A Nuance on Standup Reporting
The Daily Standup is often regarded as simple and mechanical, yet it has multiple nuances. This post addresses two critical considerations for a Scrum Master about how the developers' progress reports are organized.
Cargo Cult Scrum
Each Scrum event is important, but an effective Scrum Master will understand that the nuanced outcomes of the events are the goals we should pursue
Backlog Management Observations
Four vignettes on where a failure of Sprint Backlog discipline can create pain.
My Top 3 Sprint Planning Mistakes
The top 3 mistakes I have observed in Sprint Planning events.
Distributed Communication
Distributed teams are the norm in today's software world, and working with a geographically distributed team brings its own, peculiar demands on a Scrum Master.
Nailing the Spike
The misuse of "spikes" by agile teams is common and unfortunate. Properly understanding the unique semantics and goal of a spike is important for the team's success.
Scrum Master Threat Surface
For Scrum Masters the job market has become visibly unfriendly, and all of us must ruthlessly evaluate if our value is greater than the external market threats against our role.
Stories 101 for Scrum Masters
As a Scrum Master you normally will not write stories. But it is critical for your role as a Sherpa (an expert) to know how to guide your developers so they do not accept into their Sprint Backlog stories that are not well-formed and clear. Remember that your developers are
Case Study: Thinking Small
A detailed case study illustrating how to make a story smaller, and implement it incrementally.
Small Feedback
A brief statement to introduce why thinking small is a really big thing.
Scrum Master Certification
Pursuing a Scrum Master certification can be tempting, but experience is the best self-certification. Sitting for a certification only after a couple years on an Agile project may be your best path forward.
A Pursuit of Metrics
Embrace the right metrics to drive continuous improvement as an effective Scrum Master. Understand the balance of waste, change, and cost to optimize the system and eliminate inefficiencies.