I have had the opportunity to work with some truly amazing teams that have achieved pretty amazing outcomes. One thing that every team has had in common is that, at one time, they were new to Scrum. When I engage with teams to discuss implementing the Scrum framework, they often raise potential imp...

This article explains what Sprint zero is and how it is used in Scrum.

This workshop was delivered on 2nd September 2021 and focused on introducing the core concepts of Kanban & Flow.

Being a Product Owner is tough. Having the accountability for maximising value can sometimes feel like a huge weight is on your shoulders and sometimes - it's hard to know where to begin. As a Scrum Master, you’re accountable for helping to establish empirical product planning – but how could you do...

Penser, agir, décider en tant que manager agile

This workshop was delivered on 19th August 2021 and focused on introducing the core concepts of Scrum & Empiricism. I used a combination of Liberating Structures, Microsoft Teams, and Mural to deliver an interactive session.

TL; DR: Should Managers Attend Retrospectives? There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. A classic discussion is whether it is appropriate that (line) managers attend the Retr...

This workshop was delivered on 5th August 2021 and focused on highlighting the value of people in the product delivery world and some of the things that need to change.

On June the 8th Scrum.org hosted a webinar on the subject of using Scrum in Biotech research. The blog addresses unanswered questions from the session

Quand on parle de Scrum et d’Agilité, nous sommes habitués à penser à l’Amérique et à l’Europe, et non à l’Afrique. Je dois avouer que je suis totalement ignorant du niveau de Scrum et de l’Agile en Afrique. Inutile de dire que j’étais excité d’être invité en Côte d’Ivoire pour une formation PSM-1 e...

In diesem Blog untersuchen wir, woher diese Grundhaltung kommt, zeigen, wie wir damit umgehen können, leisten Überzeugungsarbeit und bieten Experimente an, d. h. wir

When using the Scrum framework, the Retrospective is the final event in a Sprint. In this article, we will discuss ideas to use when planning your next Sprint Retrospective.

When talking about applying Scrum and Agile, we are hardwired to think about America and Europe, not about Africa. I must confess I am totally ignorant about the status of Scrum and Agile in Africa. Needless to say, I was excited to be invited to Ivory Coast for a PSM-1 and PSPO-1 training in the ci...

In this webinar, Professional Scrum Trainer Martijn Magermans and Agile HR Expert Astrid Karsten, author of Toolkit for Agile Talent Development,will take you with them on a journey through agile HR from a Scrum perspective. This webinar is for both HR professionals with an interest in Agile & Scrum...

Can a Scrum Team simply decide to abandon Scrum? After all, the Scrum team is self-managing, according to the Scrum manual, also known as the Scrum Guide. So, let’s explore this question at the very heart of team autonomy.

In this blog post, I share 10 success factors that emerged from a community meetup. These factors helped Scrum practitioners prevent or fix Zombie Scrum in their team and organization.

We ran several train-the-trainer events to prepare the launch and our trainer community for the PAL-EBM class. I enjoyed participating in one of those and am glad to share my experience with you.

The role of an agile leader is to create and foster an environment where empiricism thrives to support the delivery of value. Evidence Based Management supports this, by providing a framework to link goals and objective measures to provide insights in to how effectively the organisation is working.

Today, Scrum.org launches the new Professional Agile Leadership - Evidence Based Management ™  (EBM) training course.

TL; DR: Ignoring Self-Management — Undermining Scrum from the Start There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. One of Scrum’s first principles is self-management. It is based o...

How should leaders ensure that they and their teams execute against what they know? Check out this blog post for some key ideas

There is one frequent question that I encounter in my workshops. There is a piece of information that is missing in the Scrum Guide. Interestingly, It is regarding the managers. Where is the role of Manager in Scrum?

When scaling Scrum, we balance cost and effort with benefits and advantages. Costs and effort come from adding teams. Benefits and advantages come from delivering more value in the same amount of time. 

If someone can give you the answer easily for: What is Agile Transformation? And how do we do? I bet that they don’t completely understand the question or don’t have enough experience. Transformation or change in a group or organization is always a challenge. It is complex work and needs a lot of ef...

After more than a decade of helping organizations travel on the path of Agility, it feels more like traveling on the path of Agile Suffering.

A real-life example of how we facilitated an online Sprint Review.

Let me introduce you to an example sketch based on the Tuckman model of group dynamics I use in my Professional Scrum Master training classes to make the effort and cost of creating a Scrum Team easier understandable.

What scientific research on team cognition tells us about high-performing teams

In this highly engaging speaker session from the Agile Camp Berlin 2021, Jutta Eckstein and Maryse Meinen point out the advantages of creating diverse, cross-functional teams to benefit your customers and your organization.

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. While it is common to first look outside our team for impediments, such as dysfunctional processes or other systemic issues,

The Product Owner is a critical accountability in Agile and Scrum. And although the Scrum Guide doesn’t give much guidelines around great Product Ownership, the role is still absolutely necessary for great Agile and Scrum Teams.

This blog post discusses how the Circles of Improvement from the book by Stephen R. Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, work in Scrum.

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. One failure symptom of a botched agile transformation is the frustrated Scrum Master.

How to become a Scrum Master – 5 Simple Steps! So you read the blog about What is a Scrum Master and you’re ready to start your journey! Great job! The Scrum Master is probably one of the most famous Agile roles. And rightly so, because the Scrum Master pays a pivotal role in helping the team ...

While many misinterpretations and misunderstandings have spread on the “what” and “how” of Agile, it is perhaps the “why” - the purpose of being Agile - that has become most lost.

One of my customers is asking me about the accountabilities of a Product Owner and how they break down. While I had seen many things around the Scrum Master for my post on Hiring a Professional Scrum Master, this was a little bit more of a discovery session, which is why I asked some of my trusted c...

We spend a big part of our workday either participating in or facilitating workshops. In this blog post we will dive into a practice you can use to kick off workshops. A practice to set the tone, to spark impulse, to invite for change and forward momentum: Using videos to kick-start a crucial conver...

Are agile and Scrum the same thing? Learn about the difference from the team at www.FractalSystems.co.uk

TL; DR: Three Wide-Spread Product Owner Failures There are plenty of Product Owner failures. Given that Scrum is a framework with a precise and concise yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. Explore with me three widespread examples of how Product Owners fail their team in...

The readers going through this piece more or less know the definition of a Scrum Master. Co-Creators Ken & Jeff, in their Scrum Guide 2020, having introduced exclusively the framework for Scrum, have put it as: “Scrum Masters are true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger organisation.” Th...

Scrum Teams do it all the time. It happens in Sprint Review, after Daily Scrum, in Sprint Planning, and as part of development. They discuss the upcoming work to gain a shared understanding...

If you are looking to fill a position for a Product Owner in your organization, you may find the following 71 interview questions useful to identify the right candidate. They are derived from my fourteen years of practical experience with XP and Scrum, serving both as Product Owner and Scrum Master ...

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone.

One of the most often used skills and stances in the daily life of a Scrum Master probably is coaching. I'm talking coaching as in the definition of e.g. the Agile Coaching Institute

In my Professional Scrum Training and coaching sessions with teams, I am often asked about Product Backlog management tools. In this post, I'll share my thoughts on tools and 3 tips for using tools effectively in Scrum.

TL; DR: Three Wide-Spread Scrum Master Failures There are plenty of Scrum Masters failures. Given that Scrum is a framework with a precise and concise yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. Learn more about three widespread examples of how Scrum Masters fail their team in ...

4 Do-it-yourself workshops to improve how your team uses metrics and how to measure the things that really matter!

Companies have shifted to long-term remote work and employees across many different industries are accepting that the pre-pandemic workplace will not come back. I call this "radical remote".

In an earlier blog post on Servant Leadership, Commander’s Intent and Decentralised Command we discussed the ways in which decentralised command and decision-making has rapidly become a business essential for all.

Make no mistake: Your Product Backlog is the last line of defense preventing your Scrum Team from becoming a feature factory; hence Product Backlog defense is vital: Figure out a process that creates value for your customers. Moreover, have the courage — and the discipline — to defend it at all cost...