The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

Be Here Now - Mike CohnOne of my favorite books is one I’ve never completely read. It’s called Be Here Now. A friend’s older brother was reading it when I was 10. He let me page through his copy.The book caught my attention because it was square, an unusual shape for a book. Many of the pages inside the book were hand-lettered and illustrated.I next came across the book when I was a college freshman. I read part of it then but never finished it because it’s a guide to Hinduism for Westerners, which isn’t my thing.But the title of that book has always resonated with me: Be Here Now.I think the ability to be here now is something too many of us are losing. We can’t just be in the moment and in the place. Everyone has to be constantly on their mobile phones. We multitask between what we should be working on and whatever else catches our eye, meanwhile listening for the assorted dings demanding attention.(I admit to having paused once even while writing this to investigate the boing of a new email arriving. But I’ve so far withheld the temptation to look a second time.)I witness the inability to be here now while training or working with teams. Once, during an in-person class, I was unable to make eye contact with any participant. Each was banging away on a laptop.When they asked questions, they were like, “When does the sprint master help with the project backlog?”Am I any better, though? I love music and grew up listening to the three-minute rock songs of the era. I remember listening to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as a teen. It was OK (don’t judge me!) but I thought, “Who has time for a one-hour song?”Now I hit skip halfway through my favorites on Spotify.I worry about attention spans and the ability to focus. The inability to be here now must have an impact on innovation, productivity, and teamwork. I don’t have a solution.I don’t have ”three quick tips to be here now.” I merely want to request that we each try to be here now a bit more often, a bit longer, and a bit more intensely each day,How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

A Vision Should Be ActionableMost companies have a vision statement. Few have a vision that actually matters.Too often, a vision ends up as a vague slogan on a PowerPoint slide or painted on the office wall. Inspiring? Maybe. Useful? Rarely.But a real vision isn’t decoration. A real vision is a service.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

When to Synchronize SprintsSynchronizing sprints isn’t about control, it’s about rhythm.And knowing when to bring teams into sync is what separates “we’re delivering together” from “we’re just drowning together.”How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The Christmas Tree With One LightSnow fell in soft, quiet sheets over the small town of Willow Glen, covering rooftops and porches with a gentle white blanket. Every house on Maple Street shimmered with lights—blue, gold, red, and green—each one competing to outshine the next.Every house… except one.At the corner of the street stood Mrs. Alder’s home, dim and silent.No garland.No wreath.No warmth in the windows.Only a single, small Christmas tree sat by her front door—so simple, so worn, it looked like it belonged to a memory more than a season. And on that tree, barely hanging on, was one single working light.Children passing by would whisper,“Doesn’t she know it’s Christmas?”“Maybe she doesn’t have family anymore.”“Maybe she doesn’t care.”But young Daniel, age eleven, didn’t just wonder—he worried.He remembered Mrs. Alder from before her husband passed. She used to bake cookies for the neighborhood kids and tell stories from when she was a teacher. But lately, she barely opened her door.Something inside Daniel tugged at him each time he saw that lonely tree.Finally, on Christmas Eve afternoon, he took action.He went door to door and asked his neighbors for “just one extra ornament,” nothing more. Some gave ribbons, others tiny bells, others a spare string of lights. One neighbor gave a silver star that had belonged to her parents.By evening, Daniel had filled a grocery bag with bits of Christmas from the whole community.He trudged through the snow to Mrs. Alder’s home, heart thumping, and knocked.After a long pause, the door opened a crack.Her eyes softened when she saw him.“Daniel? Is everything alright?”He held out the bag.“We… um… we thought your tree could use a little help.”She looked puzzled. “My tree?”Daniel pointed to the tiny, drooping thing by her steps—the tree with only one faint light blinking like it was tired.Mrs. Alder blinked fast, and for a moment, Daniel thought she might close the door. Instead, she stepped outside into the cold, touched the tree gently, and whispered,“I bought this tree with my husband our very first Christmas. It’s the last decoration we had together… I couldn’t make myself replace it.”Daniel nodded. “You don’t have to replace it. But maybe… we could help it shine again?”Mrs. Alder looked into the bag—at the ornaments, the ribbons, the star—and her chin trembled. She whispered,“Let’s do it.”So they decorated the tree together.One neighbor, seeing them outside, stepped over and added a string of lights.Then another came with hot cocoa.Then another brought a blanket for Mrs. Alder’s shoulders.Soon the entire street—families who had barely spoken all year—gathered around that tiny tree, each adding something of their own.When they plugged in the final strand of lights, the tree glowed brighter than any other on Maple Street. Not because it was the biggest, or the newest, or the fanciest——but because every piece of it was given with love.Mrs. Alder wiped her tears and said softly,“Thank you for helping me remember what Christmas really means.”And from behind Daniel, someone said,“No… thank you for letting us be part of it.”That night, the tree with one single struggling light became the tree that lit the entire neighborhood.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

How I Turn Around a Struggling Scrum Team in 90 DaysPeople often assume you can “fix” a struggling Scrum team by tightening ceremonies, updating Jira / Azure Devops, or pushing velocity. It’s a nice idea, but it’s not real. Teams don’t turn around because you run cleaner standups. They turn around because the system around them becomes clearer, more aligned, and more stable.After coaching and leading delivery teams across banks, telcos, utilities, airports, insurers, and product companies, I’ve seen the same pattern repeat. A real turnaround takes time. Ninety days is the right horizon. Not because teams are slow, but because real change happens in stages.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Why Teams Matter More Than Ever for Innovation - Mike CohnA few years ago, I worked with a product team that was stuck.They were smart, experienced, and deeply committed to building something meaningful. But despite their talent, their work felt...flat. They were completing tasks, but they weren’t creating anything truly innovative. They weren’t challenging each other’s thinking. They weren’t imagining possibilities beyond the obvious ones.Then something shifted.During a planning meeting, someone asked a question that reframed the whole discussion: “What problem are we really trying to solve?”That question sparked a debate — a lively one — and within minutes, the room was buzzing with ideas none of them had considered before. They envisioned possibilities, challenged assumptions, pushed each other, and built on each other’s thinking. By the end of the meeting, they had the beginnings of a breakthrough.What changed?Not the people. Not the tools. Not the process.What changed was the team, acting like a team again — sharing purpose, curiosity, and creativity.And that’s when I was reminded of a simple truth:Real innovation happens when people think together.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The Secret Ingredient Every Agile Team NeedsI still remember the sprint retrospective that changed everything.One of our quietest developer, had been silent for three retrospectives straight.But this time, she raised her hand. “I think our deployment process is broken,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I have an idea to fix it.”The room went quiet.In my previous teams, this would have been the moment when someone senior would have shut down the conversation with a dismissive “We’ve always done it this way.”But not here. Not anymore.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

5 Agile Project Management Red Flags That Scream “You’re Doomed”🚩 Red Flag #1: Nobody Knows Who Owns What🚩 Red Flag #2: The Plan Lives in Someone’s Head🚩 Red Flag #3: Deadlines Keep Moving… And Nobody Knows Why🚩 Red Flag #4: Meetings = Group Therapy🚩 Red Flag #5: “We Don’t Have Time” for RisksHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Light The World - Giving Machines🌟 The Red Tag That Changed EverythingA Short Story Inspired by the “Light the World” Giving MachinesEmily had passed the red Giving Machine twice already that afternoon.Once on her way into the mall for Christmas shopping, once again as she hurried out with bags on both arms. People were gathered around it—smiling, taking turns, scanning cards. It looked like a vending machine, but instead of candy or soda, pictures of goats, clean water kits, school supplies, and warm blankets flashed across the screen.She wanted to stop.She also wanted to pretend she didn’t see it.Money was tight this year.She had three kids at home, a car that always needed something, and a December calendar full of expenses. “Maybe next year,” she whispered to herself.But right as she passed for the third time, she felt a tug at her coat sleeve.“Mom,” her son Noah said, breathless, “can we look? Just look?”She hesitated—but something in his face softened her worry. They walked slowly up to the Giving Machine together.Noah’s eyes grew wide.“Mom! You can buy a chicken for someone! Or shoes! Or medicine! Or… a whole WATER well?!” His voice was full of amazement, the kind that only eight-year-olds can summon.He pointed to a $5 option—a hygiene kit.“Someone could really use that, right?”She nodded. Someone could.Noah dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled handful of coins and dollar bills. His allowance from the week.“Can I give mine? I want someone to feel good today.”In that moment, something inside Emily melted.She could give. Maybe not a well. Maybe not livestock. But she could give with her son.Together, they tapped the screen.A small card printed at the bottom: “1 Hygiene Kit – Donated.”As the card slid into the tray, Noah held it like a treasure.“Mom,” he whispered, “We actually helped someone.”Emily swallowed hard.The mall suddenly felt brighter, the world warmer—not because she’d spent money, but because she’d witnessed her child discover the joy of giving.They walked out hand-in-hand, bags swinging, hearts full.That night, before bed, Noah taped the little red donation card to his bedroom door. Beneath it he wrote in shaky letters:“Next year: a chicken.”How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Definition of Done - More Than Just a ChecklistAfter one too many release debates (and a few emotional retros), I realized the problem wasn’t our process — it was our definition.“Done” meant 10 different things to 10 different people.Developers meant “code merged”.QA meant “tests passed”.Product meant “feature shipped”.Ops meant “logs don’t scream”.So I built a checklist — not to create bureaucracy, but to create peace.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/