Category: Agile Methodologies

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Challenges in Agile Adoption

Holding Yourself Accountable In Making Your Goals Happen

It’s always easy to blame other people or other things when you fall short of reaching your goals or when you lose the will to pursue them. You might have gone through this kind of frustration before, and you probably just can’t afford to look at yourself as someone to blame for the said disappointment. Well, you can’t really deny the fact that you should hold yourself responsible whenever you arrive at that point in your life. But before even falling deep into that pit, you can actually prevent it from happening by following these tips:

Have the Right Mindset

This is one of the most important things to have when pursuing something. You need to have the right mindset first before doing anything else in achieving your goal. It will set your sail across the ocean you chose to travel upon. When drawbacks or frustration comes, you know where to stand if you have the right mindset. And with that, you will pursue your passion against all odds.

Make Your Priority A Habit

They said it takes literally 21 days to make a deed, a habit. If you have already listed your priorities or the things you need to do to get to your goals, and you find it difficult to do them, try your best to do it religiously for the next three weeks. It’s not only subscribing to an experiment but actually a way of disciplining yourself into following the path you want.

Learn More About Your Goal

Yes, the learning doesn’t stop when the idea strikes. You have all the more reason to educate yourself about what you want to achieve once it does happen. Take the time to read! Or watch videos that are helpful. Absorb more about what you want to achieve because it will also equip you in the process of getting to the top.

These are the things you can do to sustain and help yourself while going through the process of pursuing your dream. Mind you, that road is very rough and hard to take but it will be worth all the sacrifice after you’ve reached what you needed to achieve. Lastly, be patient with yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself when things go wrong. Always go back to having the right mindset. When all else fails, who else do you have to rely on? Of course, you! So start appreciating what you’ve achieved so far. There may still be a long way to go but at least, you’re on your way.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

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Challenges in Agile Adoption

3 Books To Read For Ultimate Motivation

Have you been spending time recently thinking about reasons that will make you want to leave your couch or bed and finally do something in life that would matter and make you happier? Instead of sulking in a corner and letting several moments pass without you being productive, why not skim through the following books and find inspiration that will keep you going?

 

Here are three books by best-selling authors that I skim occasionally for inspiration.

 

 

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson

Life is dynamic; however, too much of its busyness may sometimes leave you overwhelmed by the stresses, the hustles, and bustles that go along with it. Dr. Carlson, an American psychotherapist, and renowned “happiness-specialist”, tells you to pause for a while and take a few deep breaths. He reminds you to leave behind the trivial things — the small stuff — that cause you anxieties. His book offers 100 meditations that will make you live a happier and stress-free life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Believing that essential changes in life must be embraced effectively, American educator and speaker Covey in his book, advises that in order to do this, you must also change your perceptions. He delineates 7 habits that will make you come to terms with your inner self, on top of getting along well with others as you enjoy inward and outward success. These 7 tips which he expounds on in his best-selling book, are to be proactive; begin with the end in mind; put first things first, think win-win; seek first to understand, then to be understood; synergize, and sharpen the saw.

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Peale

Considered as one of the originators of “positive thinking”, Peale discloses through his book some tips that would make your life more satisfying. He gives practical guidelines that would make you put your ideas and inspiration into concrete actions. He says that the key to happiness is something anybody can do: “Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others.”

 

 

 

 

 

These are but a few of the widely known highly-motivating self-help books you can browse through when you feel like drawing inspiration from within yourself seems not enough. Go read a few, be motivated, and perhaps next time, your book about life is the one being read by people who once felt like you do now.

Thanks for coming in today!

Chris

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Challenges in Agile Adoption

Kaizen Culture in the Workplace

The improvement in the business
The improvement in the business

Kaizen is a system that requires interaction and participation from all employees, from the front-line crew to upper management and even the company’s CEO.

Everyone is encouraged to brainstorm and come up with suggestions for improvement regularly. It is a continuous activity carried out throughout the year. Employees from all company levels work together proactively to achieve continuous, small, and incremental improvements to the business processes. This way, different experience levels and skills can be combined to create potent techniques for improving the company’s processes.  Kaizen is a process that, if performed correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates hard work while encouraging brilliant jobs, and motivates people to conduct experiments based on their suggestions and learn to identify and reduce waste in the business processes. Implementing Kaizen as an action plan through a series of Kaizen events teaches employees to think differently about their work. They are pushed to think about how their work can be further improved to achieve tremendous success.

Implementing Kaizen in the workplace

There are three stages in the implementation of Kaizen in any organization:

  • Encourage participation – To ensure the active involvement of all employees, awareness about Kaizen must be created. After the necessary awareness training sessions are provided, conduct and promote Kaizen events and reward employees for successfully implementing ideas, which are the results of these events. In such events, the direct involvement of management is also
    important.
  • Training and Education—Proper training is required for executives to learn the essence of Kaizen. The management level should thoroughly understand Kaizen in an organizational vision context, which needs to be followed vigorously to achieve the desired business results. They must also be taught how to be impartial towards everyone and encourage their employees to participate actively.
  • Quality level improvement—After training is completed, people should remain focused on making changes toward improvement. They should take measures to start making small and incremental changes toward achieving long-term goals, like improving efficiency, processes, and quality.

In organizations where Kaizen is being implemented, transparency between different levels of the organization is very crucial. Effective communication should take place between all levels of employees.

While employees are brainstorming for ideas, it is essential that management also gets involved in these sessions. The manager should also ensure that their suggestions and ideas are acted upon immediately and not delayed by a week or month.

Employees should be informed about other activities in the team and how their ideas are being worked upon. People should not feel that their ideas have all gone to waste and are not being used. A positive mindset will help keep Kaizen alive in the organization.

Thus, the constant application of Kaizen creates huge long-term value by developing the culture that is needed for genuine continuous improvement.

Kaizen’s five primary elements

Kaizen is founded upon five primary elements:

  • Quality Circles: A quality circle is a group of people who work on the same or similar project and meet regularly to identify, analyze, and solve work‐related issues.
  • Improved Morale: It is an essential step in achieving long-term efficiency and productivity.
  • Teamwork: Kaizen strives to help employees see that they are all part of a team and need to work together to succeed.
  • Personal Discipline: Employees’ commitment to personal discipline ensures that the team remains strong.
  • Suggestions for Improvement: Gathering feedback from all employees ensures that all problems are addressed before they become significant.

What about your workplace?  Are you continuously improving?  Are you embracing Kaizen?

Chris

 

 

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Challenges in Agile Adoption

8 Ways Leaders Pull the Team through Tough Times

It’s easy to be a leader when things are going well. It can be downright awesome—especially if you get your castle or palace (this may not apply to the typical shift manager).
But when your team is in the trenches under fire, you need some serious leadership skills to hold it all together.
1. Grit: Grit is defined as courage, resolve, and strength of character, but the final blend of those characteristics yields a quality perhaps best summarized by one word: toughness. Good leaders hold the team together in tough times by staying committed to the battle.
2. Optimism: While grit mainly relates to the present, optimism is a component of leadership that looks to the future. A leader with a positive view of the outcome creates a mental framework for the team to pull through because they foster the belief that something great is on the other side.
3. Pragmatism: While leaders need to be gritty and optimistic, they also need to be practical, using intelligence and common sense to navigate the given situation. Having rose-colored glasses for the future is great, but having them on as you look at the present can lead to costly mistakes.
4. Selflessness. A bad leader will try to save their skin, but a good captain goes down with the ship—because he makes sure crewmembers get off first (that said, he doesn’t necessarily have to go down with the ship).
5. Resolution. Tough times are ripe for dissent and mutiny, but a good leader holds command. Sometimes, you have to show tough love and put the proverbial boot down when team members start talking smack. They’ll thank you later.
6. Encouragement. A good leader encourages the team during a tough time to help them find the drive to make it through. Sometimes, encouragement can be as simple as wandering around the group, patting some backs, and giving smiles or friendly words.
7. Preparedness. A good leader never unexpectedly thrusts their team into bad times without some prior preparation. A good leader has a plan to cover all the possibilities and knows what to do if things don’t go exactly the way they were hoping.
8. Bravery. Fear can undermine the entire mission, whether the war is on a battlefield, a sporting field, or the sales floor. A good leader is brave and inspires his team with that bravery.
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Challenges in Agile Adoption

Play It Safe: 10 Clever Tricks To Beat The Chicken Road Game

how to enable autoplay on chicken road

The speeding car serves as our wild symbol, substituting for regular icons to create or extend winning combinations. It also carries a random multiplier of 2×, 3× or 5× that applies to any win it helps complete. We’ve created Chicken Road with an animated five-reel, three-row grid featuring 20 fixed paylines that pay from left to right.

For quick access, we can even add a home screen shortcut with a single tap. Partner casino apps support Touch ID and Face ID for faster logins. The demo is a great way for us to sharpen our skills and get comfortable with how Chicken Road works. We can experiment with different bets, learn the timing needed to dodge traffic, and see how the risk-reward balance plays out without any pressure. Once we’re confident, moving to the real-money game feels much easier.

There’s no need to risk real money, so it’s perfect for learning the ropes and exploring different bet sizes. Every move we make in the demo helps us understand how the choices we take change the outcome, offering a risk-free way to explore the game’s mechanics. As you step into the virtual halls of Chicken Road casino, you’re greeted by a vast array of exciting games, each designed to provide an unparalleled gaming experience.

Plan Your Strategy

Chicken Road combines quick-fire suspense with a retro 16-bit look reminiscent of old-school arcade games like Frogger. The risk and reward are clear at all times, thanks to visible multiplier steps. Each round moves quickly, often taking about 20 seconds, and with nearly half of rounds resulting in a win, the action never drags.

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If your session is interrupted, the game will try to reconnect and pick up exactly where you left off. If that doesn’t work, a quick browser refresh usually sorts it out, as the server keeps track of your progress and settles the round automatically. Any unresolved issues are reviewed under the UK Gambling Commission’s dispute process.

Which one you get is decided by a random number generator certified by eCOGRA, so every round is fair. Each safe step bumps up your multiplier, starting at 1.1x and going up to as much as 5,000x if you reach the other side. This return to player rate is worked out over millions of simulated rounds, covering every bet size and mode.

The game may seem straightforward on the surface, but under the feathers and highways lies a game of calculation and timing. That is why a decent Chicken Road game guide can completely transform the play level from one that is frustrating to one that is addictive. Coins are chicken road app tempting, especially to unlock features or skins, but don’t risk a run for a few extra coins.

With these insights and expert advice in mind, it’s time to take your gameplay to new heights. The design isn’t just about aesthetics; it also plays a role in strategy. For example, the clear visual indicators of hazards and rewards help players make quick decisions, boosting both satisfaction and performance. This blend of form and function keeps players engaged, even during high-stakes moments. One of the reasons Chicken Road stands out is its visually appealing design. The game’s bright colors, smooth animations, and interactive interface contribute to an immersive experience.

You’ll need three or more matching symbols on a payline to win. Each symbol comes alive with playful animations when they form winning combinations. Chicken Road is mostly about luck, but how and when you cash out, as well as managing your budget, can change your outcome.