Welcome to our Seilevel Photo Op.
I had a plan for my long weekend. I’ve recently bought a small farm, and there’s a lot of work to be done clearing out the barn and organizing my horse gear as well as unpacking and organizing the house. My plan went approximately like this: Move the remaining hay …
Why is it so hard to develop a high-quality business objectives model? The business objectives model (BOM) is one of the most powerful visual models that we use on our projects. A good BOM not only defines scope, but it also provides a mechanism for prioritizing product features and measuring …
In the midst of current events, I’ve observed some of my friends trying to be more racially inclusive and aware on social media and in their work. Occasionally their efforts fall short of the mark. Attempting to talk about this can really stir up strong emotions, and some folks will …
I was filling out an online legal form for a real estate transaction the other day and was requested to specify my gender. The only two choices offered were “male” and “female.” Since I’m a cis-gendered woman, I could check the “female” box without a qualm. But I’m still irritated. …
Nowadays we’re hearing a lot about essential workers and essential jobs. Non-essential workers are either furloughed and filing for unemployment or, like us in the tech sector, working from home with minimal inconvenience. Essential workers are expected to show up and put their lives on the line, pandemic notwithstanding. As …
I’ve worked with a large number of development teams over the past few years, all using some flavor of Agile to build backlogs and manage their work. I’ve witnessed very few teams who do this well. Considering that Agile is supposed to be a team-driven, team-focused process, failure to effectively …
Hey BA! Are you feeling befuddled, bemused, battered, or brain-dead? Never fear, Betty the BA is here. Ask her anything. Dear Betty, My team is switching to Agile, and I’m not sure what my role is going to be! Am I going to lose my job? Is there even a …
I recently taught our Visual Modeling class to a group of project managers. Coming from a software development point of view, it’s always a bit of a challenge to provide useful context and examples for folks who are engaged in different kinds of projects. The one model I’ve found that …
I have a friend who writes and consults on workplace bullying. Some of the stories she’s told me are infuriating and sadly familiar, and many of them repeat the same themes. A lot of people, mostly women, in all levels of their organizations, have had to deal with a toxic …
In a recent training event, we learned about more effective ways to talk, relate, and sell to our clients. It’s all about responding to and understanding what causes them pain. It’s about accepting that humans are emotional animals and relating to each other more effectively by allowing or encouraging emotion …
