Sleepwalking Through Scrum

Sleepwalking Scrum Team

How do we recognize when the way we’re “doing Scrum” is impeding our Agility? Two alternative scenarios are possible: The Team has fully internalized Agile practice in the past but now seems to be sleepwalking through the Ceremonies: the Team’s Agile practice has gotten stale, we’re sleepwalking through Scrum. The Team hasn’t experienced Agile practice…

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Technical Debt: A Horror Story

This is an excerpt from Dan Rawsthorne’s upcoming book “Project Management with Scrum”. Dan is a Certified Scrum Trainer for 3Back, a world-leader in Scrum development, and co-author of “Exploring Scrum: The Fundamentals”. This excerpt will give you a basic understanding of technical debt as well as a glimpse into an real-world example of technical debt overwhelming a team.

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R.A.T. – Remembering Agile Teams

One of our students in our Scrum classes sketched out a new way to remember agile teams: R.A.T. Take one handsome rat, combine him with great Scrum techniques and you’ve got a stunning, perceptive diagram.

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One Scrum Team. Four Languages.

Some of these languages are pleasant and palatable to us. Others repel us like vinegar. Our challenge as Product Owners, ScrumMasters and teammates is to peel the words and find value in the thought. Let’s revisit the statements and reveal what the intent truly is.

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Scrum Meetings: Painful or Successful?

Scrum meetings are a frequent and essential occurrence as we move through the Scrum framework. As a team member, a Product Owner, or a ScrumMaster, we have an obligation to facilitate meetings that are engaging. How to accomplish that?? It requires awareness and practice.

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I don’t like my teammates…

You don’t have to like your teammates. You don’t have to go to happy hour with your teammates or the office birthday parties with them. BUT this is what you do need.

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Teams: Meet Shannon.

“That’s great, but what if we try…?”  Is that your teammate’s favorite sentence?  I could guess that ‘risk taker’,’ people lover’, and ‘enthusiastic’ also describe Shannon.  Without a doubt, Shannon is the biggest cheerleader on your team, but some team members may see her having a lack of focus…jumping from one project to another without…

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Teams: Meet Keith.

I once chaired a small leadership team, just four people.  Keith, my operations lead, was highly tuned into telling us how our ideas could or could not be implemented.  Keith had a million ways to process, but he appeared to have a  lack of caring about the people we were serving.  Keith was bottom-line results…

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Teams: Meet Jake.

Teams: Thriving on consensus, Jake needs to know all the opinions before we make any decision at all. He takes everything personally! The c…

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