jbrains.ca
Do you feel stuck? When most people want to improve, they try doing more, and before long, even the smallest tasks drag on forever. Do you remember when you could just get things done? I can help you recapture those days.
My name is J. B. Rainsberger and I can help you profit sooner from your software projects.
I helped a major government contractor see how to reduce billions of dollars in erroneous insurance and health benefit claims. Their complex COBOL-based system allows, for example, men to qualify for maternity benefits. Over dinner we sketched a plan to replace the most expensive parts of the legacy system gradually and safely, and now they can save their client signficant sums of money in weeks instead of months.
Could your business benefit from advice like this?
It was a real pleasure listening to J. B. Rainsberger talking about TDD and I am sure that all the people present there had a lot to learn from him.
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Consulting
when you can't put your finger on the problemWhen you don't know exactly what the problems are, nor how to solve them, then you need consulting, and that's exactly the kind of consulting I enjoy doing.
I focus on understanding problems, issues, and obstacles deeply before choosing solutions. When you contact me, I will probably ask you a long list of questions designed to help me understand the problems you want to solve, the issues you want to explore, or the obstacles you want to overcome. Many past clients have asked me to push the wrong solutions at them, and I don't want to do that to you. I don't intend to offer you any solution until I have some confidence that it will help.
I specialise in digging deeply to uncover the root cause of your problems. If you allow me, I will work with you to find those causes and design a plan to help you attack them.
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Coaching
when you need to apply new skillsIf you know what to do, and even how to do it, but something keeps getting in the way, then you're likely ready for coaching. Sadly, the generic consultants of yesteryear have become the "agile coaches" of today. Everyone who has read a book or two about agile software development has magically become an agile coach. You need to choose very carefully the person you plan to hire to provide this service.
My network of coaches consists of people who understand the craft of coaching. They form real bonds with the people they coach and this bond contributes much to their success in helping people get out of their own way. They incorporate ideas from a multitude of disciplines to help people realise more of their ability. More than simply show you some tips and tricks, they help you understand how you work, what you can improve, and more importantly how to make lasting changes for the better.
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Training
when you need to develop new skillsIf you have already established goals you want to achieve, and have identified that you need to increase your organisation's capacity in some direction, then you're ready for training.
Training, unlike coaching, focuses on increasing your capacity to produce in some way. Production capacity, like your body's muscles, atrophies without development. Even if you don't struggle to keep up with your competition, you will struggle with your customers' increasing demands. You must develop new skills to stop your organisation from shrinking, losing relevance, and shedding customers.
I offer courses like Learning Modular Design Techniques, Making Your Agile Transition Work, Manufacturing Slack, and Product Sashimi. These courses cover all aspects of software development, from the moment you conceive of a new product, through choosing your first set of features, through building and delivering those features and collecting money from satisfied customers.
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Speaking
when you need to remind people that they can make a differenceI enjoy speaking at a variety of conferences, user groups, and meetups around the world. I can provide inspirational talks, discuss new ideas, lead impromptu discussions or present some golden oldies.
For companies that would like to help people feel more comfortable initiating a change program, such as adopting new ways of working, I can offer talks that discuss these sensitive issues. For skeptical audiences or people generally concerned about the magnitude of change involved in "going agile", I recommend Yes, Your Agile Transition Can Work. For overworked audiences who want to improve but simply can't find the time to do anything new, I strongly recommend Manufacturing Slack.
For skeptics who see emergent design as overhead, rather than an investment in increasing the capacity to deliver, I recommend The Economics of Software Design, and if their skepticism reaches more broadly to other aspects of agile software development, consider An Introduction to Agile with the Theory of Constraints.
Of course, if you have a specific topic in mind or a tricky audience you'd like to reach, then tell me about it and I'll design a session that better fits your needs.
Featured Articles
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Don’t Waste Your Golden Learning Opportunity!
Problems start when we turn any learning method into a ritual. Learning stops, then dogma, arrogance and intolerance begin. — Stephen Parry (@LeanVoices) May 7, 2013 Very true. I've watch dozens of organisations adopt practices in order to have new rules to follow, but these organisations have tended not to make any lasting change nor… Read more…
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The World’s Best Intro to TDD (demo video)
You deserve the World’s Best Intro to Test-Driven Development, and here it is. This demonstration video chronicles delivering the first feature of a point of sale terminal using real-life technologies include Heroku and a UPC (price code) barcode reader. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to connect the application to a portable LCD, so I… Read more…
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Getting Unstuck: Unleashing the Expert Within!
Some of you know about Jerry Weinberg’s “fieldstones” approach to writing. You build a system for easily capturing thoughts of various lengths: a phrase, an idea, a paragraph, whatever. Periodically you review these fieldstones, look for themes, then collect them into a larger piece, fit for publication. This sounds a lot like “Getting Things Written”…. Read more…
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User stories: a ticket for a conversation
We know a lot about user stories, but clients continue to struggle with them. I offer you something simple that works. Try it!
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The Part-Time Agile Coach: no, it’s not crazy
I recently read Naresh Jain’s short, but highly informative article (click here) comparing part-time coaching to full-time coaching. I share some of his experience, having done long-term full-time coaching, long-term part-time coaching, short-term full-time coaching, and even short-term part-time coaching. Individuals have benefited a lot from remote working sessions with me, and I think companies… Read more…
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System and Method for Alleviating Fears in Clients*
I help people deal with fear when I coach people, teams, and organisations. All coaches do this. I often deal with this problem with a relatively simple working session that often takes less than an hour. If you like it, then please try this at work.
Recent Posts
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What matters most when writing code? (Readability? Performance?)
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Brewing Espresso and Legacy Code
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A proven path to effectiveness
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Getting Started with Getting Things Done
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Give yourself the gift of sanity this Christmas
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Q: Why are you taking all these breaks? I never see you working!
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Lamentations on the last ten years of agile software development
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Get stuff out of your head… now!
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Frenzied to Focused: Getting Started
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A microtechnique for teaching refactoring
