Scrum Masters tend to optimize for the team, and they’re right to do so. I know as a young Scrum Master I wanted to ensure teams were the center piece of the organization. Over time though and as I experienced the challenges of scaling agile, I began to realize optimizing for other dimensions had to […]
Optimize for the Team — Sometimes Read More »
Managers in an agile shop. It’s an interesting—and sometimes controversial—topic. In fact, Andy Cleff and I collaborated in June on this. We go in depth in his blog post titled Managers and Agile and Riding an Elephant. Since I haven’t yet written about managers in an agile shop on my own blog, I wanted to
Managers in an Agile Shop Read More »
When can a Scrum Master say no to the team? That’s a question I struggled with as a young Scrum Master. On one hand, I was told that I have only influence—not authority—over the team, but on the other, I was told that I was the keeper of the process. So what do I do when
When Can a Scrum Master Say No Read More »
I’m the Senior Scrum Master at a small 100-person startup in Silicon Valley. The work and my teams rock, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’m also responsible for helping us hire new Scrum Masters. After reviewing hundreds of resumes, talking to a multitude of candidates on the phone, and conducting a number of on-site interviews,
Getting Hired As A Scrum Master Read More »
I recently had the honor of meeting and learning from Jeff Sutherland, the co-creator of Scrum. He was teaching a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) course in Palo Alto here in Silicon Valley. Granted, I’ve had my CSM for many years, but it was an excellent opportunity to learn from one of the titans in the Scrum
Techniques for Better Learning Read More »
Two months ago, my 91 year-old grandmother asked me what I did for a living. On the surface, it seems like an easy question to answer, but it wasn’t. I struggled. The role of the scrum master was difficult to put into words, especially with someone unfamiliar with the complex world of software development. Since then,
Describing the Role of the Scrum Master Read More »
Many months ago, I wrote my top 10 tips to be a successful Scrum Master. That blog post resonated with many of you, but it was missing something. It focused entirely on mindset and behavior, and while valuable, I thought some practical advice for Scrum Masters might also be helpful. So let’s talk practical with
Tools of Successful Scrum Masters Read More »
I think every agile team should be viewed as a small startup. When you do so, you can begin viewing senior leadership largely as venture capitalists (VC). They’ll occasionally visit your office, they’ll provide valuable expertise and insights that will help your small company succeed, they’ll paint a vision of your competitive landscape so you
A Simple Model for Better Decision Making Read More »
Impact over velocity. In other words, don’t just do things. Do the right things. It seems obvious, but how many of us are guilty of deciding the success of a sprint by how many stories or story points we completed? But don’t worry. You’re not alone. Velocity is an easy number to get at, but easy isn’t always
Impact Over Velocity Read More »
One in a series of posts intended to provide retro techniques to facilitators by way naming a flavor* and then describing tricks or insights to help tackle that flavor. * flavor – an often implicit vibe, emotion, or general attitude of a team that can inhibit fruitful conversation. I recently had a delightful opportunity come my way:
Retro Technique: Building Team Empathy Read More »
