New Horizons New Horizons Project Management Academy Project Management Academy Six Sigma Online Six Sigma Online Velopi Velopi Watermark Learning Watermark Learning
Educate 360 Educate 360
Educate 360  Educate 360

Agile

business analysis
Watermark Learning

Business Analysis – Adding Value in an Agile Environment

Welcome to the second in a series of three blogs in which we discuss Agile Business Analysis. In our previous blog, we talked about what Agile business analysis is and the Agile mindset. In today’s blog, we will take some time to cover business analysis skills that can be leveraged in an Agile Environment. Adding […]

three contributors to the importance of influencing skills
Watermark Learning

Three Contributors to the Importance of Influencing Skills

Influencing skills in today’s work environment is central to getting anything done. Consider what you do day in and day out. How much of your time is spent trying to get someone to think, feel, or do something they aren’t already thinking, feeling, or doing? We often think of the demand for influencing skills as

failing fast in a pandemic
Agile

Failing Fast in the Age of Pandemics

When I first heard the phrase “fail fast, fail often,” I was horrified. It was cited as a mantra by the early adopters of Agile methods. But I didn’t understand what it meant in those relatively early days of Agile. The expression conjured up missed deadlines, broken promises, and an undisciplined approach to software development.

The Benefits of Short Iterations
Agile, Scrum, Watermark Learning

The Benefits of Short Iterations

The Benefits of Short Iterations, or Why Time is Like Closet Space I’ve always used the maxim that time is like closet space – the more you have, the more you fill it up with stuff! (I recently moved to a smaller space and experienced this personally.) Something similar tends to happen with longer iterations

Top 3 Reasons Companies Struggle with Agile and Scrum
Agile, Scrum, Watermark Learning

Top 3 Reasons Companies Struggle with Agile and Scrum

Agile, as a philosophy, has “crossed the chasm” as organizations seek to respond to dynamic market conditions and fickle, quality-focused customers. While every organization has certainly explored Agile methods to some extent, many continue to struggle with their application and implementation. In this blog, I will explore the top three reasons that these organizations are

Webinar Recap Agile Contracts
Agile

Webinar Recap: Agile Contracts

In our March 12 webinar presentation, Agile Contracts, by N.K. Shrivastava we covered many of the essentials for creating and using Agile contracts.   This summary provides an overview of the key take-aways, but you’ll want to view the webinar recording available on demand to get more detailed examples. If you’re new to Agile or missed

What's Wrong With Lessons Learned Sessions
Agile, Project Management

What’s Wrong with Lessons Learned Sessions?

What’s wrong with lessons learned sessions done at the end of a project? If the sentiments of my project management training students are any indication, plenty. The complaints are many and varied: “They take too long and we don’t have time.” “At that point, the project is over so people don’t really care anymore.” “By

Webinar Recap Agile Estimating and Planning Best Practices
Agile, Planning, Scrum, Watermark Learning

Webinar Recap: Agile Estimating and Planning Best Practices

Three Agile Planning Horizons Agile estimating and planning involves three “horizons” : Release Plan, around 2-6 months Iteration Plan,  2-4 weeks Daily Plan, every day Below is a brief overview of these horizons, as explained in our latest Watermark Learning webinar: Agile Estimating and Planning Best Practices.  The webinar is now available on demand and it includes

Agile Day Twin Cities 2014 Recap
Agile

Agile Day Twin Cities 2014 Recap

The fourth annual Agile Day Twin Cities was held November 14, 2014, at Target Commons on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. It was a great day of communing with developers, project managers, product owners, executives, business analysts, ScrumMasters, testers, coaches and others working with and learning about agile. Professionals from all points on the doing-to-being