Making the state of Agile transparent by shining light on problems, obstacles, and successes touches on the essence of what coaches and Scrum Masters should do. Yet many don't use a 'flashlight.' They wander through organizations in the dark, trying to figure out what’s happening. In this post, I explain why using a flashlight matters and how you can get started.

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 capability is, when you focus on building the capability, the outcomes take care of themselves. The real question is: What capabilities will make us better every day? Outcomes are the result—capabilities are the key.

In diesem Artikel teilt PST Simon Flossmann seine Erkenntnisse über Scrum über Produkt- und Organisationsentwicklung.

A common question for newcomers to Scrum: What Do You Think About Story Points?

In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, PST Jeff Lee is joined by Peter Borsella, co-founder of Big Orange Square with Hubert Smits and a leading expert in Agile for hardware. Together, they dive into the unique challenges of applying Agile in hardware development—a world where traditional software practices don’t always translate smoothly.

Ordering the Product Backlog in Scrum isn’t just about deciding what’s important—it’s about creating a clear sequence of work for maximum value. Discover the key differences between ordering and prioritizing, and the criteria Product Owners use to arrange backlog items effectively

In diesem Artikel resümiert PST Simon Flossmann über das Jahr 2024 und teilt seine Erkenntnisse und Lektionen.

In this article, we will discuss 3 concepts that work better in simple business problems and not so well in an Agile environment.

In diesem Artikel erklärt PST Simon Flossmann, wie du als Scrum Master mit Bürokraten um gehst

Create a shared understanding of the benefits of Agile for your organization and make gaining them a shared responsibility. In addition, it creates a climate of continuous improvement in which progress is measured. How else would you know you're gaining the benefits of Agile?

Is your Portfolio Kanban Board Busy? Too many cross-product initiatives? Instead of investing in Portfolio management - Descale by Organizing around Outcomes.

La validation de la valeur d'un produit va bien au-delà de l'implémentation de fonctionnalités. Combien de fois vous est-il arrivé de publier une nouvelle fonctionnalité, convaincu que c'était exactement ce que vos utilisateurs voulaient, pour découvrir ensuite que personne ne l'utilise ? Dans cet article, nous explorerons cinq approches concrètes pour vous assurer que votre produit crée réellement de la valeur.

The Scrum Guide says a Product Owner ‘orders the work’ into a Product Backlog. But what does ordering really mean in Scrum? It’s not about commands—it’s about creating clarity and alignment. Explore the collaborative nature of ordering and its impact on the Scrum Team.

Negativity doesn’t just dampen morale -it can derail team performance entirely. This blog dives into the Bad Apple Effect, showing how just one negative individual can impact collaboration, productivity, and development in sports, business, and Agile teams. Ready to address negativity and build high-performing, adaptable teams? Explore how to tackle toxic behaviours and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Dive in to learn more!

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

So you have a Portfolio Kanban board managing your biggest investments. You’re actively managing the flow by using this Kanban board in your conversations about the portfolio. Kanban/Flow Metrics can help sharpen your flow focus even further. The four flow metrics described in the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams / Kanban Guide are Work in Process (WIP), Cycle Time, Throughput, Work Item Age (WIA). How can these metrics help us at the Portfolio level?

In diesem Artikel erklärt PST Simon Flossmann, wie Scrum Master ihre Wirkung potenzieren können.

In diesem Artikel werden wir die Bedingungen untersucht, unter denen reines Scrum gedeiht, die organisatorische DNA, die zu seiner Unterstützung erforderlich ist, und praktische Szenarien, in denen es am besten funktioniert – zusammen mit einem ehrlichen Blick darauf, wo es Schwierigkeiten bereitet.

They tell us a story of slow, centralized decision-making, often related to classic program management culture combined with an iron spaghetti portfolio where delivering product outcomes often requires wide collaboration across teams and even teams of teams.

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 and value. We provide some simple questions to ask of your products to help guide the selection and remind the reader that product models like organizational structures require people and people come with politics.

Elevating Katas: Driving Continuous Improvement in Organizational Topologies In the evolving landscape of software development and organizational design, Elevating Katas play a crucial role in fostering continuous improvement. These structured, repeatable exercises help teams refine their workflows, challenge inefficiencies, and push for higher performance.

La validazione del prodotto è fondamentale nel mondo dello sviluppo prodotto moderno. In questo episodio, Fabio Panzavolta esplora cinque casi emblematici di prodotti che, nonostante gli ingenti investimenti, hanno fallito sul mercato per mancanza di una corretta product validation. Attraverso questi esempi, scopriremo come un approccio sistematico alla verifica delle ipotesi di prodotto e al product discovery possa prevenire costosi insuccessi.

A common mistake Product Owners (POs) often make is assigning Product Backlog items to specific Scrum Teams or individuals. While this approach may seem efficient - and even helpful - it undermines team dynamics, disempowers Developers, and distracts the PO from their true purpose: maximizing value.

Agile promises efficiency, but why do we keep adding people? An executive once asked me:
"We’ve been practicing Agile for years. It’s supposed to bring improvements, right? But we keep adding people. Where are the freed-up resources?" This question really made me pause and think. Agile is designed to help organizations deliver more value, not necessarily reduce headcount. But if the efficiency gains from Agile aren’t explicitly aligned with strategic goals, they often get absorbed into “doing more stuff.” The result? More features, more people, more meetings—but not always more value.

This article explores the conditions under which pure Scrum thrives, the organizational DNA required to support it, and practical scenarios where it works best—along with a candid look at where it struggles.

In diesem Artikel räumt PST Simon Flossmann mit 7 Mythen zum Sprint-Backlog auf.

In questo episodio, Fabio Panzavolta esplora la differenza tra output, outcomes e impatto in Scrum, elementi fondamentali per comprendere il valore generato dal lavoro del team. Scopriremo come questi tre livelli di risultati si collegano tra loro e quale ruolo gioca il Product Owner nel massimizzare il valore per l'organizzazione.

In questo episodio Fabio Panzavolta esplora come lo Scrum Master agisce da vero agente del cambiamento organizzativo, guidando team e azienda verso una maggiore agilità. Scopriremo le strategie pratiche e gli approcci concreti che uno Scrum Master utilizza per promuovere il cambiamento e migliorare l'efficacia dell'organizzazione.

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 measure success. This comparative analysis examines how these contrasting viewpoints influence organizational structures, management practices, and performance metrics, with particular relevance for organizations transitioning to product-oriented operating models. Understanding these perspectives is crucial for leaders making strategic decisions about how to organize and manage work in today's digital economy.

The Scrum Guide emphasizes the importance of fostering an environment for success—not controlling teams or stakeholders. Discover how Scrum Masters can shape the conditions for growth, collaboration, and effectiveness at every level.

In questo episodio Fabio Panzavolta esplora il concetto di "guidare con i valori Scrum", attraverso un caso pratico di leadership Scrum. Scopriremo come i valori Scrum guidano il processo decisionale e contribuiscono a creare un ambiente di lavoro efficace, attraverso la storia di un Developer alle prese con una decisione importante.

In diesem Artikel gibt PST Simon Flossman Trainer drei kleine Warnungen an die Hand, damit sie nicht unbewusst ihre Workshops oder Schulungen sabotieren.

In questo episodio, Fabio Panzavolta esplora il management in Scrum, dalle sue origini storiche alla sua evoluzione nel contesto moderno. Scopriremo come questo approccio si differenzia dal management tradizionale e come può portare benefici concreti nelle organizzazioni che producono valore intellettuale. Nella seconda parte, ascolteremo le esperienze dirette di professionisti che stanno implementando Scrum in diversi contesti aziendali.

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.

In questo episodio sulla corretta implementazione di Scrum, Fabio Panzavolta e Stefano Milanesi, entrambi Professional Scrum Trainer, condividono strategie pratiche per un'efficace trasformazione agile. Attraverso le loro esperienze come Scrum Master professionali, esplorano come superare le sfide comuni nell'applicazione pratica di Scrum e forniscono consigli concreti per un coaching Scrum efficace nelle organizzazioni.

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.

In questo episodio, Fabio Panzavolta esplora i 5 livelli di feedback in Scrum, partendo dal meno efficace fino al più efficace per lo sviluppo empirico di prodotti. Analizziamo come migliorare la qualità del feedback ricevuto durante la Sprint Review e come questo impatta sul successo del prodotto e del team.

Scrum was designed to be simple—deliberately so. Adding too much too soon can actually slow you down, making it harder to reach the value Scrum is built to deliver.

Many Sprint Review events include a demo, but the Sprint Review is so much more than that.

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

In diesem Artikel erklärt PST Simon Flossmann, was jeder Product Owner über Wert wissen sollte und geht auf drei gängige Mythen ein.

In questo episodio speciale, Fabio Panzavolta insieme a quattro ospiti esperti - Silvia, Alessandro, Michael ed Emanuele - esplorano le critiche attuali verso il framework Scrum. Attraverso le loro esperienze dirette, discutono se Scrum funziona per davvero e di come spesso non sia il framework ad essere problematico, ma la sua errata implementazione. Condividono strategie pratiche e storie di successo per superare gli ostacoli comuni nell'adozione di Scrum.

In questo episodio, insieme a Giorgia, coach professionista certificata ICF, esploriamo il mondo del coaching professionale. Scopriremo cosa distingue il coaching da altre pratiche come mentoring e psicoterapia, come funziona un percorso di coaching e quali benefici può portare sia a livello personale che professionale.

A Scrum Master’s role is to foster an environment where teams thrive, experiment, and adapt. Discover how fostering supports adaptive solutions to complex problems and enables teams to deliver value in uncertainty.

In questo episodio Fabio Panzavolta esplora i sette ostacoli più comuni che limitano l'efficacia di Scrum nelle organizzazioni. Questi impedimenti, eredità di una cultura aziendale radicata nell'era industriale, possono significativamente ridurre i benefici che Scrum può portare all'azienda. Scopriremo come identificarli e, soprattutto, come superarli per una vera trasformazione agile.

Whether you're in the "Agile is Dead" camp or not, it is clear that the movement is not well. Agile Theater is rampant. The term Agile is toxic. Here's an alternative approach that you can use to get out of this mess or avoid it in the first place: Focus on agility rather than agile—principles instead of practices. Here's How.

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

In diesem Artikel erklärt PST Simon Flossmann wie er Workshop entwirft.

La validazione del valore di un prodotto va ben oltre l'implementazione di feature. Quante volte ti è capitato di rilasciare una nuova funzionalità, convinto che fosse esattamente ciò che i tuoi utenti desideravano, per poi scoprire che nessuno la utilizza? In questo articolo Fabio Panzavolta esplora cinque approcci concreti per assicurarti che il tuo prodotto stia effettivamente creando valore.