If your engineering organisation is busy but not delivering, the problem is rarely the engineers. It’s the system they work inside — and that system is a leadership responsibility. This library is the working record of twenty-plus years spent fixing those systems: what worked, what failed, and why.
The current focus is Agentic Engineering — the disciplined application of AI agents within accountable, observable and testable engineering systems.
The library’s strongest work on engineering excellence and technical leadership — ranked by substance, not recency. How this is ranked
Don’t Manage Dependencies, Remove Them
Explains why dependencies are a sign of poor system design and outlines steps to eliminate them by aligning teams, clarifying ownership, and …
Why a Shared Definition of Done Is the Secret to Consistent, Predictable Quality in Agile Teams
Struggling with inconsistent delivery? Discover why a shared definition of done is key to predictable, high-quality results your teams, and …
Is Agile Really Just a Mindset?
Explores Agile as a disciplined system of delivery, emphasizing engineering excellence, CI/CD, observability, and system design over mindset …
Stop Building Silos. Start Building Systems
Explains how fragmented automation and tool silos harm software delivery, and advocates for unified engineering systems and platform …
From Legacy Pain to Modern DevOps: My Proven Roadmap for Real Engineering Transformation
Transform legacy engineering with a proven, step-by-step approach, learn how to automate, adapt, and build a resilient, modern DevOps …
Telling People What to Do Is Not Leadership. It’s a Failure of System Design
Explores why real leadership means designing systems that enable team autonomy, flow, and accountability, rather than relying on …
Velocity isn’t how many story points a team burns down
Velocity measures how quickly teams turn ideas into value, using build, test, deploy, and feedback times, not just story points, to track …
How to Build for Business Resilience and Continuity
Learn key strategies for building business resilience and continuity, including observability, system decoupling, routine deployments, team …
Scrum Masters are not glorified meeting schedulers
Scrum Masters must have technical and business expertise to guide teams, improve code quality, and drive real agility, not just schedule …
Don’t Manage Dependencies, Remove Them
Explains why dependencies are a sign of poor system design and outlines steps to eliminate them by aligning teams, clarifying ownership, and …
Is Agile Really Just a Mindset?
Explores Agile as a disciplined system of delivery, emphasizing engineering excellence, CI/CD, observability, and system design over mindset …
Stop Building Silos. Start Building Systems
Explains how fragmented automation and tool silos harm software delivery, and advocates for unified engineering systems and platform …
How My Father's Business Reverted to the Mean
My father died eight years ago today. In 1980 a leadership team's golf retreat left him holding a ten-year lease on a Glasgow shopfront, so …
Engineering as a Leadership System: Moving Beyond Frameworks
Delivery outcomes are shaped less by frameworks and practices than by the operating model leaders have designed. How an organisation's …
Why Most Companies Operating Models Fail in Dynamic Markets
A concise comparison of Predictive and Adaptive Operating Models, explaining why traditional structures fail in dynamic markets and how …
The Estimation Trap: How Tracking Accuracy Undermines Trust, Flow, and Value in Software Delivery
Tracking estimation accuracy in software delivery leads to mistrust, fear, and distorted behaviours. Focus on customer value, flow, and …
Flow of Value vs Flow of Work – Misnomer or Useful Shorthand?
Compares “flow of value” and “flow of work” in Kanban, explaining why only validated outcomes count as value and stressing the need for …
Estimating Better in an Overloaded System Is a Poor Man’s Strategy
High work in progress (WIP) causes delays and unpredictability; improving estimates won’t help. Limiting WIP and focusing on flow is key to …
Why a Shared Definition of Done Is the Secret to Consistent, Predictable Quality in Agile Teams
Struggling with inconsistent delivery? Discover why a shared definition of done is key to predictable, high-quality results your teams, and …
From Legacy Pain to Modern DevOps: My Proven Roadmap for Real Engineering Transformation
Transform legacy engineering with a proven, step-by-step approach, learn how to automate, adapt, and build a resilient, modern DevOps …
Why “Done” Only Counts When It’s Live: Moving Beyond Fake Finishes to Real Value in Software Delivery
Discover why “done” means live in production, not just code complete. Learn to deliver real value, close feedback loops, and drive outcomes …
Engineering as a Leadership System
Session recording from The Future of Work in Scotland. Why the frameworks your teams adopt cannot overcome the operating model your …
Why Outsourcing DevOps Fails, and How Real Engineering Excellence Starts With Your Team
Avoid DevOps vendor lock-in, discover how true engineering excellence starts with partnership, not outsourcing. Ready to transform your …
Why Big Bang Rewrites Fail: How Sustainable Change and Engineering Excellence Transform Legacy Systems
Ditch the Big Bang rewrite. Discover why sustainable, in-place change drives true engineering excellence and lasting transformation in your …
Why Azure DevOps Wins for Governance, Security, and Scale, Right Out of the Box
Unlock seamless governance, security, and scale with Azure DevOps, integrated tooling that lets you deliver value, not just manage …
Stop Guessing: How to Make Work Visible and Drive Real Improvement with Azure DevOps Flow Metrics
Stop guessing, start making data-driven decisions in Azure DevOps. Discover tools, tips, and insights to make your work visible and your …
Stop Testing Quality In: How Shifting Left Builds Better Software, Faster
Stop testing quality in, start building it in. Learn how shifting left, automation, and fast feedback loops drive engineering excellence in …
Building a Resilient Token Server: Engineering for Flow, Fault Tolerance, and Speed
Explains how to engineer a robust, fault-tolerant token counting server using FastAPI and PowerShell, covering error handling, retries, …
Convert Legacy Projects and ASP.NET MVC Apps to SDK-Style with Confidence
Learn how to upgrade legacy .NET and ASP.NET MVC projects to SDK-style for easier builds, modern tooling, and future readiness, including …
How I Used Generative AI to Transform Site Tagging and Categories
Explains how generative AI and PowerShell scripts automate and improve blog post tagging and categorisation in Hugo, with human oversight …
Leveraging AI Embeddings for Related Content Classification
Explores using AI embeddings and cosine similarity to improve related content recommendations in Hugo, enhancing semantic relevance, user …
Detecting Agile BS
Guidance for identifying genuine agile software development in DoD projects, including key principles, warning signs, essential tools, and …
The Scrum Guide (February 2010)
A clear summary of Scrum’s framework, roles, events, artefacts, and values, explaining how teams use Scrum to deliver value and adapt to …
The Evidence-Based Management Guide 2020: Improving Value Delivery under Conditions of Uncertainty
Evidence-Based Management (EBM) guides organisations to improve value delivery under uncertainty by using empirical goals, measurement, and …
OKR Guide - A Social Discipline for Shared Focus, Measurable Contribution, and Strategic Learning
Comprehensive guide to using OKRs for shared focus, measurable outcomes, and strategic learning, including roles, events, best practices, …
Kanban Guide
Comprehensive reference outlining Kanban principles, practices, and metrics for optimising workflow, value delivery, and continuous …
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
Outlines core Agile values and principles for software development, emphasising collaboration, adaptability, working software, customer …
Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams
Explains how Scrum Teams can use Kanban practices to optimise workflow, track flow metrics, and enhance transparency, efficiency, and …
Nexus Guide
Explains the Nexus framework for scaling Scrum with multiple teams, detailing roles, events, and artefacts to coordinate product delivery …
Evidence-Based Portfolio Management
Explains how evidence-based portfolio management helps organisations extend agile practices beyond teams, enabling greater responsiveness …
1201 resources dating back to 2006 · twenty-plus years fixing delivery systems · maintainer of Azure DevOps Migration Tools · 19 years a Microsoft MVP in DevOps · Professional Scrum Trainer