Tom PerrySep 29, 20202 minThe Biological Roots of InnovationI've been researching how innovation works within teams and I came across an interesting passage in Michael Michalko's book, Cracking...
Tom PerryAug 22, 20208 minServing the Development Team"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." - Sun...
Tom PerryJul 27, 20203 minWhere is Your Idea Bucket?I used to carry a small stack of notecards in the breast pocket of my button-down shirts. I wanted to have something to jot down quick...
Tom PerryJul 20, 20204 minWe Need IdeasLike many, I've spent a lot of time at home recently with the kids. One of the things that I worry about as a parent is whether or not...
Tom PerryJun 10, 20202 min5 Pandemic Lessons for a Small BusinessThe Pandemic and recent unrest have taught me a few important lessons: My business was nowhere near robust enough. As a consultant, I...
Tom PerryJun 1, 20204 minMulti-Dimensional DisruptionWe definitely live in interesting times. As a consultant, I've long been familiar with the notion of business and product disruption....
Tom PerryMay 11, 20203 minThe Bake Sale ManifestoI remember the first time that I was laid off. I was absolutely devastated. I was part of a small startup and we had launched an...
Tom PerryMay 5, 20203 minThe We're Great - You Suck - PhenomenonI recently read Stanley McChrystal's Team of Teams. As business books go it is a very thorough analysis of the evolution of highly...
Tom PerryApr 27, 20202 minSometimes Change Isn't Easy...Until It's Not an OptionWith the advent of the global pandemic, our society has had to adapt to massive change. The shelter in place orders have forced many of...
Tom PerryApr 20, 20202 minValue Streams vs. NetworksI'm a big fan of value streams. I like the idea of being able to map out the process from concept to cash. Intuitively it appeals to my...
Tom PerryApr 13, 20205 minBlank Page PrioritizationI've had a lot of time to reflect lately on what happens to small businesses like mine when the economy takes a dive. The first thing...
Tom PerryApr 10, 20203 minA Chance to Build Something GreatI've been doing research on companies for a while and what I've found is rather discouraging. Lots of unhappy employees who don't feel...
Tom PerryApr 9, 20202 minThe Post-it Note is DeadJust for fun, I’m going to keep some of my post-it notes in a box to show to my grand-kids, “Back in my day, we used to use these things to
Tom PerryNov 25, 20197 minDifferent Roots, Same TreeRecently, at conferences, in social media, and even informal gatherings, I’ve heard statements along the lines of “[X] scaling approach...
Tom PerryAug 22, 20191 minThings I Love about Agile Management NorthwestMaybe it’s all the sticky notes and the heady odor of sharpies… The People – We attract an incredibly diverse audience. I’m not really...
Tom PerryAug 21, 20191 minMix-in ConstraintsI just got done introducing another group to the the idea of agile mix-ins. The conversation was a lot of fun. There were a few takeaways...
Tom PerryJul 29, 20192 minRisk and ComplianceWhat if you were asked to put risk into some sort of framework in a scaled agile system? How would that work? Well, in many cases, you...
Tom PerryJun 13, 20192 minWhere Do You Keep Your Risks?I’ve got a question: Where do you keep your risks? If you’re doing a project of any significance you have risks, right? That just comes...
Tom PerryMay 27, 20192 minBuilding Up and Tearing DownRecently I put on a public Leading SAFe training. This wasn’t your typical training, however. In collaboration with Ron Quartel, we...
Tom PerryMay 9, 20192 minWhy Mixins?“Some say that I should settle down, go slower and not push so hard, so quickly for such transformational change. To them, I say that you...