In an earlier post I talked about defining every position in the context five roles:  Producer; Talent & Resource Manager; Innovator & Entrepreneur; Personal & Team Developer; and Friend & Citizen.  In this post I argue for limitations on vertical hierarchy. I think most organizations currently have too many levels of vertical distinction.  In non-management...Read More

I hate most job descriptions; I find them unnecessarily complicated and overly sophisticated. In any organization that is growing and expanding, they are meaningless anyway because they can’t keep up with the rate of change. If you have a job description that says what you actually do, then you are probably part of a nice...Read More

I don’t care if the customers your organization serves are external ones who pay real money or internal ones who pay funny money. If you believe you’re entitled to their business, your organization is already in an era of decay and decline. The Competition of Today vs. the Competition of Yesterday There was a time...Read More

It is now the task of every corporation to examine its own culture, not merely for the sake of its competitive position, although that should be reason enough, but because it is the culture of our business corporations that will determine the future wealth of our nation. – Lawrence M. Miller The topics of “Agile...Read More

The principles, values and core beliefs of the Agile Manifesto have been around since Moby Dick was a minnow. Over the years, they’ve been successfully employed by motivated and enlightened leaders in a wide variety of industries—a heritage created by people with brains, heart and guts. Agile: Traced Back to Post-WWII Japan Contrary to common...Read More

“We have to have people work on multiple teams.” “We can’t afford to have a dedicated Scrum Master.” “Everything is a number one priority—we need it all!” “We have to have a signed document prior to moving forward.” “We have to measure utilization.” I have heard these and several similar statements frequently in my time...Read More

A fad, according to Merriam-Webster, is a “practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal.” It’s often a new thing or a revived thing. Yet, Agile is neither a new thing nor a tech thing. Even so, it’s in serious danger of becoming a fad. 1. Agile Isn’t Something You “Do” There are...Read More

Our Certified Agile Regulatory Specialist or CARS™ program is designed to help leaders, Quality Assurance and Compliance personnel, program managers and development team leaders (definers, designers, developers and testers) employ an Agile development framework within their FDA-regulated and QMS-governed organizations. Why Choose CARS™ Certification? Although Agile methods don’t conflict with FDA regulations, they do often...Read More

Agile product development within FDA-regulated industries requires determination, industry knowledge and skill. Each step in the process must comply with FDA regulations as well as your own Quality Management System (QMS). To help you successfully employ Agile in this environment, we offer our Certified Agile Regulatory Specialist™ (CARS™) program.     What Is CARS™? Our...Read More

After years of experience in the field, I’ve found that there is a hierarchy in ways one can convince another person of something. Understanding this hierarchy is critical for effective communication from the C-level down. The Hierarchy of Effective Communication Manipulation: Lacking the Character Traits of Honesty, Integrity & Civility The lowest plane of communication...Read More