3 Voting Methods for Agile Teams: Facilitating Decision-Making
3 Voting Methods for Agile Teams: Facilitating Decision-Making Things are always changing in and around an agile Team, so lots…
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How Using 2 Essential Forms of Feedback Can Maximize Your Sprint Review
Very often, Teams short-change themselves by not recognizing and applying two simple forms of feedback to get the most out of the Sprint Review. Make the outcome of the Sprint Review worthwhile…
5 Scrum Stats That Will Make Management (And Your Team) Thankful
Scrum is doing it again; proving itself as an influential, effective, and expanding Agile[1] methodology. For this, we at 3Back continue to be thankful…
The One Thing Your Professional Development Might Be Missing
As Agility Instructors and Coaches, we find ourselves in many different learning situations. Each of these learning situations brings participants with varying needs and perceptions about their upcoming training. We frequently encounter participants who feel they have been “sent to training as punishment.” Understandably, their attitude in the classroom reflects these feelings.These participants are resentful of their “forced” attendance, and grumble through training closed off to the possibility of acquiring new skills, expanding their knowledge base, and improving their performance. A missed opportunity…
Why Agile Work Is Opportunity-Directed
One of my favorite Agile/Scrum discussion topics centers around the Agile Manifesto’s 10th principle, Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential. Whether the discussion arises in a classroom training, a private coaching session, or a conference of Scrum Thought Leaders, the discussion surrounding ‘work not done’ is always a rich one. Many questions emerge, such as…
Leading A Team From The I-Stage To The We-Stage
Teams, like people, grow through developmental stages. I would like to focus on one of the key challenges a Team faces: moving from the I-Stage (where everybody is focused on personal knowledge and expertise) to the We-Stage (where the group becomes a genuine Team that is synergizing their collective abilities).
Scrum Needs No Apologists
An apologist is defined as someone offering a defense of something controversial. Since its introduction and emergence as a framework within which a group of individuals can cohere and collaborate as a real Team and empirically apply the opening statement of the Agile Manifesto “we are uncovering better ways… ”; Scrum has attracted both detractors and the aforementioned apologists. I have just one question for the apologists, “Why?”
2 Very Compelling Reasons To Never Ever Have The Boss Be The ScrumMaster
Boss’s Day is October 16th. Regardless of how you commemorate this Hallmark card-inspired holiday, it goes without saying that the Boss plays a significant role in your Agile work environment. It also goes without saying that being a successful ScrumMaster[1] is hard. The ScrumMaster’s ability to be the eyes and ears of the Team requires a particular skill set.
4 Valid Reasons (And 1 Big Invalid Reason) the Product Owner Might Cancel a Sprint
The Product Owner may quit or cancel a Sprint at any time. This is no big deal, and there are lots of valid reasons the Product Owner may want to do it. There is also one BIG invalid reason to do so.
3 Goal-Driven Team Prioritization Strategies That Drive Results
The 3 layers of prioritization are the same regardless of what the Scrum Team is developing. However, overall prioritization strategies differ based on the main goals of the Team. There are 3 goal-driven Team prioritization strategies:
Three Layers of Prioritization [Infographic]
Prioritization is arguably the most important thing in Scrum, as Scrum is about incremental delivery in order to provide value and feedback. In a nutshell, prioritization determines the order in which the value is produced, and thus drives what feedback is sought.
Managing Known Unknowns: The PlaceHolder Story
Scrum, by its Agile definition alone, evolves. Scrum adapts and changes with the demands of its workplace environment. That’s how we’ve evolved to Scrum 3.0, the most Agile, scale-ready process framework yet…