such as DX was introduced.

Developers who are provided with a better developer experience will be able to remain happy and proceed with their developments. On the other hand, it can promote a positive work culture. It is even possible to get the developers to work longer with satisfaction when they are offered with a better developer experience. Hence, it is important to ensure DX at all times within an agile development environment.

People who work along with technology would get used to obtaining recommendations for the delivery of new solutions from friends, colleagues, and the peers. On the other hand, it would be possible for them to get the products to the top of the list with good DX.

There are some important pillars that are backing up excellent DX. They include stability, ease of use, and clarity. Based on these pillars, developer experience would provide a role to the developers, which will help them to offer an activity. A good interface, miracle promises, marketing, and other related things will not be able to hide improper or bad functionality. If the software is not working and it is not delivering any value, it will fail to deliver DX. While keeping these facts in mind, it is essential to ensure DX at all times.

— Slimane Zouggari

When it comes to a software development project, we often kick off with the estimates. In fact, we estimate the amount of money, time, and the effort that is needed to reach the goals of the project. We also evaluate the estimate with the outcomes of the project, which is helping us to get a better understanding about the return of investment. Along with that, the team leaders and developers will be able to deliver maximum value to the customer budgets, while catering to their project goals.

At the time of developing a product in an agile environment, it is important to be highly dynamic. In other words, it is important to adapt according to the change fast. On the other hand, it is possible for the requirements to change quickly along with time. When there is a change in requirement, the initial estimations would be subjected to change. This is why it is a good idea to follow the #noestimates approach.

When following the #noestimates approach, it is possible to accelerate the development lifecycle. On the other hand, it is forcing the development teams to go ahead and slice their user stories into further small stories. This would deliver numerous benefits with iteration planning as well. That’s because the project managers would only need to understand the velocity and then figure out how many stories would fit in. By doing that, it is possible to reduce the amount of time that is spent on estimating.

All in all, #noestimates can be considered as a legitimate alternative that is available for the concept of story points estimation. However, it is important to remain mindful when extending this approach to the project level. By playing carefully with #noestimates concept, it is possible to get the maximum out of agile developments.

— Slimane Zouggari

Value stream in an agile environment refers to the series of steps, which are taking place in order to offer a service or product that the customers are in need of. When it comes to an agile development environment, the developers are working hard to develop a product, which matches with the needs of the customers. In order to ensure that the product actually caters to the needs of the customers, it is important to ensure value stream mapping. Then it is possible to get a better understanding about the steps that should be followed.

Along with Value Stream Mapping, the developers will be able to get their hands on a set of key steps in visual form. It would also be possible for them to get hold of corresponding data, which is required to understand and make the improvements to the process intelligently.

It is possible to go ahead and design a value stream map for any kind of a product development process. One of the key benefits associated with Value Stream Mapping is that it is helping the leadership as well as the development team to understand where value is added to the process. Based on that visualization, it is possible for them to enhance the overall efficiency associated with their deliveries. Even if there is a new feature request from the customers, it is possible to cater that with the help of Value Stream Mapping.

There are numerous tools that the developers can use to go ahead with Value Stream Mapping. The developers will be able to get their hands on such tools and get the maximum results that come along with Value Stream Mapping. It can deliver a better experience to them with gaining the benefits that come along with Value Stream Mapping.

— Slimane Zouggari

We are living in a time, where the organizations are reinventing themselves. This is where the organizations are inspired to design themselves according to human consciousness. This will create a major impact on the agile working environment that you are currently sitting in as well. The color coded typology will define how the different organizations would evolve within the next century. On the other hand, it is also possible to use the colour of organizations as the base and determine their future characteristics and attributes.

• Red – This is referring to the very first form of organization life, which originated over 10,000 years ago. These organizations are highly focused and highly reactive in short term. Street gangs, Mafia and tribal groups are perfect examples for such organizations.
• Amber – Organizational life changed significantly along with agricultural revolution. This was led by the settled farmers. They were able to give life to organized religions, social institutions, and political states as well. People who belong to these organizations are associated with powerful personalities. They are commanding to almost all the aspects of social activity as well.
• Orange – Organize organizational life started along with industrial revolution. They are having a hierarchical pyramid as the basic structure. On the other hand, the followers are provided with additional autonomy as well. This is supporting them to go ahead and accomplish the management directives in an effective manner as well.
• Green – Along with the increased knowledge of the workers, green organizational life was created. This was created during the second half of 20^th This organizational life is all about building consensus and gathering inputs from all the different factors available around us. This would eventually result in stronger human cultures in the long run.

— Slimane Zouggari

While working in an agile environment, you will need to focus more on prioritization. In other words, you should get the prioritization from the business owner on items that are available in the backlog and start developing the product. In here, you will usually give priority to creating the things that are in a position to deliver the most customer value in the first place

Ruthless Prioritization can be used to build an appropriate framework for prioritization. This is where you will figure out that you will be able to break down prioritization into two different scopes. The very first scope would be prioritization in between projects. This is where you will determine what project the agile software development team should do next. Then you will have to work on prioritization within the project. In other words, it is all about determining what user story should be taken into the next sprint, so that your development team can work on.

No matter how you are engaged with prioritization, it is important to have a ruthless mindset. This is where you will have to keep on making the same decision again and again. The time you spend on it will be worthy because you will be able to easily overcome the chaotic nature associated with product development. On the other hand, the ruthless mindset you have will be able to help you with making quick decisions whenever they are needed. This will also contribute a lot towards the success of the development projects at the end of the day.

Prioritization is important because it will ensue that you and the product owner are getting the maximum investment out of the product that is being developed. It will help you to reach the goals within the fastest time as well.

— Slimane Zouggari

Broken window theory indicates how the visible signs of misbehavior and disorder in an agile environment can lead a team towards further misbehavior and disorder. This would eventually end up where the team would make serious mistakes or crimes. The broken window theory was discovered back in the year 1982. It refers to the way how the windows are broken in the realistic world. A damage in a single window would quickly spread and it would eventually break all the windows. If we can fix the broken window, we will be able to save other windows from being damaged as well.

In an agile environment, broken windows refer to metaphor. It is important to have strict controls in an agile software development environment. This is where all the team members should strictly adhere to the agile principles. If the team is failing to do that, there is a freedom for even more misbehavior to take place in the future. This can result in major losses in the long run.

The main objective of broken window theory is to come up with more aggressive policies. In an agile environment, it is possible for the scrum master to make sure that all team members are adhering to the basics of agile developments. Along with that, it is also the responsibility of the scrum master to come up with zero-tolerance policing. Such policing strategies will ensure that strict rules are implemented on the agile team, which is allowing them to work accordingly. In other words, the team will not tend to deviate from adhering to the agile development guidelines. This will eventually make sure that the entire team will not run into more serious negative consequences in the long run. The scrum master will also be able to keep full control over the team.

— Slimane Zouggari