5 Tips to Improve Product Backlog Refinement
The Product Backlog Refinement (PBR) activity is one that many new Scrum teams struggle with. Insufficient PBR often results in long sprint planning meetings and incomplete backlog items at the…
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…
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 let my Scrum Alliance Certifications lapse in January 2019. It does…
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),…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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 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…