Gene – Page 41 – Coaching, Consulting, Training

Long-Term Strategic Planning: Epic-Level Estimation

March 22, 2026January 21, 2016 by Gene

This is a reprint from the book The Green Book: Collection of Independent Essays, by Gene Gendel. Article name: Epic-Level Estimation (p. 108). Free PDF copy. Amazon Download. Imagine: You are about to form a new feature team that is composed of bright, cross-functional experts, self-motivated and self-managed. They all worked in Scrum settings before … Read more

Reviews, Appraisals and Incentives

March 28, 2016January 21, 2016 by Gene

Author: Gene Gendel I wanted to start this discussion with Wikipedia definition of Performance Appraisal: “A performance appraisal (PA), also referred to as a performance review, performance evaluation,[1] (career) development discussion,[2] or employee appraisal[3] is a method by which the job performance of an employee is documented and evaluated. Performance appraisals are a part of … Read more

From Tickets to Trust: How Jira’s Issue Model Enables Lean, Transparent Software Delivery

March 22, 2026January 21, 2016 by Gene

In many organizations, tools like Jira, Rally, Version1, VSTS, Azure DevOps and similar, are still treated as administrative systems—places where work is logged after the fact while “real” planning and reporting happen elsewhere, in spreadsheets, heavy .ppt slide decks, and carefully curated status updates. This separation creates friction, delays, and often a quiet erosion of … Read more

What Leaders Get Wrong About Knowledge — and Why the T-Shaped Model Misses the Point March 6, 2026
There’s a hidden assumption behind most organizational charts and role descriptions — one that shapes how work, teams, and even people are designed. It’s the belief that knowledge is fixed, that what someone knows defines what they can contribute. That’s why we hire specialists, build silos, and admire deep expertise. But we forget something fundamental: […]
wolfgang-steffens
Project-based funding in Product Development February 20, 2026
In a good and evolved LeSS adoption, there are no projects in product development. — Bas Vodde In LeSS, development changes from project-based development to product-based development. What does that mean in practice? Project-based development Project-based development uses the concept of projects for managing work. A project has a goal, a relatively fixed scope, an […]
bas-vodde
Three Metrics of Adaptiveness: Comparing LeSS and SAFe January 23, 2026
Adaptiveness at product level can be reduced to three very concrete metrics: how much started but not finished work (WIP) you carry at the product level at the end of the iteration, how fast the product turns ideas into potential value (Lead Time), and how easily any item from the Product Backlog can be handed […]
illia-pavlichenko
Stop Building Fake Platforms December 9, 2025
Why collapsing platform silos and forcing them to earn adoption is the only way to achieve speed, efficiency, and customer focus. Large, software heavy companies are under constant pressure: customers expect seamless digital experiences, new channels, and rapid innovation. To cope, many companies try to “go agile.” The playbook often includes setting up platform groups […]
jurgen-de-smet
What my daughter's film industry job taught me about AI and the future of work October 30, 2025
I have a sister and a daughter who work in the film industry. What’s happening there should terrify every organization leader. Productions that currently take 1,000 to 2,000 people to complete are shrinking dramatically. Not by 10%. Not by 20%. The scale of reduction is orders of magnitude larger. This is happening right now. These […]
craig-larman