The Scrum Master is a role in the Scrum Framework responsible removing impediments, serving the team, and training & coaching the team, product owner & others.
I recently posted a question on LinkedIn about how to staff the Scrum Master role in a small organization with few people. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of…
I am thrilled to announce the second edition of Agile Project Management. This is a long-overdue update of the book I first published in 2015. And it is the best…
I am frequently asked about the best books for learning about agile and Scrum. It's not easy to answer. I have nearly 100 books on agile-related topics and there are…
In 2012, I was given my first opportunity to coach some new agile teams for a client. I was paired with a more senior coach and I never thought twice…
I've been writing about Disciplined Agile (DA) since PMI bought them in 2019, including my recent post about the confusion around PMI Agile Certifications. It turns out that my earlier…
Eighty percent of people who are using agile today use some flavor of the Scrum Framework. As you can imagine, there is a lot of variance in how Scrum is…
As agile approaches continue to spread in organizations, the demand for great Scrum Masters is expected to increase and outstrip what is available in the market. What steps can organizations…
At a recent client, I noticed the managers participated as members of the Scrum Team. When I asked about whether they thought there was an issue with hierarchy, they quickly…
Previously I wrote about the three most popular entry-level agile certifications and I referenced a great 2016 article from Bob Galen. I was surprised - shocked actually - to learn…
I've had the opportunity to train or coach over 100 teams since 2008, which has been incredibly fun and interesting. In the process, I have learned a lot about what…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Updated 2020: Over the last year I have explored professional certifications in detail. I have learned that many of the Agile and Scrum Certifications expire if you don't renew them.…
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),…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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 in…
![[UPDATE BASED ON 2020 SCRUM GUIDE] Downloadable Agile Principles & Scrum Tip Sheet](https://vitalitychicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/agile-tip-shet-april-2021-300x232.png)
Back in June 2017, we released the first version of our Agile and Scrum Tip Sheet as a free download. Since then, we've updated it a few times and have…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…