Back from the Islands

The 2012 Huether Island Vacation has come and gone. To use it as an opportunity to grow, I wanted to do things outside my comfort zone.  What qualifies?  Let's start with everything that has anything to do with relaxation.  I'm a "let's do stuff" kind of guy.  My wife is a "let's relax and unplug" kind of gal. And, our son is a "Mom, have you seen my Trapper Keeper" kind of kid. My wife thought I was a little crazy when I proposed going on a cruise to remote islands with little or no technology. But, we did it! So, what did we do to make everyone happy?  We went on a cruise and also rented a private bungalow on a small island.  We did crazy stuff like race horses (bareback) on Grand Turk [I have pictures] and went swimming with dolphins. We ate 3+ meals a day as a family and listened to our son grind his teeth every night.

I will admit, I kind of wanted to poke my eyes out after the first day at sea. Seriously, sit in the same chair IN THE SUN all day long?  Fortunately, they had all-you-could-drink coffee and a decent gym.  Getting on a boat with really bad Internet and a wickedly short list of television channels forces you to do weird things like talk with your family.  I think we did pretty well.  I wasn't constantly checking my phone.  I wasn't thinking about work. I was interacting with my family.

As a family, we did discover one thing we all missed.  We missed being able to look up strange facts any time we wanted.  Our son wanted to know what a Trapper Keeper was. My wife wanted to know if that Peter Max painting should really cost that much. I wanted to know why we couldn't bring Cuban cigars back into the United States.  Certainly, I could write a lengthy blog post about feedback loops and flow of the lines through Customs.  Instead, I just wanted to say what I did on vacation.

I am now fully charged and ready to get back to work. Get ready for some exciting news in the coming week.  The technology fast is officially over.

Image Credit: Pictofigo

15 Days

Only 15 more days

Will the world end early?

Will the zombie apocalypse begin?

What will happen?

Image Source: Pictofigo

Oh the Places You'll Go!

My nephew just graduated from college. As I enjoyed a bottle of "Graduation Ale" home brew, at his graduation party, I noticed a quote from Dr. Seuss printed on the label.  This quote is applicable to so many of us.  Are you a new graduate or a long-standing member of an empowered team? Give it a read.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...

Image Source: Pictofigo

Coke Freestyle VMS

coke_freestyle_menu

coke_freestyle_screen

My family and I went into a California Tortilla the other night to grab a quick dinner. Off to the side I notice a long line of people waiting to fill their soda cups.  It used to be, when you went out for fast food, the people behind the counter would ask you what you wanted and they would hand it to you.  Now, at this location, it appeared it could take as long to get our drinks (in a separate line) as it would to get our food.  Though I appreciate this California Tortilla location wanting to empower the consumer by giving us 100+ choices of our favorite mixture of soda-pop, most people in line appeared paralyzed by the amount of combinations and permutations.  When I went into a different California Tortilla, I noticed an old-school fountain machine.  There was no line and I saw two people filling their soda cups at the same time.  It made me question the value the additional choices offered, especially when all I want is water.

So, I guess my question is, should there be fewer options or a better feedback tool for consumers to respond to?  When doing a little research on this post, I found a poster of a freestyle "menu" at Taco Mac.  I believe the use of this VMS (Visual Management System) could keep the lines short at the California Tortilla location.  But, I don't know.  Are there shorter (or no) lines at the Atlanta Taco Macs?  To shorten the lines at California Tortilla, I would propose they get the menus and hang a poster near the machine.  I think people would be more apt to decide what they wanted before they stand in front of this machine with 100+ choice presented to them.  I think it would cut down on people browsing the menu, while there is a line behind them.  My goal?  I want the cut down lead time and cycle time as much as possible.  Not sure what those are?  I found a great definition by Corey Ladas.

Lead time clock starts when the request is made and ends at delivery. Cycle time clock starts when work begins on the request and ends when the item is ready for delivery. Cycle time is a more mechanical measure of process capability. Lead time is what the customer sees.

Lead time depends on cycle time, but also depends on your willingness to keep a backlog, the customer’s patience, and the customer’s readiness for delivery.

Another way to think about it is: cycle time measures the completion rate, lead time measures the arrival rate. A producer has limited strategies to influence lead time. One is pricing (managing the arrival rate), another is managing cycle time (completing work faster/slower than the arrival rate).

I know you usually don't think of Agile or Lean when talking about fish tacos, burritos and soda-pop, but I had to get this off my chest.

Post-It Note T-Shirt Contest

The Idea

It seems like every time I deal with a customer, I have a backpack of painters tape, Sharpies, and Post-It notes.  When I was recently working with Pictofigo on the new Agile Process poster, I had an idea of a new product with original Pictofigo artwork.  I thought, why not have a contest where everyone could benefit from crowd-sourced ideas?

Just answer the simple question:

If you could WEAR a Post-It note, what would it say?

Post-It Note T-Shirt 1

The Post-It note will be on the left pocket and will be roughly 4x4 inches in size.  What would you want to appear on the post-it note?  Make it count! Size is very limited.

Post-It Note T-Shirt 2

The Post-It note will be on the center chest and will be roughly 10x10 inches in size.  What would you want to appear on the post-it note?  I really like this one.  Would you write the Agile Manifesto?  Would you want a team rule like "No cooking fish in the microwave"?  Would you just have a giant light bulb?  You tell us! Tell the world!

Contest Rules

1. Please list your ideas in the comments section.  You may enter as many times as you wish.
2. Please add a link to the contest in a post on your favorite social networking site (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn...)
3. Two winners will be chosen at the end of the month (March 2012).
4. Each winner will receive a free t-shirt (their choice of size) with their winning submission.
5. By submitting your ideas, you give us free license to reproduce it on a Post-It Note T-Shirt.

That's it!

Good Luck!

If you want to just buy an "Lightbulb" idea T-Shirt, I have them at CafePress.

Back from Vacation

Yes, I'm back from vacation.  I won't go into great detail.  I'll save that for future posts.  In short, I gathered up the family and took them to a resort in Florida.  I got an opportunity to meet some new people and make some new memories.  I even got to ride in a Space Shuttle simulator at NASA! It was kind of poetic.  As we arrived in Florida, the sun was setting.  When we left to return home, the sun was just rising.  I can honestly say, I will miss the people I worked with for the last few years.  But the services I provided for them are in the past.  If they ever want Agile coaching, Agile consulting, or Agile training, I have the resources to help them.

As the sun rose today and I returned to Washington DC, a whole new future was on its way.

Be on the lookout for posts like "Disney Pull System" or "A quote from Walt Disney" or "C3PO Timebox " or "A Disney Opportunity".

Drawing by Pictofigo

Smoke Detector Battery Replacement Process

smokedetector

Why am I writing about replacing smoke detector batteries?  It's all about process improvement. Every six months, we are tormented by our home smoke detectors chirping after we replace the batteries.  As a rule, we know we're supposed to replace smoke detector batteries at daylight savings time (twice a year). Also, if the smoke detectors start chirping or beeping off and on, we know it's time to change the batteries.  Six months ago, I decided I was going to put an end to the chirping once and for all.  I planned to document the battery replacement process and find out how to consistently replace the batteries with no chirping.  I created a decision table to help me get it all out on paper.  I then spent a few hours writing test procedures and testing the outcomes.  If you want to drive yourself a little crazy, listen to smoke detectors screaming in your ear for a few hours.  After all was said and done, I had a successful process documented.

You may ask yourself why I didn't check Yahoo Answers or eHow for the answer to my problem.  Well, I did and they sucked!

I searched on: Smoke Detector Battery Replacement Process, How to Change the Batteries in Your Smoke Detector Chirping Smoke Detectors Stop Chirping Smoke Detectors...

So, if the planets align and there is some poor sucker out there suffering from the same problem, I hope you find this post and it works for you.

Scenario:  We live in a three level home.  Each of the smoke detectors is wired into a single circuit and they all use 9volt batteries.  We are using standard First Alert smoke detectors.  In the past, if we replaced any or all batteries, the smoke detectors would chirp randomly.

How to avoid the annoying smoke detector beeping

1. Replace the battery and make sure the + and - are facing the correct direction.

2. One smoke detector at a time, replace the battery, connect the electrical plug, then push the test button.

3. Let the detector cycle through the screaming load test.

4. If there is more than one detector, move on to the next.

What was the problem?

The problem I was running into was the hush button.  The detector was so loud, I would push the hush button before it was allowed to run it's test cycle.  I included the action on my decision table and was able to isolate the problem there.

Just in case, in the event I forgot the process, I saved it in Evernote.  I just replaced all of the batteries and it worked perfectly.  I was so excited, I just had to blog about it.

Lead By Example

I usually roll my eyes when I see those bumper stickers "My child is an Honor Student at BlaBla School".  I get it.  This parent is proud of the academic achievements of their child.  So, forgive me as I'm going to jump on the bandwagon. I'm not excited that my son got an award at school, stating he passed an academic test that his teacher gave him.  I'm excited because I know he passed (what I believe is) a more important test.  My son got an award because he was an example of outstanding character and displayed the trait of kindness.

I sometimes think we as individuals and organizations have our visions and our missions missaligned.  Strategically (our vision) we have a long term goal.  Tactically (our mission) we have a short term plan.  One of my goals in life is to not screw up my son and help him become a good person.  I hope I can help ensure that by leading by example.

If he chooses to lead others someday, will those who follow him think he's really smart or are they going to say he inspires them; that he's empathetic and kind?

Regardless if you see yourself as project manager or a project leader, think about your core values.  Think about how your actions will impact those around you.  Lead by example and see just how contagious it can be.