Spikes. It’s part of my blog’s name: Spikes and Stories, and it’s a bit of word play, which I’ll explain at the conclusion. Because of this, it seems only appropriate that I pay homage to spikes and explain how I’ve used them with teams. They have their origins in Extreme Programming (XP), and I define a spike as: […]
Spikes: Purpose And Usage Read More »
Great scrum masters and great agile coaches are a rare and special breed. They often do their best work behind the scenes, and they seldom want credit for a job well done. Instead, they’re most satisfied when they see their teams grow and succeed. In many ways, it’s like watching our kids grow up. They
Qualities of Great Agile Coaches Read More »
Today, I wanted to write about some flavors of a retro. For example, how do you guide a team that doesn’t want to address the elephant? However, I realized something was missing. How can I tackle the flavors when I haven’t discussed some facilitation fundamentals? So let’s get back to the basics of retrospectives. It’s always
Facilitation Fundamentals for Retrospectives Read More »
I think I learned agility differently than most. I learned it through osmosis. Through my leaders, I learned what agile looked like, what behaviors were ideal, and which were counterproductive. The first time someone accused me of being “agile,” I was confused since I had no idea that’s what it was called. Where most can
What the Marine Corps Can Teach Us About Agility Read More »
In my previous blog post, I wrote about data-driven experiments. Unfortunately, it lacked any practical application, and today I want to do something about that. But let’s get one thing straight first. This isn’t my favorite topic. Why? It focuses so heavily on data and so little on humans. When we get too wrapped up
Practical Experiments In An Agile World Read More »
It’s not often enough that I see teams experimenting. Well, that’s not entirely true. Most teams experiment by trying new techniques, by adjusting their process, or simply by trying something different. I’d call these anecdotal experiments, and they’re very valuable. However, it’s not these kinds of experiments that I want to talk about today. I’m
A Data-Driven Approach To Team Evolution Read More »
Influence. It’s a powerful tool, and it’s a point of honor that a scrum master has no control, only influence, within a team. I prefer it that way, and I hope you do too. I recently reflected on how I conceptualize influence, and I realize that I operate in one of three contexts. Before I share those contexts,
How Military Tactics Made Me a Better Scrum Master Read More »
There’s a funny thing with us humans. Sometimes we get so occupied with the “what” that we overlook the “why.” Take the stand up. Tell us what you did yesterday, doing today, and what obstacles are in the way. But WHY are you there? This is the difference between understanding the mechanics of scrum and embodying an
Agile Mindset Over Scrum Mechanics Read More »
In my last blog post, I wrote about why it is important to keep the sprint backlog static after leaving sprint planning. Unfortunately, much of my previous blog involved a great deal of arm waving (or possibly flailing) as I hoped to highlight the problem of disrupting your sprint. What it didn’t offer up was concrete ways each of
About To Disrupt Your Sprint? Think Again. Read More »
Scrum is like my mother-in-law; it points out all my faults. Ken Schwaber, one of the master minds behind scrum, is credited with that quote, and there’s a lot of truth to it. Scrum is an exposure model; it’s intended to highlight weaknesses in an organization and its processes. It’s then up to the organization and its people
The Importance Of Sprint Commitment Read More »
