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Tag: Scrum

  • Should We Change Scrum?

    TL; DR: Can We Or Should We Change Scrum?

    Can we or should we change Scrum, or is it a sacrilege to tweak the ‘immutable’ framework to accommodate our teams’ and organizations’ needs?

    Not so fast; don’t just dismiss augmenting Scrum as leaving the path, contributing to the numerous Scrumbut mutations, giving Scrum a bad name. However, in our rapidly evolving business landscape, sticking rigidly to traditional Scrum by the book could be a straightjacket stifling innovation, user focus, and adaptability.

    From ensuring cultural compatibility to facing technical debt challenges and emerging technologies, discover ten compelling reasons why augmenting Scrum isn’t just okay—it’s necessary for modern teams.

    Read on to discover when and how to adapt Scrum responsibly without diluting its essence.

    Should We Change Scrum? Age-of-Product.com

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  • Definition of Done: Business Agility Abhors Technical Shoddiness

    TL; DR: The Definition of Done: Business Agility & Technical Excellence

    Most of the time, stakeholders are not interested in how we solve their problems as long as we ethically play by the rules. Instead, they are interested in the regular delivery of valuable Increments as these pave the road to business agility. However, there is no business agility without technical excellence, which brings us to today’s topic: the importance of an actionable Definition of Done.

    Learn more about twelve success principles of employing such a Definition of Done as a Scrum team to help your organization become agile.

    Definition of Done: Business Agility Abhors Technical Shoddiness — Age-of-Product.com

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  • Scrum Tools and Practices to Enhance an Incomplete Framework, Part 1

    TL; DR: Scrum Tools, Part 1

    “The Scrum framework is purposefully incomplete, […].” (Source.) This half-sentence is probably one of the more often misinterpreted statements of the Scrum Guide. On the one side, it defines the necessity to enhance Scrum with other practices and tools. On the other side, it is the reason that so many attempts to practice Scrum are simply botched, resulting in ScrumBut versions of epic diversity. So, let’s look at proven Scrum tools and practices enhancing a purposefully incomplete framework without defying or negating its first principles.

    Please note that the following Scrum tools and practices list is not complete. Please feel free to add more suggestions by commenting.

    Scrum Tools and Practices to Enhance an Incomplete Framework, Part 1 — Berlin-Product-People.com

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  • 21 Sprint Retrospective Anti-Patterns Impeding Scrum Teams

    21 Sprint Retrospective Anti-Patterns Impeding Scrum Teams

    TL; DR: Sprint Retrospective Anti-Patterns

    What event could better embody Scrum’s principle of empiricism than the Sprint Retrospective? I assume all peers agree that even the simplest form of a Retrospective—if only held regularly—is far more helpful than having a fancy one once in a while, not to mention having none. Moreover, I am convinced there is always room for improvement; just avoid dogmatism. Hence, learn more about 21 common Sprint Retrospective anti-patterns that will hold back your Scrum team.

    Sprint Retrospective Anti-Patterns — Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide — Berlin Product People GmbH

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  • 27 Product Backlog Anti-Patterns

    27 Product Backlog Anti-Patterns

    TL; DR: 27 Product Backlog and Refinement Anti-Patterns

    Scrum is a tactical framework to build products, provided you identify what is worth making in advance. But even after a successful product discovery phase, you may struggle to create the right thing in the right way if your Product Backlog is not up to the job—garbage in, garbage out. The following article points to 27 common Product Backlog anti-patterns – including the Product Backlog refinement process – limiting your Scrum team’s success.

    27 Product Backlog and Refinement Anti-Patterns — Berlin Product People GmbH

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  • My Top Ten Worst Scrum Anti-Patterns

    TL; DR: My Top Ten Worst Scrum Anti-Patterns

    I recently was invited to a Scrum.org Webinar, and I picked a topic close to my heart: the worst Scrum anti-patterns. So, without further delay, here are my top ten of the meanest, baddest Scrum anti-patterns I have experienced.

    My Top Ten Worst Scrum Anti-Patterns — Berlin Product People GmbH

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  • Agile Movers & Shakers (4): Dave West, CEO of Scrum.org

    Agile Movers & Shakers (4): Dave West, CEO of Scrum.org

    TL; DR: The Agile Movers & Shakers Interview with Dave West of Scrum.org

    Welcome to the Agile Movers & Shakers interview series. Today’s guest is Dave West.

    Dave West is the Product Owner and CEO at Scrum.org. He is a frequent keynote speaker and is a widely published author of articles, along with his acclaimed book: Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design. He led the development of the Rational Unified Process (RUP) and then worked with Ivar Jacobson running the North American business for IJI. Then Dave managed the software delivery practice at Forrester research where he was VP and research director. Prior to joining Scrum.org, Dave West was Chief Product Officer at Tasktop where he was responsible for product management, engineering, and architecture.

    Agile Movers & Shakers (4): Dave West, CEO of Scrum.org — Berlin Product People GmbH

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  • Scrum Accountability

    Scrum Accountability

    TL; DR: Scrum Accountability

    ‘Autonomy without accountability equals anarchy’ summarizes an essential design element of any agile organization. Without these checks and balances in place any aspiration to transform an organization is likely to fail. (Or at best level out at a mechanistic level.) Learn more about how Scrum deals with accountability.

    Scrum Accountability: The Boss imposes Scrum upon the Team — Berlin Product People GmbH

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  • Liberating Structures for Scrum (4): The Daily Scrum

    Liberating Structures for Scrum (4): The Daily Scrum

    TL;DR: The Liberating Structures Daily Scrum Meetup

    This Liberating Structures for Scrum meetup addressed the Daily Scrum, particularly the notion that it is barely possible to create a Liberating Structure Daily Scrum string that fits into the 15-minutes time-box of the Daily Scrum. Learn more on how to bust that myth.

    Hands-on Agile Meetup Berlin: Liberating Structures Daily Scrum

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  • Liberating Structures for Scrum (3): The Product Backlog

    Liberating Structures for Scrum (3): The Product Backlog

    TL;DR: The Liberating Structures Product Backlog Meetup

    The fourth Liberating Structures for Scrum meetup addressed the Product Backlog, more precisely the issues with Product Backlogs that subsequently cause Sprint Plannings to fail and Scrum Teams to deliver below their capabilities; as the saying goes: garbage in, garbage out.

    Liberating Structures Product Backlog: The Messy Middle

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