Article Roundup - January 3, 2020

Beware SAFe (the Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise), an Unholy Incarnation of Darkness
I’ve recently started on a project that is using SAFe, so this was an especially interesting article for me to read. I went through SAFe training last month and am expected to get my certification this month. I can see an understand a lot of the issues the author has run into. I’ve seen some of the same issues, others I’m not so sure about. I inherited a bad situation and it makes it difficult to puzzle out what is an issue with SAFe vs the previous lead’s leftovers vs other things. There is one major criticism I have on this article. The author or someone above them doesn’t understand what an Epic is if it has feature level details someone has done something wrong.

If You’re So Successful, Why Are You Still Working 70 Hours a Week?
Sometimes you end up in a situation where you have to put in extra time, but you shouldn’t make a habit of it. In this article, the author discusses patterns they saw while conducting interviews of professionals for a book. The gist of the article is this: Be cognizant of when you work long hours. Do it consciously for specific goals, don’t make it a habit.