Notes from the work.

When something isn’t working, organizations often focus on the behavior they can see: Work slipped again and the team didn’t deliver what they said they would. Leadership concludes that the team needs to be more accountable. Somet…

There is a tendency when something goes wrong in an organization to look for the thing that failed. The team missed the commitment. A decision took too long. Priorities changed again. Customers didn’t get what they needed. People …

For years, we’ve worked to help government technology teams deliver faster. We have shorter release cycles, smaller batches, less work in progress, and faster feedback. I spent a good portion of my career helping teams make this h…

In my last article , I suggested that before teams build something, they should write the story. What problem are we trying to solve? What evidence tells us the problem is real? What do we believe will improve? Why do we think thi…

I’ve sat through countless meetings where people debated requirements. The conversations were thoughtful, the participants were engaged, everyone wanted to build the right thing, but there was just one problem — no one had clearly…

In many organizations, the next priority isn’t determined by evidence . It’s determined by influence—the loudest voice in the room, the highest-ranking leader, the most persuasive presentation, or the stakeholder with the stronges…

One of the first questions I ask when I begin working with a team is surprisingly simple. "What problem are you trying to solve?" You’d think that question would have an immediate answer. It usually doesn’t. Because most organizat…

A leader says: “We need a dashboard.” A stakeholder asks for another approval step. A customer requests a new feature. An executive wants artificial intelligence added to the application. Those requests usually arrive with confide…

One of the most common leadership patterns I see sounds helpful on the surface. A leader tells the team: “Here’s exactly what I need you to build.” The intent is usually good. Leaders want to remove ambiguity. They want to help. T…

At CAIP, new applications would continue arriving tomorrow, next month, and next year. Applicants would continue navigating the process. Staff would continue processing submissions. Policies would evolve. User expectations would c…

Organizations often say they want teams to own outcomes. They want teams to improve user experiences. They want faster delivery. They want better mission results. They want teams to take initiative, solve problems, and continuousl…

Being agile is all about how well you can pivot and change direction, right? If your team can stop what it’s doing and immediately pivot to support that new urgent policy mandate, it’s the epitome of agile success. You are the perfect examp