Today, software organizations are transforming the way work gets done through practices like Agile, Lean, and DevOps. But as commonly implemented as these methods are, many transformations still fail, largely because the organization misses a critical step: culture and how people communicate. Agile Conversations brings an updated, practical, step-by-step guide to using the power of conversation to build effective, high-performing teams to achieve truly Agile results. To advance your organizations transformation, learn how to have productive conversations that overcome cognitive bias and fear. Consultants Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick show readers how to utilize the Five Conversations to help teams build trust, alleviate fear, answer the "whys," define commitments, and hold everyone accountable. These five conversations give teams everything they need to reach peak performance, and they are exactly whats missing from too many teams today. Stop focusing just on processes and practices that leave your organization stuck with culture-less rituals. Instead, unleash the unique human power of conversation.
Douglas Squirrel has been coding for 40 years and has led software teams for 15 of them. He is an executive coach and consulting CTO in London, making use of his extensive experience growing teams and advising startup founders and senior managers. His previous roles included founding CTO at TIM Group and VP Engineering at e-commerce startup Secretsales. He has consulted with a wide variety of London startups including Geckoboard, Lostmy.name, DueDil, Kano, and MarketInvoice. Jeffrey Fredrick is an internationally recognized expert in software development and has over 25 years experience covering both sides of the business/technology divide. An early adopter of XP and Agile practices, Jeffrey has been a conference speaker in the US, Europe, India and Japan. Through his work on the pioneering open-source project CruiseControl, and through his role as co-organizer of the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference (CITCON), he has had a global impact on software development. Jeffreys Silicon Valley experience includes roles as Vice President of Product Management, Vice President of Engineering, and Chief Evangelist. He has also worked as an independent consultant on topics including corporate strategy, product management, marketing, and interaction design. Jeffrey is currently Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product & Marketing in London at TIM, an Acuris Company. He also runs the London Organisational Learning Meetup and is a CTO mentor through CTO Craft.
Agile Conversations is a must-read for anyone willing to bring [their] organization to a higher level. Improved conversations allow for curiosity and transparency, which enables collaboration and learning, which in turn brings the right culture for high performance. Jeffrey and Squirrel take you on this fantastic journey of improving the conversations you have on a daily basis, both inside and outside the organization.--Thierry de Pauw, Continuous Delivery Consultant
Agile Conversations provides much needed guidance on how to have the key discussions that form the foundation for strong and resilient working relationships, as well as a toolbox full of techniques for troubleshooting when conversations go awry. Full of practical, real-world examples, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever been frustrated or puzzled by interactions at work.--Elizabeth Hendrickson, Technology Executive and Author of Explore It!
Conversation is a skill that we learn before were consciously aware of what learning is. As a result, we may assume that were competent at communicating based on successful outcomes. Squirrel and Fredericks book outlines actionable ways that we can measure our competence and improve our skill. This is a must-read for any manager, and beneficial for everyone working in a software environment.--Andy Palmer, RiverGlide Co-Founder, Consultant CTO
For people from the technical walk of life, soft skills can sometimes be frustratingly ephemeral. The practical exercises in this book give a solid base to explore the development of empathy and understanding as a concrete work and life skill.--Wouter Lagerweij, Agile/Continuous Delivery Coach, tide.co
I have come to the determination that the first and foremost rule in successfully transforming a group of people of any ilk--corporation or social group--is by helping the individuals each see and understand the change as it pertains to them and help them align with the reasons for the change. Both of these aspects are more easily said than done. Agile Conversations is an indispensable tool to help parties make and accept change. Think of it as your new change management textbook for change big (Kotter sized) or small (a single process within a value stream).--Matt Gelbawks, Agile Transformation Leader
