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Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches

Every week day, Certified Scrum Master, Agile Coach and Business Consultant Vasco Duarte interviews Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches from all over the world to get you actionable advice, new tips and tricks, improve your craft as a Scrum Master with daily doses of inspiring conversations with Scrum Masters from the all over the world. Stay tuned for BONUS episodes when we interview Agile gurus and other thought leaders in the business space to bring you the Agile Business perspective you need to succeed as a Scrum Master. Some of the topics we discuss include: Agile Business, Agile Strategy, Retrospectives, Team motivation, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Backlog Refinement, Scaling Scrum, Lean Startup, Test Driven Development (TDD), Behavior Driven Development (BDD), Paper Prototyping, QA in Scrum, the role of agile managers, servant leadership, agile coaching, and more!
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Now displaying: 2015
Mar 31, 2015

Little’s Law is a relatively recent discovery in Queuing Theory. It was only proven in 1961, and still unknown to many in the software industry today.

Neil discusses why that simple theorem is so important in software projects, and how it can help you understand why over-commitment is so common, and bad for software development.

About Neil Killick

Neil has been a software professional for over 18 years, mostly as a developer, before moving to management. He spent the last 5 years being a passionate Agile, Lean and Scrum coach, trainer and practitioner. Neil cares deeply about creating enjoyable, authentic workplaces in which human potential can thrive.

You can connect with Neil Killick on twitter. Neil Killick’s blog.

Mar 30, 2015

We don’t ask questions often enough, and in this episode Neil explains why that is so important. Neil tells us a story of a project that started well, continued well, everything seemed to work well, until…

He discusses how one small detail derailed the whole project, and how to avoid that in the future.

About Neil Killick

Neil has been a software professional for over 18 years, mostly as a developer, before moving to management. He spent the last 5 years being a passionate Agile, Lean and Scrum coach, trainer and practitioner. Neil cares deeply about creating enjoyable, authentic workplaces in which human potential can thrive.

You can connect with Neil Killick on twitter. Neil Killick’s blog.

Mar 27, 2015

Henrik Mårtensson introduces the Logical Thinking Process and Process Control Charts as tools that help you analyse the impact of the system in the performance of the teams. He also discusses how to define clearly what problem you are solving before getting started.

About Henrik Mårtensson

If there is one word summing up Henrik Mårtensson, it is "curious". Henrik is a systems thinker, strategy methodologist, process improvement consultant, project manager, author, and trick photographer. In 2014 he built a network organisation for photography and media production from scratch, to more than 200 people. He is kind to strangers, but has made friends dive off cliffs.

You can follow Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter and read Henrik Måretensson’s blog where he shares his ideas and breakthroughs in the field of Agile, Theory of Constraints and management in general.

Mar 26, 2015

Henrik shares his approach in setting goals for a project, and how those goals affect performance over time. He talks about how the goals change over time, and how important it is to have them in a written form.

About Henrik Mårtensson

If there is one word summing up Henrik Mårtensson, it is "curious". Henrik is a systems thinker, strategy methodologist, process improvement consultant, project manager, author, and trick photographer. In 2014 he built a network organisation for photography and media production from scratch, to more than 200 people. He is kind to strangers, but has made friends dive off cliffs.

You can follow Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter and read Henrik Måretensson’s blog where he shares his ideas and breakthroughs in the field of Agile, Theory of Constraints and management in general.

Mar 25, 2015

The most important recruitment question for Scrum Masters, how the brain influences team performance, how the “cheapest” is not always the best solution, and finally a question of character. These are just some of the topics that will help you improve the way you interview Scrum Masters, and other team members.

About Henrik Mårtensson

If there is one word summing up Henrik Mårtensson, it is "curious". Henrik is a systems thinker, strategy methodologist, process improvement consultant, project manager, author, and trick photographer. In 2014 he built a network organisation for photography and media production from scratch, to more than 200 people. He is kind to strangers, but has made friends dive off cliffs.

You can follow Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter and read Henrik Måretensson’s blog where he shares his ideas and breakthroughs in the field of Agile, Theory of Constraints and management in general.

Mar 24, 2015

Can you build trust with your team to the point they jump off a cliff with you? Henrik did! Henrik discusses how to create an environment where the team feels safe enough to do extremely dangerous things, but be completely secure that they are safe.

About Henrik Mårtensson

If there is one word summing up Henrik Mårtensson, it is "curious". Henrik is a systems thinker, strategy methodologist, process improvement consultant, project manager, author, and trick photographer. In 2014 he built a network organisation for photography and media production from scratch, to more than 200 people. He is kind to strangers, but has made friends dive off cliffs.

You can follow Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter and read Henrik Måretensson’s blog where he shares his ideas and breakthroughs in the field of Agile, Theory of Constraints and management in general.

Mar 23, 2015

Sometimes we will face even sociopaths at work. People who are willing to sacrifice everything and everybody in support of their own individual goals. How do we tackle those cases? And how do we recognize those cases? Henrik describes a story of how a sociopath destroyed a project - and lived to pretend it didn’t happen.

About Henrik Mårtensson

If there is one word summing up Henrik Mårtensson, it is "curious". Henrik is a systems thinker, strategy methodologist, process improvement consultant, project manager, author, and trick photographer. In 2014 he built a network organisation for photography and media production from scratch, to more than 200 people. He is kind to strangers, but has made friends dive off cliffs.

You can follow Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter and read Henrik Måretensson’s blog where he shares his ideas and breakthroughs in the field of Agile, Theory of Constraints and management in general.

Mar 20, 2015

If you are to help change it, you must reveal the system to the system itself. Dominic explains his approach to uncover the system conditions that block the team’s progress, as well as what he’s learned about how to create the right conditions for the teams to grow within their environment.

About Dominic Krimmer

Dominic has worked as a Software Developer since 2001, being a Scrum Master since 2009. He has collected many cool experiences in agile methods in different companies like CHIP, Sixt, mydriver.com and HolidayCheck. And has a small Kanban implementation at a manufacturing site in Latin America is also under his belt! :)

You can connect with Dominic Krimmer on twitter and visit Dominic Krimmer’s blog.

Mar 19, 2015

The success of a scrum master is measured in business impact, and you should create your own definition of what that impact should be. Dominic explains his ideas of how to create your own definition of success and why, as a scrum master, you should focus on the business, not just the team.

About Dominic Krimmer

Dominic has worked as a Software Developer since 2001, being a Scrum Master since 2009. He has collected many cool experiences in agile methods in different companies like CHIP, Sixt, mydriver.com and HolidayCheck. And has a small Kanban implementation at a manufacturing site in Latin America is also under his belt! :)

You can connect with Dominic Krimmer on twitter and visit Dominic Krimmer’s blog.

 

Mar 18, 2015

Confusing the Project Manager with the Scrum Master role can be very dangerous. Project Managers have had a certain historical focus, Dominic discusses the project management focus and how it differs from the Scrum Master focus. “Not everything that counts can be measured, and not everything that can be measured counts.”

Mar 17, 2015

Coffee breaks can help teams grow, and Scrum Masters can take advantage of that. They can be effective tools to fight contagious negative behaviors and foster a better atmosphere in the team.

About Dominic Krimmer

Dominic has worked as a Software Developer since 2001, being a Scrum Master since 2009. He has collected many cool experiences in agile methods in different companies like CHIP, Sixt, mydriver.com and HolidayCheck. And has a small Kanban implementation at a manufacturing site in Latin America is also under his belt! :)

You can connect with Dominic Krimmer on twitter and visit Dominic Krimmer’s blog.

Mar 16, 2015

How many and what kind of bad apples can you have in a team? Dominic describes his experience with team members that can quickly undo any Scrum Master’s work. We also talk about why some team setups just don’t work and what Scrum Masters should do about it.

About Dominic Krimmer

Dominic has worked as a Software Developer since 2001, being a Scrum Master since 2009. He has collected many cool experiences in agile methods in different companies like CHIP, Sixt, mydriver.com and HolidayCheck. And has a small Kanban implementation at a manufacturing site in Latin America is also under his belt! :)

You can connect with Dominic Krimmer on twitter and visit Dominic Krimmer’s blog.

Mar 13, 2015

Leading with transparency is a key skill for Scrum Masters, because you can’t help an organization improve unless the organization recognizes where and why they should improve. Nicolas shares with us how he helps organizations see beyond the surface and learn to see the problems they face.

About Nicolas Umiatowski

Nicholas is 40 year old. He is a a French agile coach, specialized in Scrum and Kanban with a strong experiences in Digital and web projects.

He likes Design thinking, storyboarding (especially paper prototypes), getting real feedback from real users, and helping the team to reach symbiosis, and to find meaning in what they do. He is absolutely passionate about agility, but aware that depending on the context (as a consultant), agility can be different from one company to another.

 

You can find Nicolas Umiatowski on twitter, and follow his blog in french: Nicolas Umiatowski in French.

Mar 12, 2015

Being a change agent is about helping people and teams go through behavior changes. Scrum Masters need to have a very clear idea of what behavior changes they hope to see in the teams and organizations they work with, to be able to measure their success. Nicolas shares his ideas on what are some of the behavior changes that we should be looking out for as Scrum Masters.

About Nicolas Umiatowski

Nicholas is 40 year old. He is a a French agile coach, specialized in Scrum and Kanban with a strong experiences in Digital and web projects.

He likes Design thinking, storyboarding (especially paper prototypes), getting real feedback from real users, and helping the team to reach symbiosis, and to find meaning in what they do. He is absolutely passionate about agility, but aware that depending on the context (as a consultant), agility can be different from one company to another.

 

You can find Nicolas Umiatowski on twitter, and follow his blog in french: Nicolas Umiatowski in French.

Mar 11, 2015

Recruiting interviews are the bread and butter of the recruiting process for many organizations. However, if you have a candidate that aces the recruiting interview, does that that mean that he or she would be a good hire? Knowing how to answer interview questions is not the same as knowing how to solve real-life problems. Nicolas shares his ideas on how to change the interview process to focus on what matters.

About Nicolas Umiatowski

Nicholas is 40 year old. He is a a French agile coach, specialized in Scrum and Kanban with a strong experiences in Digital and web projects.

He likes Design thinking, storyboarding (especially paper prototypes), getting real feedback from real users, and helping the team to reach symbiosis, and to find meaning in what they do. He is absolutely passionate about agility, but aware that depending on the context (as a consultant), agility can be different from one company to another.

 

You can find Nicolas Umiatowski on twitter, and follow his blog in french: Nicolas Umiatowski in French.

Mar 10, 2015

The fear of losing your job can drive a blame culture and a lot of other dysfunctional behaviors in teams. When that fear sets in, defensiveness, silos, lack of cooperation are just some of the symptoms you should expect to see.

Nicolas also mentions how important it is for teams to learn how to deal with failure without falling prey to the blame culture.

About Nicolas Umiatowski

Nicholas is 40 year old. He is a a French agile coach, specialized in Scrum and Kanban with a strong experiences in Digital and web projects.

He likes Design thinking, storyboarding (especially paper prototypes), getting real feedback from real users, and helping the team to reach symbiosis, and to find meaning in what they do. He is absolutely passionate about agility, but aware that depending on the context (as a consultant), agility can be different from one company to another.

 

You can find Nicolas Umiatowski on twitter, and follow his blog in french: Nicolas Umiatowski in French.

Mar 9, 2015

"Help organizations improve," is what Nicolas decided to do after having started his career in IT as a self-taught programmer, and later as a project manager. From looking for bottlenecks to helping organizations adopt Continuous delivery, these are just some of the lessons Nicolas learned from his experience and applies today in his work as an agile coach.

Nicolas also refers to the podcast This Agile Life, which we believe is a great addition to your podcast library if you like the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast.

About Nicolas Umiatowski

Nicholas is 40 year old. He is a a French agile coach, specialized in Scrum and Kanban with a strong experiences in Digital and web projects.

He likes Design thinking, storyboarding (especially paper prototypes), getting real feedback from real users, and helping the team to reach symbiosis, and to find meaning in what they do. He is absolutely passionate about agility, but aware that depending on the context (as a consultant), agility can be different from one company to another.

 

You can find Nicolas Umiatowski on twitter, and follow his blog in french: Nicolas Umiatowski in French.

Mar 6, 2015

Why not share the results of the retrospectives with the rest of the organization? That’s one very effective way to make the current team’s obstacles visible to the rest of the organization.

Start with something simple, like the Check-in from the Core protocols, and share what you find with the organization. Help the organization help the team using the retrospective output.

About Andy Deighton

Andy has over 20 years of development experience in Smalltalk and Java, and is now a Scrum Master at Bright Interactive, based in Brighton on the south coast of the UK. He's a former professional photographer and budding songwriter.

You can find Andy Deighton on twitter. Connect with Andy Deighton in LinkedIn.

Mar 5, 2015

Agile outside software work is one of the topics that Andy discusses in the context of defining the success of the Scrum Master. As Scrum Masters we work with everybody in the organization, not just the team. Helping others is an effective way to help the teams as well!

Andy also shares his views on how we should NOT measure success of a Scrum Master.

About Andy Deighton

Andy has over 20 years of development experience in Smalltalk and Java, and is now a Scrum Master at Bright Interactive, based in Brighton on the south coast of the UK. He's a former professional photographer and budding songwriter.

You can find Andy Deighton on twitter. Connect with Andy Deighton in LinkedIn.

Mar 4, 2015

Andy discusses how hard it is to hire, and how we must constantly help Scrum Masters grow in their practice. Even if the Scrum Master is doing a good job (and also because of it), the teams will evolve. The style of the Scrum Master must then match that team evolution.

About Andy Deighton

Andy has over 20 years of development experience in Smalltalk and Java, and is now a Scrum Master at Bright Interactive, based in Brighton on the south coast of the UK. He's a former professional photographer and budding songwriter.

You can find Andy Deighton on twitter. Connect with Andy Deighton in LinkedIn.

Mar 3, 2015

Communication inside the team is a key indicator of whether they are performing or not. But the quality of communication in the team will also directly affect the communication with the stakeholders. Andy shares his insights into how to enable teams to improve the way they communicate, and work on the group dynamic.

About Andy Deighton

Andy has over 20 years of development experience in Smalltalk and Java, and is now a Scrum Master at Bright Interactive, based in Brighton on the south coast of the UK. He's a former professional photographer and budding songwriter.

You can find Andy Deighton on twitter. Connect with Andy Deighton in LinkedIn.

Mar 2, 2015

Andy starts by defining a great team: happy people building great software. A team that is focused on outcomes, rather than outputs. He explains how he learned to be a better Scrum Master through his experience, and what he changed in his own approach to the role of scrum master. 

About Andy Deighton

Andy has over 20 years of development experience in Smalltalk and Java, and is now a Scrum Master at Bright Interactive, based in Brighton on the south coast of the UK. He's a former professional photographer and budding songwriter.

You can find Andy Deighton on twitter. Connect with Andy Deighton in LinkedIn.

Feb 27, 2015

How do we help organizations to recognize the value that scrum teams can bring, and the obstacles they face in the process? Stephen Thomas shares his recipe and describes a few ideas of how the retrospectives can be an effective practice to help organizations evolve and get better. 

Stephen’s recipe for organization improvement:

  • Help the teams understand their progress with a physical (as opposed to digital) and visual burndown (colorful if possible).
  • Write the principles on the wall and make sure people see them regularly. Point to them when needed.
  • Have lots of wall space for teams to use and create their shared view of their work.
  • Help start and facilitate organization-level retrospectives, because improving one team is not enough for lasting change. 
  • Make the team independent 

 

Before implementing all of this, make sure that the organization has the necessary knowledge to work in an agile manner, helping organize training if needed, and working with stakeholders regularly.

About Stephen Thomas

Stephen has been managing digital projects since 2004. Initially specialising in e-learning, he now looks after multiple projects that range from rapidly produced native apps to large-scale social networks. Based in Oxford, he is also one of the founders of the DOPM meetup.

 

 

You can connect with Stephen Thomas in LinkedIn, and follow Stephen Thomas on Twitter.

Feb 26, 2015

Defining success for scrum masters is not easy, but it is necessary for us to achieve it. Does it have to do with reaching the sprint goal? Or a regular daily goal? Can a scrum master be successful when the team does not release software regularly? And how about the customer’s view? How can the customer help us define and assess success as Scrum Masters? 

 

Stephen shares how he struggled to define success for him as Scrum Master, and why that was hard. 

Feb 25, 2015

 

What should we do to help choose the best people for our teams and organizations? Especially if we already believe the recruiting interview is not the best possible, or even most effective method to bring out the best in people. Stephen has a few ideas on how to prepare for the recruiting process, and how to setup a way to watch the candidates in action before finalizing the recruitment process.

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