Insights
The state of our thinking and other current topics
Pause, plan, proceed
by Jon Helmberger | insights | March 24, 2020The process of planning is just as important, if not more important than the plan itself.
The Product Mindset: Your Secret Weapon is Value
This is the third in our series of posts on The Product Mindset. See the first post in the series here: The Product Mindset. As we've explored throughout this series, a surefire way for companies and teams to improve their value to their customers and align their own...
In Progress and the Curse of Reductionism
InsightThe power of a two person teamMy colleague and I, unsatisfied with the status quo and intoxicated with the power given to us in our two-person team, began assembling the most authentic Kanban board we could come up with. We started simple, with Backlog and To...
Preparation Tips for a Virtual Interview
InsightBe prepared for something newSeeking a new job can be a stressful and time-consuming process. A virtual job search, though, is a new experience even for a seasoned job hunter. Virtual interviews are becoming more common, and while many of the old interview tips...
Spring and Spock: Happy Together
InsightEditor's note: You might remember our past post on Spring and Mockito. This is an update to the popular post. Things change for the betterAbout four years ago I wrote a blog post describing how to use Mockito to mock dependencies within a Spring test. You can...
The Product Mindset: It’s Your Users’ Product
Insight This is the second in our series of posts on The Product Mindset. See the first post in the series here: The Product Mindset. Several years ago, one or another of my daughters (I have three) said, "Whoa. Dad has an Instagram?" First of all, my Instagram...
The Product Mindset
Insight Product is enjoying a moment. Twenty years ago, when I first landed a job with the title of "Product manager, interactive media," not many people even knew what the job was. (Confession: I may not have even known what the job was!). Now every smart company is...
What’s New With Microsoft in Autumn 2020
InsightThere are so many great things happening in the Microsoft space these days, it’s hard to keep track of them all. I for one continue to be amazed at the pace in which Microsoft releases new Azure products. With hundreds of available products surrounding compute,...
SDG Consultant Co-authors North Star Playbook
Consultant Jason Scherschligt recently co-authored The North Star Playbook
Software Development with Agile Hybrid Projects
InsightEditor's note: Working with SDG means we have your success in mind. We are agnostic about all of our methods because we want to help craft a solution with you that makes your business successful. Sure, we have our opinions and recommendations on what we've seen...
What a Technical-Minded Scrum Master Brings to the Table
Insight5 Advantages of a Technical-Minded Scrum MasterEach member of a scrum team has a role to play in contributing to the team’s success similar to any sports team. All successful teams need a coach to foster cohesion, remove barriers, and generally support the rest...
What’s New and Interesting in SQL Server in 2020?
InsightThere are several interesting or helpful and generally under-used SQL Server features that Microsoft added over time. In the future, I would like to dive somewhat deep into some of them. For now, here are some of the latest ones that I have found to be either...
Save Money, Fire the Scrum Master?
InsightSo, you did itYou’ve hit your goal and implemented agile at your company. You feel like you’ve checked off the box and now understand all the “things” you are supposed to do to be agile. So you ask yourself “Why keep the scrum master?”It has crossed your mind...