Agile Transformations - Is It All-Or-Nothing?
Wondering where to start with agile transformation? Do you pick a single project? Or a specific team? Train everyone and run with it? Here's some guidance.
Embracing Change: The Scrum Master’s Guide to Leading Organizational Transformation
Change isn’t the enemy—stagnation is. Organizations that cling to the status quo risk falling behind as competitors innovate. As a Scrum Master or leader, your role is to guide teams and stakeholders to embrace change. This guide explores seven practical ways to foster a culture of experimentation and help your organization adapt and thrive. In today’s fast-paced world, those that resist change don’t just slow down—they vanish. 🚀
What Causes Conflict on a Team?
Change usually creates conflict, but a good ScrumMaster knows what types of conflict to expect and is prepared to handle it with correct conflict responses.
It's All About Value
One small change can make a BIG difference to your Product Owner success. Before worrying about putting value on backlog items, here's some simple tips.
What Does it Mean to BE Agile?
With the Agility mindset, it's critical to understand the concept of "being" Agile. Some people want "to do Agile", but you don't DO Agile, you must BE Agile.
Should Scrum Teams be Dedicated to a Single Product?
Should Scrum teams be dedicated to a single product? The truth is, there's times when you want a dedicated team and times when you don't. Let me explain!
Creating the Skills You Need for Agility
When beginning the transformation to Agile Development, it's hard to know exactly what skills the organization needs to adapt to the new way of working.
What is the Role of the ScrumMaster?
Although the Scrum Guide defines the ScrumMaster at length, here we're going to dissect that description and take a much closer look at what a ScrumMaster is.
What Do Testers REALLY Do On a Scrum Team?
Analysis, design, coding, and testing are done constantly rather than in phases, meaning testing ISN'T just a phase but an ongoing part of Agile Development.
Self-Managing Teams
When I teach or coach people about Scrum, we talk about self-organization, but the importance of self-organizational principles cannot be understated.
Ground Rules for Your Team
Some initial “rules” that everyone agrees to follow will help your team avoid misunderstandings and deliberate misconduct.
DONEness Definitions (DoD)
What's the one thing YOU could do as a Scrum Master to improve your team's reliability, quality, and productivity? Read on and find out!
Is Your Scrum Team Stuck? It Might Be a Product Ownership Problem
If your Scrum teams are “doing all the right things”—running Sprints, holding Reviews—but still not improving in quality, value, or productivity, the issue may not be process. It may be a lack of real Product Ownership. This article explores why communication is a Product Owner’s most valuable skill, how traditional mindsets limit Agile success, and what to do if formal training isn’t an option.
Teaching the Scrum Framework
It's critical everyone on a new Scrum Team starts with the same understanding of Scrum. A learning structure called “ShuHaRi” can be related to teaching Scrum.
I Think We Broke Something... Somewhere
Many organizations transitioning to Agile Development suffer from a preconceived idea that coding tasks and testing tasks should be seen as separate activities.
More Than Just Code
Plan your transition to Agile Development for the long haul. It's more than just code. Treat it that way!
Measuring Scrum Team Productivity
Measuring Scrum Team productivity is something nearly every organization wants, but performance metrics should really only be created under two conditions.
Backlog Refinement Part 1: What It Is and How It Works
While coaching Scrum teams I've noticed how difficult effective backlog refinement is, so I wrote a blog post series on how backlog refinement works.
Estimate Like a Pro
Estimation isn't about knowing how long something will take to build but about determining how complicated something is, then using practical experience.