Scrum team Working Agreements are a simple, powerful way of creating explicit guidelines for what kind of work culture you want for your Team. They are a reminder for everyone about how they can commit to respectful behaviour and communication. In this post we’ll see how the fictional World’s Smallest Online Bookstore (WSOBS) Scrum team struggles […]
Notes from a Tool User
The Sprint Backlog: A Truly Complete Guide with Examples
We might not be able to make Sprint Backlogs exciting, but we can make them more effective. Let’s look at what a Sprint Backlog is, what purpose it serves, and how to create, manage, and improve it. What is a Sprint Backlog? A Sprint Backlog is a list of Product Backlog Items (PBIs) that the Developers think they can complete during the […]
The Spotify Model of Scaling – Spotify Doesn’t Use It, Neither Should You
The “Spotify Model” probably isn’t a model and definitely isn’t what is currently practiced at Spotify today. (Some suggest it never was.) The below image was made famous in a video by Henrik Kniberg, where he explains how work was organized into Squads, Tribes, and Guilds. Many people see the structure and try to mimic […]
In Agile, Where Change is Valued, Why Is a Stable Team So Important?
A stable team is one in which team membership doesn’t change often and, instead, is consistent over time. Why should we care? Isn’t Scrum like basketball where you can change the players on the court anytime there is an interruption? Let’s find out… High-performing teams —or teams that gets stuff done with insanely high quality— […]
Why Having a Tech Lead or Manager as Scrum Master is a Bad Idea
Have you ever had friends or family ask, “I know you’re called a scrum master, but what does that mean? What do you actually do?” Go ahead. Tell them that the role of ScrumMaster is as a servant-leader, coach, and facilitator, navigating the dynamics of the team to ensure Scrum practices are followed and value […]
Collaboration, Over Work in Isolation
When I’m working with new Scrum Teams and say that Scrum encourages collaboration among team members, everyone nods and smiles. When I ask them to describe their actual collaboration, I hear about collaboration in Sprint Planning, Review and Retrospective. If I’m lucky, someone mentions solving impediments found in Daily Scrum through collaboration. Wow. Jaw drops. […]
Is Your Scrum Team Good Enough?
If your Scrum Team has been together for years and you’ve been following the Agile principles and Scrum structure, you might be feeling quite confident. Scrum isn’t an inherently easy methodology to adapt, especially since it requires change beyond the personal behaviour level to see the biggest results. So if your team has gotten to […]
Forcing People Back to the Office
In December the Treasury Board of Canada ordered that, starting in mid-January, all employees would be expected to return to the office for two to three days a week. Among the stated goals were: Innovation, Creativity, Fairness, and Consistency. This all ties in well with the Agile Manifesto which includes the principle “The most efficient […]