The Lack of Agile Leadership Qualities — Making Your Scrum Work #15

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TL; DR: The Lack of Agile Leadership Qualities — When Change Agents Don’t Act as Role Models

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. When Scrum becomes an element of an agile transformation, a lack of agile leadership qualities on the incumbents’ side may impede its overall progress significantly despite the best efforts of all other change agents.

📺 Join me and explore the consequences of a lack of agile leadership qualities and what you can do about it in less than three minutes.

The Lack of Agile Leadership Qualities — Making Your Scrum Work #15 — Berlin Product People GmbH (more…)

Scrum Master Skills: Visualizing the Cost of Team Building with the Tuckman Model

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Scrum Master Skills: Visualizing the Tuckman Model

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Probably, we have all heard that piece of wisdom before. In my experience, having some — even rudimentary — sketching or drawing capabilities is an essential Scrum Master skill. Visualizing a tricky issue while explaining the background to a stakeholder, someone from the management or a teammate helps to pave the way to have a meaningful discussion.

Let me introduce you to an example sketch based on the Tuckman model of group dynamics I use in my Professional Scrum Master training classes to make the effort and cost of creating a Scrum team easier understandable.

Scrum Master Skills: Visualizing the Cost of Team Building with the Tuckman Model — Berlin Product People GmbH (more…)

Real Cross-functional Teams for Creating Real and Better Products—Agile Camp Berlin 2021

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TL; DR: Real Cross-functional Teams for Creating Real and Better Products — ACB21

In this highly engaging speaker session from the Agile Camp Berlin 2021, Jutta Eckstein and Maryse Meinen point out the advantages of creating diverse, cross-functional teams to benefit your customers and your organization.

Real Cross-functional Teams for Creating Real and Better Products—Agile Camp Berlin 2021 (more…)

Three Common Developer Blunders in 5:05 Minutes—Making Your Scrum Work #14

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TL; DR: Common Developer Blunders — When Your Scrum Team Lacks Alignment

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. While it is common to first look outside our team for impediments, such as dysfunctional processes or other systemic issues, I would advise starting with the Scrum team’s way of collaboration: Are we aligned on the why, what, and how? Otherwise, the three following Developer blunders may diminish the team effectiveness.

📺 Join me and explore the consequences of these Scrum Developer blunders and what you can do about them in a little more than five minutes.

Three Common Developer Blunders in 5:05 Minutes—Making Your Scrum Work #14 — Berlin Product People GmbH

Update: I am running a poll on LinkedIn—join the voting: “What common ways have you observed how Developers diminish the value creation of their own work?”

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When the Scrum Master Fails by Being Overly Protective — Making Your Scrum Work #13

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TL; DR: When Scrum Masters Fail — Making Your Scrum Work #13

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. Scrum thrives when the Scrum teams are self-managing while Scrum Masters embrace their role as servant-leaders. However, this also implies that Scrum Masters fail when they are overly protective.

📺 Join me and explore the consequences of the overly protective Scrum Master and what you can do about it in less than three minutes.

When the Scrum Master Fails by Being Overly Protective — Making Your Scrum Work #13 — Berlin Product People GmbH (more…)

Three Essential Agile Failure Patterns in 7:31 Minutes—Making Your Scrum Work #12

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TL; DR: Essential Agile Failure Patterns — When Noise Interferes with Signal

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. When Scrum becomes an element of an agile transformation, the following three common essential agile failure patterns prove to be an exceptionally tough nut to crack for any Scrum Master.

📺 Join me and explore the consequences of foreseeable failure patterns and what you can do about them in a little more than seven minutes.

Three Essential Agile Failure Patterns in 7:31 Minutes—Making Your Scrum Work #12 — Berlin Product People GmbH

Update: I am running a poll on LinkedIn—join the voting: “What is your top agile failure pattern in organizations?”

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The Oversized Product Backlog Will Cost You Dearly — Making Your Scrum Work #11

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TL; DR: The Oversized Product Backlog Problem — When Noise Interferes with Signal

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. Neglecting the critical Scrum artifact for continuous value creation is one of the common Scrum anti-patterns. If your Scrum Team strives to make your customers’ lives easier Sprint after Sprint, beware of the oversized Product Backlog.

📺 Join me and explore the consequences of inadequate Product Backlog management in less than three minutes.

The Oversized Product Backlog Will Cost You Dearly — Making Your Scrum Work #11 — Berlin Product People GmbH (more…)

Hiring: 82 Product Owner Interview Questions—Sprint Planning, Review, and Retrospective

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TL; DR: 82 Product Owner Interview Questions to Avoid Imposters

If you are looking to fill a position for a Product Owner in your organization, you may find the following 82 interview questions useful to identify the right candidate. They are derived from my sixteen years of practical experience with XP and Scrum, serving both as Product Owner and Scrum Master and interviewing dozens of Product Owner candidates on behalf of my clients.

So far, this Product Owner interview guide has been downloaded more than 10,000 times.

Hiring: 82 Product Owner Interview Questions—Sprint Planning, Review, and Retrospective — Berlin Product People GmbH (more…)

The Frustrated Scrum Master — When all the Effort Leads Nowhere

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TL; DR: The Frustrated Scrum Master — When all the Effort Leads Nowhere

There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. One failure symptom of a botched agile transformation is the frustrated Scrum Master.

📺 Join me and explore the consequences of a Scrum Master who has thrown in the towel in 92 seconds.

The Frustrated Scrum Master — When all the Effort Leads Nowhere — Berlin Product People GmbH (more…)