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Blog Post

Scrum is Not the Wild, Wild West

February 3, 2025
Scrum - when done well - actually promotes even greater accountability than waterfall, because the Scrum team is accountable for value delivery. And great Scrum teams measure - and reflect upon - customer outcomes so that they can adjust course and improve their ability to deliver value.
Blog Post

What If A Scrum Team Doesn’t Want To Improve?

February 3, 2025
You can't force a team to improve; instead, create the conditions where they want to. Improvement must come from within, and your role as a Scrum Master, leader, or manager is to make that journey possible. In this article, I'll share questions to reflect on and offer tangible recommendations to get started.
Blog Post

Cross-Product Initiative Ownership

February 1, 2025
Struggling with cross-product initiative ownership? Imagine turning complex, strategic bets into streamlined successes with visionary leadership. Discover how product-oriented initiative owners drive outcomes, foster collaboration, and transform challenges into growth opportunities across teams and products.
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Done ist das zentrale Konzept in Scrum: Ohne Done kein empirisches Arbeiten

January 30, 2025
Warum „Done“ das Herzstück von Scrum ist In Scrum ist „Done“ weit mehr als nur ein Begriff—es ist das zentrale Konzept, das sicherstellt, dass ein Produktinkrement tatsächlich einsatzbereit ist. Ohne eine klare Definition of Done (DoD) ist empirisches Arbeiten in Scrum unmöglich, da Transparenz, Inspektion und Adaption auf unzuverlässigen Daten basieren würden. Wie beeinflusst „Done“ die Qualität und den Erfolg eurer Sprints? Und warum ist es der Schlüssel für fundierte Entscheidungen und kontinuierliche Verbesserung? In meinem Blog-Post tauche ich tief in die Bedeutung von „Done“ ein und erkläre, warum ohne dieses Konzept der gesamte Scrum-Prozess ins Wanken geraten kann. Jetzt den Blog-Post lesen und herausfinden, wie „Done“ eure Arbeitsweise transformieren kann.
Blog Post

Sprint Retrospective Dysfunctions and How to Overcome Them

January 30, 2025
Scrum has been around for almost 30 years now yet there are so many misconceptions about what needs to be done and how it can be done effectively. Even today, as I coach and consult many teams I often see that the purpose of events is mostly lost. And people simply go through the motions, probably to get “checkbox” ticked. For me, Sprint Retrospective is an important event which often is completely misunderstood and is often not very effective. In fact, at times I have seen some teams completely skipping the Retrospective. In this article, I am exploring a common set of dysfunctions I have observed and how can those be countered. I hope you will find it useful.
Blog Post

Management by Exception at the Daily Scrum

January 27, 2025
Management by exception is the idea that we should manage the things that are off track, rather than giving focus to things that are going well. In the context of the Daily Scrum, this could be done by asking open ended questions intended to find out if there are any issues that need to be discussed.
Blog Post

8 Principles to Build Resilient, Agile Organizations

January 24, 2025
In Cascais last year at our trainer meetup, we asked, "What are the principles of CAO?" Initially, we saw the Guides in the book as potential principles, but the question stayed with me... Now, back in Cascais for some remote work, I’ve distilled those guides into these principles. Here they are:
Blog Post

Darf ich Scrum nach meinen Bedürfnissen anpassen?

January 23, 2025
Diese Frage höre ich oft, und meine Antwort lautet immer: "Nein und Ja." Warum das so ist, erkläre ich in meinem Blog-Post. Zwar sollte das Scrum Framework laut Scrum Guide eigentlich nicht verändert werden—genau wie man beim Schach die Regeln befolgen muss, um Schach zu spielen. Doch in der Praxis geht es nicht darum, Scrum starr nach Lehrbuch umzusetzen. Viel wichtiger ist es, herauszufinden, was für euer Team am besten funktioniert, selbst wenn das bedeutet, von den Regeln abzuweichen. Aber Vorsicht: Nicht jede Anpassung ist sinnvoll! Erfahrt mehr darüber, wann und wie es sich lohnt, Scrum-Regeln zu hinterfragen, und wie ihr durch gezielte Veränderungen mehr Wert für euer Team schaffen könnt. Neugierig? Jetzt den Blog-Post lesen und euer Scrum-Wissen vertiefen!
Blog Post

Work Smarter, Not Harder

January 21, 2025
The Scrum framework is simple, with just enough - but not too much - structure to enable teams to collaborate around value delivery in complex environments. The problem is that a lot of teams add unnecessary complexity to the Scrum framework itself, which results in a lot of wasted effort. Here are four strategies to help Scrum teams work smarter, not harder.
Blog Post

What Is an Increment of Value?

January 21, 2025
An increment is a usable, completed piece of a product, built in an iteration or less, that adds potential value and moves the product closer to the goals, ensuring continuous progress and improvement.
Blog Post

HR’s Role in Agile Success

January 20, 2025
Around 2010, a manager asked me something like: “𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘙 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘚𝘰, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?” Instead of traditional top-down evaluations, implement: - 𝐏𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Frequent, informal feedback helps individuals and teams grow without the constraints of traditional appraisals. - 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝: Teams must develop new skills to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. - 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡: Performance must focus on team outcomes, not individual metrics. When orgs follow these ideas, it tends to support adaptable teams, people who embrace change, and a more resilient organization.

Formas de Mejorar como Scrum Master

January 17, 2025
Como Scrum Master te puedes preguntar muchas veces: ¿Cómo puedo mejorar la relevancia, efectividad e impacto en el equipo y en la entrega de valor? ¿En qué me puedo enfocar como Scrum Master para ayudar de mejorar manera al equipo? ¿Y que habilidades, conocimiento y experiencia necesito mejorar?. A continuación, algunas formas de mejorar la efectividad como Scrum Master y que pueden ayudar a mejorar la forma en que se asumen las responsabilidades como líder usando Scrum.
Blog Post

Scrum and Lean Thinking - What's the Relation?

January 16, 2025
What is the relationship between Scrum and Lean Thinking? Please explain how Scrum enables Lean Thinking or how Lean Thinking fosters Scrum? These are my two favorite questions when I typically want to gauge the knowledge of Scrum Masters. And over the many interviews in the past couple of years I have come across maybe 1 or 2 people who were able to answer it satisfactorily. I often ponder why that is. This article elaborates a bit more on it and I also share how I connect Scrum and Lean Thinking. So, if you want to explore it, this might be a good starting point. Disclaimer: Long post alert.
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My Journey to Becoming a PST: Lessons, Struggles, and Triumphs

January 15, 2025
In 2018, after over a decade of working with Scrum Teams, I attempted the PSM III exam, sparking a journey of deep learning and humility. Passing the exam revealed how much there was still to learn about Professional Scrum—characterized by empiricism, high standards, self-management, and the Scrum Values. Pursuing the path to becoming a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) was challenging, requiring extensive preparation, peer reviews, and overcoming failures like rejected essays and a failed exam retake. Mentorship and collaboration played a crucial role, with peers and trainers offering invaluable feedback. The journey emphasized storytelling, feedback, and balancing empathy with instructional clarity. Key lessons included embracing humility, lifelong learning, and the courage to challenge students to foster meaningful change. The PST experience was transformative, demanding persistence, resilience, and a commitment to continuous growth. Aspiring Scrum Masters are encouraged to embrace failure, seek mentorship, and explore practical training to deepen their Scrum mastery.
Blog Post

Project To Product Operating Models In A Portfolio Context

January 15, 2025
Most organizations wait way too long to adopt some portfolio-level agility practices. But What if fixing what’s broken REQUIRES focusing on the upstream that’s shaping the work and context of these teams?  My secret weapon in these common situations is to ignore common advice and to actually start with the Portfolio level.
Blog Post

Produkt Backlog Refinement ist eine Voraussetzung für effektive Teamarbeit

January 14, 2025
In vielen Organisationen bleibt echte Zusammenarbeit oft eine Wunschvorstellung. Einzelne Teammitglieder arbeiten isoliert, Missverständnisse häufen sich, und die Synergie bleibt aus. Doch wie schafft man es, dass ein Team wirklich zusammenarbeitet und Verantwortung teilt? Die Antwort beginnt beim Backlog Refinement. Das Backlog Refinement ist mehr als nur eine Schätzrunde—es ist der erste Schritt, in dem das Team ein gemeinsames Verständnis der Anforderungen entwickelt. Wenn alle im Team die Bedürfnisse der Anwender verstehen und gemeinsam nach Lösungen suchen, entstehen durchdachte, kohärente Ergebnisse. Dies verhindert isolierte Insellösungen und fördert eine echte Zusammenarbeit, die sich im Sprint Planning fortsetzt.
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When Scrum Masters Overstep

January 10, 2025
Scrum Masters are human. And sometimes - even when they are trying to help - they can unintentionally overstep their authority. In this article, we will discuss the most common ways that Scrum Masters overstep themselves, and why.
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How Scrum Teams Select Work: Collaboration Toward Value

January 9, 2025
Selecting work in Scrum isn’t just about picking items from the backlog—it’s a collaborative effort by the entire Scrum Team. Explore how value, risk, effort, and shared understanding guide the selection process, ensuring each Increment brings the team closer to the Product Goal.
Blog Post

When to Change the Rules of Scrum?

January 9, 2025
The Scrum framework offers clear rules, guidelines, and constraints. Teams can use these as boundaries to self-manage and self-organize their work, minimize risk, and deliver value to their stakeholders. When teams are relatively new to Scrum, strictly following the rules and constraints makes sense. But what if a team wants to change the rules of Scrum? In this blog post, I share my thoughts.
Blog Post

7 Directions for the PMO of the Future in Product-Oriented Organisation

January 8, 2025
This article outlines seven key development directions for Project Management Offices to effectively support modern product-oriented organizations. Transitioning from a project to a product-oriented operating model requires organisational change in culture, processes, and management. This will result in transforming current PMO services to become more Agile and product-oriented .