Announcement – Lean Agile Guru

Jun

08

2023

Woodstock Summer of ‘69

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

I heard of Woodstock when I was a young kid growing up… heard the songs, read about the happenings of Woodstock, summer of 1969… and I was mesmerized … what an event, I thought … I wished I was there when it happened… July 2022 … at last … for the first time… my wife and I stepped on ‘Woodstock 3 Days of Music Festival’ … at Max Yasgur’s farm, Bethel, New York! We heard that this festival nearly did not take place. Woodstock — the place — was projected to be small based on the unforeseen demand. Wallkill —…

Jun

07

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Do Something

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

“Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t, do something else.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt July 16, 2022, my family and I visited the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) house and museum located at Hyde Park, New York. It was amazing to see all of FDR’s initiatives … like the Social Security Act. And many more! He did it to serve the people. You do the same: serve your customers. Be a blessing to someone, today! Be like FDR! Do something. If it is not working, try something else. If you know the outcome you want, you…

Jun

06

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Creativity

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

3D City (NYC) — not a painting Mounted on a ceiling! Inside the Moynihan Train Station in New York City. What a creativity, I thought when I saw it for the first time in person back in summer of 2022. I saw it before on a magazine: model city of NYC mounted upside-down on the ceiling! Creativity is a necessary — very vital ! — ingredient in the Lean Agile Software Factory. The mentality of ‘Just tell me what to do and how to do it … and I will do it!’ does not cut it… you must bring your…

Jun

05

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Silver Lining

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Optimism In every challenge, there is an opportunity… if you look for it. Do not run away from challenges, go after them… prize (opportunity) is inside… look for it. In every cloud, there is a silver lining. There are many other ideas like this — short but sweet ideas — are found in over 60 topics in my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is like …’ … available on Amazon… it has reached ‘# 1 New Release’ several times! Check it out.

Jun

04

2023

By Clarence Galapon

One-Time-Offer (OTO) — Worldwide!!!

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Greetings! I just want to let you know about this great, world-wide, opportunity for you and your colleagues. I made two of my SAFe classes to have One-Time-Offer (OTO) attached to each: Great Price, Great Gift, Great Value! These select classes with attached OTO -- and both are guaranteed to run -- are below: One-Time Offer (OTO) SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) 6.0 -- Jul 1-2, 2023. Click here for more information and registration. One-Time Offer (OTO) SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) 6.0 -- Jul 15-16, 2023. Click here for more information and registration. You may also use ScaledAgile.com's Training Calendar (yes, all my classes - including the two…

Jun

03

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Routine

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Routine to Charlotte Ballet Routine — regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure — needs to be examined from time to time; a routine might need to be made fresh — made varied — from time to time. Your Team Sync routine might be dull … getting stale … freshen it up! Likewise for your ART Sync, Po Sync and Coach Sync. Likewise for your Retrospectives. Do something different that no one else is doing! This could positively impact your esprit de corps. Save your team from boredom. Do this now! There are many other ideas — short but sweet…

Jun

02

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Free Download!

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Free download! Download a sample of ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ in just three easy and small steps! 1) Go to ‘Products’ menu item at LeanAgileGuru.com; see link below — will take you to the ‘Products’ menu item directly. Link: https://leanagileguru.com/products-2/ 2) Fill up the form 3) Click the ‘Download…’ button That’s it… simple, huh? Get a taste of the book… now… and enjoy!

Jun

01

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Purple Cow

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

We do not have this in North Carolina… 3D Billboard … a Purple Cow… for us folks in North Carolina; not for folks in Bonifacio Global City (BGC … where this photo was shot) and folks in NYC ! Lexus Minivan ! I have not seen this in the USA … a purple cow for us in the USA… but not in BGC, Philippines ! To me, these are purple cows … worth remarking about. Make your product a purple cow! Put your heart, head and hands to it; passion, creativity, skills! Make it worth remarking about! My new…

May

31

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Spring Time

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Spring follows Winter… Opportunity follows Difficulty…like … complaints! Where there are ‘complaints’… therein you’ll find opportunities… Opportunity to improve… to give… to be more empathetic… to connect deeper… Spring brings such optimism and breath of fresh air… specially when coming off from a deep winter … winter of discontent… You want more sources of optimism? Grab my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’.

May

30

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Elegant and Timeless

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

These cars are elegant and timeless… unaffected and unchanged by time. Ageless. Just like these cars, Lean — born after World War II — is elegant and timeless. It is beautiful as it is … and sometimes better together with something else … like Agile… or UX… Lean is my passion… and Agile … and UX… Do not be stuck in Agile! Be Lean as well. In my new book, just like SAFe 6.0, I put Lean on center stage… taking 100 pages of my book out of 510 pages! There are many other ideas including Lean, Agile and UX…

May

29

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Everything Starts with an Idea

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

This picture you are seeing is called Bonifacio Global City (BGC). It was not here when I was a young lad… it used to be called Fort Bonifacio — where the Philippine Military personnel and their families were… On December 2022, I visited BGC… and I thought BGC looks like NYC (in some ways … i.e., lots of buildings, a sense of a progressive city, lots of finer things in life, and more!!!). What a progress, I thought… I saw BGC when it was starting … people were talking about how great it will be … It all started with…

May

28

2023

By Clarence Galapon

See it in various levels

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Close-up shot… Mid shot… Wide shot… Interesting, huh? Same ‘Sandwich’ — when seen from various levels — got different contexts… and points of interest… and what’s talked about is different vis-a-vis other levels … but, it is about the same ‘sandwich’!!! Close-up: mustard, ketchup, tasty bun, served sky high Mid: … in One Vanderbilt facing the Empire State building Wide: … and the Hudson River … The same is true in SAFe… Portfolio Level (Wide shot), ART Level (mid shot), Team Level (close-up shot) are the various levels wherein a single Big , Hairy, and Audacious Idea (BHAI) could be…

May

27

2023

By Clarence Galapon

One-Time-Offer – Worldwide!!!

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…, Uncategorized

Greetings! I just want to let you know about this great, world-wide, opportunity for you and your colleagues. I made two of my SAFe classes to have One-Time-Offer (OTO) attached to each: Great Price, Great Gift, Great Value! These select classes with attached OTO -- and both are guaranteed to run -- are below: One-Time Offer (OTO) SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) 6.0 -- Jul 1-2, 2023. Click here for more information and registration. One-Time Offer (OTO) SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) 6.0 -- Jul 15-16, 2023. Click here for more information and registration. You may also use ScaledAgile.com's Training Calendar (yes, all my classes - including the two…

May

26

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Purple Cow

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

This restroom in New York City is a ‘Purple Cow’ — something unique and worth remarking about. SAFe 6.0 is a purple cow — it is worth remarking about … Lean taking center stage in SAFe 6.0 alone is worth remarking about; and I did write about it (among 60+ other things) in my new book… My new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ is unique … it shows SAFe from a different perspective plus more! It is a purple cow … worth remarking about. It also reached ‘#1 New Release’, on Amazon, several times! There are also lots of…

May

25

2023

By Clarence Galapon

SAFe (6.0) Is Like … Reached #1 New Release Several Times!

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

My new book -- "SAFe (6.0) Is Like ..." -- has reached #1 New Release Several Times on Amazon! I authored this book to help narrow down the gap between knowing and understanding SAFe. Steve Jobs called the Computer, “The Bicycle of the Mind”. I call this Book, “The Bicycle of Understanding SAFe and Our Mind”. It has four formats -- all available on Amazon -- -- for you to choose from, according to your reading pleasure. To purchase, please click the "Buy the Book..." button (will take you to Amazon.com) Reached #1 New Release several times! …

May

24

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Chunking is an Art

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Give the same big idea to two different groups and see their results … of them chunking down that big idea into smaller pieces … results would be different. Why? Chunking is an art! Picasso would draw a city — same city — differently than any other artist would. The same is true in SAFe: we would chunk down a big, hairy, and audacious idea (BHAI) differently than any other teams would… albeit same BHAI! Chunking is an art! And it must and should be! The art of Chunking and many other ideas — short but sweet ideas — are…

May

23

2023

By Clarence Galapon

If you do not sow, you do not reap

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

You cannot expect something for nothing… you have to do something. When you plant something, you take good care of it and help it reach its full potential (yield produce). The same is true in the ‘Lean Agile Software Factory’: we produce things of value … from a seed of an idea… but we craft it — craftsmanship is paramount — collectively with enthusiasm (done with love and purpose), with creativity and collaboration. Use a ‘Success Pattern’ that you and your teammates can use repeatedly for any problem domain. From ideation to realization of value in the hands of the…

May

22

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Balance Emergent and Intentional Design

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

The artist, Laura Kishimoto, of this Yumi Chair II is a consummate artist and creator. Consummate in the sense of achieving a balance between what a material can do and what she can do without neither the material nor her being overly controlling. She does not control too much the material and she does not allow the material to control her too much … this dynamic, between her and her material, allows the birth of an art that is not contrived… it is beautiful, unique, and designed intentionally yet discovered design elements were allowed to emerge and became part of…

May

21

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Backlog Refinement Workshop Tool

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Sometimes, we see things from our own perspective… and as a result we see things in a myopic way. Even worse, we stop wondering … we stop asking … ‘what if…’ We are too close to the ‘elephant’! We need to stand back farther to see the ‘elephant’ … see the whole thing! We need to see how others see it. Apply Divergent Thinking … and Emergent Thinking! We sometimes need to frame or re-frame things … see what emerges… These two tools — Divergent and Emergent Thinking — are indispensable for backlog refinement workshop … And when we chunk…

May

20

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Ripple Effect

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

May 17 … at the Mint Museum. This is an awesome art … you have to see it in person — it is huge and the details are amazing! A pebble dropped on a still water causes ripple effect. As we go through a transformation, from where we are today … to the Lean Agile way of working, such ripple effect takes a long time… to cascade … to realize its intended outcome. The decision to transform happens in an instant … but to get to where we want to be will take a journey … several journeys … lots…

May

19

2023

By Clarence Galapon

SAFe (6.0) Is Like … #1 New Release, again! #3 Best Sellers Rank!

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

On May 18th … # 1 New Release, again!!! And #3 Best Sellers Rank! Read more about the book, "SAFe (6.0) Is Like …" … click here… Thank you for your support; I am very grateful.

May

18

2023

By Clarence Galapon

You Cannot Manage What You Cannot Measure

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

You cannot manage what you cannot measure … in my case, I can manage my car’s speed … the heads-up display was a big help .. it showed how fast I was driving. Note: I did not say the cliche: ‘You cannot improve what you cannot measure’. I intentionally said the word ‘Manage’ not ‘Improve’. Sometimes, all that is needed is the ability to manage… and challenge (do not maintain) the status quo, survive and thrive.

May

17

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Better Together

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Tuesday, May 16… I tried something new to me: Waffle House’s Classic waffle and Starbucks coffee! I thought these two were better together … and I was right after the taste test! Likewise in SAFe. Lean and Agile are better together in SAFe! Lean has been a backdrop in SAFe … … until SAFe 6.0 , Lean took center stage! And SAFe never looked better with SAFe 6.0! Lean and Agile … are better together. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’, Lean takes center stage as well … just like in my earlier book, ‘SAFe Is Like…

May

16

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Great News! SAFe (6.0) Is Like … Has Reached #1 !

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

My new book — ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’ — released this month of May on Amazon, has reached #1 in ‘New Release’ in Engineering and Project Management! And … #4 in Best Sellers Rank! A big ‘Thank You!‘ to all who bought this book!!! You made this great news to happen! And thank you in advance to all buyers of this book in the future! This book is on Amazon … click here for more ..,

May

16

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Taste Before You Buy

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

My son and I had a wine tasting experience at the Biltmore Estate on Mother’s Day, 2023. It’s a good thing to have a taste first … the outcome of which determines if we will buy or not… … and we did buy some! That ‘Taste First Before You Buy’ approach is similar to what we do in our Lean Agile Factory, right? When we have an idea… with a great beneficial hypothesis … we build something small to prove the hypothesis; if all good, then we continue, otherwise we pivot or stop building. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0)…

May

15

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Fractals

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Nature reveals perfect fractals. Take, for example, a rose flower. A rose flower’s petals reveal recursive patterns, the smaller parts mirroring the larger parts and vice-versa … one petal is a fractal smaller or larger scale of the other. Fractals are everywhere in SAFe. Take the ART, for example. The ART is a larger fractal scale of the Agile Team. Both are self-organizing and self-managing entities but in different scales. Another example: the RTE role is a larger fractal scale of the SAFe Scrum Master Role. And many more! Try to find these. Once you know one thing, its larger…

May

14

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Happy Mother’s Day!

Announcement, Mother's Day

May

14

2023

By Clarence Galapon

SAFe Is Like Chess

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

To Bobby Fischer, chess is life… not ‘like life’. The rest or most of us, chess is like life… including Emanuel Lasker — a former world chess champion. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like …’, there is a topic titled ‘SAFe is like chess‘. Chess has three stages: 1) Opening, 2) Middle Game, 3) End Game … and the denouement (which can happen at anytime — decoupled from the three): checkmate, resignation, or draw. SAFe has similar three: 1) Hypothesis (of an idea) , 2) Build it with quality , 3) Delivery of value (Time to market) ……

May

13

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Your Mind Can Only Have One …

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…

Your mind can only have one occupier at a time. Therefore, choose wisely as what is occupying it. From a mindset perspective, the mind can only have one mindset at a time. Therefore, choose wisely as to what mindset to use in a given situation. For example: Waterfall mindset versus Lean-Agile mindset: ‘Boil the whole ocean — maximalist mentality; Plan-Driven’ versus ‘small things at a time — minimalist mentality; Value-Driven’. In my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is Like…’ , I covered these two mindsets (Plan-Driven versus Value-Driven). What happens when the same stimuli hits our brain when we have Waterfall…

May

12

2023

By Clarence Galapon

Release on Demand

Announcement, New Book, SAFe 6.0, SAFe Is Like…, Uncategorized

Release when it makes sense… to the marketplace. Otherwise, something not cool will happen … just like this traffic jam … occurred May 10, 2023 around 8:30 pm ET… just under a mile from our place. Someone decided to do roadwork during rush hour! The ‘demand’ for such roadwork was not during that time! Hence the heavy traffic due to wrong timing. In SAFe, timing of your release to the marketplace must consider market rhythm and market events… to avoid negative outcome … like that May 10 traffic. So … consider market rhythms and market events aa you plan your…