The job of the Scrum Master can be a challenging one. It can be made tougher when people describe the role as a “referee.” Making such a comparison implies that the Scrum Master isn’t a member of the team. Worse yet, some describe us as keepers of process, which conflicts with how we value individuals […]
Viewing the Scrum Master as a Team Member Read More »
We spend a lot of our days talking about epics, stories, and tasks, and in many cases, we assume others understand these concepts as expertly as we do. Sometimes they don’t, and today I intend to take Leonardo da Vinci’s advice: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Below you’ll find a table that boils epics, stories, and
Definitions: Epics, Stories, And Tasks 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
