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Can you have Project Managers as Scrum Masters on your Scrum Team?

November 20, 2023
Does it make sense to have a project manager and a Scrum Master on your Scrum Team? Can they be the same person? What would happen if you have both on your Scrum Team? How is delivery on a Scrum Team handled if you don’t have a project manager? PST's Jason Malmstadt, Robb Pieper, and Greg Crown have some ideas to share about project managers and Scrum Masters on your Scrum Team in this Scrum Lightning Round.
Blog Post

Creating a Product Wall (4/7) - Personas

November 20, 2023
Personas are powerful tools to create an understanding of what your ideal users look like and what they would need or like from your product. In this article, Ryan Brook and Sander Dur share how to create a high-level Persona map.
Blog Post

Simplifying Work: The Path to Greater Productivity

November 18, 2023
In this video, Martin 🎬 takes us through the compelling journey of maximising efficiency by reducing our work-in-progress. The key? Embracing a minimalist approach that hones in on task completion rather than the proliferation of tasks 📉. It's about moving tasks through to completion, not just starting new ones. It's a philosophy that applies to all areas of work, including software development and project management.
Blog Post

Creating a Product Wall (3/7) - Market and Domain Information

November 17, 2023
If there is anything we would absolutely love to see more often, it would be active market and domain assessment by Product Owners. Product Owners are accountable for maximizing the value that is generated by the product the Scrum Team creates. Knowing where your product stands relative to the competition, or how many of your products have been sold is essential information to decide on the next steps to take. It can balance out conundrums like "can we build this product, and should we do it?".
Blog Post

[VLOG] No Jacket Required! Dress Code For Your "Transformation"

November 16, 2023
Have you been part of an Agile or Scrum adoption that ran into challenges because some roles were not being performed effectively...? Did it cause frustration and unhealthy conflict...? Are you interested in a different way to respond to challenges with roles...? This video blog will share some ideas based on the Systems Coaching model created by CRR Global as part of their ORSC framework. This is a sequel to my video blog - The Ghosts Of Transformations Past.
Blog Post

What to do if your Scrum Team Struggles with self-management

November 16, 2023
Self-management is crucial to the success of any Scrum Team. However, many Scrum Teams struggle with this concept and many organizations struggle with allowing self-management to flourish. So what can you do about it? In this video, PST's Jason Malmstadt, Greg Crown, and Robb Pieper share some ideas on how you can enable and support self-management.
Blog Post

How to Fix Common Scrum Master Mistakes

November 15, 2023
We all make mistakes in life and there are many mistakes Scrum Masters make when new in their role. What are they and what can be done about it? PST's Jason Malmstadt, Robb Pieper, and Greg Crown have some ideas to share about common Scrum Master mistakes in this Scrum Lightning Round.
Blog Post

[VLOG] How To Become An Excellent Technology Professional? The 6 Dimensions Of Excellence

November 15, 2023
How can someone become an excellent technology professional? Should they just focus on the technical aspect of their profession? Or should they consider other aspects? In this video blog, I offer 6 dimensions that technology professionals could consider as they travel on the path of excellence. This is a sequel to my blog on this topic - "Who Is An Excellent Technology Professional?"
Blog Post

How to fix Common Issues with Scrum Events

November 14, 2023
Many common problems exist with Scrum Events. They last too long, the right people don’t attend, or they just feel like a waste of time. What can we do about it? PST's Jason Malmstadt, Robb Pieper, and Greg Crown have some ideas to share on how to keep your Scrum Events valuable in today’s Scrum Lightning Round.
Blog Post

[VLOG] Who Is An Excellent Technology Professional...?

November 14, 2023
Have you wondered what it takes to become an excellent technology professional? Is it the smartest developer / tester / (insert specialization here)? The one who can find the solution to the trickiest problem faster than anyone else? Or are there other factors that come into play? In this video blog, I share how my thoughts on this topic have evolved over my 25 year career in the technology industry, as I played different roles - from a developer, manager, director, Scrum coach to founder and CEO of a startup.
Blog Post

Jira Pro(fessional Scrum) Tips: How to organize your swimlanes

November 14, 2023
Just because you are stuck using Jira doesn't mean you shouldn't take responsibility for using it in a professional manner. How you organize the swimlanes on your board can have a huge impact on how your team communicates and ultimately how they work together. This 1-minute YouTube short covers 3 ways to organize your Sprint Backlog swimlanes.
Blog Post

Are all the Scrum Events mandatory?

November 13, 2023
We all have a lot of meetings to attend. Some are useful and some are a complete waste of time. With that in mind, are all the Scrum Events (aka ‘Ceremonies’) mandatory? Can some of them be skipped? Professional Scrum Trainers Jason Malmstadt, Robb Pieper, and Greg Crown have some ideas to share about the consequences of skipping Scrum events in this Scrum Lightning Round.
Blog Post

My Top 5 Ways to do Professional Scrum with JIRA

November 10, 2023
The reality is that most developers and agile practitioners do not get much say in which tool they use to manage their Scrum artifacts. And yet, we still need them to enable our individuals to have positive interactions. I recommend taking RESPONSIBILITY for using your tools in a professional manner.
Blog Post

MVP - What it is Supposed to Mean

November 9, 2023
The term Minimum Viable Product means different things to different people.  Is your company using it to define the first of a series of fixed scope, fixed date projects?  If so, you're probably not using it right.
Blog Post

The 7 Deadly Sins of Agile: A Grecian Odyssey through Modern Software Development

November 9, 2023
🏛️ Drawing inspiration from ancient Greek wisdom, Martin embarks on a journey through the modern agile landscape, unearthing the seven cardinal sins that teams often grapple with. 🔄 From the pitfalls of envy to the dangers of wrath, join us as we delve deep into these age-old vices, now manifesting in our agile practices. 🚀 Ready to navigate the treacherous waters of software development with a seasoned guide? Let's dive in! 🌊👩‍💻👨‍💻
Blog Post

7 ostacoli a Scrum

November 9, 2023
In questo articolo Fabio Panzavolta condivide i 7 ostacoli a Scrum più comuni nelle aziende che ha aiutato a evolvere verso più business agility. Questo aiuterà a capire come un approccio empirico aiuta prima di tutto a rivelare i bloccaggi che devono essere rimossi per diventare più agili. Buona lettura!
Blog Post

Agile's Journey: From Disillusionment to Enlightenment

November 8, 2023
In this video, Martin discusses the profound journey of Agile transformations, pondering if we are truly ascending the slope of enlightenment or if we remain entrenched in the trough of disillusionment. 🧐📈🕳️ He eloquently dispels common misconceptions about Agile's capabilities and underlines the necessity of perseverance and genuine commitment to the Agile voyage.
Blog Post

Conquering Scrum Master Challenges for Success

November 8, 2023
In this video, Professional Scrum Trainers Andreanna and Scott discuss challenges we faced as a Scrum Master and how to overcome them. As a Scrum Master, you face a lot of challenges every day. From managing projects to maintaining team morale, it's important to have strategies for dealing with these challenges..
Blog Post

The Spike Dilemma

November 7, 2023
Join Jeff and Mike as they unravel the complexities of spikes, transitioning from uncertainty to wisdom in Agile, and the essential mindset shift needed for teams to “get things done”.
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How to Select People for Agile Teams

November 7, 2023
Many organizations are striving to become more adaptive a means not just to survive, but to thrive.  The success of an adaptive organization hinges significantly on the capabilities of its people, which often raises the question of how to select people for agile teams.
Blog Post

Scrum Is Not the Point

November 6, 2023
The emphasis in product development should not be simply on correctly following the Scrum process, but rather on delivering a finished, working software; this is the true purpose of Scrum. Scrum provides a framework with established accountabilities, events, and artifacts which all relate to creating a working product. Therefore, using Scrum effectively will improve the delivery process. However, solely mastering Scrum won't guarantee success. The end goal should always be to deliver valuable, functioning software.
Blog Post

Do Scrum Masters have to Facilitate all the Scrum Events?

November 6, 2023
Scrum Masters are often skilled facilitators, and use that skill to help their Scrum teams make decisions and conduct discussions an a positive, productive manner. But does that mean all the facilitation belongs to the Scrum Master? Can others step in as facilitators? And if so, how does a Scrum Master balance this? PST's Jason Malmstadt, Robb Pieper, and Gregory Crown have some ideas to share in today’s Scrum Lightning Round.
Blog Post

The Illusion of Velocity

November 6, 2023
In this article, PST Stefan Wolpers explores the pitfalls of 'The Illusion of Velocity' in agile contexts, peeling back the layers of traditional metrics as leadership tools and what to do instead.