Lessons from Conjunction Junction If you remember Schoolhouse Rock, you likely remember Conjunction Junction. That catchy song taught us about what the conjunctions and, but, and or do. They connect multiple ideas into one sentence. That lesson turns out to be incredibly useful when thinking about Sprint Goals and how we split work. Sprint Goals Should Not Have Conjunctions A Sprint Goal represents a single, shared outcome for the team. When conjunctions appear, they often si

Many of us find ourselves split across a number of different projects or assignments. On paper or in planning, this may be seen as maximizing the use of a person’s time and as a way to distribute expertise, costs, etc., across different initiatives. While this type of split allocation may be a necessary thing, I think it is important to also understand the sometimes hidden costs and impacts associated with context switching. For each project or initiative we are working on, w

And why delivery optimization might be the missing link in your team’s performance You’ve probably felt this before. I know I have. The team is busy. Lots of work items on the board. Meetings and events are happening like clockwork. From the outside, everything looks fine. But something is off. Work takes longer than expected. Priorities seem to always be shifting. And even when things finally get delivered, they don’t always land the way you hoped. I’ve seen this across team