What is a Scrum Master? Is a Scrum Master like a project manager? Are they your boss? Do they conduct all the Scrum Events or run all the meetings? Learn all about the role of a Scrum Master as it is defined in the 2020 Scrum Guide in this video.

FAKE #Scrum is everywhere! But can you spot it? In this talk, you'll learn the early warning signs of when you have fake Scrum and why a fake is such a problem.

Is a Product Owner the boss on a Scrum Team? Do they write all the user stories? Do they participate in the Scrum Events/Meetings?

While Scrum started with software development, the developer accountability is no longer just about developing code. But what are Developers exactly? Are technical writers or Quality Assurance people considered "Developers"? Watch this video to find out!

Is a Scrum team like a rugby team where everyone works together to move the ball? Or is it more like a golf team where we add up the scores of all the individual members at the end? Watch this video to find out what the Scrum Guide definition says and what that all really means to you.

Are Scrum Values just a fluffy part of Scrum? Should we really embrace and respect those values? What would happen if we didn't?

You're an amazing Scrum Master, right? How would you know if you weren't? Wouldn't you want to know? Here are 5 common bad habits Scrum Masters might develop that one should remove ASAP.

Scrum is a really popular way for agile teams to deliver. But what are some of the underlying ideas that make Scrum work? What's the theory behind it all?

Many agile teams are using Scrum. Sometimes in whole, sometimes just part of it. But what is the Scrum Framework? What is its intent? Watch this video to find out.

If you Google "Agile Project Manager" you'll find a lot of stuff out there, much of which is inconsistent. There are job descriptions asking for one, there are classes to learn how to be one, but the definition is still not clear nor is it consistent with agile development ideas or the Scrum Framework. Watch this video with Professional Scrum Trainers Jason Malmstadt, Greg Crown, and Robert Pieper to find out more what is meant by the term "Agile Project Manager".

Is having specialists on Scrum Teams a good or bad thing? Find out as we discuss the pros and cons of specialized skills on a Scrum Team.

There's a lot of interest in growing one's career and becoming a Scrum Master for a Scrum Team. But what can you make as a Scrum Master and is it worth leaving your current career for a change?

Gaining knowledge for your future requires intentional effort. With current technology there is little excuse to not level up every week and lock new information in. Discover what works for you and make a routine of it because as Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind"

Daily Scrum events are filled with 3 questions and meandering discussions about tickets that are in progress. Too many topics and not enough time is the typical opinion. So, how about that Sprint Goal? Likely it’s missing or it’s the token “get all the work done” goal. Stop dividing and conquering. Create a legitimate Sprint Goal and collectively measure progress. When you have a good Sprint Goal, 15 minutes is plenty of time to make a collective plan for the day.

Does it make sense for Project Managers to become Scrum Masters? It’s a very common practice that may have unintended consequences. Are Scrum Masters managing anything? Project management skills can be great to have on a team, but we have to learn how this works in Scrum Teams.

Want to pass the PSM I? Hint… You have to study. Memorizing the rules alone won’t cut it and you won’t be able to Google your way to a certificate. The key to passing is truly understanding Scrum. Licensed Professional Scrum.org trainers Robert Pieper and Gregory Crown give you some tips and resources that will help you prepare and get a passing score.

Have you ever heard of an interview being really bad? like REALLY bad? Come be a fly on the wall and watch a Scrum Master interview go really poorly. I wonder if he gets the job!

Super smart people get stuck and insist on finding solutions all by themselves. Ego paired with stubbornness are the usual culprits that can hinder better solutions. Admit you don’t know. Ask for help. Create a learning culture by using modern tools to collaborate. Get some fresh air, grab a pop-tart and level up while you get work done.

Many people modify Scrum to fit popular project management tools like Jira. Removing parts of Scrum, like Product Goals, that don’t have an obvious fit seems to be the easiest option. A better approach is to modify tools and team processes to work with Scrum. Don’t learn Scrum from tools because they don’t know Scrum.

When Scrum Teams constantly push back on changing priorities, stakeholders begin to blame Scrum for the rigidity. Teams with large investments of time and energy are resistant to change. Break up this rigidity by delivering the smallest possible value. Get feedback quicker. Start anticipating change and embrace it.

What do you think about certifications? It's kind of a controversial topic. A lot of people out there are either certification haters or they pump up certifications, and they have the alphabet soup at the end of their name on LinkedIn.W

What’s the problem with working without purpose? Can you do it? Sure. You can do it, but I mean...

Let’s talk about Product Owners and Scrum Masters. Can they both be the same person? A very common question I hear is can a Scrum Master be a Product Owner and well the answer is a little bit nuanced so watch and find out!

If you're like many, you've seen plenty of agile-hybrids with funny names like Water-Scrum-Fall, or others. But do these hybrids work? usually not because they fail to reduce risk, deliver value early, or even allow you to change directions quickly.

Fake Scrum is around us everywhere we go. It's unavoidable. Just look on the internet lookup fake Scrum right now and you're going to find all kinds of interesting articles that describe Scrum in very weird ways. There are at least five ways you can tell if you've got fake Scrum going on.

This vlog with Robert Pieper talks about the importance of Sprint Goals.

If you’re reading this, you likely want to be a successful Scrum Master. Watch this video to learn four ideas to do just that.

A few years ago, I became a Product Owner. But not in the traditional ways most do.

Have you always wondered about the difference between agile and Scrum? You’re not alone, these words are commonly interchanged for one another but they are not the same thing at all.

Ever wonder how to get your first Scrum Master job with little to no experience? It’s a question I often get in my Professional Scrum classes.

See Robert (Robb) Pieper from Responsive Advisors give his talk "Your Agile Team Needs a Therapist" to an awesome group at Music City Agile 2017 in Nashville, TN.

Scrum is a simple framework that can quickly come apart if even one part of the framework is not being properly implemented. As a Professional Scrum Trainer for almost ten years and founder of Responsive Advisors...

As a seasoned Scrum Master, you’ve probably already read every good book there is about Scrum. As you look to broaden your knowledge you may now find yourself craving something different.

Responsive Advisors CEO, Robb Pieper discusses the pros and cons of having technical or business knowledge - domain knowledge as a Scrum Master in this short video blog.

During a People Side of Software meetup in Chicago, Robert Pieper, Principal Advisor of Responsive Advisors shared the basics of Scrum.

Have you ever wondered if there is a better way to fund and monitor agile delivery? Traditional methods of annual budgeting often miss the mark. Wonder no more.

Do you want to how to become a successful Scrum Master? Do you know what is the first thing a Scrum Master should be focused on doing? Is it managing requirements?

Scrum uses the concept of a Sprint to mitigate the risks of complex product development and help deliver value faster to stakeholders.

A Sprint Goal is not often something people think about when using Scrum. Turns out it’s really important for teams to act as teams. Find out why in Robb Pieper's latest video blog from Responsive Advisors.

Technical debt is a plague on software development in companies big and small. But what is it? What problems does it cause? How can we remove it? Watch this video blog from Robert Pieper, CEO of Responsive Advisors to find out.

Not all companies need to be agile companies. What does it really mean to be an agile organization and how do you know if you need to be one? Watch this short 4 minute episode of Responsive Advisors Agile B-Sides video blog to find out!

Scrum uses a concept called a “Sprint” to eliminate the risk of complex product development and deliver value sooner to stakeholders. These Sprints are no longer than 30 days in length.

In this blog post, I’ll explain how it’s possible for managers to work with Scrum Teams so no one has to worry about rebuilding their resume.

I recently performed an organizational agile assessment and learned a great deal about how they served their customer’s technology needs. We investigated their technical practices, processes to develop and release, but also dug deep into how the people worked together from the people side of things.

If you’re new to Scrum and want to get the most out of a team of under-performers, you should try Scrum!!

Companies who build hardware often ask if it’s possible to benefit from Scrum. In order to answer this question, I need to first introduce you to my friend Risk.

Ever wonder what a Scrum Master does all day? If you’re new to the role of a Scrum Master, you might think you have to facilitate all the events, take notes and schedule outlook meetings. Turns out you don’t have to do any of that!

What exactly is “agile” or even an agile leader? This is one of the biggest problems our industry faces. Ask a room full of people to answer and you may get as many answers. Common ones include “it’s a mindset” or “it’s a software methodology” etc…

In my career, I have had the great privilege to witness different companies undergo many different phases of agile transformations. I’ve met many amazing Scrum Masters along the way that have evolved to take on major responsibilities in their organizations.