Author: Emilia Rastrick We spend billions optimizing how software teams work — daily standups, sprint planning, continuous improvement — yet most of us still approach our health the same way we did in gym class: show up, wing it, repeat until burned out or injured. What if the same Agile framework that
Automation in the LLM age has become a more complicated proposition than it used to be. If I could write a script in 8 hours to do what a person did every day in 1 hour, I had automated it. The cost to run the script was negligible, and the
This document is a basic guide to usability testing for user experience researchers, designers & product teams in the federal space. It covers our guiding principles, constraints unique to federal product development, and tips to produce effective usability tests. Usability testing minimizes risk by validating features and enhancements before they
When people think about becoming a UX designer, they often imagine someone who followed a straight path: studied design, landed a UX role, and climbed the career ladder from there. But that's rarely the reality. In fact, some of the strongest UX designers come from entirely different careers.
Authors: Sabrina Gubik and Seid Adem Quick test: Which of these is a user story? A) Add a search feature B) The system shall provide search functionality C) As a caseworker, I want to search applications by case number so that I can quickly locate a specific case D) Users
How to engage your audience to define a solution. Have you ever sat through a presentation, got to the end and have no idea what was presented to you? Likely it’s because it was a series of disjointed slides that didn’t tell a story. As technologists we often
Solving the Right Problem Through Process, Clarity, and Shared Understanding with the CTG Design Algorithm. At Capital Technology Group (CTG), design is not simply about producing interfaces or visual artifacts. It is about understanding complex problems, structuring them into solvable components, and delivering solutions that create real value. Design is
This book is great for: People Managers, Imposter Syndrome, Work Life Balance, Positive Leadership For new people managers, this is a highly useful read. As a manager, you’ll experience a wide range of emotions—from joy to discomfort—while navigating unfamiliar situations, advocating for your reports, and supporting them
This book is great for: New People Managers, Giving Powerful Feedback Radical Candor is a great blueprint and starting point of how to give specific and actionable feedback, but some of its advice no longer rings true. In a politically divisive world, post pandemic, in the throes of remote work
This book is great for: Storytelling, Positive Leadership, Innovation I gravitated towards this book in a lineup of managerial book choices immediately when I saw the silhouette of Buzz Lightyear on the cover. This book was truly a joy to read! As a lifelong fan of PIXAR movies, I could
Or how I stopped fighting IDE agents and finally found my flow with Claude Code
The best agile expertise in your organization isn't in a playbook. It's waiting to be uncovered in your people. CTG's Agile Center of Excellence started by asking practitioners one question: What do you need? Then we handed them the shovels. Six months in, here's what we uncovered.