PMI Goes All In on Agile with Disciplined Agile and FLEX
Recently I wrote about PMI's purchase of Disciplined Agile and what consequences we might see from that purchase. I realize now that I underestimated PMI's ambition with regard to the…
A Checklist for Using the Spotify Model
Previously I posted about some of the great information that has come out of Spotify's agile journey including the top 10 Spotify Graphics from Henrik Kniberg. I also wrote about…
Top 10 Most Common Mistakes Made When Establishing New Agile Teams
I've had the opportunity to train or coach over 100 teams since 2018, which has been incredibly fun and interesting. In the process, I have learned a lot about what…
It’s “Almost Done”
When I hear that something is "almost done", I get worried. You see, almost done is not done. It is started or underway. It may even be not started but…
My Favorite Agile Illustrations from Henrik Kniberg of Spotify Fame
Most people in the Agile community are familiar with Spotify and have read articles or watched videos about agility at Spotify. Some have even mistakenly mimicked the language used at…
There Is No Spotify Model for Scaling Agile
Recently a client told me that they were adopting the Spotify Model. Which sounded great at first. Spotify has published some great articles and videos about how they have grown…
The Impact of PMI’s Acquisition of Disciplined Agile
The Project Management Institute (PMI) recently announced that they purchased Disciplined Agile (DA). Though not shocking, it was a little surprising. I had a chance to talk with Scott Ambler,…
Who has the Most Agile Coaches?
One of the more popular posts I wrote earlier this year was about how to become an Agile Coach. So You Want to be an Agile Coach explained how to…
You Should Stop Doing Daily Scrum Meetings
I recently wrote about how to improve your Daily Scrum meeting. Now I think that we should just cancel the Daily Scrum altogether. To be fair, some people are using…
Sorry I was on Mute, Can You Repeat the Question? Why We Over-schedule
Ever try to schedule a meeting with someone only to see their calendar is completely blocked? Or have people show up to your meeting 15 or 30 minutes late because…
4 Quick Ways to Decrease Team Performance
If you want to decrease the performance of your team simply increase team size, distribute the team, enforce specialization and use an online tool. These are quick and easy steps…
Using the Drama Triangle in Agile Coaching
Years ago I did a deep dive into emotional intelligence, and I continue to explore and learn more even today. There are several ways that my expertise in emotional intelligence…
The Messy Middle Ground of Agile Transformation
Many people think of transformation as a linear process. Whether it is a digital or agile transformation, or even a personal transformation, we like to think of it as a…
Story Points – Love Them or Leave Them?
I was teaching an introductory agile training course last week and noticed that many of the students got confused about story points. Taking a step back, I can appreciate their…
So You Want to Become an Agile Coach?
How exactly does someone become an Agile Coach? Recently, several people have reached out to me to ask how they can become an Agile Coach. They have been practicing Scrum…
How Technology Managers can Succeed as Agile Leaders
An interview with David Sohmer, Financial Services Technology and Agile Leader In this video interview, David Sohmer talks about how technology managers can embrace agile ways of working, support their…
What is Hybrid Agile?
Hybrid Agile is a common expression but what does it really mean? Learn the various form of hybrid and blended agile and why organizations are adopting them.
Highlights of the 2019 Scrum Master Trends Report
The recently published 2019 Scrum Master Trends report has a few interesting takeaways. The report is the result of a global survey of Scrum Masters conducted by Scrum.org and The…
Empathy for Technology Managers in Agile
In my related post about what agile coaches need to succeed, I wrote about the idea of walking in the shoes of those we coach. This would include Scrum Masters,…
What Do Agile Coaches Need to be Successful?
Previously I have written posts about the most Important Agile Coach Traits and What Makes an Agile Coach effective. The point of my writing was to put some guide rails…
How Agile Leaders Create Agility – 3 Key Steps
The Scrum Alliance recently partnered with Forbes Insights to conduct a study of Agile Leaders and Agile Transformation success. The study was published as "The Elusive Agile Enterprise" in November,…
Most Agile Transformations Will Fail
The sad reality is that though well-intentioned, most agile transformations fail. By fail I mean they are canceled, reversed or fall short of delivering the desired results. To be clear,…
Should You Centralize Your Agile Coaching?
A few months back, I wrote an article for Tom Cagley's blog titled, Why an Agile Center of Excellence is a Really Bad Idea. Though well received, it seems like my…
How to Succeed as an Agile Coach
Curious about what it takes to succeed as an Agile Coach? Do you aspire to become an Agile Coach or grow as a Scrum Master? Welcome! We've created this detailed…
One More Time, What is the Business Analyst Role in Scrum?
A frequently asked question when I am working with teams moving to Scrum is what is the role of business analyst role on a Scrum team. Usually it comes from…
Why I am NOT Going to Renew My Scrum Certification
Scrum certifications from the Scrum Alliance expire if you don't renew them. This came as a surprise to me. I decided to let my Scrum Alliance Certifications lapse in January 2019.…
Agile Leader Role During an Agile Transformation
What is the Agile Leader Role during an Agile Transformation? Agile Transformations are a popular activity right now. If you are an agile leader, you may be wondering what is…
Will Your Agile Transformation Improve Employee Engagement?
I’ve been looking into employee engagement ever since hearing Marcus Buckingham of Gallup speak about it at a conference about 8 years ago. It is hard to overlook; Gallup keeps…
Fake Agile is a Real Thing
Fake Agile is actually a real thing, and that comes from the US government. Granted, the US government may be one of the last places you'd look to determine if…
Project Success Measures: Going Beyond OTOBOS
It has been common for years to use project success measures based on the triple constraint. Reporting on whether the project is on time, on budget and on scope (OTOBOS)…
Do We Really Need Co-Located Teams?
As an Agile Coach, I’ve been an advocate for co-located teams for the last 10 years. In previous posts, I’ve argued hard against the popular convention of using distributed teams.…
Avoid Local Optimization in Agile Transformation
The benefits of agile transformation can be elusive if you don't take the big picture view and understand how value is created in your organization. Organizations that start by applying…
6 Tips For a Better Scrum Retrospective
I recently hosted a client workshop on how to improve the retrospective event in the Scrum Framework. Rather than focus on specific techniques (like I did in this related post),…
Facilitating Participatory Decision-Making Part 1
I have to admit, I always thought I understood exactly what Participatory Decision-Making (PDM) meant. I also prided myself on my facilitation skills - on dot voting, silent writing, fist of…
Agile Transformations Take Too Long – A Cautionary Tale
As humans, we are extremely short-term focused. We have a need for immediate gratification. We expect things to happen now, or better yet, yesterday. Being led by humans, corporations tend…
For High-Performing Teams Treat Members Equally
In my related post on high-performing teams, I described the importance of psychological safety in teams. Harvard professor Amy Edmondson coined the term psychological safety and is the leading authority…
There Are Too Many Scrum Meetings
A pretty common complaint with the Scrum Framework is that there are too many Scrum meetings. Let's explore this complaint to understand if it is valid, why it might occur,…
Transition from Project Manager to Scrum Master
Being a Great Scrum Master can be LearnedIn my related post, I argued that most Project Managers make lousy Scrum Masters. It's not on purpose, it just happens that the skills that…
Scrum Masters Need to be Good Listeners
As a Scrum Master, listening is one of the most important tools in your tool box. While there are reasons for the Scrum Master to speak up, in general Scrum…
Project Managers Make Lousy Scrum Masters
Don't get mad at me. Though it may sound tough or critical, the reality is that most project managers make lousy scrum masters. I didn't make that up—I’ve been hearing…
One Easy Way to Improve Your Next Retrospective
The very first Agile Coach I ever had taught me the practice of using Norm Kerth’s Prime Directive to start my retrospectives. Though I haven’t always used it, when I do…
9 Pitfalls of Using Agile Tools
Most teams who use Agile or Scrum today use some type of online agile tool or Agile Lifecycle Management Tool (ALM Tool). While I do believe there are some benefits…
Why Self-Organizing Teams are Better
Many people are confused about the concept of self-organizing teams. They either equate it with anarchy or confuse self-organizing with self-forming, self-directed or self-managing. What does self-organizing really mean and…
Help Your Agile Team Overcome Learned Helplessness
Learned Helplessness There is a well-established process for domesticating young elephants that demonstrates the process of learned helplessness everywhere including organizations and agile teams. When elephants are young they are…
12 Productivity Hacks for Scrum Masters & Agile Coaches
Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches need to stay on top of their game. Your job is about helping others to succeed. Use these 12 productivity hacks to keep yourself grounded and…
How to Spot a Bad Agile Coach
I've written about agile coaching before including how to succeed as an agile coach, what makes an agile coach effective and the top 10 traits of an agile coach. This…
Agile Project Success Rates 2X Higher than Traditional Projects (2019)
The most recent Standish Group Chaos Study results show Waterfall and Agile project success and failure rates. It should come as no surprise that Agile projects are statistically 2X more…
Creating Reality-Based Forecasts in Agile Projects
Agile approaches for estimating and forecasting are better than traditional approaches because they deliver better and more predictable results. Agile project forecasts are also easy to understand and easy to…
For High Performing Teams, Stop Assigning People to Multiple Teams
In an effort to do more with less, most organizations take their best people and assign them to multiple projects. This approach rarely leads to high performing teams and actually…
5 Vital Relationships That Agile Leaders Need
Most organizations today are using Scrum or Agile in some capacity. Learn how to leverage the key relationships that agile leaders need to be effective. Success as an Agile Leader…
How to Use the Scrum Framework with Distributed Teams
In my previous article, I argued that using a distributed team with the Scrum Framework was a bad idea and advised against it. There is sufficient information to show that…
Don’t Use The Scrum Framework with Distributed Teams!
Recent studies show that 3 out of 4 Software Development Teams using the Scrum Framework are distributed, meaning that at least some of the team members are not in the…
Using the Scrum Framework? Stay in your Lane
Last month I wrote about bad Scrum and other abuse of the Scrum Framework. One of the common abuses that I see in organizations using Scrum is that they don't…
Don’t Overlook Safety for High Performing Teams
Most leaders would claim that they want high performing teams but many of them don't know what it takes to create them. In some cases, leaders actually behave in ways…
We Fix Bad Scrum
We’ve all seen it - Scrum Gone Bad I think we have all seen Bad Scrum and misuse of the Scrum Framework. Sometimes Scrum started out good with a solid understanding of Scrum,…
Puzzled about the Scrum Master Role in Scrum?
Inevitably, when working with organizations and helping them move from Waterfall to the Scrum Framework, there is a lot of confusion about the Scrum Master role. One of the most…
Latest Updates to the Scrum Guide (2017)
The new Scrum Guide, the definitive reference for the Scrum Framework, is out. As of November 7, Scrum co-creators Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber published an updated version of the Scrum Guide.…
The Myth of the Agile Project Manager
Between Santa Claus, Big Foot and the Agile Project Manager, which exists? Few people argue for the existence of Big Foot or Santa Claus, though most believe that Agile Project…
Ask, Don’t Tell to Nurture High-Performing Teams
One of the most underutilized tools in the Agile Leaders toolkit is the question. Asking great questions is a powerful way to lead and to nurture high-performing teams. Done well,…
Another Great Benefit of Agile Transformation
A few months ago I had a conversation with a development manager whose teams had transitioned to Scrum earlier in the year. The development manager said he was really happy…
Get Your PMI-ACP Certification Without Hardly Trying
Looking for information on agile certification from PMI (PMI-ACP)? This post describes what it takes to get the PMI Agile certification. Depending on your starting point, you can probably get…
Best Agile Team Size for High Performance?
What is the Ideal Agile Team Size for High Performance? Are you wondering if your agile team is too big or too small, or what is the optimal team size…
Agile Practice Guide
PMI Produced a Guide to the Agile Methodology? Some of you may be surprised as I was to learn about PMI's 2017 collaboration with the Agile Alliance. The result was an…
Agile Training – A Quick Guide to the Best Agile Certification
Are you bewildered by the number of Agile and Scrum certifications and Agile Training courses offered today? Do you wonder what would be the best Agile certification or Scrum training…
5 Key Differences Between Agile Adoption & Agile Transformation
A common question that participants ask me during my Agile training courses is what is the difference between Agile Transformation and Adoption. It's a great question. I see five key…
How to Develop Your Agile Training Plan
If you are planning an agile pilot or even a full blown agile transformation, a critical consideration is your Agile Training Plan. After all, people need to understand Agile and Scrum…
The Mindset Change for Agile Project Management
Last year I wrote Project Managers Don’t Get Agile for the ProjectManagement.com website. I also wrote The Myth of the Project Manager in Agile. As I have thought about it…
Slack Time Helps Create High Performing Teams
If you want high performing teams, allow slack time for learning and experimentation. This counterintuitive approach is a long term investment in people. Getting 110% From Our People One question…
Downloadable Agile Principles & Scrum Tip Sheet
Are you looking for a one-page summary of Agile principles and the Scrum framework? Look no further. We've developed this one page summary and hand it out during our agile…
The Single Throat to Choke In Agile
I have a client that has been using Agile and the Scrum Framework for the last 3 years. Let me restate that, this client has been using A.I.N.O. (Agile in…
What Makes Agile and Scrum Training Effective?
I recently had a participant tell me that my Agile and Scrum Training for Teams class was 1,000% better than he expected. Which I took as a great compliment, even though…
Yes You Really Do Need to Invest in Agile & Scrum Training – Here’s Why
As an Agile Coach, I find an interesting paradox. While most people want my help to implement Agile, they also don't want to invest in Agile Training. It seems that…
Stop Hovering Over Your High Performing Teams
Most everyone says they want high performing teams, but struggle with creating them. The 5th Agile Principle says to hire motivated people and empower and trust them. The opposite of…
How do you Measure the Effectiveness of Agile Approaches?
Using the correct measurements is the key to success with agile approaches. If we don't know what we are trying to measure, how can we be successful? Don't Measure the…
Using the Scrum Framework? Don’t burden Scrum Teams!
I always thought that crew looked like a cool sport and I've admired crew teams. In crew, team members in lightweight boats, race to go as fast as possible. It…
Your How-To Guide For Success with an Agile Methodology
Looking for resources to help you succeed with Scrum or another Agile Methodology? You’ve come to the right place. Bookmark this guide and leverage it for all questions you have…
Why ‘Going Agile’ Can Scare People In An Agile Transformation
I work with a lot of teams and help them to adopt Agile thinking and methods. While I am pretty passionate about Agile and many of the team members are…
Challenges with Agile – Organizations that Don’t Want to Change
Challenges with Agile and Scrum Do You feel like you are coaching uphill? Do you feel like the challenges with agile adoption are overwhelming you, and that you are alone…
We Are Using Agile – Why Are Things Getting Worse?
Could Things Get Worse by Adopting an Agile Methodology? Most IT organizations today have adopted the Scrum Framework or another agile methodology. Some use Agile across the board and some…
Agile Transformation Challenges – Employee Resistance
An Agile Transformation is a program of organizational change that requires strong leadership to succeed. Those that want to resist the change can create agile transformation challenges. They do what…
Scrum Teams Aren’t Chickens and Pigs
People don't use the pigs and chicken metaphor in the Scrum Framework for Scrum Teams much anymore. I tend to agree with the reasons for avoiding it - it tends to…
Succeed with the Scrum Framework: Don’t Break These 7 Rules
I find that many of my clients today are trying to improve their use of the Scrum Framework. Many of them are missing out on the benefits of Scrum without…
What NOT to do as an Agile Coach
Earlier this year I provided some good agile coach tips in my post, What makes an Agile Coach Effective. I talked about how agile coaches won't succeed if people aren't…
Performance of Co-Located Teams vs. Distributed?
I've been an advocate for co-located teams for quite some time. I wrote about why you should not use Scrum with your distributed team, and how agile transformations can be…
Traditional PMs Don’t Get Agile Project Management
I recently published the article below on the Project Management.com website (see Project Managers Still Don't Get Agile). The point that I was trying to make is that while there…
How to Succeed with Hybrid and Blended Agile Approaches
Blending agile and waterfall/predictive approaches to gain some form of hybrid agile is misguided and may lead to worse results than using either alone.
High-Performing Teams – Deciding What to Measure
In my previous post, I talked about some of the ways that Agile leaders foster negative behaviors on agile teams by measuring the wrong things. The recent shenanigans at Wells Fargo serve…
Want High-Performing Teams? Stop Measuring the Wrong Things
Avoid Measurements that Inhibit High-Performing Teams Most leaders would say that they want to create high performing teams. Unfortunately, many don't see that the way that they measure, track and…
The Benefits of Stable, Long-Standing Teams
Dynamic Teams or Long-Standing Teams? If your goal was to create a high performing team, how would you go about it? Would you keep changing the team members or would…
How to Establish High-Performing Agile Teams
Establishing High Performing Agile Teams There are some specific actions that you can take now to establish high performing agile teams. In my previous post on High Performing Teams, I…
A Framework for Evaluating High-Performing Teams
Are you interested in creating high performing teams? Would you like to understand why some teams perform better than others, or to objectively evaluate the condition of your current team?…
Agile Success Story – Bank of America
Do you think that your organization is too large or too old to succeed with Agile and Scrum? Think again. This success story describes how Bank of America successfully transitioned…
Hey Scrum Masters, You’re Not the Jira Lackey!
Many Scrum Masters act as if their job is to keep all the tasks up to date in the online agile tool. They act like mother hens, constantly chirping about…
Is Company Culture Your Biggest Agile Transformation Challenge?
I've been exploring what makes an Agile transformation succeed as well as some of the challenges that can get in the way. Company culture is a big agile transformation challenge…
Is Team Co-location Your Biggest Agile Transformation Challenge?
This is first in a series of posts about agile transformation challenges. Most organizations today have tried Agile approaches and the majority are finding them helpful. Unfortunately there are also a significant…
High-Performing Teams – What Google Found
I was excited to read this recent New York Times Article describing research done by Google to determine the characteristics of their high-performing teams. In the Aristotle study, Google investigated the data…
Develop Your Agile Transformation Plan
Over the years of working with clients who are exploring agile and Scrum, we find many ask the same questions about developing an agile transformation plan. They want to develop…
Client Success Story – Moving from Waterfall to the Scrum Framework
Several years ago I had the opportunity to support a growing consulting firm to move from waterfall development to the Scrum Framework. It's been exciting to watch Highland Solutions learn,…
How to Successfully Transition from Waterfall to Scrum
One of the most common conversations I’ve had with clients over the last few years is how to move from waterfall to Scrum. They want to understand the agile transformation…
10 Questions an Agile PMO Should Ask Agile Teams
To be an Agile PMO means that you need to understand agile and Scrum and speak to the language of the teams. Many PMOs insist on getting reports and updates…
Do You Want Agile Adoption or Transformation?
Most of the clients who seek out our help ask about Agile adoption. They usually have a couple of teams developing solutions using a traditional approach, and they'd like them…
What Makes an Agile Coach Effective
I’ve been giving a lot of thought about what makes an Agile coach effective and how to improve my own effectiveness as a coach. Many or most of us probably…
Improving Your Retrospective Part 3: Techniques
In several previous posts I wrote about the retrospective which is a key event and perhaps the most important in the Scrum Framework. We explored how the retrospective doesn’t need…
How to Remove Fear and Blame from Your Project Reviews
Lately, I've been thinking and writing about project reviews and agile retrospectives. I explored why I think traditional lessons learned exercises are a waste, and several posts on how to…
Stop Lessons Learned Meetings, Try an Agile Retrospective Instead
The Agile Retrospective Over the last few months, I have been writing about how to improve team retrospectives. This has been mostly focused on Agile teams. Recently I've been asked…
Why Agile Projects are Better
As you have probably noticed by now, I am a huge fan of Agile approaches and ways of working. This post is about some of the key aspects of Agile…
How to Improve Your Retrospective Part 2 – Setting the Stage
This is part two in my series of posts about improving your retrospectives. As I mentioned in my previous post, the retrospective is a key part of the Scrum Framework…
How to Improve Your Scrum Retrospective Part 1: Structure
The Purpose of the Scrum Retrospective In my last post, I talked about the Scrum Retrospective meeting and how the speed of the retrospective event was not the most important thing.…
Retrospective Failure – Racing Through the Retrospective
Most people are aware of the retrospective meeting that is part of the Scrum Framework. It is a key improvement activity used by Agile and Scrum teams at the end of each…
Tips for an Effective Daily Scrum Meeting
The daily Scrum Meeting is the most frequent meeting in the Scrum Framework, making it important to be done well. There are some common patterns of problems with the daily…
Include the Scrum Product Owner in Estimating?
Earlier this week I was facilitating a discussion on agile estimating at a Meetup. A question came up about whether or not the Product Owner of a team using the Scrum…
What are the Most Important Agile Coach Traits?
What are the top Agile Coach traits that great coaches should have? Today there are more and more individuals hanging out a shingle and calling themselves Agile Coaches. With good…
Leading Agile Teams with Emotional Intelligence
The second edition of my emotional intelligence book includes a new chapter, Success with Agile Teams. Anyone who has used Agile methods though will attest to the fact that leading Agile…
How Do You Motivate Agile Teams to Become High-Performing Teams?
Most people have no idea how to motivate agile teams or create high performing teams. And even if you tell them, they don't seem to remember or care. I've had…
What is the “Exit Criteria” for Agile Coaching?
At a recent Agile Meetup, we talked about exit criteria for Agile coaching. Participants wanted to know how to determine when an Agile Coach is no longer needed. I flippantly…
When to Hire an Agile Coach
How does an organization decide it is time to hire an Agile Coach? What are the indications that coaching is needed? This quick guide gives 8 indications that it is time…