September 2021 – Jimmie Butler: Strategy Consultant

Lego figure in pieces representing breaking problems down into first principles

You Shouldn’t Ask Users What They Want
Learn why building what your customers ask for is a recipe for failure

You are human-centered and customer-centric when it comes to managing your software products. You learned that requirements should come from listening to the customer and delivering what they want. Building relationships with your customers is the panacea of previously failed projects. “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” …

You Shouldn’t Ask Users What They Want

Learn why building what your customers ask for is a recipe for failure

A focused, myopic view through a lens keeps you from seeing the bigger picture.

A Myopic View of Your Work Leads to Strategic Failure
How value streams make you enterprise-aware and align software development to your strategic objectives

By Jimmie Butler

According to David Norton and Robert Kaplan, authors of The Balanced Scorecard, 90% of organizations fail to execute their strategies. There are many interrelated reasons for this failure rate — enough to write a book about. For a quick rundown, check out my blog on the topic. One common problem is a lack of strategic focus. Many …

A Myopic View of Your Work Leads to Strategic Failure

How value streams make you enterprise-aware and align software development to your strategic objectives

Has Anyone Ever Made You Mad? No, They Didn’t.
How I learned to be in control of how I feel, and more importantly, how I respond to people around me.

By Jimmie Butler

I was once asked, “Has anyone ever made you mad?” My response was a quick and easy, “Yes! People make me mad all the time.” My mind raced through various scenarios where people pissed me off. In traffic. Why can’t anyone drive? In conversation. Why can’t others understand things the way I do? In relationships. …

Has Anyone Ever Made You Mad? No, They Didn’t.

How I learned to be in control of how I feel, and more importantly, how I respond to people around me.

Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Poorly
Why you shouldn’t let the fear of not being ready stop you from pursuing what’s important

By Jimmie Butler

You know the adage, “if you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all.” I admit this perspective feels better than suggesting a thing worth doing is worth doing poorly. When would you ever want to do something poorly? I know I don’t. You’re a leader. People expect you to make quick, …

Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Poorly

Why you shouldn’t let the fear of not being ready stop you from pursuing what’s important

You Should Stop Measuring Cost Per Story Within Your Agile Teams
Measure the cost to impact outcomes instead

By Jimmie Butler

Your software development teams are focused on delivering value and a strong return on investment (ROI). You have to. Gone are the days where you receive a budget without the expectation to validate the investment. I see the daily struggle within information technology and software development organizations. You are under tremendous stress to prove your …

You Should Stop Measuring Cost Per Story Within Your Agile Teams