One of the challenges organizations face when moving towards Agile ways of working is the role of a product owner. We generally understand the idea of the one person ultimately accountable for return-on-investment for their “product”. However, go into a company doing Agile nowadays and ask one of the product owners if they are empowered […]
Paradigms of work management: conversations with the philosophers
I have finally made it, today I come to tell you about a conversation I was able to have yesterday (with the social distance measures recommended during these times) with two people I have admired since I heard about them in my high school years. They are René Descartes and David Hume. René will surely […]
5 essential skills of a Product Owner
A Product Owner (PO) is a constitutive part of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner represents the Stakeholders and is accountable for maximizing the value of products created by the developers. In agile, maximizing the value means creating a valuable product for the Stakeholders and customers that ensure the return of the investment. In this […]
Agile Contract: know the deal before you set it
You have probably been in the position where you had a project and the money to fulfill it, but not the manpower or knowledge to do it. You would’ve had to engage a supplier to get the work done. If we look at the Agile Principle ‘collaboration over contract negotiation’, we notice that while a […]
5 top skills to develop for a Scrum Master or Agile Coach
Are you looking to become a better Scrum Master or Agile Coach? Here’s where you need to focus on! We give you 5 essential skills for a Scrum Master or Agile Coach. So, you already know Scrum. Ok, what’s next? Before you start – Assess yourself honestly. Do you really know Scrum well? This article […]
Process Mapping for Scrum Teams
How do you figure out the ideal members of your Scrum team? How do you have good conversations with about silos in an organization? Here’s simple and quick technique to get you started: process mapping for Scrum Teams. In this past week I’ve been asked a couple of questions that I realized I’ve been answering […]
Publication of the new Scrum Guide (November 2020)
Celebrating 25 years of Scrum, the new guide was presented on November 18, 2020 at an event held jointly by Scrum Inc. and Scrum.org; the companies of Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber respectively, co-creators of Scrum. Since that time, The Scrum Guide (November 2020) can be read and downloaded (in several languages, even) at: scrumguides.org Size matters […]
How the wrong question can nip self-organization in the bud
Think about yourself as the Scrum Master of a development team. Think about the last time you coached somebody on your team. They came to you with a problem or an impediment. You did the right thing and you took the coaching stance, you didn’t advise them, but only asked questions as to coach them […]
Retrospectives series: Big event in a team
Here is a new idea for you, my friend facilitator, to try out in your next retrospectives. The core of format is based in a tool from my ORSC teachers from CRR and Augere, and I added some ideas over it. I have already applied this format a couple of times with success in authentic multidisciplinary teams. A strong commitment and smooth conflict […]
Retrospectives series: Heaven and Hell
This is the second article of the retrospective series, I hope you enjoy it, find it useful and can apply it with your team soon. Please, leave some feedback when this actually happens! This retrospective is titled “Heaven and Hell”, soon you will learn why… USE This is a good retrospective format for teams who are […]