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Apr 30, 2022
Excellent class with relevant examples…
Excellent class with relevant examples and great sprint exercises. Ravi had very relevant experiences to relate to the subjects that really helped understand the concepts.
Geoffery Richards
Apr 29, 2022
Ravi was very professional and provided…
Ravi was very professional and provided all of the information in a clear and understandable way but never let the class get boring or monotonous. I have had many trainers in the past for various different classes but Ravi stands near the top as far as quality and legitimately caring about his student's success.
Roy White
Apr 29, 2022
Absolutely amazing course put on by…
Absolutely amazing course put on by Ravi Verma from SmoothApps via the Agile for Patriots program. I can't thank him enough. The interaction from him and the rest of the cohort created a great learning environment.
George Morris
Feb 17, 2022
Such an eye opener into Product…Light bulb moments multiplied
Such an eye opener into Product Delivery and Ravi Verma is an outstanding Coach who delivers content so you get it.
Reviewing the stances of the Product Owner gave so many light bulb moments I am amazed at how excited I am to take back some of these ideas to the organization
Ceceille
Feb 14, 2022
Ravi's insight and real world…
Ravi's insight and real world application are very helpful in understanding the techniques for Product Owners.
Jennifer Gatton
Feb 15, 2020
Ravi is a great instructor
Ravi is a great instructor, funny, entertaining, experienced, wise and able to connect the dots from the classroom to the real world. The course itself is great and prepares you very well for using SCRUM.
Brian Smitherman
Oct 14, 2019
great training content and trainer
great training content and trainer! Scrum.org does it again!
Courtney Castriotta
Oct 14, 2019
A must for every Scrum Master aspiring to the next level
Ravi Verma is one of the best Professional Scrum Trainers and coaches as he make the content come alive for the students. He relates, real-world experience to the discussion topics to enhance learning.
Tim Dickey
Jun 24, 2019
Ravi is an excellent instructor
Ravi is an excellent instructor. You can tell this is his passion. He thoroughly covered the materials and I really enjoyed the hands on training.
Kimberly Scott
Jun 23, 2019
SPS training with Ravi Verma
Ravi Verma delivered the SPS training with practical applications and real-world examples. Ravi walked us through the process of applying Scrum principles in the context of scaling with the understanding the trade-offs may be made in the process. As well, he helped us understanding some organizations should consider NOT scaling based on different factors. I highly recommend Ravi as a trainer for SPS and across the many courses Scrum.org provides.
Tim Dickey
Jun 23, 2019
Ravi was an exceptional instructor.
Ravi was a great instructor. Having already been running a Nexus for three months, I can tell you that a lot of the issues and concerns of scaling Scrum and using Nexus that we had are addressed in the course.
Michael Wright
Jun 23, 2019
Scaling Essentials
As always, Ravi is an amazing trainer. He takes the theory of the class and makes it relatable in ways that people can’t understand by way of real world examples. You can tell by everything that he does that he cares about people, and that inspires me to do the same.
Mike Torrence
Apr 26, 2019
Great information that is timely and…
Great information that is timely and relevant.
Great instructor!
Edgar Green
Apr 15, 2019
Some of the best training I've had!
Ravi is a world-class trainer whose passion for Agile is contagious. The training was tailored to our company's specific goals and needs, yet covered all the fundamentals. I look forward to future training with Ravi and Scrum.org.
Shannon Mason
Feb 10, 2019
Ravi is an outstanding trainer and…
Ravi is an outstanding trainer and coach. I learned a ton in his class and recommended it to anyone looking for a Scrum Master certification.
Brent Boyd
Feb 9, 2019
Excellent Training at Improving in Plano, TX
Ravi Verma was a terrific facilitator and has an incredible grasp of the material. The information provided was well presented, diverse, and included a great deal of real-life scenarios and applications. Also, a big THANK YOU to Improving in Plano, TX for hosting our event. They are a first-class operation.
Adam
Feb 9, 2019
Confirming insights and reinforcing beliefs
I attended the PFS class facilitated by Ravi Verma. I was warm to the idea that Scrum is a better way to develop products without minimal bureaucracy prior to attending. Ravi confirmed and reinforced this premise throughout the course. His background in traditional "waterfall" system/software development informed his instruction of Scrum. The practical stories he used to illustrate Agile principles and Scrum fundamentals encouraged me as a student.
Tim Dickey
Ravi's Certifications
Ravi's Bio
Ravi Verma is a Public Speaker, Agile Coach, Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer, Evidence Based Management Consultant and Blogger with a passion for helping teams recapture the magic of making I.T. As the Founder and Org Whisperer at SmoothApps, Ravi blends ideas from the world of Technology, Entrepreneurship and Organizational Development to develop strong teams and inspiring leaders at all levels of an organization. He recently co-founded his second startup - Al Dente, a platform that helps Agile Coach’s and organizations empirically improve business outcomes in tandem with Agile delivery frameworks like Scrum.
Ravi has 20+ year of Software Delivery and Consulting Experience including Agile Enablement for companies ranging from 10 people to 10,000 people. He is able to earn the trust and respect of C-Level executives and help them understand how the application of Agile Principles, Values and Practices can become a powerful means to achieving sustainable competitive advantage.
Ravi is a creative thought leader and has created the Sabotagile Manifesto and Sabotagile Principles and co-created the Software Code of Ethics. As an active member of the Agile Community, he co-founded the Agile-DevOps Meetup and co-created the Scrum.org Scrum Pulse Webinar Series & Scrum Tapas Video Series.
Ravi is a compelling communicators and used the power of story-teller to make people lean-in and learn the what, why and how of Agility. You can get a sense for Ravi’s story-telling approach by watching the Agilato Video Series – and by reading his Agile Blogs.
He is a certified trainer for Sharon Bowman’s “Training From The Back of the Room” courses and integrates brain-friendly learning into his training. Ravi is also a Certified ROI Professional from the ROI Institute and integrates ROI Based Learning techniques into his training, coaching and consulting. He is committed to becoming a better coach and has completed 104 hours of rigorous training on Co-Active Coaching from the Co-Active institute and is currently enrolled in an intensive 6 month coaching program to become a Certified Co-Active Professional Coach.
As a grateful immigrant to the USA, Ravi felt a strong urge to give back to the country that adopted him and co-founded a non-profit – Agile For Patriots that provides free Agile training, certification, experience, mentoring and coaching to US Military Veterans and Spouses. Since its founding, Agile For Patriots has helped 42 candidates graduate from the program through 6 cohorts and has launched the 7th cohort in May 2021.
Ravi has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Engineering from R.V.C.E., Bangalore and a Masters in Entrepreneurship from SMU, Dallas. Ravi received a Certificate in Organizational Development from DePaul University and Linkage Inc and is an MBTI Certified Practitioner, with a Certificate in Advanced Conflict Resolution from Kilmann Diagnostics. He has also been trained in facilitating workshops for leading organizational change based on the book “Leading Bold Change” by Dr. John Kotter workshops.
He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in Texas and his favorite ways to recharge are passing time with his family, going for long walks in his neighborhood and watching NBA, Golf and crime-dramas all on mute with close captioning.
Languages
- English
- Hindi
Courses taught by Ravi
See What My Students Say
Apr 30, 2022
Excellent class with relevant examples…
Excellent class with relevant examples and great sprint exercises. Ravi had very relevant experiences to relate to the subjects that really helped understand the concepts.
Geoffery Richards
Apr 29, 2022
Ravi was very professional and provided…
Ravi was very professional and provided all of the information in a clear and understandable way but never let the class get boring or monotonous. I have had many trainers in the past for various different classes but Ravi stands near the top as far as quality and legitimately caring about his student's success.
Roy White
Apr 29, 2022
Absolutely amazing course put on by…
Absolutely amazing course put on by Ravi Verma from SmoothApps via the Agile for Patriots program. I can't thank him enough. The interaction from him and the rest of the cohort created a great learning environment.
George Morris
Feb 17, 2022
Such an eye opener into Product…Light bulb moments multiplied
Such an eye opener into Product Delivery and Ravi Verma is an outstanding Coach who delivers content so you get it.
Reviewing the stances of the Product Owner gave so many light bulb moments I am amazed at how excited I am to take back some of these ideas to the organization
Ceceille
Feb 14, 2022
Ravi's insight and real world…
Ravi's insight and real world application are very helpful in understanding the techniques for Product Owners.
Jennifer Gatton
Feb 15, 2020
Ravi is a great instructor
Ravi is a great instructor, funny, entertaining, experienced, wise and able to connect the dots from the classroom to the real world. The course itself is great and prepares you very well for using SCRUM.
Brian Smitherman
Oct 14, 2019
great training content and trainer
great training content and trainer! Scrum.org does it again!
Courtney Castriotta
Oct 14, 2019
A must for every Scrum Master aspiring to the next level
Ravi Verma is one of the best Professional Scrum Trainers and coaches as he make the content come alive for the students. He relates, real-world experience to the discussion topics to enhance learning.
Tim Dickey
Jun 24, 2019
Ravi is an excellent instructor
Ravi is an excellent instructor. You can tell this is his passion. He thoroughly covered the materials and I really enjoyed the hands on training.
Kimberly Scott
Jun 23, 2019
SPS training with Ravi Verma
Ravi Verma delivered the SPS training with practical applications and real-world examples. Ravi walked us through the process of applying Scrum principles in the context of scaling with the understanding the trade-offs may be made in the process. As well, he helped us understanding some organizations should consider NOT scaling based on different factors. I highly recommend Ravi as a trainer for SPS and across the many courses Scrum.org provides.
Tim Dickey
Jun 23, 2019
Ravi was an exceptional instructor.
Ravi was a great instructor. Having already been running a Nexus for three months, I can tell you that a lot of the issues and concerns of scaling Scrum and using Nexus that we had are addressed in the course.
Michael Wright
Jun 23, 2019
Scaling Essentials
As always, Ravi is an amazing trainer. He takes the theory of the class and makes it relatable in ways that people can’t understand by way of real world examples. You can tell by everything that he does that he cares about people, and that inspires me to do the same.
Mike Torrence
Apr 26, 2019
Great information that is timely and…
Great information that is timely and relevant.
Great instructor!
Edgar Green
Apr 15, 2019
Some of the best training I've had!
Ravi is a world-class trainer whose passion for Agile is contagious. The training was tailored to our company's specific goals and needs, yet covered all the fundamentals. I look forward to future training with Ravi and Scrum.org.
Shannon Mason
Feb 10, 2019
Ravi is an outstanding trainer and…
Ravi is an outstanding trainer and coach. I learned a ton in his class and recommended it to anyone looking for a Scrum Master certification.
Brent Boyd
Feb 9, 2019
Excellent Training at Improving in Plano, TX
Ravi Verma was a terrific facilitator and has an incredible grasp of the material. The information provided was well presented, diverse, and included a great deal of real-life scenarios and applications. Also, a big THANK YOU to Improving in Plano, TX for hosting our event. They are a first-class operation.
Adam
Feb 9, 2019
Confirming insights and reinforcing beliefs
I attended the PFS class facilitated by Ravi Verma. I was warm to the idea that Scrum is a better way to develop products without minimal bureaucracy prior to attending. Ravi confirmed and reinforced this premise throughout the course. His background in traditional "waterfall" system/software development informed his instruction of Scrum. The practical stories he used to illustrate Agile principles and Scrum fundamentals encouraged me as a student.
Tim Dickey
Upcoming Classes by Ravi
See all upcoming classes-
Professional Scrum Product OwnerDetails Register
Live VirtualJun 15-17, 2022
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
America/Chicago
English -
Professional Scrum Product Owner - AdvancedDetails Register
Live VirtualOct 19-21, 2022
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
America/Chicago
English
Classes Attended by Ravi
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Professional Agile Leadership - Evidence Based Management
Latest Blogs by Ravi
See all blogs
Ravi Verma
Is your preferred approach to starting an Agile "Transformation" sending a bunch of worker-bees to Agile Training and then waiting for the magic to happen?
Nov 8, 2021
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Ravi Verma
10+ years of helping organizations scale Scrum from one team to 500+ teams has taught me one thing - most practitioners abandon the scientific principles and core values of Scrum in their pursuit of scaling Scrum. To many of these practitioners, Scaling Scrum is a whole another ball-game to which Scrum principles and values do not apply.
Nov 4, 2021
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Ravi Verma
10+ years of helping thousands of practitioners with implementation of Professional Scrum has taught me one thing - most practitioners have a very superficial understanding of Scrum. To most, Scrum is nothing more than "Daily Standup" and "Sprint Demo".
Nov 2, 2021
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Ravi Verma
The Sprint Review is one of the most crucial events that can help your organization maximize the value of the work done by the Scrum Team. However, in 10+ years of helping clients implement Scrum, we have discovered that the Sprint Review can be a massive waste of time because of two big mistakes. In this video, we explain what these two biggest mistakes are and how our clients have learned to avoid them.
Oct 29, 2021
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Ravi Verma
In this blog post, PST Ravi Verma shares tips on how to manage outcomes with Evidence-Based Agility
Aug 31, 2021
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Ravi Verma
Around 14 years ago, my Coach - Peggy Reed changed my life by sending me to Scrum Training. I fell in love with Scrum and chose to become a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer with the support of Ken Schwaber.
Aug 16, 2021
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Ravi Verma
Of late, I've been noticing an interpretation of the Scrum Master role - the Scrum Master as An FFFCDO for Developers - a Fierce, Ferocious, Fearsome Chief Defense Officer!
Aug 11, 2021
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Ravi Verma
Are you too busy doing real work to bother about this new fad called "Evidence Based Management"? Are you tired of beating yourself up because you just don't have the time, money or energy to get on this bandwagon with the other cool kids? Well, fear not. I have a simple 8 step process to put your mind at ease and help you realize why you should NOT waste time and money on Evidence Based Management.
SIMPLE, 8 STEP PROCESS
TOTAL MONTHLY BUDGET: Calculate the total number of hours human beings (not "resources") spend on delivering and supporting your solutions each month. Calculate the total money your organization spends on delivering and supporting your solutions each month. (cost of people, servers, licenses, marketing, sales, support, etc. etc.)
TARGET BURN-DOWN: Now define your target burn-down - what is your budget for the number of person hours and money you are willing to burn down each month in the avoidable destruction of value for your customers, users and your business?
Note: Remember in the complex domain some waste is inevitable and unavoidable. Being in the complex domain implies that there is uncertainty and you don't know what you don't know. When you do complex work, failure is guaranteed. The challenge is not to avoid failure. The challenge is to minimize the amount of failure, to rapidly learn from it and to rapidly course-correct based on the learning and to avoid repeating the same failure over and over again.
ACTUAL BURN-DOWN: Now start measuring your actual burn-down - how many person hours and how much money are you actually burning down each month in the avoidable destruction of value for your customers, users and your business?
TARGET DELIGHT: Now answer this question...On a scale of 0 to 10, how delighted would you like to be with the amount of money and time you burn down each month in the avoidable destruction of value for your customers, users and your business?
ACTUAL DELIGHT: Now answer this question...On a scale of 0 to 10, how delighted are you with the amount of money and time you have actually burned down each month in the avoidable destruction of value for your customers, users and your business?
TARGETS vs. ACTUALS: Now compare your monthly burn-down targets (#2 & #4) with your monthly burn-down actuals (#3 & #5).
TARGETS(#2 & #4) ARE MORE THAN ACTUALS(#3 & #5): If your targets are more than your actuals, YIPPEEEE!!! You don't need no stinking Evidence Based Management!!! You don't need to beat yourself up or feel inadequate in front of those cool kids.
Your tolerance for wasting time and money is greater than your exposure to wasting time and money. Keep doing what you've always been doing. You'll keep getting what you've always been getting. You're fine. You'll be fine. It's all good.
TARGETS(#2 & #4) ARE LESS THAN ACTUALS(#3 & #5): If, on the other hand, your targets are less than your actuals and you have a longing to reduce the amount of money and time you burn down each month in the avoidable destruction of value for your customers, users and your business, maybe you could consider Evidence Based Management.
WHAT NEXT
OK, so if you found yourself in the second category and are curious to learn more about Evidence Based Management, what do you do next? Where do you get started...? Watch this video...
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If these ideas resonate and you want help to implement them, contact us for a free consultation.
Either way, I wish you good luck!
Aug 7, 2021
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Ravi Verma
I interviewed a Scrum Master candidate last week. This blog is inspired by him.
Aug 1, 2021
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Ravi Verma
When we introduce Scrum to some companies, sometimes the question arises - "Why are there so many meetings in Scrum? When do you do 'real work'?"
I've been answering this question verbally for so many years, I thought it was time to write a blog.
So here's my answer - don't use Scrum! It has too many darned meetings. Try this instead for the next 3 months. It won't cost you a dime in training, coaching, consulting, tools, whatchamacallit...
At the start of each work week...
Take a print out of your calendar for the current week
Make a list of all the meetings
Total up all the durations of the meeting
At the end of each work week...
Take a print out of your calendar for the week that just got over
Make a list of all the meetings
Total up all the durations of the meeting
Were there other meetings that did not show up on the calendar? Great! Add them to the list and the total durations.
Compare the print-outs of the meeting calendar at the start of the week and the end of the week. What can you learn? For instance, how did this list of meetings that actually happened by the end of the week compare to the meetings you expected at the start of the work week?
At the end of each work week, fill out this self-assessment
Total # of minutes spent in planned meetings
Total # of minutes spent in un-planned meetings
On a scaled of 0 to 10, how effective was your team in making progress towards your team goal? What the heck was the team goal, anyway?
On a scaled of 0 to 10, how effective was your team in maximizing sustainable, measurable value?
On a scaled of 0 to 10, how effective was your team in minimizing time spent on meetings?
On a scaled of 0 to 10, how effective was your team in maximizing time spent on doing 'real work'?
Plot the survey results as trend lines
At the end of 3 months...
Look back at all the print-outs of before and after weekly calendars, look at all the meetings you had, and draw out your team process on one single page
Name all the meetings, the intent of the meetings, participants, durations
Try to explain this to an unsuspecting guinea pig. Don't forget to show them the self-assessment. trend lines.
Now ask them to explain it back to you.
Now, tell them to look at the Scrum Guide and have them explain Scrum to you.
How did they react? What questions did they ask? What made sense? What didn't? What did you learn from the interaction?
Now, compare / contrast your process to Scrum and answer these questions...
Which of these has more meetings?
Which of these has more real work?
Which of these might be most effective in making progress towards your team goal?
Which of these might be most effective in maximizing sustainable, measurable value?
My life coach - Joy Perkins often reminded me that the quality of life is determined by the quality of questions we ask. Learn to ask the right question.
What is the reason for your team's existence?
Minimize meetings? Scrum might not be for you.
Maximize real work? Scrum might not be for you.
Make regular progress towards your team goal? Scrum might be for you.
Maximize sustainable, measurable value? Scrum might be for you.
My wish for you is not that you read this blog and get convinced Scrum is right for you. Just that you shift from asking questions that are irrelevant to your team's existence to questions that are more meaningful to your team's existence.
Good luck!
Jul 27, 2021
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