management

Firefighters putting out an uncontrolled blaze in a building

Containing and Eliminating Business Fires:
Unexpected catastrophes kill companies

Startups are motivated by youthful energy, fueled by adrenaline, and supplemented by caffeine. The frenetic pace of a startup cannot be sustained forever.  If a company remains a startup too long, it will either burn through its cash or the original team will become too long in the tooth to muster the same enthusiasm that powered its early victories. Or both.  Companies that successfully navigate the transition from a startup… Read More »Containing and Eliminating Business Fires:
Unexpected catastrophes kill companies

Two surfers in the water

Burger Shack and the Beach Bum Burger Moguls:
A case study in how growth stresses an organization

Suppose two beach-bum friends start up a burger stand at the beach. They share a vision of high-quality burgers at a fair price. They also want a lifestyle that enables them to surf every morning and make enough money to afford their rent.  They set up a grill in a little hut with a window where they serve lunch to customers. When the friends begin, they offer hamburgers, cheeseburgers, lettuce,… Read More »Burger Shack and the Beach Bum Burger Moguls:
A case study in how growth stresses an organization

A muddy rugby scrum

Agile’s Dirtiest Secret:
Working before getting answers causes chaos

Ask almost any technical team nowadays, and they’ll claim they’re using some flavor of Agile practices instead of the debunked Waterfall method.  Teams using Scrum may engage in story point poker-playing, a method of estimating the level of effort of stories. Or they may relinquish their chairs for daily standup meetings. The corniness of Scrum aside, there’s no arguing that the Agile Manifesto is rock solid.  Still, the technical landscape… Read More »Agile’s Dirtiest Secret:
Working before getting answers causes chaos