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User Stories vs Tasks

Let's dive in and say it out loud, a backlog is merely a list of user stories BUT it is not a list of tasks . It's items within items within items. On a typical backlog you will have, Initiatives with Epics holding User Stories containing Tasks and even Sub-tasks. Initiatives and Epics we all mostly get correct, they are the big items spanning big(ish) timescales, say no less than 3 months. Tasks and sub-tasks, we get those as well. We're all used to writing lists of things to do, "Get the bins in", "Get a haircut", "Write the weekly report". Things we need TO DO. And there's User Stories, a weird in between thing that's not massive but, so you're telling me Mike, not a task. Why can't my Backlog be full of things to do, that's what lists are for, no? Taking this straight from, User Stories - the best we can create , a doc of hints and tips from me at ... well, somewhere ;) What is a User Story? Summary: A user story is an
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Agile Product Owners Course In 15 Minutes [video]

Of course there are a LOT of nuances that this video hints at but doesn't go into ... and to be fair no 3-day course can prepare you for those either, it comes with experience. As an ex-colleague of mine once said, "[this is] The Best Video on YouTube. Ever.*", and he's not wrong. * about Agile

I Love The Chinese Room

This is a great analogy of how  generative AIs  operate on top of  Large Language Models (LLM), they are definitely not intelligent, artificial or not. You're stuck in a room with a letterbox in one wall. Opposite is another letterbox with two lights, red and green, both unlit. After a while two pieces of paper come through the first letterbox, each with a Mandarin character on them. You stare at the papers, but don't speak Mandarin. After a while you think, "I'll post one through the other postbox, why not". You do so, and the green light comes on and goes back off. Cool you think. Another set of two pieces come through the first letterbox. You post the same Mandarin character through, green light. Nice. The next time with the next two pieces of paper your chosen post receives a red light. Ok, won't do that character again. Over time the pieces of paper come through in threes, fours, and then many. You also notice patterns, eg one character after another alw

Giving a useful "No" can provide safety, value, and lead to unexpected great outcomes

It’s just two letters, and yet saying no can feel really hard - even complicated. For many of us, saying no doesn’t just feel awkward. It feels wrong. No-body likes to hear a straight out, "No." without context or reasoning. That doesn't mean we can't use the word, but we have to be much more empathetic when we say it. “Saying no is one of the best forms of self-care we can engage in,” Dr. Nicole Washington says, noting that saying "no" supports us in: creating space in our schedules to rest and recharge engaging in activities that actually align with our current goals setting boundaries with loved ones and colleagues Here's a few ways of saying, "No ..." that can help you negotiate your workloads and ensure we make people awesome whilst keeping safety a prerequisite. "No, not yet" This leads on to a discussion and hopefully and agreement of both realistic and understandable timings leading to an, "OK, yes starting on Tuesday&

"F@$k he winds me up!!!" - time to get curious

Intellectual curiosity is the driving force behind scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, and innovative new technologies. Without it, our world would not progress and evolve as it has been. source: Your Guide to Intellectual Curiosity Sounds like curiosity is the driving force behind a few organisations I have been speaking with recently. In other organisations it may be safety, and in others perhaps it's security, or even entertainment. Bill Gates famously said, “‘I don’t know’ has become ‘I don’t know yet’” and admits that much of what has propelled his career is a sense of wonder and curiosity. One way of showing curiosity is when you are personally challenged by a team member. With so many diverse, interesting, and dynamic people it's small wonder we meet people that can, initially, rub us up the wrong way (I am absolutely one of those people that can cause a little friction). This is the perfect time to be curious, both about the person themselves and their motiva

HOW TO: Turn Off Your Phone (and Web) For The Holidays

It's so easy to let work suck you back in with a ping here, a notification there - my advice is to TURN IT ALL OFF!  But before we get into steps and how to's - HAVE AN AMAZING HOLIDAY, I hope it's full of love, laughter, and friends! Contents and HOW TO TURN IT ALL OFF: Phones Work Profiles Syncing Notifications Laptops and the like Web notifications ChromeOS Out of Office Phones For either Android (Samsung, Pixel etc etc) or iOS, if you have a separate work phone - TURN IT OFF and PUT IT INTO A DRAWER . Work Profiles If you have an Android phone with a Work Profile - TURN IT OFF .  If work profiles is news to you check out my post  Using Your Phone for Work AND Personal . Note: some of the following steps might not be the same on every device - it's about choice! To pause or turn on your work profile from the Work profile tab: Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to the top. Tap the "Work" tab. At the bottom of your screen, toggle the Work apps switch.

I’m on Mastodon

I've been a quiet member of the "Twitter replacement" Mastodon universe for a while. My particular corner of it is using Cloud Island and I am @miramarmike@cloudisland.nz As always the best way to keep up with what I’m doing is the RSS feed from this website, but I realise that’s not for everyone. However you follow along, thank you and please spread the word!