Joel Foner

🔔 Time is ticking! Join us for our webinar on Agile UX Best Practices this Tuesday, June 4th, at 4:00 PM PST. Reserve your seat now to gain valuable insights into optimizing your UX processes. See you there! https://lnkd.in/gwwpkjmc #AgileUX #WebinarReminder 🚀

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My book What Drives Quality: It's a Deep Dive into Software Quality with Practical Solutions for Delivering High-Quality Products. Packaged with the Agile Quality Coaching Cards on @Leanpub buff.ly/3W6fp3Q #book #coaching #agile #quality

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🚀 The tools we use can profoundly influence the effectiveness of our facilitation 🚀 After experiencing the latest gathering of the Facilitator's Café community today, "An Introduction to Deckhive with Martin Galpin," I've been thinking about the impact of innovative facilitation tools on our work. Here's a deeper dive into why integrating cutting-edge tools like deckhive.com can be a game-changer: In many of our sessions, engagement can sometimes feel forced or superficial. How often have we relied on the same old techniques only to achieve predictable results? The challenge arises when traditional facilitation methods meet modern, diverse audiences. Are these methods dynamic enough to captivate and genuinely engage all participants effectively? What if we continue to ignore the evolving landscape of digital tools? Could we be missing out on opportunities to enhance our facilitation practices, possibly affecting the outcomes of our sessions and, ultimately, our professional growth? Imagine integrating a tool like Deckhive into your facilitation practice. How could the ability to quickly adapt and create engaging, visually stimulating sessions impact your effectiveness as a facilitator? What if you could capture and maintain participants' attention more efficiently and foster a more inclusive and dynamic discussion environment? Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. How do you integrate new technologies into your facilitation? Have you noticed a difference in engagement and outcomes? #FacilitationTools #InnovativeFacilitation #ProfessionalDevelopment #Deckhive #EngagementEnhanced

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I hate RACI charts. Absolutely hate them. First, responsible and accountable are synonyms in the dictionary, so you have to train people to accept discrete definitions. Second, consulted and informed are seldom clearly defined. If I am consulted, can I also be ignored? If I am informed, am I also allowed to comment? But its biggest weakness is the lack of a code for someone who is working on the activity without being either responsible or accountable. Giving two people responsibility is asking for trouble. The only realistic option is to break the work down into individual assignments which is not really a good option. I do think a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a great tool. Just not the RACI version.

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To all those operating in high stakes environments (or supporting those who are), here's a great video by a great colleague showing the history of learning and use of simulations. It's quick, compelling, and a joy to watch! https://lnkd.in/gtwd8YTX #BTS, #Simulation

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'We model the world only for many of us to mistake our model for the world.' Jazz Rasool, 1994 Sarah Short in her post and through the comments of Dr Ruby Campbell MAICD, MScCoachPsych, MBA(Exec), PhD(Sc) attention is draw to respect how coaching governance is promoted. In the comments for Sarah's post, the role of science, especially mind-body science, was emphasised. For coaching to become a credible profession it needs to be founded on credible scientific evidence as well as aligned human coaching lived experience and models of education that are not solely western centred or sourced. Science doesn't care which coaching body you belong to or whether you are a coach, advisor, therapist or consultant. It has laws, some of which empirically have been shown to be inviolable and unbreakable like the First Law of Thermodynamics, The Law of Conservation of Energy. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be converted from one form to another. The First Law is used to categorise 'the performance of cyclic conversion systems'. My own cyclic Coaching Enhanced Technology/Coaching Enhanced Technology, CET-TEC, practice is based on this fundamental law of science, on the cyclic management of energy conversion, which don't just apply to the material world but functions equally for our psyche and inner world when using the right frameworks. The Perennial Coaching Frameworks (PCF's) I work with, many of which come from non-western cultures and through methods that are thousands of years old, existed long before any governing body was set up with their set of competencies to curate some professional structure to coaching. Don't get in a fuss about which body you belong to, focus on the body of experience and evidence of sciences and methodologies that work whether we believe in them or not.

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Last week, Peter and I learned that our podcast received 1000 downloads, and we are still riding that wave of excitement. Let's keep the momentum going!!! 🙌🏼 Our latest episode is now live. You can listen here 👉🏽 https://bit.ly/dtpep28 or on your favorite podcast platform. #designthinkerpodcast #designthinking #designthinkers #podcast #podcastepisode #newepisodealert

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There are many beliefs in the Agile space that have good intentions but cause problems. This is part 1. Part 2, tomorrow, I'll point out five erroneous actions as a result of these poor understandings. Scrum is based on empiricism Intention: We must look to see what actually happens, not what we think will happen. Problematic belief: this is sufficient What’s true: we need theory as well. Combining theory and experience speeds understanding and enables us to fill in the gaps in what we need to know. We move forward faster when we understand. We need knowledge to move beyond our comfort zone. Follow until you understand. Intention: You must follow rules until you understand how to go beyond them. Problematic belief: You can't understand up front. What’s true: Provide small increments of what to do that can be understood upfront based on validated theory. Purposefully incomplete. Intention: Don’t overwhelm people with too much to learn. Problematic belief: people have to figure out what’s missing. What’s true: An approach must provide information as it is needed so that it neither overwhelms people nor is insufficient. As people learn more, incrementally add new, better practices and concepts. A framework or approach is immutable. Intention: We must have a clear, immutable set of rules at any one time, and we must follow them. Problematic belief: Our framework or approach stays immutable. What’s true: Our clear set of rules represents our explicit workflow. It must change as our needs and understanding changes. Simple to understand but difficult to master. Intention: We need simple methods. Problematic belief: Reflected in HL Mencken's “For every complex human problem, there is a solution that is neat, simple and wrong” What’s true: We need it simple, but not immutable. Rather at each stage we must understand what’s happening. And each improvement need be a simple change of understanding. We’re in a complex system. Intention: We need to deal with complexity in a simple manner. Problematic belief:  We cannot understand what’s going on in complex systems. What’s true: Eli Goldratt observed "If we dive deep enough we’ll find that there are very few elements at the base - the root causes - which through cause and effect connections are governing the whole system.” Because we’re in a complex adaptive system, we need a simple adaptive framework. People want certainty, and they will pay any price for it, including their chances of success down the road.   That path to freedom is understanding systems thinking which informs us to fix the system, not the people. Scrum and SAFe are popular because they take advantage of the attraction of a simple solution (Scrum) or a complete solution (SAFe) which is what people want. They experience success at first. When it turns sour the gurus they've chosen tell them it's their fault and they believe them because otherwise they'd have to admit they made a mistake in their choice.

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Six errors in thinking. Yesterday I wrote a post  There are many beliefs in the Agile space that have good intentions but cause problems. That was part 1. See https://lnkd.in/gG4szDux I had said I would “point out five erroneous actions as a result of these poor understandings” but on reflection came up with 6. And I’ve decided to phrase them as what should be done. These are in addition to what I laid out in yesterday’s post. These are messages to consultants on what they should do. If you’re looking for one, make sure they do these. Otherwise, you will pay the price after you pay them. Ask me how to take an approach that provides everything I discussed yesterday along with what is here. Consultants: 1. First look to see what their client’s challenges are instead of providing predetermined solutions (e.g., Scrum, SAFe). 2. If you start by getting clarity on the success criteria and constraints of critical stakeholders then clarity on what to build will emerge. 3. When adopting Agile at scale it is usually better to create the working agreements between teams simultaneously with getting the teams to learn how to work in an Agile method. This provides context for how the teams should work as well as provide the motivation to have small, synchronized integration times. Getting teams to work well first, then getting them to work together ignores systems thinking. 4. Managers’ roles have shifted from managing people to the managing the environment within which people work. Vilifying them is both counter-productive and likely is a reflection of the approach you are taking. 5. Giving people a quick start with a framework is good but you must either provide a way to go beyond the framework or have the framework be able to adapt as the people using it learn and their needs change. 6. Your approach needs to give people the right information at the right time and in the right context. It’s ineffective to give too little (“purposefully incomplete”) because people then have to reinvent a lot of known concepts. It’s equally ineffective to give too much as thath will confuse people.  Complexity is not an excuse for not doing this – it just makes your job harder. It is unfortunate that a quick check of our popular frameworks (Scrum, SAFe) score 0 for 6 here. Some of these can be added, but 1, 5, and 6 are inherent in how they are designed.

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Dive into SAFe Fellow Brian Tucker's fascinating blog series "On the Nature of Lean Portfolios"! Unpack the intricate lifecycle of Epics and journey with Brian as he dissects problems and solutions within Lean Portfolios. Whether you're refining your expertise or sparking new interests, this series promises a deep, thought-provoking exploration that's not just theoretical but rooted in understanding the 'why'. Perfect for those passionate about Portfolio learning and growth. Thanks Brian! https://lnkd.in/eu9RhZti #LeanPortfolios #InnovationJourney #ScaledAgileFramework

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Systemic Coaching - To Goal Or Not To Goal - Presencing. Perspectives with Matthew Rayward MSc Eng Tech TMIET AfCGI ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gMn3FiZW #teamcoaching

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CREATIVE FACILITATION ROLES. The roles we see ourselves play as facilitators—who we see ourselves as, and what we see as our purpose with a group—also inform the what and how we facilitate. One way to get more design ideas is to expand the list of roles you see yourself as, then imagine yourself in the different roles as you design and facilitate. Creative facilitation is paradoxical: strong and soft; directional and flexible; strategic and emergent; focused and open. The creative facilitator does what they need to do to as the situation dictates, weaving in and out of taking a more directive role and playing a support role, following what is already happening in the room. These are some of the roles I see creative process facilitators play. What else might you add? #creativefacilitation #creativitytraining #appliedcreatvity #creativethinking

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The Kanban Method is predicated on respecting the current system, so I try to reserve judgment when observing kanban boards. And yet four things lead me nearly always to say "you're doing it wrong." Here are a few quick things you can do to improve today.

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Are you a coach? Are you pursuing an ICF credential? (ACC or PCC) 🌟 Be sure to find the right Mentor Coach by asking these 4 questions! Don't just get your hours in -- get your money's worth and come out prepared! 🤓 (Pssst...If you'd like to work with me, I have groups starting NEXT WEEK and in August! Just comment or DM for deets. 👍 ) And even if I'm not your vibe, your jam, or your flavor -- these questions will help you find the Mentor who is! 🎉 ❓ What makes you successful as a coach? ❓ What makes you successful as a mentor coach? ❓ What's your success rate? ❓ What makes a successful student in your program? Read the full article (and my answers to those questions!) at https://buff.ly/4bfz4V0 💜 . . . #coacheducation #coachtraining #mentorcoaching #ICF #ICFcredential #ICFCoach #newcoach #professionalcoach #certifiedcoach #coachingcredential #coachsusana #wordswisdomwellness #notbadnotcrazynotalone #traumainformed #traumainformedcoach #traumainformedcoaching #leadershipcoach #mentorcoach #coachmentor

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Here are some of my thoughts about the videos posted on Instructional Coaching Group this week. Confidentiality, creating a psychologically safe space, is critical for identifying a strategy during the Impact Cycle. More coming next week. Catch up on the previous video: https://ow.ly/1ujI50S9Amb

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Enterprise L&D: The Machine That Changed the World (1990),” changed my language about my own ISD processes. Before that, Geary Rummler and the TQM movement had me focused on Performance and Process quality, quantity, and cost improvements, respectively. https://lnkd.in/eEwXxjQM

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It's a new study, but not "news" to show the negative side of agile software practices. In fact, controversies started right after "Agile Manifesto" was declared by a group of known professionals, and have continued to this day. It's not "agile" nor the "manifesto" that's problematic, but the practice of it, just like we should not throw the baby of Waterfall out with the bathwater of a practice!  Scrum should never be practiced as a "ritual", it's merely one way how we might practice "agile". However, "agile" does have an effect of deemphasizing ways we approach software development in ways engineers do. Perhaps the most detrimental effect is the omission of a solid requirement engineering process, which is vital to any modern software development process. These studies have confirmed that negative effect. Software development is more of an art than a science, but does require some engineering attitude or discipline to proceed with what we practice ... https://lnkd.in/gCGv6stA

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