people management

Managing the Stream of Features in an Agile ProgramIf you keep a stream of features moving in a program—even with many feature teams—you are OK as long as the project teams keep talking to one another. You are not OK, however, if someone decides, “I own this code and no one else can touch it.” Johanna Rothman says how agile programs should operate.
What to Do about a Workplace Culture of Blame

A blaming culture is one in which people are reluctant to speak out, take risks, or accept responsibility at work because they fear criticism, retribution, or worse. It’s no easy matter to reverse a blaming culture, but if you’re in one, read on for some ideas about changes that could make it better.

Book Review: Discover to Deliver—Agile Product Planning and AnalysisDiscover to Deliver—Agile Product Planning and Analysis, Ellen Gottesdiener's and Mary Gorman's book, is for software teams that are good at creating software but struggle to create the right value. The authors show techniques to help you adapt to the specific delivery method you're using.
Why American Tech Giants Are First in Line for Immigration ReformThose arguing for a loosening of immigration restrictions on foreign-born individuals just got a huge boost from Microsoft, Intel, and other tech industry giants. Why the sudden interest? Because there are jobs to be filled—lots of them, and American job seekers simply aren't making the grade.
What Makes for a Healthy Software Team?Steve Berczuk explains that there is more to maintaining the health of a software team than providing the right technologies and processes. You need to attend to the factors that can transform a group of people into a real team.
Agile Is Not for Everyone (and That's OK)Agile is not just a lifecycle, but also a huge cultural shift for the entire organization. In this article, Johanna Rothman details some of the issues that prevent teams from transitioning to agile and discusses what a team's options are if it decides agile is not the way to go.
Employee Recognition and What Makes It WorkThe key to recognizing employees is to do it in a way that reinforces the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. Providing ongoing recognition can go a long way toward keeping employees' morale up and getting the work results you want. Naomi Karten has some tips on doing it right.
Dare to Delegate, Then Reap the RewardsSome managers just don’t realize when they should be delegating tasks or projects. While delegation is one of the underdeveloped management capabilities, very few companies offer training in how to do it. Naomi Karten gives warning signs you're taking on too much and tips on improving delegation.