An online version of The Evidence-Based Management Guide

Many Scrum Masters struggle to coach Product Owners beyond the bounds of the Scrum Guide. This guide offers a practical 30-day approach to building core product management context.

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 discusse...

Surfing holds surprising lessons that correlate to leadership in business and all aspects of life. Today's lesson is about learning through intentional practice.

Leverage AI tools in your day-to-day work and move to a new level of Scrum Mastery.

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 ...

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...

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West sits down with Sander Dur and Ryan Brook, authors of Solving for Value: A Journey of Ambition and Stupidity. (32:22 Minutes)

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 h...

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 V...

Surfing holds surprising lessons that correlate to leadership in business and all aspects of life. Today's lesson is about using our full body intelligence.

There are claims in the market that Scrum Masters may be replaced by AI. But at what level is it correct?!!!

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.

In diesem Artikel erklärt PST Simon Flossmann, die 3 Versprechen, die Agile Transformationen einlösen müssen.

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 resul...

2024 ended with my vision becoming reality: A small group of people gathered in Costa Rica to experience a unique approach to leadership development - learning to ride the waves instead of trying to control the ocean - at the Agile Leadership Surf Camp. Learn 5 key insights that emerged from this ex...

In this article, Natasha Hampshire and David Spinks discuss common perceptions of product development research and what it means for agility.

This is my work to welcome 2025—Scrum Tour: A quality informative gift to my audience. Enjoy the tour and I wish you all the best in the new year.

Instead of outcome, “We need to increase customer retention by 10%,” We ask: “What capability will keep improving customer retention over time?” Maybe it’s learning to gather and act on customer feedback faster. Maybe it’s the ability to run small, cheap experiments. Whatever your specific capabilit...

In this episode of Scrum Master Real Talk, host Dave West chats with Jim Sparks, a Scrum Master from Dayton, Ohio. Jim shares how he discovered a passion for servant leadership, the evolution of his role toward delivery accountability, and how he tackles challenges. (24:57 Minutes)

E.L.E.V.A.T.E. A Transformative Model for Product Owners to Invest in Themselves

Product definition is a complex, political and challenging task in large IT organizations. In this blog we discuss what organizations need to consider when looking at their product model. We discuss why shared services could be candidates to become products and the value of tying product to strategy...

Two fundamental approaches to managing work in organizations - the flow perspective focused on efficiently processing work units through defined stages, and the product perspective centered on continuously evolving product value for customers - shape how organizations structure themselves and measur...

Patricia Kong is back to flip the script and interview Dave West about Product Definition, answering remaining questions from his webinar on the topic. (40:56 Minutes)

Scrum introduces the accountabilities of Product Owner and Scrum Master. But the Scrum Developer also carries new accountabilities! The Developer is much more than just a coder.

Be mindful of your Scrum bubble. Stay in touch with the 'real world,' don't get stuck in a theoretical bubble disconnected from real users, and keep adding fresh oxygen (other people with new insights) to your bubble!

The Product Goal clearly directs the team's focus. The Sprint Goal is a step towards that destination, ensuring that every short-term gain effectively contributes to delivering value.

The Lean Tech Manifesto with Fabrice Bernhard — Hands-on Agile #65

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Andreas Wittler, a Scrum Master from Germany, shares his inspiring journey from transforming an economically troubled hospital with Agile principles to working with diverse organizations across the globe. (23:10 Minutes)

Two Words Check-in - Focusing on the human connection aspects of the Daily Scrum

Eat your own dog food - that is what we (tried to) apply in our first-ever journey of writing a book. It was challenging, sometimes frustrating, but very much rewarding!

Starting with Scrum can feel overwhelming. It’s a framework with defined events, accountabilities, and artifacts that might seem rigid or even intimidating at first glance. But here’s the truth: it’s okay not to get everything perfect on day one. The real magic of Scrum unfolds as you practice and i...

Stop Building What You Do Not Need, Escape Scope Creep, and Focus on Creating Value!

Scrum isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about solving them in ways that evolve with changing conditions. Explore how Scrum fosters adaptive solutions to tackle your team’s unique challenges and meet user needs.

In this episode Yannick van der Wende, a Scrum Master from the Netherlands, shares his journey from a Microsoft.NET developer to a Scrum Master, highlighting his experiences at various organizations. He discusses the challenges of transitioning to a Scrum Master role, including managing dependencies...

Motivation in professional teams goes far beyond traditional incentives like bonuses or perks. Drawing from software industry experience, I explore three fundamental aspects of motivation that can transform team engagement: product connection, technical craftsmanship, and team spirit. While rarely a...

If Product Owners fail to maximise the value produced by the team, the entire product development can be derailed. Failing to understand and validate value leads to the team missing the intended goals.

The Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) is a natural progression for your agile transformation. It provides an ‘in-between’ stage between the whole enterprise change and delivery team change with the idea of products. By aligning to products, you can incrementally change the organization, allowing ...

This article uncovers the psychological, organizational, and strategic reasons behind this seeming contradiction, exploring what motivates leaders to believe that a new approach will succeed where others have not.

This whitepaper by PST Andy Brandt, Code Sprinters with Dave West, CEO, Scrum.org highlights the need for product-centered agility and how the Agile Product Operating Model supports quick adaptation to market changes without compromising long-term value.

Is Continuous Deployment a bragging right or a game-changer? 🤔 CD isn’t just about speed. It’s about closing fast feedback loops to adapt quickly, learn from real user interactions, and drive outcomes. Without it, product development often becomes a guessing game, relying on assumptions instead o...

Gut feelings and intuition might be spot on, but they can be fraught with biases, personal preferences, and wrong heuristics. Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters would be wise to use a more data-informed, evidence-based, and scientifically validated approach to improve team and organizational effectiven...

Product Managers and Product Owners frequently have to balance market needs, user experience, customer outcomes, and technical feasibility. However, the financial point of view in product development is equally important but often gets overlooked.

We are often told that getting to “yes” when asking a question is a powerful negotiation technique. That much is true but asking questions that lead to “no” can really tease out conversations and help to understand why a certain position is held by someone.

Accountability. It's a word that can strike fear into the hearts of many. But it's not about blame or shame. It's about owning your commitments, delivering on your promises, and creating a culture of trust and transparency.

Crafting a compelling product vision is an essential step in guiding your product’s development and inspiring your team. Using the right tools and techniques, you can create a clear, customer-focused, and emotionally resonant vision. Remember, a good product vision defines where you’re going and ins...

The Product world is giving up on Agile. What's going on?

Scrum isn’t just for teams; it’s designed for anyone working toward a shared purpose. Discover how Scrum helps people, teams, and organizations generate value and solve complex challenges together.

Does it make sense to aim for 100% utilization across the organization? Is that efficient? Whether it’s an ad agency, a factory, a product development organization, or any organization – it has a constraint. The constraint/bottleneck should be optimized, but other areas of the process shouldn’...

"Its a marathon, not a sprint". I used to think that comparing a race that takes a few hours to a transformational program wasn’t representative of how hard it is to get product development off the ground. My tune changed when I ran a half marathon over the weekend.