Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.10, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Michael Lant Software Archictecture, Development, Agile Methods and the Intersection of People Process and Technology ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://michaellant.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Recent Posts](https://michaellant.com/recent-posts/) - [How To Use Fonts As Images In Xamarin Forms](https://michaellant.com/2021/07/18/how-to-use-fonts-as-images-in-xamarin-forms-part-1-2/) - Icons - The Standard Way https://material.io/resources/icons/ There are so many little details that a software developer must take care of before publishing an application. One of the most time-consuming is the task of adding icons to your toolbars, buttons, menus, headers, footers and so on. It's not just the effort of finding or creating the - [How To Create Round Buttons in Xamarin Forms](https://michaellant.com/2019/12/12/how-to-create-round-buttons-in-xamarin-forms/) - The solution to the lack of a round button in Xamarin is a pretty simple one. - [Has Agile Lost Its Way?](https://michaellant.com/2019/12/17/has-agile-lost-its-way/) - Does anyone actually think that a Burn Down Chart contributes one iota to creating Better Software Sooner? In my view, it is one of the most anti-agile things that we can do and it provides absolutely no value to anyone other than perhaps the executive suite so that they can have a nice, warm fuzzy feeling that we have a pretty chart that has a nice slope to it and it looks like the one from last sprint. - [How To Make Your Project Not Suck by Using an Agile Project Charter](https://michaellant.com/2010/05/18/how-to-make-your-project-not-suck/) - An Agile Project Charter The Problem What the customer really needed (Click on image for full size view) Any project can fail, and any project can fail for a seemingly endless array of reasons. In particular, large complex projects sometimes fail because they are well… large and complex. High complexity means more unknowns. More unknowns - [How To Build A High Performance Agile Team](https://michaellant.com/2010/08/26/how-to-build-a-high-performance-agile-team/) - Agile software development places more responsibility on individual programmers to make key decisions. How to recognize, hire and keep the top performers who improve your chances of success. - [Calculating the Velocity of Your Agile Projects](https://michaellant.com/2010/07/23/calculating-the-velocity-of-your-agile-projects/) - A Simple Way to Calculate the Velocity of Your Agile Teams and Projects Whenever the work is itself light, it becomes necessary, in order to economize time, to increase the velocity. Charles Babbage What is Agile Velocity? The calculation of Velocity in physics is pretty straightforward, and if memory serves me correctly, it is - [Estimate How Long It Will Take To Complete Your Agile Project](https://michaellant.com/2010/07/31/estimate-how-long-it-will-take-to-complete-your-agile-project/) - Are We There Yet? Are we there yet? - Donkey from Shrek 2 If you are a parent with kids any older than three or four years of age you’ve heard it: “Are we there yet – How much farther is it?” If you’ve ever developed software, you’ve heard the same questions, but this time, - [Hello World](https://michaellant.com/2010/04/28/hello-world-2/) - Why is the title of my first post "Hello World"? If you've ever done any sort of software development, you likely already know the answer to that question. For those have have not, the explanation is pretty simple. When initiating a software project, a developer will often create an artifact that displays text in the UI of the application - be it a web page, a desktop application, or even a mobile app. The text most often chosen is "Hello World" as it symbolizes that the software creation has inhaled its first virtual breath in its world of zeros and ones. I have to confess that I have at times felt a touch of Frankensteinian glee as I witnessed my creation come to life. This first post is the same. It is the first breath of life of my first blog. - [A Simple Agile Defect Management Process](https://michaellant.com/2010/05/25/a-simple-agile-defect-management-process/) - Defect Card (from flickr - listentoreason) All software has defects of some sort – we know that. If left unresolved, some defects can have cataclysmic consequences while others are so minor that they go unnoticed by virtually everyone. Like most things in this universe there is a law of diminishing returns when it applies to - [How to Easily Prioritize Your Agile Stories](https://michaellant.com/2010/05/21/how-to-easily-prioritize-your-agile-stories/) - What Comes First? http://www.flickr.com/photos/alandd/2119858456/in/photostream/ Index cards for Saturday morning chores (alandd from flickr) You’ve spoken to all of your stakeholders, maybe had a workshop or two, gathered all of the input, defined requirements and converted it all into stories, and now you have writer’s cramp from printing them all out onto index cards. You’ve now - [Five Simple Steps to Agile Risk Management](https://michaellant.com/2010/06/04/five-simple-steps-to-agile-risk-management/) - https://flic.kr/p/94JZ6F (flickr: Sven Hein) This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read. (Winston Churchill) Background In my post on Agile Project Charters I outlined the embarrassingly high failure rate of software projects. Success rates today are only marginally better than they were when the Standish Group released its first - [Agile Program Risk Management](https://michaellant.com/2010/06/10/agile-program-risk-management/) - In many organizations, there are monthly or quarterly reviews of a portfolio or program by senior management to ascertain the progress. Risk assessment is an important facet of project management, and assessing and reporting on the Risks of projects is thus an essential part of this regular review. - [Agile Coach Camp Canada 2010](https://michaellant.com/2010/06/20/agile-coach-camp-canada-2010/) - An Open Space Conference for Agile Coaches Background On June 11th and 12th I was fortunate to be able to attend Agile Coach Camp Canada 2010 in Waterloo Ontario. The event was held in the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre (“DC” building) at the University of Waterloo. I was invited to the camp by - [Estimating Effort For Your Agile Stories](https://michaellant.com/2010/07/05/estimating-effort-for-your-agile-stories-2/) - https://flic.kr/p/uFCap Wrong Way - Go Back (flickr - naz's stuff) The best we can do is size up the chances, calculate the risks involved, estimate our ability to deal with them, and then make our plans with confidence. (Henry Ford) The greatest of all gifts is the power to estimate things at their true worth. - [Estimate Story Size by Playing Agile Planning Poker](https://michaellant.com/2010/07/13/agile-planning-poker/) - Over the years that I’ve been leading software development projects, I’ve used a number of methods including comparison of projects of similar size and complexity, Microsoft Project, Function Point Analysis or even simply guessing. There have been a few other trendy and perhaps oddball approaches thrown in for good measure. Curiously, regardless of method, the results have tended to be pretty much the same. There has, however, been one exception. I’ve gotten noticeably better results with Agile methods using Agile Planning Poker. - [Occam's Razor and the Art of Software Design](https://michaellant.com/2010/08/10/occams-razor-and-the-art-of-software-design/) - Occam's Razor is a principle of simplicity that eliminates assumptions in support of a conclusion. The principle is valuable in virtually every aspect of life, but it essential to the success of software projects - in particular large complex ones. One of the guiding principles of Agile Methods it that we focus most on the things that provided the greatest value and Occam's Razor is a valuable tool that helps maintain that focus. - [Software Development and Creativity](https://michaellant.com/2010/10/25/software-development-and-creativity/) - What is creativity and why is it important in software development? Here is how to find the creative people you need and help them to be successful in your company ## Pages - [Better Software Sooner](https://michaellant.com/) - My Mission My mission is to help people, teams and companies build Better Software Sooner. I am a software/solution architect, developer, consultant and agile coach. I have been at this for 30 years and I have worked with over 60 companies in over 35 industries. I have led teams that have spanned multiple time zones, - [About](https://michaellant.com/about/) - I am a solution architect, inventor, and recognized leader in software innovation. With a strong track record of delivering industry-first products, I combine technical expertise with business acumen to drive competitive advantage. My experience spans AI, ML, cloud computing, and digital transformation, allowing me to architect scalable, high-performance solutions that serve millions of users worldwide. - [Contact](https://michaellant.com/contact/) - My Profile on LinkedIn - [Archive](https://michaellant.com/archive/) ## Categories - [Security](https://michaellant.com/category/security/) - [Technology](https://michaellant.com/category/technology/) - [Agile](https://michaellant.com/category/agile/) - [Project Management](https://michaellant.com/category/project-management/) - [Scrum](https://michaellant.com/category/agile/scrum/) - [Software Development](https://michaellant.com/category/software-development/) - [Risk Management](https://michaellant.com/category/risk-management/) - [Privacy](https://michaellant.com/category/privacy/) - [Social Media](https://michaellant.com/category/social-media/) - [Teams](https://michaellant.com/category/teams/) - [Xamarin](https://michaellant.com/category/software-development/xamarin/) - 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