Laurens Bonnema: Recent Episodes
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raves and rants about agile management consulting, hand lettering, sketchnoting, graphic recording,
podcasting, writing, cool software, and what’s going on in my life.
In this insightful episode, Laurens speaks with Leslie Morse, an accomplished agile leader and influencer. Leslie shares her journey from accidental business analyst to a pivotal role at Scrum.org, discussing the nuances of agile leadership and her commitment to fostering inclusive communities within the agile sphere.
Key Points Discussed:
Journey into Agile and Business Analysis: Leslie recounts how she stumbled into business analysis and agile methodologies, emphasizing the organic nature of her career progression shaped by opportunities and personal growth within tech startups and corporate settings.
Role at Scrum.org: Leslie discusses her current role as a product owner, focusing on the challenges and adjustments she faced starting her job during the lockdown and how she manages to build community and connect with colleagues remotely.
Women in Agile: As a passionate advocate for women in the agile community, Leslie shares the genesis and growth of the Women in Agile podcast and organization, highlighting its role in amplifying women's voices and supporting diversity within the industry.
Leadership Insights: Leslie provides profound insights into effective leadership, stressing the importance of self-awareness, embracing vulnerability, and the power of silence in leadership. She discusses the balance between speaking up and creating space for teams to express themselves.
Personal Growth and Community Building: Reflecting on her experiences and personal growth, Leslie talks about the importance of community, friendship, and the supportive network within the agile community that has been instrumental during challenging times.
Leslie Morse's reflections provide valuable lessons on leadership, the importance of community, and personal resilience. Her journey illustrates the impact of agile methodologies not just on projects and organizations, but also on personal development and building supportive professional networks.
Connect with Leslie Morse through LinkedIn or reach out to her at Scrum.org to delve deeper into her work and contributions to the agile community.
Also, listen to her podcast!
https://womeninagile.org/podcast/
Check out this episode!
In this episode, Laurens Bonnema welcomes Joe Justice, a globally recognized figure in agile hardware and corporate restructuring. Joe shares his insights on applying agile methodologies beyond software, particularly in hardware and manufacturing sectors. He discusses his work at Tesla and his experiences with other leading automotive companies, emphasizing the transformative power of agile practices in these industries.
Key Points Discussed:
Agile Application in Hardware: Joe details his journey from software to hardware, illustrating how agile principles can be adapted to manage complex manufacturing processes, supply chains, and product developments effectively.
Leadership in Agile Settings: He emphasizes the critical role of clear communication and cultural alignment in fostering agile environments, especially in hardware contexts where the stakes and scales of operations differ significantly from software.
Innovations at Tesla: Joe shares anecdotes from his time at Tesla, highlighting how the company's agile approach under Elon Musk's leadership has spurred rapid innovation and growth, setting new standards in the automotive industry.
Global Agile Training: Joe discusses his current focus on training executives and teams worldwide, promoting a deeper understanding of agile practices across different sectors and regions.
Joe Justice's experiences underscore the versatility and effectiveness of agile methodologies when correctly implemented in both software and hardware industries. His work continues to influence and inspire leaders and teams aiming to enhance efficiency, creativity, and responsiveness in their operations.
Connect with Joe Justice on social media or visit the Agile Business Institute's website for resources and training opportunities in agile practices.
Also, read his book!
https://en.abi-agile.com/book/
Check out this episode!
In this insightful episode of the Agile Leadership Podcast, Laurens speaks with Jenni Jepsen, an expert in change management and agile leadership. Jenni shares her unique journey into the agile world, her collaboration with renowned leaders, and her book on creating ownership through leadership.
Key Points Discussed:
Agile Journey: Jenni recounts how a chance encounter and invitation from agile guru Pollyanna Pixton in 2006 sparked her agile journey. Despite initially knowing little about agile methodologies, her expertise has grown significantly over the years.
Expertise in Agile: With a strong foundation in leadership and communication, Jenni discusses how agile principles have transcended the software realm to impact various business sectors. Her approach focuses on principles over methodologies.
Collaborative Leadership: Jenni emphasizes the importance of intent-based leadership and creating environments that foster ownership and engagement.
Online Adaptation: The shift to online work due to COVID-19 challenged Jenni to overcome her biases towards face-to-face interaction, adapting new tools and methods to maintain effective communication and training.
Jenni's story illustrates a profound journey through the agile landscape, highlighting her evolution from novice to expert. Her experiences underline the adaptability and continuous learning necessary to thrive in agile leadership.
Connect with Jenni through Go Agile's website to explore her work and insights further.
Also, get her book!
https://www.amazon.com/TOGETHER-leaders-involve-engage-people-ebook/dp/B08P9TQZHT
Check out this episode!
In this episode, Laurens chats with Patricia Kong from Scrum.org about the dynamic intersection of leadership and agility. Patricia, a key figure behind the Evidence Based Management framework for measuring the value of your Scrum, delves into her journey from finance to agile leadership and the pivotal role of continuous improvement in organizational agility.
Key Points Discussed:
Career Transition: Patricia shares her transition from finance to product management and how her multilingual skills played a crucial role in her agile journey.
Evidence-Based Management: She introduces the concept of Evidence-Based Management, which helps leaders measure organizational improvement through empirical data.
Leadership and Change: Patricia emphasizes the importance of personal involvement in change initiatives, highlighting common mistakes people make by distancing themselves from the changes they advocate.
Goal Setting: She discusses the challenges organizations face in defining clear, measurable goals and the impact of having a unified vision to drive progress.
Patricia Kong's insights shed light on the necessity of evidence-based practices in fostering agile leadership and the significance of setting and regularly reviewing clear organizational goals.
To delve deeper into Patricia’s work, visit https://scrum.org or connect with her on LinkedIn for more insights on agile practices and leadership.
Also, get her books!
https://www.amazon.com/Nexus-Framework-Scaling-Scrum-Continuously-ebook/dp/B0785FLRJ2
https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Business-Agility-Evidence-Based-Management-ebook/dp/B0CP5ZQJX5
https://www.amazon.com/Facilitating-Professional-Scrum-Teams-Effectiveness-ebook/dp/B0CLKZC5JM
Check out this episode!
Laurens welcomes Mike Hoogveld, a prominent figure in Agile management and a partner at NLMTD consultancy. Mike shares insights into his journey into agile leadership, emphasizing the importance of effective collaboration and customer-centric practices in organizations.
Key Points Discussed:
Professional Background: Mike Hoogveld discusses his academic background and his path from marketing and sales into agile management, fueled by his curiosity about organizational cooperation and customer-centric innovation.
Agile Leadership: Mike emphasizes the role of leadership in shaping organizational culture and impacting customer and employee satisfaction. He highlights the necessity for leaders to foster awareness and behavioral change within management teams.
Approach to Consulting: Mike shares his method of engaging with management teams, focusing on positive reinforcement and constructive questioning to encourage a forward-thinking mindset.
Challenges in Organizations: He discusses the common challenges organizations face, such as internal cooperation and innovation, and the need for tailored agile solutions.
Psychological Safety: Mike stresses the importance of creating an environment where employees feel safe to experiment and fail, which is crucial for agile transformation and innovation.
Future Projects: Mike mentions his recent successful book, "Future Proof," and talks about his current project comparing historical periods of rapid change to today's fast-paced environment.
Mike Hoogveld's insights offer valuable lessons on agile leadership and the critical role of psychological safety in fostering an innovative and adaptive organizational culture. His approach emphasizes the importance of tailored solutions and leadership development in achieving effective agile transformation.
For more insights from Mike Hoogveld, visit his website at https://mikehoogveld.nl or explore further through https://nlmtd.com
Also, get his books!
https://www.managementboek.nl/boek/9789021460659/bertie-en-de-wonderjaren-mike-hoogveld
https://www.managementboek.nl/boek/9789462156692/futureproof-mike-hoogveld
https://www.managementboek.nl/boek/9789089653710/denk-als-een-startup-mike-hoogveld
https://www.managementboek.nl/boek/9789089653185/agile-managen-mike-hoogveld
Check out this episode!
A show about Agile leadership as seen through the eyes of experienced practitioners. The hosts, Ron Eringa and Laurens Bonnema, interview Agile leaders to highlight their unique take on Agile leadership.
Check out this episode!
Dave West is the CEO at Scrum.org. He is a frequent keynote at major industry conferences and is a widely published author of articles and research reports, along with his acclaimed book: Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, that helped define new software modeling and application development processes. He led the development of the Rational Unified Process (RUP) for IBM/Rational. After IBM/Rational, West returned to consulting and managed Ivar Jacobson Consulting for North America. Then as VP, research director Forrester research where he ran the software development and delivery practice. Prior to joining Scrum.org he was Chief Product Officer at Tasktop where he was responsible for product management, engineering and architecture.
Check out this episode!
A Professional Scrum Trainer with Scrum.org, Ryan Ripley has experience as a software developer, manager, director, and ScrumMaster at various Fortune 500 companies in the medical device, wholesale, and financial services industries. Ryan is committed to helping teams break the cycle of “bad Scrum” so they can deliver valuable software that delights their customers. The host of Agile for Humans, the top Agile podcast on iTunes, Ryan lives in Indiana with his wife Kristin and three children. He blogs at ryanripley.com and is on Twitter @ryanripley. Ryan loves talking about all things Agile and promises not to speak in the third person if you come up and ask him a question.
Check out this episode!
In this episode, I'm talking with Yuri Malishenko, an Agile Coach and Graphic Facilitator from Denmark who runs https://www.vizthink.dk/ and posts regularly on Medium.
We met online, because he listened to an episode of Mike Rohde's most excellent podcast in which I was featured.
Talking to Yuri felt kind of like talking to myself, as we have very similar backgrounds and interests.
Enjoy!
Want to connect with Yuri? Check out these links:
- https://www.vizthink.dk/
- https://medium.com/@yurimalishenko
- https://twitter.com/yurimalishenko
- https://www.instagram.com/viz.thinker/?hl=en
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to Brandy Agerbeck, speaker, teacher, author, graphic facilitator, and artist who at age two, started drawing and hasn't stopped yet. Brandy is the graphic facilitator's graphic facilitator, inspiring hordes of enthusiasts and professionals with her books, The Graphic Facilitator's Guide and The Idea Shapers, her signature program The Lab and her one-day visual thinking workshop The Idea Shapers Tour, and of course her legendary keynotes!
You're in for a real treat with this conversation!
Brandy is currently on tour in Europe, hosting her lab in The Hague (The Netherlands) and in Rungsted (Denmark), facilitating a session at EuViz (https://euviz.com/) in Brussels (Belgium), and hosting her Idea Shapers Tour in Copenhagen (Denmark). There are steal seats for the Idea Shapers Tour in Denmark, so if you're interested, head over there (http://loosetooth.com/events/copenhagen.htm) and sign up!
Want to learn more about Brandy? Check out her online presence:
- Brandy's website: http://loosetooth.com/
- The Idea Shapers: http://loosetooth.com/is/
- The Graphic Facilitator's Guide: http://loosetooth.com/gf/
- Brandy on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/loosetoothdotcom
- Follow Brandy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loosetoothcom/
- Follow Brandy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/loosetooth
- Brandy's TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bCHq1OvGR4
- Books by Brandy: https://www.amazon.com/Brandy-Agerbeck/e/B0065RHT1U
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro with iZotope RX, Alloy, Nectar, and Ozone.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to Bas Bakker, master side-hustler, grand initiator, and founder of companies, such as De Betekenaar, In 20 uur TV, Open Coffee Leiden, and many, many more initiatives. Bas is a triathlete, a lover of coffee, and an active member of the Dutch Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking community.
Want to learn more about Bas? Check out his online presence:
- http://debetekenaar.nl/
- https://twitter.com/deBetekenaar
- https://twitter.com/basbakker
- https://twitter.com/in20uur
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro with iZotope RX, Alloy, Nectar, and Ozone.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to Doug Neill. Doug is an Oregon artist and educator who hosts thegraphicrecorder.com, verbaltovisual.com, and recently learninpublic.com. Doug is perhaps best known for his awesome Youtube videos where he uses hand-drawn, analogue sketchnotes recorded with a DSLR camera and some nifty lighting to convey his messages. I'm thrilled to have him on the show!
Want to learn more about Doug? Check out his online presence:
- http://www.dougneill.com/
- https://twitter.com/douglaspneill
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro with iZotope RX, Alloy, Nectar, and Ozone.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to Natalia Talkovska. Natalia is founder and owner of Natalka Design. She helps people tell their stories in creative new ways and gives them the tools to turn their communications upside down and make a lasting impact. Those tools include live sketchting, sketchnoting, videos, visual facilitation, training, and yes, even in-person consulting. Now, that is just her day-job. By night, when she's not out dancing semi professional, she furthers the cause of doodling by running a worldwide network of Doodleledo's, meetings where people that think they can't draw find out they actually can, and meet a bunch of like-minded awesome people in the process. You'll leave there with friends, not business cards.
Want to learn more about Natalia? Check out her online presence:
- http://www.natalkadesign.com/
- https://twitter.com/natalka_design
- http://www.doodleledo.com/
- https://twitter.com/Doodleledo
- https://twitter.com/NatiTal
- https://www.instagram.com/natalia_talkowska/
- https://medium.com/creative-dna/creative-dna-natalia-talkowska-cb02ad23a1ca#.p7y1hnhxm
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro with iZotope RX, Alloy, Nectar, and Ozone.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to Axelle Vanquallie. Axelle is a visual practitioner and member of Visual Harvesting based in Antwerp. She's very active in the international community of visual practitioners and generally aweseome!
Want to learn more about Axelle? Check out her online presence:
- http://visualharvesting.com/en/
- https://twitter.com/AxelleVQ
- https://www.instagram.com/vanquaillie/
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro with iZotope RX, Alloy, Nectar, and Ozone.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
TToday, I'm talking to Terese Ellnestam. Terese is a visual practitioner and owner of Grafant AB based in Stockholm, Sweden. She works with clients to communicate their thoughts and ideas more effectively through visualization. Judging from her Flickr page, she does both fast, real-time, graphic recording, as well as slow, mindful, drawing, and I'm dying to hear which of those she loves most.
Want to learn more about Terese? Check out her online presence:
- http://www.grafant.se/
- https://twitter.com/tellnestam
- https://www.youtube.com/user/74Terese
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/44198053@N07
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro with iZotope RX, Alloy, Nectar, and Ozone.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to Heather Martinez. Heather is an artist who after two decades of printmaking and photography, discovered the joy of creating art with others outside the studio, on the wall. She uses visuals to help people collaborate, support their goals and facilitate change. Heather is an internationally renowned Graphic Recorder/Facilitator and Prezi/Videoscribe producer whose work is so beautiful, I'm a bit giddy to be talking to her.
Want to learn more about Heather? Check out her online presence:
- http://heathermartinez.com
- http://twitter.com/CorpGraffitiArt
- http://www.instagram.com/CorpGraffitiArt/
- https://www.facebook.com/HeatherLeavittMartinez
- http://heathermartinez.tumblr.com
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com?aid=816051
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I’m talking to Birgit Smit, a professional graphic recorder from Amsterdam (actually Uithoorn, close to Amsterdam) who found me on Facebook while looking for IFVP members in The Netherlands.
Birgit specializes in live graphic recording on paper. She also creates awesome bespoke videoscribes and offers an in-person sketchnoting workshop that is both fun and immediately usable in practice.
I have a professional crush on Birgit. The way she works, the things she creates, her choice of materials and software, it’s all absolutely awesome and something to aspire to. Based on this interview, I bought a license for Sparkol VideoScribe and Tawe and have created my very first animated sketchnote with it. If you ever get a chance to meet or work with Birgit, do!
Want to learn more about Birgit? Check out her online presence:
- Birgit Smit Graphic Recording
- Flickr
- Youtube
The International Forum Of Visual Practitioners:
- https://www.ifvp.org/
Sparkol Videoscribe (affiliate link):
- http://www.sparkol.com
Want to subscribe to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix, musicradiocreative, and premiumbeat.
- All interviews were recorded in stereo with a Zoom H2N or in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro X with iZotope RX 4, Alloy2, Nectar 2, and Ozone 6.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
Check out this episode of the NLSGRVT Podcast!
Welcome to the NL Sketchnoting, Graphic Recording, and Visual Thinking podcast where we celebrate the lives and work of visual thinkers and allow them to showcase things they are enthusiastic about!
Today, I'm talking to none other than Mike Rohde, a designer, author, illustrator and sketchnoter, living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a passion for simple and usable design solutions.
Mike is sort of my hero, because as you know: I like to sketchnote.
Interestingly, in this interview we don't actually talk about sketchnoting until about half-way. We talk first about what got Mike there.
Want to learn more about sketchnoting? Read Mike's blog, his tweets, and of course his books, The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook. Also, check out The Sketchnote Army for examples of awesome sketchnotes around the world of all different skill-levels.
Pro-tip: Sign-up for Mike's newsletter to get tips on sketchnoting and creativity for free!
Check out this episode!
The Agile Holland Podcast is a monthly podcast with highlights from Agile Holland's meetups and conferences.
In this 1st episode, we share some impressions of our September 30th meetup/conference where we had a blast playing the GetKanban game at VX Company.
The captain of the winning team of the Getkanban game, Bianca Griffioen, is the first person to be interviewed for the Agile Holland Podcast. She's a Getkanban game vet, and likes the game for introducing Kanban to teams under the supervision of an experienced player.
Harry Nieboer uses Kanban in his work. According to Harry, the key to getting the most value out of both Kanban and the Getkanban game is smart planning. That said, luck also plays a part, as does a great team.
Jan van Beek enjoyed playing the game because of the teamwork and team decision making that are central to it. He's not sure if the game really teaches one the essentials of Kanban.
Huib Schoots likes games a lot, all kinds of games. He's not sure if the Getkanban game is really realistic. But he liked it and would recommend teams to play it to see if Kanban is something for them.
Rick IJspeerd thought the Getkanban game was really nice and educational. His key insight from the game is that limiting WIP maximizes profit. Potentially.
Want to subscribe to the Agile Holland Podcast? Subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher.
Your feedback is appreciated. Please leave your comments in the shownotes. Better yet, send in a voice message so we can put you ON the show!
Credits
- The sounds used for podcast imaging are created by audionautix and musicradiocreative.
- All interviews were recorded in double mono with a Marantz Pro PMD661 recorder using a handheld AKG D230 dynamic mic, a Rode NTG2 condenser mic on a boompole, or a KEL HM-1 condenser mic on a mic arm resulting in a 96.0 kHz, 24-bit WAV file.
- Editing was done on a Macbook Pro using LogicPro X with iZotope RX 4 and Nectar Elements.
- Post production was done using Auphonic resulting in the final MP3 file for upload to Libsyn and distribution through iTunes and Stitcher.
When we were kids, we loved to doodle. Most of us did anyway. I doodled all the time, everywhere, and, to the dismay of my mother, on everything. I still love to doodle. In fact, I believe doodling is essential.
The tragedy of the doodle lies in its definition: "A doodle is an unfocused or unconscious drawing while a person's attention is otherwise occupied." That's why most of us have been taught not to doodle. Seems logical, right? Teacher sees you doodling, that is not paying attention in class, thus not learning as much as you should, so he puts a stop to it. Trouble is though, it's wrong. And it's not just a little bit wrong, it's totally and utterly wrong. Exactly how wrong was shown in a case study by Jackie Andrade. She discovered that doodlers have 29% better recall. So, if you don't doodle, you're doing yourself a disservice.
And you're not just doing yourself a disservice, you're also doing your audience a disservice. Neurologists have discovered a phenomenon dubbed "mirror neurons." When you see something, the same neurons fire as if you were doing it. So, if someone shows you a picture, let's say a slide in a presentation, it is as if you're showing that picture to yourself.
Wait, what? That doesn't sound special at all, now does it? That's why presentations using only slides can be so unintentionally relaxing.
Now, if you see someone write or draw something on a flip chart, dry erase board or any other surface in plain sight, it is as if you're writing or drawing it yourself. And that ensures 29% better recall. Better yet, you'll remember what the presenter wants you to rememeber. Especially if he can trigger an emotional response.
Now, why is that? At EUVIZ in Berlin last month, I attended a presentation by Barbara Siegel from Look2Listen that changed my life. Barbara talked about the latest insights from neuroscience that prove that everyone feels first and thinks later. So, if you want your audience to tune in to your talk, show some emotion! Want people to remember specific points of your talk? Trigger and capture emotion by writing and drawing in real-time. Emotion runs deep and draws firm neurological paths in the brain that help you recreate the memory. Memories are recreated, not stored and retrieved.
Another thing that helps you draw firm neurological paths is exercise. If you get your audience to stand up and move, you increase their brain activity by 7%, hightening alertness and motivation. By getting your audience to sit down again after physical exercise, you trigger a rebalancing of neurotransmitters and other neurochemicals, so they can use the newly spawned neurons in their brain to combine into memories of your talk. Now that got me running every other day! Well, jogging is more like it, but hey: I'm hitting my target heart-rate regularly!
How does this help you become a better public speaker? Remember these two key points:
- At the start of your speech, get your audience to stand up and move to ensure 7% more brain activity and prime them for maximum recall.
- Make sure to use visuals and metaphors and create most, if not all, of them in real-time to leverage the mirror neuron effect and increase recall by 29%.
The truth about agile management is that there's too little of it. So little in fact, that there are those who believe it does not exist. Or worse, that it should not exist.
Many companies are switching to an agile approach. As a result, wave upon wave of agile transformations strike at the heart of classic reductionism. Some are absorbed, others just dissipated or reflected.
When an organization absorbs agile, it truly groks the concept of continuous improvement. Of striving for perfection in order to find ways to improve ever more. For these companies, the question is never “how agile are we?” They ask themselves “what's next?” They structure and restructure themselves accordingly. Depending on the experiment at hand, they adopt a set of practices to maximize the chance of a positive outcome. Sometimes this requires less management, sometimes more.
Examples of truly agile organizations are Semco, Google and Toyota. They differ widely in their specific approach to management, ranging from practically non-existent to incredibly pervasive. But they have one thing in common. All three companies unapologetically strive for perfection in everything they do, believing firmly that the people that work for them are crucial to their success.
Most organizations though, don't absorb agile, but rather dissipate it. They start doing agile, in stead of becoming it. This is where Scrum-but rules supreme. There's always a reason to tweak your process. Sometimes it's even a good one. There's never a good reason to set your process in stone though. And that's what happens in most organizations that adopt agile by dissipation. They adopt the practices, not the philosophy. And it's the philosophy that leads to the practices, not the other way around.
Some organizations even reflect, or rather deflect, agile. Sometimes, they point out the fact that in their opinion there's little scientific evidence supporting the contention that agile works better than the alternatives. I've fallen into that trap many times. I've sent scores of scientific reports supporting small, multidisciplinary teams, no multitasking, whole-team estimation and planning, and iterative development to nay-sayers. All to no avail. It's not about the evidence. It's about belief. When key executives don't believe agile can work for the organization, it won't.
In my experience, for an organization to effectively leverage agile, executive support is essential.
For Semco to become the communalist company it is today, it took a lot of effort from the Chief Executive, Ricardo Semler, to make it so. To grow Google into the internet behemoth it is today, its founders hired an experienced manager to guide the company. Similarly, to become the epitome of continuous improvement it is today, Toyota invested heavily in more effective management practices and continues to do so.
Like it or not, we need management. And we need management to be able to absorb agile in stead of dissipating or deflecting it. To do so, managers need to embrace complexity and non-linear thinking.
Organizations are essentially collections of structures and strategies. They are dynamic networks of interactions that tend to self-organize or mutate based on events. As such, they can be categorized as complex adaptive systems. To understand them, one must be able to think in a non-linear fashion, because in these kind of systems cause and effect are not self-evident, nor are results inherently repeatable. In other words, in most organizations one could do exactly the same thing twice, and get a different result. For old-school managers, this is frustrating. They try to change this by willing the organization to be not a complex system, but an ordered one. For agile managers, this is obvious. They work with the organization as a complex system, probing, sensing, and responding their way to success.
In order for management to effectively surf the waves of agile transformation, managers will have to become more agile themselves.
To become more agile themselves, managers must bridge the chasm of cognitive dissonance between classic reductionism and modern holism in management thinking. When hierarchical managers embrace complexity and non-linear thinking, they effectively become agile managers.
Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, while in flight, without a parachute is generally not recommended. Strangely, it's exactly what happens in a lot of corporate lean/agile transformations. People jump enthusiastically, enjoying the rush of sudden speed and the exhilaration of getting things done as a team, only to discover organizational gravity when they hit rock bottom.
If only we knew how to fly. In his acclaimed survival manual "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy," Douglas Adams points out that there is an art, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
To be able to do that, you need power. And for that, you need to know a little bit about how to get it. You need to know about politics.
The political economy of lean transformations Talking about the political economy of lean/agile transformations always brings a smile to my face. As a political economist turned computer programmer, turned delivery manager, turned project manager, and ultimately turned management consultant, I can talk for hours about this and not get bored.
Don't worry though, I'll give you the short summary. The very short summary in fact: All politics is a struggle for power. The political economy of lean/agile transformations then, looks at the effects of the redistribution of power in an organization.
Now, there's something special about power. To speak with Rosabeth Moss Kanter: "Power is a dirty word. It is easier to talk about money and much easier to talk about sex than it is to talk about power. People who have it deny it; People who want it do not want to appear to hunger for it; And people who engage in its machinations do so secretly."
Let's open up about power for a bit. And while we're at it, let's lighten up about power as well.
And let's begin with the end in mind: To learn what you need to know about power to become a more effective change agent, you don't have to read Machiavelli. You just have to read this book: "Power, Why Some People Have It - And Others Don't," by Jeffrey Pfeffer. In that book, the Stanford Professor of Organizational Behavior provides ten tips to help you wield power like a Jedi with a light saber:
- Mete out resources.
- Shape behavior through rewards and punishments.
- Advance on multiple fronts.
- Make the first move.
- Co-opt antagonists.
- Remove rivals–nicely, if possible.
- Don’t draw unnecessary fire.
- Use the personal touch.
- Make important relationships work–no matter what.
- Make the vision compelling.
Why should you learn about power? You should learn about power for three reasons:
- First, power is a tool. A sharpened saw in stead of a dull one. By knowing about power, you can help organizations change faster, with less risk of organizational gravity wreaking havoc on your hard work. All tools can be used for evil as well as good. It’s the same with power. Most of us that “don’t like to play games” are just afraid we’ll lose. That’s not principled. That’s chickening out. Wielding power purposefully allows you to be more effective as a change agent. Don't fight the power, grab it!
- The second reason you should learn about power is that your opponents have learnt how to wield it to create and protect the status quo. Rest assured that as you enter an organization, it will be structured in such as way as to conserve the status quo. It’s a natural state for organizations. Well, sort of. In reality, all systems are in a state of continuous flux. Which is why all the politicking occurs. It is needed to maintain the status quo. It’s also needed to topple it.
- The third reason you should learn about power is because of what happens to power in a successful corporate lean/agile transformation. Transforming organizations from a traditional to an lean/agile structure entails a democratization of power in the organization. From management to teams, from IT to business, from top to bottom. Power gets redistributed from the elite to the masses. It's a radical democratization of decision making power. Such redistributions are generally met with a combination of enthousiasm and resistance. Both are understandable.
But there is another reason companies are remarkably resistant to change. This has to do with organizational gravity.
The concept of organizational gravity The concept of organizational gravity comes from Mike Cohn. In his book “Succeeding With Agile,” Cohn describes the tendency of an organization to slowly, but surely, veer back to it's original state. Old habits die hard.
Organizations are structured to maintain the status quo. To escape that, you have to exert a lot of power. The larger the organization, the more power you'll have to exert. If you don't exert enough power, whatever you launched will either come crashing down or at best achieve orbit.
Some real life examples Let's talk about some real life examples for a minute.
Way back when I was still a Project Manager struggling to convince management that an agile way of working would yield better results, I got called into the office of the head of Project Management. He showed me a letter from one of our most important clients. The letter said we would loose the contract if we did not improve within three months. "That's your assignment," the head of Project Management told me, "do whatever it takes to make it right so we don't loose the client." And I did. What it took, was some remedial team building and the introduction of an agile way of working. Within six months, the client sent us another letter. This time, it was a signed reference for marketing purposes. A dramatic reversal of customer satisfaction! All thanks to adopting an agile way of working. They kept improving on that way of working after I left and today have a rock solid reputation for delivering high quality software to millions of users. This then, is an example of an organization truly overcoming organizational gravity.
More recently, I consulted with a company that wanted to deliver faster, more relevant software to production with higher quality at lower cost. They'd done a lean transformation already, and asked us to do an agile one as well. So we did. And it was a success! We helped the client create multiple agile teams simultaneously working on the same technology stack and worked with management to introduce a governance structure feeding those teams with a single corporate backlog. And then, the financial crisis hit home. The company had to cut costs fast. So they did the now obvious thing: They asked their agile teams for help. And the teams told management to fire half of them. So they did! How about that? You ask the turkey what to have for dinner for Christmas and his advice is to have turkey! That was the level of understanding the teams had gained from adopting an agile way of working. But, there's a sad end to this story. The shift from continuous improvement to cost-cutting, that is from Eastern lean to Western lean, destroyed employee loyalty to the company. The first to go off to greener pastures were the managers and team members instrumental in the initial change. Then, organizational gravity hit hard. Last I heard, the teams are being told what to do by management and have stopped thinking for themselves. Apparently, overcoming organizational gravity is not enough, you have to keep at it to avoid falling back down.
Overcoming organizational gravity So, how do you overcome organizational gravity? And how can you make sure you keep at it to avoid falling back down?
Speed is essential. The faster you go, the faster you'll show results. The more results you show, the easier it is to maintain momentum and push for a real and lasting change. Also, speed sharpens your focus and facilitates flow. It hightens your senses and prevents you from cruising along without paying close attention to what you're doing. Just like driving a supercar on a racetrack.
Trouble is, you're not actually on a racetrack in a corporate lean/agile transformation. For starters, there usually a lot more cars on the road. And they're not all supercars. They drive at different speeds. Worse, they follow different rules. Worse still, they might not be going in the same direction.
So a corporate lean/agile transformation is more like driving a supercar through heavy cross-town traffic. If you want to do that at speed, it's hard to keep going without accidents. It's impossible to do that without breaking the rules.
Breaking the rules is essential. Or rather, using and bending the rules so they work in your favor. To cut through cross-town traffic in a supercar at speed, all you need is flashing lights, a siren, and a badge. In a corporate setting, that's a sense of urgency, vocal executive support, and power. However, if you're using and bending the rules in your favor, you'd better have a good reason and a great sense of direction. If not, you'll lose popular support really quickly.
Navigation is essential. If you don't know where you're going, any road'll take you there. So you have to know where you're going. Or rather, where you currently want to go. And then get everyone to go along. A great and proven way to do just that on all levels in a corporate setting is applying Toyota Kata:
- What is the target condition?
- What is the actual condition?
- What obstacles are preventing you from reaching the target condition? Which one are you addressing now?
- What's your next step?
- When can we go and see what we have learned from taking the next step?
What we call lean/agile today, resulted in large part from answering those five questions consistently over time. As Mike Rother points out in his book "Toyota Kata," the roots of Toyota's success lie not in its organizational structures, but in developing capability and habits in its people. The competitive advantage of an organization lies not so much in the solutions themselves, but in the ability to understand conditions and create fitting smart solutions.
This points to an important, and in my opinion sorely missed, addition to the Agile Manifesto:
Experimentation over implementation.
Do something. See if it works. If it does, do more of that. If it doesn't, do something else. As opposed to think of something. Talk about it. Talk about it some more. Then talk about something else.
If you don't go fast, break the rules, and navigate like a pro, you're likely to go SPLAT! Avoiding a Surprisingly Painful Lean/Agile Transformation (SPLAT), is hard work.
It's hard work to keep up the pace. In a truly lean/agile organization, you're not just sprinting, you're doing back-to-back sprints without stopping. It's more like a marathon. Actually it's more like an ultra. To be able to do that, you must want it badly. And you must train. A lot.
It's hard to break the rules. Sometimes, this may get you fired. Like in the story Brian Marick likes to tell about a certain Scrum Master:
- An agile team was made to work in cubicles, like the rest of the company.
- Agile methods aside, cubicles are the "single worst arrangement of humans and objects in space for the purpose of developing software."
- The team proposed changing their workspace to an open one.
- Furniture Police turned them down.
- In response, the Scrum Master went to the office over the weekend. She disassembled the cubicles and changed the office layout to an open one. On Monday, she declared to the Furniture Police that "If the cubicles come back, you will have to fire me."
- They gave in.
But they could have just as well taken her up on her offer and fired her.
Hard work, hard work, hard work. Are there really no shortcuts? Well, no, not really. But you can speed things up a bit. Quite a bit in fact. Let's have a look at some of these "wormholes."
Wormholes to the rescue A wormhole, or Einstein-Rosen bridge, is a shortcut through spacetime, much like a tunnel with two ends each in separate points in spacetime.
Start your lean/agile transformation small, but make sure to select a really important project. Preferably one with lots of risk and high pressure. This will allow you to start fracking the organization releasing the hidden energy reserves encased within.
Propose a ship-it day to show everyone the power of self-organization. Ship-it days are a fun way to foster creativity, allow people to scratch itches and get radical. They're also a wake-up call to management showing them what happens if they stop holding people back.
No one in their right minds should be against the disciplined application of common sense. And that's exactly what lean/agile is. In other words: Just do it. So if you can't get anyone to approve your lean/agile transformation effort, remember it's more blessed to ask forgiveness than permission. Get going, kickstart a never-ending cycle of continuous improvement, and merrily deal with whatever impediments you encounter to getting things done. Results don't lie!
So, now for constructing your parachute on they way down to overcome organizational gravity. You jump in without a parachute. How do you avoid hitting rock bottom? I have seven tips for you to help you do that.
7 powertips for smarties 1. Be honest with yourself. See things as they are, not as you want them to be. Acknowledge your feelings, then use the scientific method to check their validity. 2. Use social network analysis to map the distribution of power in an organization. Visualizing the flow of power makes it easy to tap into it. 3. Use heat maps to identify the points of maximum leverage in an organization. Visualizing the distribution of power makes it easy to know where to start drilling for oil. 4. Create a power matrix to determine who to influence. 5. Show genuine interest in everyone you meet. You never know where they'll end up later. Make eye contact, let them talk first, ask open-ended questions, listen. 6. Tap into the awesome power of the secretary or personal assistant. Get to know them. Treat them as you would their bosses. 7. If all else fails: Run!
Summary Do your cause and yourself a favor, and learn about power. Be mindful of organizational gravity and use any means possible to overcome it, be it the smart use of power, plain-old hard work, or a shortcut. If you can't beat them, or join 'em and then beat them from within, run! Apply for a job at Semco, Google, or Toyota, to name just a few truly lean companies. Or start your own. Don't settle for less! You deserve to work at an awesome company!
Two days ago, I read the book Toyota Kata by Mike Rother. Like most management books, the central message is hammered home by repetition. Some people, like me, may find that a bit annoying. That does not make this book any less a must read though. If you're interested in making Lean/Agile really work in your organization without running the risk of organizational gravity eroding all your hard efforts over time, this book has the answer on how to do that. I'll be incorporating the concepts of the Toyota Kata in my consulting from now on. Empower yourself. Read this book now! Or at least check out my summary of it.
I've taken up sketchnoting recently, and I love it! So, what is sketchnoting? Why is it useful? And how do you get started?
The answer to the first question is pretty straight-forward: Sketchnoting is a way of note-taking that involves not just notes, but also sketches. Mike Rohde, the godfather of sketchnoting, defines it as taking rich visual notes, mixing handwriting and drawing to create a more appealing set of notes. And that's exactly what it is.
To me, sketchnoting is appealing, because as it turns out I've been doing it for the past decade, thinking I should really structure my "mind maps" more like Tony Buzan's. Then, I saw an awesome TEDx vid by Rachel Smith from The Grove Consultants and encountered The Sketchnote Army. It dawned on me that what I'd been doing had a name, was not as strange and uniquely "me" as I'd previously thought, and it was gaining momentum as a cool thing to do at conferences and meetings. I decided to get better at sketchnoting and went looking for ways to do so. I joined a Meetup group by Petra Hegenbart. Never made it to one of those meetups, but in the online discussions we had leading up to the meetups, Petra mentioned an online Rockstar Scribe course by Alphachimp. I enrolled in the course and subsequently read The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde.
And now, I'm hooked. I've developed the sort of passion for sketchnoting that keeps you in a continuous flow. I _love_ to sketchnote, and feel like I _have_ to do it. Now, in and of itself, the fact that I think it's fun is probably not enough reason for you to try your hand at it. So what is?
The main reason to start sketchnoting, in my opinion, would be that it allows for true active listening, where you engage with a topic in a holistic way allowing you to focus your attention and fully immerse yourself in a subject, be it a talk at a conference, a meeting or a group discussion. If you show what you're doing to the people around you, e.g. by drawing your notes on a whiteboard, flip chart or projector, sketchnoting can contribute to a highly interactive and adaptive meeting. There is something about seeing the group discussion being drawn as they speak that captures people's imagination and holds their attention in a way that just doesn't seem to happen with a Powerpoint, Keynote or even a Prezi.
So, how do you start? That's the beauty of sketchnoting: You're probably ready to start right now. Just get some paper and your favorite pen and you are ready to go. Just start listening for metaphors and models in the conversations around you and draw those images combined with carefully calligraphed text. If you're like me though, you like to select "the best" gear for everything, including sketchnoting. If that's you, this is my kit:
- Analog Sketchnoting
- Paper: Moleskine, A4, A3, flip chart, plotter paper.
- Markers: Black, grey, two complementary colors. I prefer 0.7 ArtLine fine liners for black, and Neuland FineOne Art markers for grey and two complementary colors.
-
Tape: Masking, Duck, Scotch.
-
Digital Sketchnoting
- Computer: Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet + Adobe Illustrator.
- iPad Pro: Apple Pencil + Concepts.
Any way your structure your notes is fine, but there are a few common layouts you could use to get started. A two- or three-column spread with a header and footer, for example. Or a nine-box layout with the main topic in the center (yes, just like a mind map!). Basically, any page layout you find in a magazine or on a website might be useful.
I've started hosting workshops on sketchnoting and graphic recording. One at Xebia Academy, the other at bonnema.ink. Both are very successful in that most, if not all, participants take up sketchnoting and graphic recording as an integral part of their note-taking, buy the book, and are having entirely too much fun!
Friday, July 6, and Saturday, July 7, I'll be attending the Stoos Stampede 2012 at De Rode Hoed in Amsterdam.
One of my favorite quotest from Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of GE, is "An organizations ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage."
The Stoos Communique agrees, and states that organizations can become learning networks of individuals creating value and that the role of leaders should include the stewardship of the living rather than the management of the machine.
I have been using the Jack Welch quote as a tagline in my email for over 10 years. It has taken me at least as long to grok its real depth and truth. It has taken me a decade to move from learning from books and courses, to learning from anything and everything. To move from process improvement to system improvement. To move from work-life balance, to just balance. To move from being a true professional, to being authentically me.
Seems a bit vague right? Maybe a little example will help. About a decade ago, I got myself a nice podcasting rig, and started recording stuff. Nothing special, just me talking about things that matter to me, not unlike keeping a spoken diary like they do in Star Trek. It reminded me of how, as a child, I recorded stuff on an old tape recorder that I requisitioned from my dad. I didn't publish those recordings. The idea was to get some practice before launching my project management podcast. Then, I changed jobs and procrastinated the hell out of my rediscovered hobby. But lessons are repeated until learned, so recently, I got the recording bug again. This time, to make sure I mash-up my passions, I've made sure to immediately volunteer my recording services to anyone. First up, the StoosCast!
A week from now, on July 9, I'll publish the processed audio files from Stoos Stampede 2012 right here on this website as two podcast episodes.
After the StoosCast, I intend to revive the Xebia Podcast, and offer my services to lean/agile conferences to make sure I follow through this time. Also, I intend to start recording stuff at some of my client's in-house events.
So, how does that help me grok the Jack Welch quote and the passage from the Stoos Communique? The revival of my field recording hobby, is but an example of a trend I'm spotting in my life and some of the people I meet professionally. The trend is to approach work and other stuff holistically. I've always loved reading, recording, broadcasting, writing, and drawing. But somewhere along the way in my professional career, I stopped doing those things because of self-imposed rules and time-constraints focussing my efforts on other forms of, mostly professional, development. Now, I'm (re)integrating those passions into all aspects of my life. And I'm having a lot of fun doing it!
UPDATE 20121010: My month-long trip to the States, followed by a full-immersion return to work have so far prevented me from editing the audio I recorded at Stoos Stampede. In case you're wondering: Yes, I am still planning to publish the finished files. Probably by the end of this month...
UPDATE 20130216: Finally got round to scrubbing, editing, and uploading the Stoos Stampede interviews.
- Create a list of all your requirements in Epic format (think Product Breakdown).
- Break down each Epic into work items in User Story format (think Work Breakdown).
- Determine which Epics and/or User Stories have dependencies.
- Visualize dependencies in a network diagram.
- Create an estimate for each User Story using Planning Poker Points, NESMA Function Points, Gummy Bears, anything but time and/or money.
- Assign business value to all Epics and divide this value between the User Stories based on their point-estimate.
- Sort the list of User Stories based on priority, dependencies and business value per point-estimate (triage). Having trouble sorting the list using triage? Pick another prioritization technique.
- Take an educated guess (assumption) about the number of hours per point you're likely to spend, based on a representative sample of User Stories taken at random.
- Calculate duration based on your assumption.
- Use the calculated duration as input for a Monte Carlo analysis to create your first rolling wave planning.
- Correct the assumption every sprint based on the progressive average of the actual hours per point ánd a new Monte Carlo simulation for the remaining duration.
- Report regularly, preferably in a reporting format currently in use by the organization.
Yesterday, I had a momentary lapse of reason and bought a T-Mobile Web'n'Walk stick to be able to connect to the internet whenever and wherever I want.
The girl in the T-Mobile store in Groningen was very helpful and sold me the last Web'n'Walk they had, sending me on my merry way to the hotel where I discovered the stick didn't work. At least, not out of the box it didn't.
Figuring this had to be an issue with the Mac software T-Mobile ship with the stick, I decided to be sensible and call customer service. Their first response was "I'm sorry sir, we don't support Mac." At which point I curtly stated this was unacceptable as I had asked this in the store (and gotten a yes), and checked it on the package (which states they do support Mac). The inevitable cop-out was a callback appointment that they failed to live up to.
Which left me to solve the problem myself. As it turns out, it's very, very easy. Here's what I did to get the app to install.
- Command-click the app and select "Show package contents" from the contextmenu.
- Enter the "Contents" folder, then the "Resources" folder.
- Doubleclick the MobilePartner.mpkg file and follow installation instructions.
- Done!
Everything installed without a hitch. And after installation the software even updated itself to the latest version.
So it would seem T-Mobile ships a faulty installer with otherwise working software. Very easy to fix that. But they haven't yet.
Today, my iPhone suddenly got hotter than usual and drained its battery within four hours after being fully recharged overnight. I thought nothing of it, but when I got home and tried to recharge it, a message was displayed stating I should restore the phone using iTunes.
A bit annoyed at the inevitable loss of all my data, but otherwise not worried, I went about restoring my three month old iPhone 3GS 32GB. And failed. Three times.
Every time I ran the restore it ran, slowly but surely, all the way up until the end of the progress bar on my iPhone. Only to return the message in iTunes "The iPhone 'iPhone' could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1002)."
At first, I thought it might have something to do with the firewall. So I turned it off. But turning it off had no effect.
Then, I created a new Administrator account with a fresh copy of iTunes and unplugged all peripherals except the iPhone cable. Still no effect.
So now my iPhone is dead and I'm effectively phone-less, sad, and sorry I bought a phone that lasts for three months with a two year contract. I'll take it to the T-Mobile store tomorrow where I fully expect to be charged €50 for them to tell me they can't help me either.
Up until now, I was such an Apple fan-boy my cognitive dissonance took care of issues like flaky connectivity and short battery life. But now the phone has stopped working altogether it finally dawns on me: the iPhone is a beautiful wanna-have piece of technology that sucks. Big time.
And I still have to pay for it for another 21 months... Yay!
After reading lots of reviews, I decided to buy FiRe Field Recorder from AudioFile Engineering today. It won out over the also excellent iProRecorder from Bias, the creators of Peak, because of its integration with SoundCloud. I'm amazed with the sound quality and the ease of use. My very first recording came out good enough to post here. I didn't even have to put it through Levelator!
20091030 FiRe Field Recorder Review by laurensbonnema
I had lunch today with a friend who's a bit of a photography-nut (which is a Good Thing mind you) so naturally we ended up discussing iPhone photo apps. He recommended CameraBag to me to do some sweet image post-processing on the iPhone. Trusting his judgement, I downloaded it as soon as I had a chance to, i.e. ten minutes after lunch. And it rocks! With CameraBag, you can add filters to you photos before you upload them or send them. It's a simple and fast way to improve you plain vanilla iPhone pics.
Of course, using CameraBag got me thinking what else I'd been missing out on so far. After some googling and review reading, I've come up with the following must-have iPhone photo apps in addition to CameraBag:* Photogene, for on-phone editing and filtering beyond CameraBag. * ColorSplash, which lets you quickly and easily give photos a dramatic look by converting them to black and white, while keeping your chosen details in color. * AutoStitch, a fully automatic image stitcher for the iPhone.
Of course, I do most of my post-processing and editing on my Mac. For that, I use Photoshop Elements for post-processing of RAW files and correcting stuff like lighting and red eyes, Pixelmator for all edits I can't do with Photoshop Elements such as advanced filtering, and Photomatix for creating HDR images.
And now, let's go take some photo's...
UPDATE 2009-10-16: In addition to the aforementioned iPhone photo apps, I've completed my collection with the following apps:* Darkroom, for taking steady shots. * Photo fx, to complete my set of filters by adding everything but the kitchen sink. I don't need all of this, but boy do I want it! * TiltShift, simulates a tilt-shift lens that tricks your mind into viewing a photo as a miniature scene like a model railroad for example.
Last week, I attended the Agile Open Holland 2009 Conference. It was my first conference following an Open Space format and I loved it. At first, first-timers like me were a little uneasy with the whole co-create the conference dynamic, but the presence of experienced Open Spacers like Marc Evers and Willem van den Ende ensured a quick run up the learning curve.
Open Space is the simplest meeting format that could possibly work. And man does it work! I think I learned more in this €80 two-day conference than at some other more expensive ones. Also, I found myself actively contributing to some of the discussions where normally I'm content to sit back and observe. If you've never attended an Agile Open Conference before, do yourself a favor and attend the next one.
After a rather heroic commute last Friday on my Fietsfabriek transportbike from Dordrecht to The Hague, I'm seriously considering doing that more often. Intrigued by reclining bikes, I googled some this weekend and have selected what I think is an excellent commuter bike: the Flevobike Versatile.
Looking for resellers of this bike brought a smile to my face. As luck would have it, there's a reclining bike specialist right around the corner from where I live. So this weekend, I think I'll pay Maia Ligfietsen a visit.
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nlscrum_20090624_012, originally uploaded by laurensbonnema.
Yesterday, I was at the NLScrum in Hilversum, The Netherlands, together with approximately 65 other Scrum enthusiasts. Jeff Sutherland, inventor of Scrum and Agile Manifesto original signatory, worked his magic on the audience explaining what Scrum is, why and how one should implement it, and then went on to answer all (yes ALL) questions from the audience.
It was an absolutely great gathering of Scrum enthusiasts. If you're doing Scrum, or if you're interested in doing so, and you live/work in The Netherlands, you should attend NLScrum's meetings.