A Quick Tutorial for Improving Your Retrospectives
I spoke recently on the topic of retrospectives and continuous improvement. Readers of this blog may recall that I have written no less than 10 articles on this site on…
The Scrum Master is a role in the Scrum Framework responsible removing impediments, serving the team, and training & coaching the team, product owner & others.
Do You Need a Full Time Scrum Master for Scrum?
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…
Announcing Agile Project Management – The Second Edition
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…
The 5 Best Agile Books for 2021
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…
Two are Better Than One – The Benefits of Paired Agile Coaching
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…
Are You Interested in Disciplined Agile Adoption?
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…
Debunking Popular Scrum Myths
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…
Hire Better – A Scrum Master Hiring Guide!
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…
Should Managers be On the Scrum Team?
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…
The Circus of Agile Certifications…And a Challenge
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…
Top 10 Most Common Mistakes Made When Establishing New Agile Teams
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…
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…
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…
Agile Coach Opportunities – Do 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…
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,…
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 PMI, Agile & Scrum Certifications (2020)
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.…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. And frankly, I am…
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…
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…
A Quick Guide to the Best Entry-Level 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…
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 generally and specific…
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[UPDATE BASED ON 2020 SCRUM GUIDE] Downloadable Agile Principles & Scrum Tip Sheet
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…