I’m a big fan of explaining things using simple words that even those who aren’t fluent in English will be able to understand.

My belief is that the better you are at explaining something in plain terms, the better you understand it.

On my agile journey I have learnt that whilst people may understand the differences in Scrum and Kanban, they’re not so sure when it comes to explaining the principles behind them.

In the most simplistic of terms, I define ‘agile’ as being ready and able to change based on different circumstances. Change is to be expected, and is not something to run away screaming from. Change is good. 

On the other hand, ‘lean’ is focussing only on the work that absolutely needs to be done right now. Don’t do unnecessary work just for the sake of ‘filling time.’ 

Whatever principle is followed, feeling proud of the products and services your team(s) delivers is key to me. ‘Value’ is such an overused word in the IT industry, but it’s one I use every day. So as this quick post is all about definitions, for me, value is the importance of the product or service, not only to the business but to the end users, and how it benefits their day-to-day tasks.

These days, where buzzwords are common vocabulary, sometimes we need to go back to basics to really understand what we’re trying to achieve.