Author Archives: Ken Judy

About Ken Judy

I am an executive leader, software developer, father and husband trying to do more good than harm. I am an agile practitioner. I say this fully aware I say nothing. Sold as a tool to solve problems, agile is more a set of principles that encourage us to confront problems. Broad adoption of the jargon has not resulted in wide embrace of these principles. I strive to create material and human good by respecting co-workers, telling truth to employers, improving my skills, and caring for the people affected by the software I help build.

I’m a Sideways Agilist

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I’ve posted about why I need to encourage agile practices outside my department.

Fiddler Crab by denn

If Scrum is isolated within one team, its very success can be used to counter further adoption. “Agile works for you but what we do is different. You do X we do Y.”

This resistance is a direct result of what Andy Hargreaves calls balkanization — groups insulated from each other, with hard boundaries, loyalties and a political complexion.

Creating a culture where groups work together to improve the organization is core to lean and agile. So the best ways to counter balkanization are the very principles under challenge.

I’m tackling this top-down by lobbying senior executives to bring in an agile/lean coach, bottom-up by removing impediments for my team, and, perhaps most significantly, sideways by initiating a Scrum in another department.

I have tentative approval from another department’s senior managers. Now, I have to meet with line managers and identify a backlog of work. Then solicit volunteers for a team.

I’ve taken Ken Schwaber‘s words to heart and asked them to Scrum their hardest challenge or the work they think least suited to agile.

So many things can go wrong. Of course, nothing that isn’t already going wrong. That’s the point.

Scrum will highlight those problems and make solving them obvious and necessary if no easier.

More to come…

Why Is Oxygen Building Software?

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Sample Ript Page

Early in our Ript™ project, we met with reps of a large, northwest software company.

We had asked them, “what does you’re company think of women?”

They showed up with a stack of e-mail and no answer. Realizing they hadn’t managed a coherent response, one of them said:

“we build software for people and we believe women are people.”

  1. (they) build for people
  2. women are people
  3. therefore (they) build for women

This is analogous to saying, “all cats have four legs, my dog has four legs. Therefore my dog is a cat.”

The statement is packed with generic assumptions. At it’s worst, such assumptions can cause harm. At the least, they speak to an insensitivity to the needs and desires of women consumers.

Oxygen’s research confirms women are men’s digital peers and dominant influencers of purchasing decisions.

Businesses in other industries have found their women customers provide original insights into their products. Responding to those insights has lead to better solutions for both women and men.

“… women consider a longer list of criteria when selecting consumer products and stores than men do. …If a brand takes the time to understand her list, they’re going to over-deliver to men and still reach women” — Lisa Johnson, author of Don’t Think Pink

So, a better answer would have been, “we build software for women and we believe that leads to better software for people.” Still a little glib but it would definitely result in better software for those women!

We aspire to create playful & purposeful tools that:

  • address real needs in the lives of women
  • go beyond user interface conventions
  • support collaboration between friends and family
  • are accessible on whatever platform best serves the user

Our CEO is a visionary with a love of audacious challenges. We share her belief that we can be of service to women and create an opportunity for our company if we improve the software they use.

We acknowledge the pride of place women hold as our customers and seek to innovate by listening to them.

That’s my answer to why Oxygen is building software.

LinkedIn and Age

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Astronomical Clock

My company recently held HR training for managers where the instructor said:

  • Do not require dates of employment on applications
  • Do not note or refer to dates on someone’s resume or application

All this because considering age when hiring is, in most cases, both wrong and illegal.

  • If I list three jobs, each of which I worked four years, am I over 40?
  • Same jobs with dates. I began the first job in 1992, am I over 40?

I thought I’d ask LinkedIn why they require the display of dates.

This is their reply…

From: LinkedIn Customer Service
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007
To: Ken H. Judy
Subject: Re: dates worked in experience profile

Hi Ken,

While we can understand your position along with your companies HR training basically providing the length of employment or the dates you began with a company (start date) and the date you left the company (end date) would pretty much be the same. If I started with LinkedIn March 01, 2007 and I left them April 1, 2007 that would mean I was one month old? I don’t believe this would really have much to do with a person’s age. When entering employment dates on a resume you don’t enter your date of birth neither should you do that on your CV. Please let me know if this addresses your concern as I am not sure I understand how entering your employment dates is age based discrimination.

Thanks

I’m comforted that you “understand my position”. Thanks LinkedIn Privacy Lead!

I realize experts recommend listing dates and only using the most recent 10-15 years of experience. Still, what I reveal about myself is fundamentally my decision not the administrators of a social network.

Oh, and thanks for clearing up that thing about the one month olds. I was confused about that one…