Category: Scrum
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Shu Ha Ri of Professional Coaching
Shu-Ha-Ri is a well-known concept in the Agile and Scrum worlds. Have you thought it is also applied to the world of Professional Coaching?
The House of Scrum
House of Scrum is a metaphor Alex Kudinov uses to explain the fundamentals of the Scrum Framework solve complex and adaptive problems.
Coaching Skills for Agilists
Cherie Silas and I discuss the importance of professional coaching skills for Agilists. In short – they are paramountly important.
If you want to up your coaching game – our next Coaching in Agile Environments program cohorts are starting in July. Check it out and sign up!
Podcast #3: Is Scrum Master role a Luxury in Times of Turmoil?
Is Scrum Master role a Luxury in Times of Turmoil? Erica Henson, Jim Sammons, and Alex Kudinov share their thought.
Scrum and Diffusion of Responsibility
In its various forms and shapes, the diffusion of responsibility can lead to such ugliness as moral disengagement, increased beyond-the-reason risk-taking behavior, social loafing, and groupthink.
Help them with the Why
How many times a day are you walking into the conversation where people jump into discussing solutions that lead nowhere, lack a clear purpose for the people involved in the conversation, don’t make sense altogether without the additional “why” discussion? I know I am having those conversations day in and day out.
We are the society of doers, go-getters, and my recent survey of approximately 3 dozen of Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches support that claim. We are the community of proactive, goal seeking, “missing accomplished” kind of individuals who, in its majority, rarely step back and ask the “why” question. By the way, I am not a proponent of asking that specific question, a bit later on that.
However, we charge into action with no clear goal, no sufficient understanding, no true north star. And that is pervasive throughout our life, businesses, and culture. We pay the homage to the luminaries such as Sinek, we cite ad-nauseum the Scrum Guide with its pervasive Sprint Goal, and then we punch in the clock, and go about our daily doze of deliverable outputs.
How can we ensure that all we do has a meaningful, solid, and worthy goal behind it. There are numerous techniques, tools, and practices. It does not have to be complex. But some steps should not be skipped, otherwise we are shortchanging ourselves and setting up for a less desirable outcome.
Scrum Has a Messaging Problem
I call on the Scrum and the larger Agile community to correct our messaging while we walk the continual path of tackling hard problems. Be less dogmatic. Think Agile. Be more like water and Scrum On!
Weekly Scrum Interview Question: What Is Velocity?
What is Scrum Team Velocity?
This is a tricky one, and you need to be answering it in the context of the organization you are interviewing with and its complementary practices.
Let’s start with the basics. Velocity is mentioned quite a few times in connection with Scrum in various contexts. First thing you might hear is that the velocity is a measure of the team’s ability to deliver value to the customer. That’s quite an okay definition you might give to your interviewer. Just be ready for an onslaught of questions it might bring, such as, “What do we measure”, “How do we measure it”, “Why do we measure it”.
Velocity is recognized by Scrum.org as a complementary practice. This means, that Scrum framework does not have a prescription for a Scrum Team as to how to measure its ability to deliver value. Remember that Scrum is a framework, which can work really well with a variety of practices that fit teams needs, desires, and abilities. And velocity is one of such practices.
Weekly Scrum Interview Question – What is the Sprint Length?
This question “What is the duration of a Sprint” is seemingly simple, but depending on the interviewing situation, company, interviewer, and their familiarity with Scrum you might need to give them more or less details and answer additional questions your answer might bring up.
