The Art of Effective Management: Trust, Respect, Appreciation
I would like to tell you a story. I want to tell you a story that repeats itself very often. In an environment where there is no concept of flow and work gets pushed onto teams expectations become unrealistic. When the…
User Stories: Delivering Value, One Piece at a Time
Understanding what you are working on, and more importantly why you are working on it, is at the heart of business success. User stories play a central role in bridging the gap between the customer and the delivery team while…
5 Drivers of Sustainable Team Engagement
An engaged and enthusiastic team stands behind every thriving business. Supporting an environment of a strong organizational culture where people feel trusted, respected and valued is a recipe for success. Unfortunately, not all businesses recognize this. Figures from Gallup suggest…
5 Key Qualities Successful Project Managers Have in Common
Managing a project, whether we’re talking about software development or planning a corporate event, can be daunting, to say the least. The reality is that there is no secret formula that will make your project unwrap flawlessly; very often you’ll…
Team Commitment in Kanban: How to Set Achievable Goals without Trimming Down Your User Stories
The Kanban Method revolves around the concept that work should be released early and often. To that end, product teams are focused on the constant delivery of value. The challenge lies in defining realistic goals and build sustainable team commitment….
Team Burnout Is Real and Your Workflow Is the Cause
The best teams are highly motivated to perform. They show engagement, professionalism, and dedication. When unrealistic goals and impossible demands are placed on your team, their active engagement leads to rising levels of stress. If you notice your productivity and…
How We Increased Our Productivity By 250% In Less Than 2 Months
Are you always short on time and budget, even though your team is motivated and skilled? Do you struggle to keep up with ever-changing demands from your clients? Do you often find yourself being unable to deliver on your commitments?…
A Short Guide to Effective Daily Standups
The 15-minute standing meeting is everywhere in the Agile world. For some it’s a tool for collaborative productivity, for others, it’s yet another meeting that takes time away from what they really should be working on. What makes the difference…
Lean Manufacturing Wastes: Muri
Reducing waste allows you to achieve more with your team, streamlining your processes, and maximizing your profits. In our previous articles, we looked at two forms of Lean Manufacturing Wastes: Muda (waste) and Mura (unevenness), when they are likely to…
Continuous Improvement: Kaizen
Improvement is not a one-time event. There is no shortage of techniques, tools, and software that present themselves as the solution to all of your problems, but real-world business environments are never that simple. Lasting change happens in increments, over…
Meet the Author

Sonya Siderova is a passionate product manager and a driving force behind Nave, a Kanban analytics suite that helps teams improve their delivery speed through data-driven decision making. When she's not catering to her two little ones, you might find Sonya absorbed in a good heavyweight boxing match or behind a screen crafting a new blog post.