Dovetail Software Blogs

Or maybe that should be "Roles IN Relationships". My mother is almost 82 years old. We have a great relationship.  We've always been able to talk about almost anything. And in that relationship, sometimes I'm needy and she's supportive and wise. And sometimes she's needy and I'm supportive and wise. Roles. I've been married for ...

More excellent content from the Pfeffer/Sutton book (page 94)...What is true for individuals is also true for organizations, groups, and teams. Exceptional performance depends heavily on experience and effort. No matter how gifted (or ordinary) team members are to start out, the more experience they have working together, the better their teams ...

This weekend, my wife Debbie and I watched Lady in the Water. (Before I get to agility, I'll mention that Paul Giamatti is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors, based on his versatility and skill.) As I watched the movie, I became aware of the powerful effects of the cinematography. In fact, in retrospect, I realize that cinematography ...

Last week, I spent a big chunk of my time pairing with various members of the team.  With some, it was a few minutes, with others, a full day. It was fabulous. First, of course, was that I was actually writing code. There is a particular joy in that, since I have always and will always think of myself as a programmer who builds stuff. In ...

Time flies when you're attending a conference. This is my first technology conference in a few years, and I'm loving it. And I'm immersed in the world of agile development and agile project management and all sorts of related topics. I started out with an exceptional session by Christopher Avery on Responsibility, the author of Teamwork Is An ...

''I think this has been our most successful iteration on this project to date.''While I'd love to claim ALL the responsibility, what I do claim is leading and teaching my team.  Leading them in becoming more effective in the process that they have chosen and are teaching to me.  Leading them in discussion and problem-solving.  ...