Pragmatic Thinking is the application of practical, experience-based problem-solving in complex environments, enabling teams to navigate challenges effectively. This approach prioritises actionable insights over theoretical constructs, fostering a mindset that values real-world applicability. By focusing on what works in practice, teams can adapt their strategies to deliver value predictably and sustainably.
This concept is crucial in environments characterised by uncertainty and rapid change, as it encourages a culture of experimentation and learning. Teams employing Pragmatic Thinking are better equipped to identify and implement solutions that resonate with their specific context, rather than relying solely on prescribed methodologies. This adaptability not only enhances responsiveness to customer needs but also promotes resilience in the face of evolving market dynamics.
Pragmatic Thinking supports long-term systemic improvements by embedding a continuous learning ethos within the organisation. It empowers teams to reflect on their experiences, iterate on their processes, and refine their approaches, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and value delivery. By integrating this mindset into daily practices, organisations can cultivate a robust framework for sustained innovation and effective problem-solving, ensuring they remain competitive and relevant in their respective fields.
The strongest work on Pragmatic Thinking — ranked by substance, not recency. How this is ranked
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 …
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 …
The AI Decided Is Not an Explanation
When an AI says it got bored or we say it lied, we give a machine feelings and intentions. The false output needs an explanation, not an …
AI Agents Lie About Being Done
My agent reported every task complete when half the tests were missing. Call that a lie if you like. The engineering problem is that the …
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 …
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 …
How to Build for Business Resilience and Continuity
Learn key strategies for building business resilience and continuity, including observability, system decoupling, routine deployments, team …
Stop Losing the Decisions You Already Made
Your business already writes everything down, in email, meetings, and chat. It just cannot read what it wrote. Why small and medium …
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 AI Decided Is Not an Explanation
When an AI says it got bored or we say it lied, we give a machine feelings and intentions. The false output needs an explanation, not an …
Stop Losing the Decisions You Already Made
Your business already writes everything down, in email, meetings, and chat. It just cannot read what it wrote. Why small and medium …
AI Guardrails Are Just Polite Requests
Written rules influence an AI agent, but do not enforce compliance. My agent records and build failures show why independent checks matter, …
AI Agents Lie About Being Done
My agent reported every task complete when half the tests were missing. Call that a lie if you like. The engineering problem is that the …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Engineering Excellence Isn’t Perfection: How Continuous Improvement and Fast Feedback Drive Real Agile and DevOps Success
Engineering excellence isn’t perfection, it’s continuous improvement, clean code, and fast feedback. Unlock true agility with modern Agile …
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 …
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 …
Why Your Definition of Done Is the Secret Weapon Your Team Needs to Win
Unlock your team's true potential, discover why a powerful definition of done drives real business impact, customer value, and lasting …
Legacy Systems Aren’t the Enemy, Friction Is: How to Unblock Innovation and Accelerate Agile Delivery
Is legacy tech slowing your team? Discover how removing friction unlocks agility, innovation, and faster delivery in your organisation.
Stop Chasing Tech Hype: How Evidence-Based Decisions Empower Real Leadership
Stop chasing tech trends. Learn how evidence, visibility, and clarity empower tech leaders to make confident, strategic decisions, beyond …
How to Evolve Your Definition of Done: Start Small, Grow Smarter, and Build Lasting Momentum
Unlock a smarter Definition of Done, start small, evolve standards, and build team momentum without overwhelm. Discover how progress drives …
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, …
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 …
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 …
Evidence-Based Portfolio Management
Explains how evidence-based portfolio management helps organisations extend agile practices beyond teams, enabling greater responsiveness …
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, …
AI Adoption Guide - Engineer Your System of Work That AI Reveals
NKD Agility's problem-first guide to AI adoption, built on the Kendall Framework and written from engineering - start with a validated …
488 resources, newest first
In what circumstances is agile consulting appropriate?
Explains when agile consulting is best used, highlighting its role in building internal leadership, rapid problem-solving, and sustainable …
How does Naked Agility select associate Scrum Trainers?
Naked Agility selects associate Scrum Trainers based on real-world agile experience, co-training, and proven ability to teach, coach, and …
Unlocking Agile Success: How Empirical Models Transform Project Outcomes
Explains how empirical Agile models improve project outcomes by increasing visibility, enabling change, reducing risk, and delivering value …
Navigating Complexity: Why Agile Practices Are Essential for Modern Product Development
Explains how agile practices help teams manage complexity, adapt to change, and deliver value faster in modern product development, compared …
Mastering the Art of Scaling Scrum: Insights from the Scaled Professional Scrum Course
Learn practical strategies for overcoming common challenges in scaling Scrum, based on hands-on insights from the Scaled Professional Scrum …
All technical debt is a risk to the product and to your business
Technical debt increases risk to products and businesses, leading to hidden costs, reduced quality, and slower delivery. Ignoring it can …
What is Taylorism, and why Waterfall is just the tip of the iceberg!
Explores how Taylorism shaped modern management, leading to rigid hierarchies, bureaucracy, and dehumanising work practices that persist …
Story Points & Velocity are a sign of an unsuccessful team
Explains why relying on story points and velocity signals team immaturity in Scrum, and highlights better ways to build confidence and …
Evidence-based Management: Gathering the metrics
Explains how to gather key metrics for evidence-based management in software organisations, focusing on value delivery, time to market, and …
There is no place like production
Validating product value requires releasing features to real users in production, gathering feedback, and measuring usage, satisfaction, and …
Product Goal is an Intermediate Strategic Goal
Explains how product goals serve as intermediate strategic goals, guiding agile organisations through uncertainty using experimentation, …
If your backlog is not refined then you are doing it wrong
Explains why regular backlog refinement is essential in Scrum, how to make backlog items ready for Sprint Planning, and ways to measure …
Evidence-Based Portfolio Management
Explains how evidence-based portfolio management helps organisations extend agile practices beyond teams, enabling greater responsiveness …
Getting started with a Definition of Done (DoD)
Explains how to create, apply, and improve a Definition of Done (DoD) in Scrum to ensure software quality, transparency, and consistent …
A better way than staggered iterations for delivery
Explains why staggered iterations harm software delivery, increasing technical debt, and recommends cross-functional teams, test-first, and …
You are doing it wrong if you are not using test first
Explains how adopting test-first practices in software development improves quality, reduces bugs, and enables confident continuous delivery …
Professional Scrum teams build software that works
Professional Scrum Teams prioritise software quality, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring each release is reliable, …
Release planning and predictable delivery
Explores how agile teams can achieve predictable software delivery through quality focus, effective release planning, and continuous …
Embracing Change: Why Agile Evolution is the Key to Thriving in a Rapidly Shifting World
Explores why continuous organisational evolution, not fixed transformations, is essential for adapting to rapid change, fostering agility, …
What my father taught me about Evidence-based Management (34 years before it was invented!)
Explores how evidence-based management uses data-driven practices to improve organisational agility, value delivery, and decision-making in …
I do continuous deliver, why should I Sprint?
Explains why Sprints are valuable even with continuous delivery, highlighting benefits for planning, feedback, communication, and …
Getting started with a modern source control system and DevOps
Learn key practices for adopting modern source control and DevOps, including automation, release pipelines, and team collaboration to …
Evolution not Transformation: This is the Inevitability of change
Change in organisations is a continuous, evolutionary process driven by experimentation and adaptation, not a one-time transformation or …
Unlocking Agile Leadership: Transform Your Skills with Scrum.org's Essentials Workshop
Learn practical agile leadership skills, foster team alignment, and drive cultural change with Scrum.org’s workshop to support agile …
Delivering Live Virtual Classes in Microsoft Teams and Mural
Guidance on running live virtual Scrum classes using Microsoft Teams and Mural, focusing on tech setup, safe collaboration, self-organising …
Transforming Enterprises: How DevOps Drives Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
Explores how DevOps enhances enterprise collaboration, continuous improvement, automation, and customer focus to drive cultural and …
Mastering Site Reliability: Insights from Azure DevOps on Building a Resilient Live Site Culture
Explore proven strategies from Azure DevOps for building resilient, reliable software systems, covering transparency, automation, telemetry, …
Unlocking Agile Success: Embrace Continuous Forecasting and Transform Your Training Experience
Explore practical strategies for Agile training, including virtual class setups, continuous forecasting, and using metrics to improve …
Navigating Agile Transformation: Empowering Teams for Success in a Rapidly Changing Landscape
Explores effective Agile transformation by empowering teams, improving collaboration, focusing on value delivery, and fostering continuous …
Navigating the Agile Landscape: Understanding the Key Differences Between Product Owners and Project Managers
Explains the key differences between Product Owners and Project Managers in Scrum, and how agile roles, team structures, and metrics impact …
Mastering Remote Work: Key Insights for Agile Teams to Thrive in a Digital World
Practical strategies for remote Agile teams, covering communication, tool selection, value delivery, team dynamics, gamification, and …
Mastering Agility: Balancing Engineering Excellence and Effective Processes in a Rapidly Changing Business Landscape
Explores how to balance engineering excellence and effective Agile processes, highlighting the need for technical skills, continuous …
Can the Definition of Done change per Sprint?
The Definition of Done can evolve to improve quality but should not be weakened or vary per backlog item. Consistency ensures transparency …
How do you handle conflict in a Scrum Team?
Guidance on resolving conflict in Scrum Teams, including facilitation techniques, escalation steps, and the Scrum Master's role in fostering …
How do you make a good Forecast?
Explains how to create reliable forecasts in agile projects by using flow metrics like cycle time and throughput, and shifting from …
Are technical skills required to be a Scrum Master?
Technical skills are not required to be a Scrum Master, but understanding technical, business, and organisational contexts helps Scrum …
DOD has made it illegal to do waterfall
The US Department of Defence now requires agile, iterative software development, ending mandatory waterfall methods and influencing global …
Work can flow across the Sprint boundary
Explains how Scrum teams can strategically allow unfinished work to flow across Sprint boundaries, enhancing throughput, responsiveness, and …
Professional Scrum is for everyone in your organisation
Explains how involving everyone in Professional Scrum training fosters organisational agility, breaks down silos, and empowers teams to …
Professional Scrum Training for the Ghana Police Service
Professional Scrum training introduced Ghana Police officers to Agile methods, using hands-on sprints to support organisational change and …
Professional Organisational Change at the Ghana Police Service
Explores the Ghana Police Service’s shift to a modern, professional model using servant leadership, agile frameworks, and strategic change …
Choosing a Process Template for your Team Project
Guidance on selecting the best process template for team projects in TFS or VSTS, highlighting why the Scrum template reduces friction for …
Open-source with VSTS or TFS and Github for better DevOps
Learn how to automate code synchronisation between VSTS/TFS and GitHub, enabling seamless DevOps workflows for open-source projects with …
Access denied for orchestration plan on Build
Explains how to resolve TFS build errors caused by missing write permissions for the Project Collection Build Service on orchestration …
Big Scrum: All you need and not enough
Explores how to scale Scrum effectively by applying agile values, fostering professional teams, and adapting processes to fit unique …
My journey into Professional Scrum
Reflects on experiences with Professional Scrum, highlighting its impact on software development, team culture, training, and the challenges …
Why should I use Visual Studio ALM
Explains the benefits of Visual Studio ALM over alternatives like Git and Jenkins, detailing its comprehensive features for managing the …
Create a Release Management pipeline for Professional Developers
Step-by-step guide to building an automated Release Management pipeline for professional developers, covering build, deployment, environment …
TFS Build reports Licencies.licx: unable to load type
Explains how mismatched component versions in licences.licx files can cause build errors on TFS servers, and offers solutions for consistent …
Migrating source from Perforce to Git on VSO
Step-by-step guide to migrating source code from Perforce to Git on VSO, covering repository setup, dependency management, build processes, …