Inspiration

changing nature of change

The Changing Nature of Change

By Emma Sharrock / March 10, 2021 / Comments Off on The Changing Nature of Change

Life is about continuous change – we totally know this. However, never before have we experienced the rate and type of change that we are experiencing now. It’s faster, it’s more unpredictable, and it has a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it. While we try and stay on top, it…

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The Agile PM Past Year Review

2020 Past Year Review

By Emma Sharrock / December 17, 2020 / Comments Off on 2020 Past Year Review

We have all had challenging years in the past. It may have been because of work, a relationship, a personal challenge or grief. But what was different about those challenging years was that although we found support from friends and family, our challenges were still our own. What makes this year different is the collective…

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time to grow, agile

Time to Grow

By Emma Sharrock / December 19, 2019 / Comments Off on Time to Grow

Have you ever felt stuck? Restless? Listless? Lazy? Or had trouble finding joy in activities that have brought joy to you in the past? Just me? I didn’t think so… These feelings are normal and could be for a number of reasons – change of season, change of life, change of job. But it is…

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PMI Award Agile Team

Learning from Winning

By Emma Sharrock / October 15, 2019 / Comments Off on Learning from Winning

I truly believe that we never stop learning. And we can learn in the most unexpected situations, like a chance encounter with a long-lost friend. Or in a more expected situation, like a classroom. Often it’s a humbling experience, as many learnings come from failures – from experiments that didn’t go the way we thought…

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Agile; Strengths

Agile: Start with Talent, Finish with Strengths

By Emma Sharrock / June 26, 2019 / Comments Off on Agile: Start with Talent, Finish with Strengths

Recently I was certified as a Gallup Strengths Coach. This was especially exciting, as for years I had loved the concept of strengths; but even though I am an accredited coach, I was very much an ‘enthusiastic amateur’ when it came to strengths. My love of learning encouraged me to learn more, and passion for…

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Agile; Backlog; Time Management

What is on your NOT to do list?

By Emma Sharrock / January 30, 2019 / Comments Off on What is on your NOT to do list?

2019 is off and racing. And so too are all our good intentions for the new year. Gyms are full of people working out, self control post Christmas is at an all-time high. No doubt you have come up with your 2019 plan; things to do, things to learn, people to meet… but are you…

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Finishing Flag for Successful Outcome

The 6 Attributes of a Successful Outcome

By Emma Sharrock / June 21, 2018 / Comments Off on The 6 Attributes of a Successful Outcome

When we work in an Agile way, it’s crucial to clearly define a successful outcome for every project. A clearly defined outcome means that each of the millions of daily project micro-decisions will be made through that lens, both consciously and unconsciously. With a clearly defined outcome, some of the iterative deliverables or results might…

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The Agile SpaceX Falcon Heavy Test Flight

By Emma Sharrock / February 7, 2018 / Comments Off on The Agile SpaceX Falcon Heavy Test Flight

As an Agile enthusiast, I can’t help but be excited about the SpaceX launch today. This is why (WARNING: contains spoilers – watch the webcast first! http://www.spacex.com/webcast): It was iterative. This is not the final thing. We’re not launching humans to Mars yet. This is a great example of sharing work early to get feedback…

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Why Agile? Why Now?

By Emma Sharrock / February 2, 2018 / Comments Off on Why Agile? Why Now?

A common question I get when I work with people new to Agile as a way of working is ‘Why Agile?’ A question that I love – because we should always be asking Why rather than What or How – especially at the start of something new or unfamiliar. This question is often followed up with ‘Why now?’ Another…

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Delivering Early and Often

By Emma Sharrock / April 9, 2017 / Comments Off on Delivering Early and Often

April of #MyAgileYear is about delivering early and often, in small slices. The principle states:  Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. April is a lovely time of the year. Summer has finished in Australia after a longer period of warmth that extended well into March, and the…

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How Motivated Are You?

By Emma Sharrock / December 3, 2016 / Comments Off on How Motivated Are You?

One of the Agile principles is to build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. If you are working in an Agile environment, have a look at your teams. Do you sense what one of my fellow Agile experts describes as “the…

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Agile

Sprinting to Fitness – Get Fit with Agile

By Emma Sharrock / September 1, 2016 / Comments Off on Sprinting to Fitness – Get Fit with Agile

Happy first day of Spring! Now is the time people emerge from their winter hibernation and get active. For me, it’s running, and a few weeks ago I tore a ligament in my ankle (while running). So I’m taking some rest, So I’m taking some rest, doing some yoga, and learning a bit about moderation,…

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control influence your environment

Control of your Environment

By Emma Sharrock / July 26, 2016 / Comments Off on Control of your Environment

A while ago I wrote a post about the power of your environment – who and what you surround yourself determines your results. One of the things I love about learning then writing about it is when I find evidence to back up something I have previously written about. And, even better, I find something…

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getting stuff done agile style

Getting Stuff Done

By Emma Sharrock / July 26, 2016 / Comments Off on Getting Stuff Done

I have received lots of lovely comments about my latest blog post – thank you! It’s weird, for a while I seemed to lose my “blogging mojo”, if there is such a thing. Every time I sat down to write, nothing came out. Well, very little. I never seemed to feel like writing. Admittedly, I…

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public speaking

Public Speaking Simplified

By Emma Sharrock / July 26, 2016 / Comments Off on Public Speaking Simplified

Long term followers of this blog (thank you!), will already know I am passionate about helping people communicate. In fact, I wrote a piece about it some time ago – you can find it here. I find there are a lot of people teaching communication and public speaking skills, and all of them have some…

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get uncomfortable

Be Comfortable with being Uncomfortable

By Emma Sharrock / July 26, 2016 / Comments Off on Be Comfortable with being Uncomfortable

The other day I was in a cycle class when the instructor said “I know this feels hard now. It feels uncomfortable. What you need to do is get comfortable with being uncomfortable!” My eyes were bleary with sweat, and my legs were shaking, so I didn’t immediately ponder on the metaphor of life our…

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