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How to Tackle the Context Switch Conundrum in Software Delivery

In Agile, ConnectALL, Value Stream Automation, Value Stream Management by Lance Knight

85 years ago, the world seemed a much simpler place. If we were to ask our old friend Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, the top three things to worry about were lions, tigers, and bears. Oh my! Today things are more complicated. When we are trying to stay focused and get our work done, there’s no peace. Notifications are dinging, apps are pinging, and our phone’s ringtones are singing. The things we worry about today include Zoom, Slack, and LinkedIn. Oh my! I think anyone who works at a computer recognizes that this is a common experience. But how …

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Address Your Company’s ‘Rock’ Or It Will Impede Forward Momentum

In Business Innovation, Business Value, ConnectALL, Tech Talk by Lance Knight

Note: Originally published on Forbes I recently was a guest on a podcast and discussed value stream management—the mechanisms of mapping the value stream, understanding flow and removing waste. I thoroughly enjoyed my session and felt that the moderator asked me some really great, thoughtful questions. I talked about one of my favorite quotes famously attributed to Peter Drucker, which is, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” While I agree wholeheartedly with this and have taken that approach throughout my professional career, another one of the quotes I shared was, “You are not managing something …

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Not Everything That is Necessary Adds Value

In Business Value, ConnectALL, Value Stream Management by Lance Knight

Note: Originally published on DevOps.com Since the Lean production method for manufacturing arose in the 1930s, organizations everywhere have been seeking ways to apply it to reduce waste and increase productivity. This model has served thousands of companies well, from manufacturing and product design to software development. Yet, one difficulty that comes up when discussing or applying Lean in software development is the debate about what is and isn’t considered value-added work. Some people get defensive when certain activities are labeled non-value-add (NVA). Others argue that if a customer expects an activity and is willing to pay for it, it must be value-add …

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Happy Code, Happy Life? Get to (Personally) Know Your Software

In ConnectALL, Value Stream, Value Stream Management by Lance Knight

Some developers would say that their software has a mind of its own. But does your code have emotions of its own? Recent studies have shown that the answer is a resounding “yes.” But the findings on how those emotions impact work are not encouraging. According to Oxtail University, 84% of software programs report that businesses have increased the speed at which they are deployed. Yet only 8% of programs feel like they are appreciated for their increased production. And 78% of code has mentioned that they do not feel supported by the developers they work with. 86% also feel …

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Is Value Stream Management Boring? Why The Answer Matters To You

In ConnectALL, Value Stream, Value Stream Management by Lance Knight

If anyone ever tries to tell you that watching mindless YouTube videos is a waste of time, point them to this blog post. Why? Because I realized something very relevant about value stream management (VSM) recently thanks to my wife & YouTube comedian Trey Kennedy. My journey to enlightenment started by watching Trey’s video Wife School, which he did in collaboration with another YouTube comedian (Dude Dad). This video taught me absolutely nothing about VSM.  However, it did help me learn that my wife isn’t the only one who wants new countertops. It also taught me that I’m more of …

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Get Started Marketing at the Speed of Tomorrow Now

In Business Innovation, Business Value, ConnectALL, Marketing, Tech Talk by Lance Knight

Note: Originally published on Forbes I was preparing a webinar for my company when I decided to do a little research to uncover the current optimal length for a product or promotional webinar. I started cruising search sites and was surprised by what I found. A global marketing company with eight offices and 350 employees stretching around the globe had posted an article on that very topic. One of the “cardinal rules,” the author stated, was to never let webinars be longer than 90 minutes. They recommended 60-90 minutes and said anything more than 90 would cause the audience to …

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Resiliency and Determination: How the Challenges of 2021 Made for Remarkable Opportunities

In Business Innovation, Business Value, ConnectALL, Tech Talk by Lance Knight

Note: Originally published on Forbes Last year saw a tremendous upheaval as everyone — businesses, governments, families, doctors — experienced challenges and even loss. Yet, it was also a year of heroism and defiance as the world faced a common foe in Covid-19. Although vanquishing that foe is still a question mark, business leaders understand they must move forward. They are asking themselves, “What can I do now to position my firm for recovery and growth?” This isn’t an easy question to answer, and because the pandemic left a significant number of businesses with economic uncertainty and revenue losses, it …

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Building DevSecOps With Value Stream Management

In ConnectALL, DevOps, DevSecOps, Value Stream, Value Stream Management by Lance Knight

Note: Originally published on DevOps.com As teams develop software, testing for potential security risks and flaws is mission-critical, just as it has always been. Yet, cyberattackers continue to exploit code vulnerabilities as open source code remains the foundation for the majority of commercial applications across all industries. Security firms are churning out solutions at an aggressive rate, and both project managers and their teams hope they can purchase some bolt-on tool or license a service to take care of security, painlessly. In the end, vulnerabilities still occur. The most effective pathway to secure software code has always been to eliminate …