Resolutions and Retrospectives
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Resolutions and Retrospectives

It’s that time again – the New Year, when we look back at the past year and think about what we’d like to change in the coming year, much like retrospectives. This act of looking back happens much more frequently on Agile projects, since the Team conducts a retrospective at the end of every iteration. …

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Marsha Hughes, CSM, CBAP, PMP

Marsha is a senior instructor and consultant for Watermark Learning, and has more than thirty years of experience in the software, technology, telecommunications, and Internet business sectors. She has numerous accomplishments in Agile methods, project management, business analysis, software development, methodology development, process improvement, and courseware development and training. She is a Certified Scrum Master and Professional, a Certified BA Professional, and a Certified PM Professional. She is also a contributor to the IIBA’s Agile Extension to the BABOK, and the agile perspective in version 3.0 of the BABOK.

Are Your Ready to Cook Up Some User Stories
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Are You “Ready” to Cook Up Some User Stories?

“Ready” is a Scrum concept that applies to making sure that the Team has enough information about user stories to be able to implement them in an upcoming sprint. Roman Pilcher says that a “ready” story should be clear, feasible, and testable. I’m fond of analogies, and I think the concept of ready also applies …

Continue reading Are You “Ready” to Cook Up Some User Stories?

Marsha Hughes, CSM, CBAP, PMP

Marsha is a senior instructor and consultant for Watermark Learning, and has more than thirty years of experience in the software, technology, telecommunications, and Internet business sectors. She has numerous accomplishments in Agile methods, project management, business analysis, software development, methodology development, process improvement, and courseware development and training. She is a Certified Scrum Master and Professional, a Certified BA Professional, and a Certified PM Professional. She is also a contributor to the IIBA’s Agile Extension to the BABOK, and the agile perspective in version 3.0 of the BABOK.

A Heavyweight Fight--Scrum vs. Waterfall Estimating Part 1
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A Heavyweight Fight–Scrum vs. Waterfall: Estimating Part 1

I think people like a good fight. Certainly the media seems to, not only in the world of politics, but also in the worlds of sports and entertainment to name a few. In the world of business analysis, the current fight seems to pit Agile methods against the Waterfall approach. For the next several blogs we’ll …

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Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, CSM

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM is a consultant and advisor for Watermark Learning/PMA. She has over 35 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth has co-authored four books and chapters published in five additional books, as well as articles that appear regularly in BA Times, Project Times, and Modern Analyst. Elizabeth was a lead author/expert reviewer on all editions of the BABOK® Guide, as well as the several of the PMI standards. Elizabeth also enjoys giving presentations, and her speaking history includes repeat keynotes and presentations for national and international conferences on five continents. Elizabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, theater, and spending time with her 7 grandkids.