Skip to main content
Blog Post

Sprint Backlog is Not... Sprint Backlog is...

July 15, 2024
By dispelling common misconceptions and embracing the Sprint Backlog's true nature, teams can enhance responsiveness and work cohesively towards their goal. The Sprint Backlog is a powerful guide that, when used correctly, ensures that the team remains focused, adaptable, and aligned with the overall objectives.
Blog Post

Elevate Scrum!

July 13, 2024
Scrum is often implemented at the team level, which can limit achieving business agility at scale. Moving beyond this "team-level agility" to a more holistic approach fosters in-team and inter-team collaboration, aligning with the "second wave of Agile".
Blog Post

Product Backlog is Not... Product Backlog is...

July 13, 2024
Understanding the true nature of the Product Backlog is essential for the success of Scrum and the delivery of value to stakeholders. By dispelling common misconceptions and embracing this knowledge, teams can enhance their responsiveness, prioritize effectively, and deliver maximum value to their customers.
Blog Post

A Stakeholder is Not... A Stakeholder is...

July 11, 2024
Understanding the role of Stakeholders in Scrum is essential for the success of any product. By dispelling common misconceptions and embracing the true nature of Stakeholder involvement, teams can foster more effective collaboration, improve decision-making, and deliver products that truly meet user needs and business goals.
Blog Post

Agile Organization Design: Moving Beyond Size Logic

July 10, 2024
In the late 90s, many companies adopted a 150-person rule for organizational units to maintain manageability and cohesion. However, this approach often led to fragmented products and complex management structures, making strategic execution a challenge. Today, a new idea is emerging. Instead of splitting units by size, companies are forming dedicated product groups with full P&L responsibility, encompassing entire product families. This shift has streamlined strategic units, reduced reporting lines, and enhanced agility in responding to market changes.
Blog Post

AI as a Scrum Team Member

July 10, 2024
Every Scrum Team wishes they had time each Sprint to accomplish more. By leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), teams can get that time back and become more effective. AI is revolutionizing various industries, and its potential to enhance how people and teams work is becoming increasingly evident.
Blog Post

Tips - Improving Effectiveness of Scrum Teams

July 9, 2024
One of the accountabilities that a Scrum Master has to fulfill is to make the Scrum Team effective. This includes the Scrum Master, as well. However, in my experience I have come across only a handful of Scrum Masters who understand the concept and who focus on improving and making themselves effective. If as a Scrum Master one does not focus on making themself effective they might not be able to help the team to become effective.
Blog Post

Product Owner Is Not... Product Owner Is...

July 9, 2024
Understanding the true role of the Product Owner is crucial for the success of Scrum teams and products. The Product Owner is not a traditional manager or a taskmaster but a value maximizer, visionary, collaborator, and customer advocate. By dispelling these misconceptions and embracing the true nature of the Product Owner, teams can foster a more effective and productive environment for product development.
Blog Post

3 Stakeholder Management Tips for Product Owners

July 8, 2024
Effective stakeholder management is crucial for a successful product. By understanding their perspective, focusing on their success, and slowing down to bring them along, you’ll significantly improve your communication and collaboration. Remember, it’s about creating a shared vision and journey, not just pushing your agenda.
Blog Post

The User Story Format

July 8, 2024
While there are various ways to write or format items on the Product Backlog, one of the most popular and effective methods is writing them in the user story format. This practice, though beneficial, is not mandatory. Scrum teams may choose to adopt the user story format when it suits their needs and enhances their workflow.
Blog Post

You Can't Skip Refinement

July 8, 2024
Some teams think that if they skip refinement, they're saving time, but that's not true at all. Teams must understand what is needed before they can deliver value. Refinement will happen. It's just a matter of whether it will be done in Sprint Planning, during the Sprint, or whether you will do it in advance of the Sprint as part of regular, planned refinement activities.
Blog Post

アジャイルの旅ポッドキャスト S1E12: バリューストリームマッピング、DX・DevOps・アジャイル導入の成功の測定方法

July 7, 2024
このポッドキャストでは、業界のエキスパートを特別ゲストとして迎え、アジャイルとスクラムの世界にふかく潜り込んでいきます。スクラム、DevOps、ユーザーエクスペリエンス、プロダクトマネージメント、コーチングなど、様々なトピックをカバーします。私、フォンテーヌグレゴリは、「アジャイルの旅」ポッドキャストのホストです。アジャイルコーチ、スクラムマスター、またはコンサルタントとして日本企業を支援しております。そして、Scrum.orgの認定プロフェッショナルスクラムトレーナーです。 今回のエピソードのゲストは株式会社ITプレナーズジャパンアジアパシフィックの原秀文さんです。 DX、DevOps、アジャイル開発の導入に関する原さんの仕事について話しています。バリュー・ストリーム・マッピング(VSM)の多くの利点、ベンダーと協力してアジリティを支える働く方法、そしてDX・DevOps・アジャイル開発の導入の成功・進捗の測定方法について話し合います。
Blog Post

Scrum Master is Not... Scrum Master is...

July 7, 2024
Understanding the Scrum Master's true accountability is crucial for the team's success. By dispelling these misconceptions and embracing the Scrum Master's true nature, teams can foster a more supportive and effective environment for product development.
Blog Post

🇮🇹 Scrum Master come agente del cambiamento

July 6, 2024
Cosa vuol dire che uno Scrum Master è agente del cambiamento? In questo articolo, Fabio Panzavolta condivide la sua esperienza. Usare Scrum per rivelare ciò che rende l'azienda (o il team) meno agile per poi aiutare tutti, in azienda, a migliorarsi continuamente. Gli ostacoli che si presenteranno nel percorso di creazione del prodotto, saranno rimossi. Questa rimozione porterà più business agility: prodotti di migliore qualità, clienti e dipendenti più contenti, più rapidità per andare dall’idea alla produzione.
Blog Post

Scrum Team is Not...Scrum Team is...

July 5, 2024
Organizations can foster a more productive, innovative, and responsive work environment by recognizing what a Scrum Team is Not and embracing what it truly is. What kind of Scrum Team do you have? Pick your favorite from the list.

Un Product Owner Profesional

July 4, 2024
El Product Owner tiene la responsabilidad de maximizar la entrega de valor. Esta responsabilidad puede requerir desarrollar una variedad de competencias y habilidades como son: Liderar hacia el valor, Involucrar en la visión, y evolucionar el producto con la validación a través de un enfoque incremental y empírico. En esta entrada se muestran algunas de las competencias requeridas.
Blog Post

The Role Of Agile In Lean Change Management

July 4, 2024
The implementation of an agile lean change approach is easy to talk about, but harder to execute. By focusing on incremental change, frequent feedback, and tailoring the approach to specific needs, Agile enables businesses to respond effectively to evolving markets and deliver greater value.
Blog Post

Breaking Free from the Delivery Drain: Emphasizing Product Discovery

July 4, 2024
Product Managers and Product Owners often find themselves caught in the delivery drain, where their time and energy are consumed by the operational aspects of getting a product out the door. This focus on delivery not only drains their resources. But also forces them to operate on an operational level, leaving little room for the strategic and tactical thinking that drives real product innovation. To truly excel, product teams must shift their attention to product discovery. A critical yet frequently overlooked aspect of product management.
Blog Post

Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #2 - Complexity and Risk

July 3, 2024
In their discussion titled "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #2 - Complexity and Risk," Todd and Ryan explore how Scrum optimizes product management by emphasizing high-value delivery. They emphasize that while Scrum is designed for high-risk, complex projects, its success hinges on consistent product releases and iterative feedback loops to manage risks effectively.
Blog Post

Scrum is Not... Scrum is...

July 3, 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of project management, Scrum has emerged as one of the most popular frameworks for Agile development. Despite its widespread adoption, many misconceptions exist about what Scrum truly entails. Understanding the essence of Scrum is crucial for teams and organizations to harness its full potential and achieve their goals efficiently.
Blog Post

Dislocated Team: "My Teammates are in 3 Different Time Zones! Help!?"

July 2, 2024
A former student of mine asked me a question: I've just started working with a product development team whose members live in India Standard Time, Central European Time, and East Standard Time I'd like to help to configure our Sprints. Do you have advice about stand-ups? How often? Should we meet later in the day? Any advice would be appreciated.
Blog Post

Facilitating Effective Sprint Reviews

July 2, 2024
It is rare that teams get the full value that they should from their Sprint Reviews. We and others have experienced Sprint Reviews more as performance reviews or demos that feel like one-way presentations from the team. The opportunity for Scrum Teams and their stakeholders to explore the current and potential value of products, market insights and technology trends that could be leveraged is often missed. In this blog, in collaboration with Patricia Kong and Glaudia Califano, I share different ideas, challenges and facilitation techniques to help you and your teams have more effective Sprint Reviews.
Blog Post

What Is a Product?

July 1, 2024
“A product is a vehicle to deliver value. It has a clear boundary, known stakeholders, and well-defined users or customers. A product could be a service, a physical product, or something more abstract.” - The Scrum Guide
Blog Post

Debrief: Max, the AI Agent, a Scrum Team Member like any Other?

July 1, 2024
Discover how Max, an AI agent, integrates into Adrien's Scrum Team, enhancing productivity and bridging skill gaps. Uncover the groundbreaking music and clip generation product they are developing together. Explore the opportunities AI agents like Max bring to agile teams, and reflect on the insights from AI safety researchers Diego Dorn and Alexandre Variengien about the potential limitations and risks. Delve into the intriguing question: Is Max loyal?
Blog Post

Agile is Not... Agile is...

July 1, 2024
Despite its widespread adoption, Agile is often misunderstood and misapplied. Many still hold onto traditional project management views, leading to confusion and ineffective implementation of Agile practices. To truly harness the power of Agile, it's essential to understand what Agile is not and what Agile is. Find out more about what Agile is and is not in this post from Sanjay Saini.
Blog Post

Scrum is Hard and Disruptive - A Dive into Ken Schwaber's Timeless Insights

June 26, 2024
In this video, Todd and Ryan explore Ken Schwaber's 2006 white paper, which discusses why Scrum is hard and disruptive. They use cross-functional, self-managing teams to emphasize Scrum's foundation in iterative and incremental development. Lean thinking and empirical process control are core principles, ensuring continuous improvement through frequent inspection and adaptation. The hosts draw parallels to real-life scenarios, like youth football coaching, to illustrate the effectiveness of self-managing teams.