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Product Backlog refinement: How far is too far?

February 23, 2022
A well-refined Product Backlog is essential for high-performing Scrum Teams.  Without it, teams will likely struggle to deliver a Done increment each Sprint.  But like all things in Scrum, we must have a balance.  So, how far out should the Product Backlog go?  
Blog Post

An Unexpected Career Journey

February 23, 2022
The role of leader is undergoing a seismic shift in our modern world. Career experiences have caused many of us to reconsider what leadership means. Leaders as gardeners is something worth considering.
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How to Sabotage A Product Owner — 53 Anti-Patterns from the Trenches

February 22, 2022
One of my favorite exercises from my Professional Scrum Product Owner classes is how to best sabotage a Product Owner as a member of the middle management. The exercise rules are simple: You’re not allowed to use any form of illegal activity. So, outsourcing the task to a bunch of outlaws is out of the question. Instead, you are only allowed to use practices that are culturally acceptable within your organization.
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Les DAOs sont-elles le Futur des Organisations Agiles ?

February 22, 2022
Lors de mes formations officielles Scrum.org et en coaching d’équipes, on me demande souvent comment faire avec la nature centralisée des organisations. Dans cet article, je partage une alternative aux structures descendantes de nos organisations traditionnelles, les DAOs. Nous découvrirons ce qu’elles sont, comment elles supportent les équipes Scrum dans l’atteinte de leurs objectifs et pourquoi ça change tout.

Scrum maximiza el aprendizaje de los clientes

February 22, 2022
Scrum ayuda a resolver problemas complejos. Estos problemas son los que aparecen en un entorno de incertidumbre o de cambios. Estos cambios provocan riesgos de lograr los resultados de negocio y de producir un producto alineado a las necesidades de los clientes. En Scrum los Sprints se enfocan en entregar un incremento de producto con valor terminado potencialmente entregable al cliente a través del lanzamiento de este incremento. El aprendizaje de los clientes se maximiza cuando recibimos sus comentarios acerca del valor recibido cuando usan el producto y validamos las hipótesis asumidas durante el Sprint para apalancar la adaptación para mejorar la entrega de ese valor y reducir el riesgo provocado por los cambios del entorno.
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How to live the 4 values in the Agile Manifesto

February 17, 2022
The Agile Manifesto (penned in 2001) includes four values and 12 principles that describe a new approach to complex work. Agile is an umbrella term comprising a variety of frameworks and approaches to value delivery, including Scrum.  Previously, we discussed the 12 principles included in the Agile Manifesto and how they play out in the real world.  This week, we turn our attention to each of the manifesto’s four values. 
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[PODCAST] +50agility episode #5 with Steve Porter

February 16, 2022
Hi everyone! The new podcast episode is out, this time featuring Steve Porter as a guest. We are talking about tough but fair exams, origins of the Nexus framework, complexity behind scaling Scrum and much more. Hope you'll enjoy listening to it and find it useful. Feel free to check previous episodes as well.
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Are DAOs the Future of Agile Organizations?

February 14, 2022
In my Professional Scrum Training and coaching sessions with teams, I’m often asked about how to navigate organizations’ centralized planification. In this article, I'll share an alternative to traditional organizations’ top-down structures - DAOs. We will discover what they are, how they support Scrum teams to better achieve their goals, and why this is a game changer.
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Don't fall for these myths about refinement in Scrum

February 14, 2022
Misconceptions about Refinement—the process of adding detail, order and size to individual Product Backlog items can be highly detrimental to a team's ability to deliver value to the business frequently. In this article, we will discuss some of the most common myths about Refinement in Scrum.
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5 + X todsichere Wege, wie Velocity als Waffe gegen Scrum Teams eingesetzt werden kann

February 11, 2022
Am eigenen Leib hatte ich bereits erfahren, wie unvorhersehbar die Entwicklung von Software sein kann. Stundengenaue Vorhersagen, wie lange die Umsetzung einer User Story dauern wird, kann deshalb niemand geben. Davon wegzukommen, indem die Arbeit relativ geschätzt und die Größe als Anzahl von Story Points festgehalten wird, klang genial. Die Anzahl der Story Points, die innerhalb eines Sprints erledigt wurden, als Velocity zu bezeichnen und zu nutzen, um damit Prognosen für die zukünftige Umsetzungsgeschwindigkeit zu treffen, fand ich genauso vielversprechend.
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What Comes Next After Scrum?

February 11, 2022
Since I first started working with Scrum in 2005, I have wondered what would eventually come along to replace it. Scrum has now been around for over 25 years, so surely something else would emerge?
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Чому Посібник зі Скраму так рідко оновлюють?

February 10, 2022
Декілька років тому, ще перед пандемією, я мав нагоду відвідати конференцію, присвячену гнучким підходам до створення продуктів. Наприкінці події відбулася панельна дискусія зі спікерами, серед яких було немало відомих людей з європейської аджайл-спільноти.
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The Essence of Empiricism

February 10, 2022
That is the very essence of Empiricism - that there exists no "correct" way of working on a complex situation. And even if it does exist, it is not possible to know it in advance. Hence the entire process should be a series of controlled experiments and data-driven decisions aiming towards the overarching goal.
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How the 12 principles in the Agile Manifesto work in real life

February 9, 2022
The Scrum framework comes with its own guardrails and values, but it is worth taking a moment to consider the base upon which Scrum is founded by examining the principles and values of the Agile Manifesto.  The Agile Manifesto includes four values and 12 principles that describe a better way to approach complex work.  In this article, we will discuss each of the 12 principles and what they mean in the real world.
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Which statement best describes the Sprint Review?

February 8, 2022
The most perceptible activity that can take place in Scrum is the Sprint Review. The feedback-driven working session enables the demonstration of the functionality built during the Sprint to get feedback from the Stakeholders. In the following article, we will discuss the aspects of Sprint Review.
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The Most Valuable Thing to Do Next

February 7, 2022
Scrum involves a radically different mindset that involves fully embracing Empiricism, or making decisions based upon what is known. Rather than creating project plans, teams rely upon Goals to measure success. The list of the most valuable things to do next is the Product Backlog, and it is the plan, but it is an ever changing plan that evolves as more is learned.
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4 Wege, wie UX-Professionals mit Scrum Teams zusammenarbeiten können

February 6, 2022
Leider ist das Wunschdenken und entspricht selten der Realität von UX-Professionals und Scrum Teams. UX-Experten, die mein Professional Scrum mit UX-Training besuchen, berichten, dass sie teilweise mit 3 Scrum Teams zusammenarbeiten. Würden sie an allen Scrum Events teilnehmen, dann bliebe keine Zeit mehr, um ihrer UX-Arbeit nachzukommen. Damit haben sie zweifellos recht.
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The Scrum Values and the Real World

February 3, 2022
The 2020 Scrum Guide includes five values that are important to every successful implementation of Scrum.  These values are courage, commitment, focus, openness and respect. These values don’t get much attention, but the longer I practice Scrum and coach teams, the more important I find them.  This article will outline each value and provide examples of how they play out in the real world.
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Three Steps to Done in Scrum

January 30, 2022
Scrum uses an iterative, incremental approach to deliver value to the business through the medium of the Sprint. The purpose of each Sprint is to deliver a Done, usable increment. It sounds straightforward, but it can be tricky to achieve. Here are the three steps to Done in Scrum.