Framing work as problems to solve encourages individuals to think creatively and generate innovative solutions. Implementing solutions based on this problem-solving approach involves experimentation. Instead of relying on a single solution, teams test their ideas on a smaller scale, gather feedback, and refine their approach based on the results. This iterative process allows for continuous improvement and refinement of solutions.

Scrum and Lean UX share several similarities in their principles and practices, particularly in their focus on collaboration, iterative development, and delivering value to customers. Both Scrum and Lean UX embrace an iterative and incremental approach. Learn more in this blog post from PST Simon Kneafsey.

Many organisations believe they know what their customers want. But these beliefs are more often than not untested assumptions, many of which later turn out to be incorrect.

There are many common myths about Scrum. Here are a few examples.

A product strategy is a high-level plan that helps you realise your product vision. It defines the product, who it is for, why people would use it rather than some other product, and the benefits it provides to users, customers, and the producer.

“A product is a vehicle to deliver value. It has a clear boundary, known stakeholders, and well-defined users or customers. A product could be a service, a physical product, or something more abstract.” - The Scrum Guide

Predictive management and empirical management offer distinct approaches to handling complex work. Predictive management operates on the premise that the future course of work can be anticipated at the outset. Empirical management acknowledges that not everything about complex work can be known from the start.

A contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties that outlines the terms and conditions of a particular transaction or relationship. Working with external suppliers to develop a product to set expectations is essential. The Agile Manifesto contains a warning about contracts.

The Scrum.org Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) assessment is a 60-minute timeboxed assessment. You need to score over 85% to pass and gain the PAL I certification. The assessment contains 36 questions in English of multiple choice type.

The Scrum.org Professional Scrum With Kanban (PSK I) assessment is a 60-minute timeboxed assessment. You need to score over 85% to pass and gain the PSK I certification. The assessment contains 45 questions in English of multiple choice type.

The Scrum.org Professional Scrum with User Experience I (PSU I) assessment is a 60-minute timeboxed assessment. You need to score over 85% to pass and gain the PSU I certification. The assessment contains 60 questions in English of multiple choice type.

The Scrum.org Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills (PSF Skills) assessment is a 30-minute timeboxed assessment. You need to score over 85% to pass and gain the PSF Skills certification. The assessment contains 20 questions in English of multiple choice type.

The Scrum.org Professional Agile Leadership – Evidence-Based Management (PAL-EBM) assessment is a 60-minute timeboxed assessment. You need to score over 85% to pass and gain the PAL-EBM certification. The assessment contains 40 questions in English of multiple choice type.

Here are some study notes that I created whilst learning more about the Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills (PSPBM Skills) course and assessment. These are shared as a revision resource intended to summarise the key elements.

The Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills (PSPBM Skills) assessment is a 30-minute timeboxed assessment. You need to score over 85% to pass and gain the PSPBM Skills certification. The assessment contains 20 questions in English of multiple choice type.

Here are some study notes that I created whilst learning more about Evidence-Based Management from Scrum.org. These are shared as a revision resource intended to summarise the key elements from The Evidence-Based Management Guide.

Time off and vacations/holidays are a reality for all Scrum Teams. What does Scrum say about this and how do you deal with a missing Scrum Team member under these circumstances?

Back in 2012 when I was on the path to becoming a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer, I travelled to Boston to attend a PSM course run by Ken Schwaber (the co-creator of Scrum and Chairman/Founder of Scrum.org). It was a large class and people had flown in from all over the world. Everyone was excited to meet and learn from Ken.

This post continues my ongoing series revisiting the principles behind the Agile Manifesto. This time we are focussing on the following Agile principle - “Business people and Developers must work together daily throughout the project.”

This post continues my ongoing series revisiting the principles behind the Agile Manifesto. This time we are focussing on the following Agile principle – “The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.”

"At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjust its behavior accordingly." What does this mean and why is it important?

For 10 years I have been using an adapted version of Scrum to organise my personal and professional life. I call this the Personal Scrum System. The Personal Scrum System is simple and it can help you achieve your Goals, whatever they might be.

Agile approaches like Scrum have long promoted the importance of working at a sustainable pace. This principle was made part of the Agile Manifesto due to a common practice in the software industry where people were(/are) expected to work extra hours in order to meet a deadline. Commonly this was(/is) used to mask inevitable inaccuracies in planning, poor management and quality issues.

Life is complex, and unpredictable, and we all have to deal with it daily. The Personal Scrum System helps people find success in their lives by setting and achieving Goals.

Scrum is a framework for developing and sustaining complex products. But could it be used by individuals to help them in their personal and professional lives?

Motivation matters! If you have a suitably motivated team, who are empowered, resourced and focused they will likely overcome most obstacles in their way.

The concepts of iterative and incremental development are central to Scrum. What do they mean, and why are they important?

This post is the first in an ongoing series revisiting the principles behind the Agile Manifesto. This post is focused on the following important principle – “Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.”

A recent question received via TheScrumMaster.co.uk was – “How can I get my first Scrum Master role and gain experience if the available jobs require 2+ years of experience? What do you advise?”

As the demand for Scrum continues to grow, more people are considering a switch to being a Scrum Master. Changing jobs and careers is a big step. How can you know if it will be the right move for you?

Live & online training, when done well can be as effective, or even more effective than in-person training.

To date, less than 1500 people have passed the Scrum.org PSM III or PSPO III assessments and gained the associated certifications. This has always struck me as a low number. The post will explore why that might be, why the number should not be so low and why you might want to consider gaining one of these advanced certifications.

Some people love certifications, others, not so much! I am firmly in the promoter camp when it comes to certification Let’s explore the arguments for and against. I freely admit to my bias in this evaluation.

Since I first started working with Scrum in 2005, I have wondered what would eventually come along to replace it. Scrum has now been around for over 25 years, so surely something else would emerge?

Automation is a vital practice for Scrum Teams. The best Scrum Teams I have been part of automated early and often.

In my recent post, I told the story of the time I was fired as a Scrum Master. This time I will tell you about a time I decided to quit (probably shortly before I would have been fired!).

Being a Scrum Master can be tough. You are accountable for helping organisations change the way they approach complex work. If you upset enough of the wrong people you may end up “changing” yourself out of a job.

When you first start to use Scrum you will need to decide which day to start your first Sprint, and there will be implications to that decision. Here are some possibilities and their implications to help you make the best decision.

A few years back I wrote 2 popular posts that talked about the best Scrum Masters I ever worked with. This time around I am going to share some stories about the best Product Owners I have encountered. This post is about Gerry, the proxy Product Owner who was successful!

A few years back I wrote 2 popular posts that talked about the best Scrum Masters I ever worked with. This time around I am going to share some stories about the best Product Owners I have encountered.

When people form a Scrum Team they have to figure out how to become a real team, rather than a collection of individuals. The Scrum Team Charter Canvas is a helpful tool to facilitate Scrum Team formation.

At a recent Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II class, I asked the group to write down some learnings from the class that may help other Scrum Masters. One statement that came up has stuck in my mind ever since: “Don’t be a comfortable Scrum Master.” – Unknown Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II Attendee.

TheScrumMaster.co.uk has created The Simple Guide To Scrum – 1 Pager. A condensed and visual representation of Scrum on 1 page.

Scrum is hard. To be more specific, learning Scrum is easy, using Scrum to develop complex products is hard.

Here are some simple examples of Product Goals, Sprint Goals and the relationship between them.

One of the most common questions I receive via the Contact Us page on TheScrumMaster.co.uk is – How can I get my first job as a Scrum Master?

At a recent class, a new Scrum Master asked me for a simple example of a Definition of Done. This post captures my answer to them and I hope it will help simplify this concept for you.

According to the Scrum Guide, the purpose of the Daily Scrum “is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal” and “adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary” and “it is held at the same time and place every working day of the Sprint.” So what is the best time to hold the event each day?

At a recent course, one of my students asked me to share what Scrum “looked like” for me at TheScrumMaster.co.uk. This post is my response to that question. This describes my current process which has evolved via inspection and adaptation over 5 years.

At a recent course, one of my attendees talked about his use of a "to delete" status for items in his Product Backlog. Where items had been in his Product Backlog for more than 3 months he tagged them as "to delete".