Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. I hope you will find these ideas thought-provoking at the minimum. Even better, I hope these ideas will, over time, help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass!

Many organizations are considering adopting the DevOps approach to help them accelerate the rate and pace of change internally. Robert Stroud explains the steps of starting the transition from a cultural and process perspective. The DevOps Transition Guide (CA Service Management)

Some would argue that Agile is more superior to Waterfall because Waterfall is bureaucratic and lacks flexibility. Bob Lewis points out that no one methodology is more superior to the other – both require discipline and responsible people to make them work as intended. Why Agile is agile (IS Survivor Publishing)

Jessa Lyders, Morgan Hunter, and Margaret Muir of Intreis are running a blog series on compliance myths.  You can catch the first 5 posts in the series via the following links. Compliance Myth #1 – “We don’t store sensitive data”  Compliance Myth #2 – “You don’t get to pick your controls, your auditors do.”  Compliance Myth #3 – “Compliance applies mostly to large size companies (not small companies)”  Compliance Myth #4 – IT GRC is a necessary evil  Compliance Myth #5 – “The ‘right’ policies and procedures will make us compliant” (Intreis)

Many IT organizations experience difficulty in determining what should be reported. Ryan Ogilvie suggests an approach to peel away the complexity and arrive at the potential answers. Peeling Back the #ITSM Reporting Onion (Service Management Journey)

Today’s businesses need to keep pace with the fast-moving technologies, and often consider IT a hindrance in achieving the business goals. Jason Stevenson recommends several approaches for reversing that trend? Top 5 Ways IT Can Stay Relevant in the Cloud Era (VMware CloudOps)

Some organizations put a great deal of faith on technology advances to help them solve complex business problems. Sherri Hammons shows examples where meaningful analysis can begin only after we think about the problems and ask the right questions. Big Data: Humans Required (Sherri Hammons)

Some are advocating that software projects are unique, creative and flexible by nature, and somehow are not subject to the fundamental principle of cost, schedule, and performance constraints. Glen Alleman explains why software is not immune from that fundamental principle. Why Software is Like Construction and Why it is Not (Herding Cats)

Some organizations believe quick, easy solutions are available to solve long-running personal behavioral problems. Marshall Goldsmith points out that there’s no product, no diet, no exercise program, and no executive coach who can make someone better, unless that person also wants to change. Turning Those Flabby Abs Into That Sexy Six-Pack (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)