Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has.

Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead

Margaret didn't know it at the time but she was a huge advocate for Scrum!

We do not always know what we want deep down

Malcolm Gladwell is well known for his book the Tipping Point (which is a must read btw). Here's a TED talk that he spoke at on the subject of happiness.

Great quote:

"We do not always know what we want deep down." - Gladwell

Why is it the best quote? Because it's true! I can tell you that from conducting many formal and informal market research groups that consumers aren't a wealth of great ideas. However, this is not to say that such research is not useful. It's important to try new things. Experimentation breeds new products.

In his talk, Gladwell presses that diversity is important in product creation.

"...in embracing the diversity of human beings, we will find a sure way to true happiness." - Gladwell

Have a look for yourself. It's a fun watch :)

Met Jeff Sutherland

I got the chance to sit down with Dr. Jeff Sutherland last week. What an honor! It was at an event put on by Digital LA.

At the event, Jeff went over the basics of Scrum and some general insights.

Among his many pearls of wisdom - I enjoyed that he reminded us of the MIT slogan "Demo or Die". It's so important to show progress. Although apparently MIT changed that mantra to imagine and realise in the 90s.

It was perfect timing, as I gave my first lecture on Scrum that very weekend.

My lecture btw, went off without a hitch. I entitled it Scrum 101. Here's a look at the syllabus:

- A brief history of Scrum and its significance

- A functional understanding of the framework

- Basic instruction on implementing Scrum in your next small team project

I was able to cover my material in an hour and 15 minutes. However, I think I'll plan on a two hour timebox in the future. After the material was covered, we had a Q&A session that lasted for an additional hour.