Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Zach recounts a team's struggles with a platform and component-based structure. Despite having capable members, the team faced challenges surrounding unclear priorities and vision. Frequent changes in priorities left the team uncertain about their work's purpose after a significant launch. Communication issues arose as developers weren't grasping the vision. The absence of direction led to disengagement, arguments during refinement, and an overwhelming workload. Introducing a Product Owner with a clear mission restored commitment. A critical incident, the Ukrainian war, catalyzed a much-needed laser focus. This episode underscores the importance of a well-defined mission and external factors in shaping team dynamics.
In this episode, Zach discusses some of his favorite Agile-related books. "The Help Increase the Peace Program Manual" by the American Friends Service Committee is praised for its insights into conflict facilitation and fostering healthy communities. This book transformed Zach's perspective on communities and equipped him to navigate groups with conflicts. Another book that Zach highlights is "Thinking in Systems" by Meadows explores various aspects of sociology, economy, and more, encouraging readers to view the world holistically. Zach values its ability to prompt a deeper understanding of "why" and uncover systemic factors. He emphasizes how external/systemic issues can impact team-level problems, shedding light on the interconnected nature of challenges.
[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!
About Zach Stone
Zach has worked as a process facilitator for over 17 years, as a specialist in behavioral science. He co-founded a firm that uses techniques to rebuild war zones for organizational dynamics. He has been an agilist for the past 7 years and was recently a speaker at the Global Scrum Conference. He lives in Santa Fe with his Wife and spends his time exploring canyons and trails.
You can link with Zach Stone on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Zach reflects on his impatience and passion for the change process in Agile. He discusses a challenging scenario involving two conflicting stakeholders with differing product ideas. The stakeholders' heated conflicts escalated, impacting team morale. Zach initially focused on the team rather than addressing the stakeholder conflict directly. He suggests bringing stakeholders together to discuss the situation, emphasizing the importance of early conflict resolution. Zach also highlights the significance of observing and validating team dynamics, as well as addressing conflict promptly to prevent further disruptions. He acknowledges an anti-pattern of fear and emphasizes proactively engaging with stakeholders for better outcomes.
[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.
About Zach Stone
Zach has worked as a process facilitator for over 17 years, as a specialist in behavioral science. He co-founded a firm that uses techniques to rebuild war zones for organizational dynamics. He has been an agilist for the past 7 years and was recently a speaker at the Global Scrum Conference. He lives in Santa Fe with his Wife and spends his time exploring canyons and trails.
You can link with Zach Stone on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, the spotlight is on an exceptional Product Owner known for inspiration and skill. With a crystal-clear product vision and a strategic approach, she collaborated closely with the team to refine requirements. Their prowess extended beyond internal teamwork, as they maintained strong connections with customers and stakeholders. Employing the MoSCoW method for prioritization, she empowered the team to discern not only what to work on but also what to omit. A key takeaway is the emphasis on "maximizing the work not done," demonstrating how a focused approach to prioritization can drive efficiency and success in Agile product development.
In this episode, Danielle tells the story of a new Product Owner (PO) who struggled to transition from project management to the PO role. Initially they took a micro-managing and instructive approach, and the team's efficiency suffered, leading to frustration. Danielle intervened by providing constructive feedback using Nonviolent Communication (NVC) techniques. A candid question about the team's feelings prompted the PO to realize his negative impact. Acknowledging their mistake, the PO adjusted their behavior, reestablishing team motivation. A key lesson emerged: allowing patterns to develop before intervention and fostering open dialogue can lead to positive change. Ultimately, collaboration between the PO and team led to improved dynamics and shared responsibility.
[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.
About Danielle Braun
Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.
You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Danielle emphasizes her approach as a Scrum Master to keenly listen and observe. Key points include assessing team autonomy, understanding and embodiment of Agile principles, delivery of results, customer satisfaction, and collaboration. Challenges arise when new team members struggle with Agile adaptation, prompting her to focus on aiding their transition. By prioritizing individual integration into Agile methodologies, Danielle fosters a cohesive and effective team dynamic. Her dedication to attentive listening and targeted support underscores the role of a Scrum Master in facilitating successful Agile implementation.
In this episode, Danielle describes the "Amazon Retrospective", where the team approaches their last sprint like reviewing an Amazon product. They give titles, rate it with stars, and write replies from the seller's perspective. This unique perspective enhances reflection and understanding of the sprint's outcomes. However, Danielle cautions against using this approach during conflicts. Another technique, the "Marie Kondo Retrospective," involves evaluating team processes by asking if they "spark joy." Inspired by the decluttering philosophy, it aims to streamline and optimize processes. These inventive retrospective methods offer fresh ways to assess and improve team performance.
[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!
About Danielle Braun
Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.
You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Danielle recounts her initial Scrum project involving a transformative team seating arrangement. Despite a grand vision, initial resistance to change emerged, with the team rejecting the idea. Reflecting on the first lesson learned, the importance of their buy-in was highlighted. Employing strategies to shift perspectives, they focused on making the change appealing, visiting bustling areas to contrast with a quiet space. Key tips emerged: showcasing benefits visually, active listening to needs, and creating a receptive environment. Danielle underscores the significance of adapting to individual requirements and prioritizing customer feedback for successful change implementation.
[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
About Danielle Braun
Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.
You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Danielle shares potential negative effects of insufficient communication and avoidance of conflict in teams, and how important it is to maintain openness and transparency in daily interactions. We share some tips to help you detect communication gaps through cues like facial expressions and interactions. Danielle offers practical tips for addressing this issue: observing interactions, validating assumptions through questions, changing perspectives, and seeking external observations. Danielle also emphasizes the significance of active questioning and fostering an environment of open dialogue to counteract the negative consequences of communication breakdowns.
In "Night Train to Lisbon" by Pascal Mercier, a teacher grapples with significant life changes and embarks on an unexpected journey. The protagonist's quest to learn Portuguese leads to a book about a revolutionary doctor in Portugal, igniting inspiration for a trip to Lisbon. Initially paralyzed by change, the character evolves, embracing transformation. Danielle highlights the lesson of embracing change despite its difficulty and emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, a valuable tool for Scrum Masters. The story illustrates how openness to change and introspection are essential qualities for navigating challenges.
[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!
About Danielle Braun
Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.
You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Danielle discusses her initial experience with applying Scrum to a non-tech project. The project aimed to reorganize company seating, involving a change process to address employee concerns. Initially met with resistance, employees feared task loss. Efforts to engage and define needs through workshops proved challenging, and the team underestimated employee buy-in effort. They adapted their change strategy, incorporating World Cafe for needs collection. Over time, improved presentation of solutions led to changed perspectives. By integrating feedback and sharing plans each sprint, trust was built. Danielle emphasizes the versatility of Scrum beyond tech, highlighting the iterative approach for complex, uncertain projects.
[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.
About Danielle Braun
Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.
You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn
In this podcast episode, Peter introduces the concept of "Opportunity-based Agile Coaching." He clarifies that it is not a new method but rather a deliberate approach to leveraging existing momentum in Agile software development. The goal is to understand and harness what is already happening or about to happen, using both the company's energy and the coach's energy efficiently. A key tip is to identify what people are paying attention to, what they care about, and where the energy lies. By doing so, you can effectively facilitate the desired changes in a different and more effective way.
This approach distinguishes itself from other coaching methods in two ways. Firstly, it contrasts with a planned transition approach where a desired state is predetermined, which contradicts the Agile nature. Secondly, it differs from the problem-based approach, where coaching focuses on specific stakeholder issues. However, this approach identifies missed opportunities and encourages fostering requests. It involves aligning personal ideas of agility with company strategy and culture, using these as an umbrella for coaching. It suggests searching for coaching openings through conversations, leveraging cultural insights and challenges, which is a unique selling proposition (USP) for internal Agile coaches.
During an engagement with autonomous teams working on a shared product, Peter encountered gaps in collaboration due to a prevailing aversion to alignment within the organization. Acknowledging the importance of alignment, Peter initially waited for an opportune moment. Eventually, a strategic shift within the organization created a need for alignment and inter-team collaboration, serving as the catalyst. Emphasizing the goal over "change," Peter partnered with stakeholders, positioning the alignment as a step toward the goal rather than a disruptive change. In a workshop, teams shared their focus in relation to a shared leadership-communicated goal, leading to insights and a surge of energy. This emergent process of opportunity-based agile coaching highlighted that aligning with the goal, not just altering processes, drives positive transformation. The experience showcased the power of harnessing existing momentum, underscoring the value of recognizing and utilizing opportunities within the Agile coaching process. This approach not only facilitated change but also nurtured an environment where coaching opportunities naturally arose, validating the effectiveness of opportunity-based agile coaching.
Agile Coaches navigating opportunity-based coaching face several challenges. Humility is key, acknowledging that one doesn't possess all answers. Embracing the Probe-sense-respond approach, coaches learn, observe, experiment, and adapt without a predefined plan. Observational skills are vital, allowing judgment-free insights to form a holistic understanding. Building hypotheses through observations is essential. Maintaining team interaction, earning trust, and accessing stakeholders at various stages are critical. Productive sponsor conversations are advised, while curiosity and continual learning must be cultivated. Overcoming these challenges empowers Agile Coaches to effectively employ opportunity-based coaching for meaningful change and enhanced collaboration.
Opportunity-based Agile Coaching contributes significantly to the growth of Agile Coaches. By unveiling the organizational dynamics and facilitating effective change, coaches overcome frustration and gain renewed energy. It offers practical insight into making Agile practices work, nurturing confidence and motivation. The approach's rapid pace demands a well-prepared toolbox and a focus on experimentation, fostering an empirical approach. Notably, the principle of moving on when energy is lacking ensures coaches remain adaptable and attuned to opportunities, cultivating continuous development and an enriched coaching skill set.
To delve deeper into the concept of opportunity-based Agile coaching, I recommend the book "Art of Action" by Bungay, which delves into the notion of "directed opportunism." This resource helps framing managerial intentions to guide execution while allowing room for seizing opportunities. Additionally, Peter's blog post on "opportunity-based agile coaching" offers further insights into this approach, detailing how to transition from recognizing existing momentum to deliberately fostering it for effective Agile coaching.
About Peter Rubarth
Peter's fascination with agile began when Scrum helped to transform a seemingly impossible mission into triumph. This motivated his passion for guiding teams towards outcome-focused agility. Embracing these principles in his agile coaching, Peter champions the cause of elevating agile coaching as a profession.
You can link with Peter Rubarth on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this segment, Sónia discusses the characteristics of a great Product Owner (PO) who had a programming background, which proved advantageous. The PO had a strong connection with the team and displayed empathy for their work. Focusing on the Vision space, the PO inspired the team by communicating the desired outcome and trusting them to find the solutions. Encouraging them to think creatively and go beyond the obvious, the PO also had a keen sense of what the team needed. Striking a balance, the PO pushed the team while providing them with sufficient time to accomplish their tasks. Overall, the PO's ability to inspire, communicate, and understand the team's needs contributed to their effectiveness in the role.
In this segment, the discussion revolves around a bad Product Owner pattern known as "The Helicopter PO." The PO is frequently absent, only occasionally attending planning sessions and providing a barrage of sprint goals. The lack of consistent presence and participation in retrospectives led to a lack of vision, making it difficult for the team to focus and make decisions. The team functioned more as a "simple provider" for the PO, resulting in frequent failures, excessive work in progress, and numerous unfinished tasks. The episode highlights the critical role of communication and the importance of the PO being present and engaged with the team for successful outcomes.
[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.
About Sónia Won
Sónia is an experienced professional with 17 years in Software Engineering. She has held roles as a Software Engineer, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach for a decade. Currently, as a Product Owner, she values teamwork and recognizes the significance of prioritizing people in any endeavor.
The big lesson she's learned so far: no matter how complex a subject can be, the most important thing is to take care of people. Because teams, companies, and communities are made of those!
You can link with Sónia Won on LinkedIn and connect with Sónia Won on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Sónia discusses success as a Scrum Master, emphasizing the goal of becoming unnecessary for the team. Similar to parenting, the Scrum Master's role evolves over the team's life cycle. Initially, the Scrum Master guides the team, but over time, the stance changes to that of a mentor and coach. Sónia looks for signs of team autonomy, such as not depending on the Scrum Master for daily activities or resolving impediments. Adapting to the team's growth is crucial for the Scrum Master's effectiveness. The ultimate measure of success is when the team can function independently and no longer relies heavily on the Scrum Master's interventions.
Sónia's favorite retrospective format is the 4 L's: Learned, Lacked, Liked, and Longed for. This format helps teams consider four important aspects often overlooked in retrospectives, especially the "learned" part. It encourages a more nuanced understanding of positive outcomes and avoids binary thinking. By reflecting on what they learned, lacked, liked, and longed for, the team gains valuable insights and can set mid-term development goals for continuous improvement.
[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!
About Sónia Won
Sónia is an experienced professional with 17 years in Software Engineering. She has held roles as a Software Engineer, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach for a decade. Currently, as a Product Owner, she values teamwork and recognizes the significance of prioritizing people in any endeavor.
The big lesson she's learned so far: no matter how complex a subject can be, the most important thing is to take care of people. Because teams, companies, and communities are made of those!
You can link with Sónia Won on LinkedIn and connect with Sónia Won on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Sónia, as a Scrum Master, discusses her experience with a company undergoing an IT transformation to become more product-focused. The goal was to establish feature teams and product teams with a business Product Owner. Challenges arose due to the transition from a waterfall approach with long projects to Agile methodologies. Sónia's team had external developers from consulting companies, making the adaptation even more complex. To facilitate the change, an Agile competence center was created. A process was implemented to set up new teams according to the new Agile development model, emphasizing the importance of a Product Vision workshop for success.
If you want to know how you can help your PO facilitate a Product Vision workshop, get this FREE Create a Compelling Product Vision workshop we created for you.
[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
About Sónia Won
Sónia is an experienced professional with 17 years in Software Engineering. She has held roles as a Software Engineer, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach for a decade. Currently, as a Product Owner, she values teamwork and recognizes the significance of prioritizing people in any endeavor.
The big lesson she's learned so far: no matter how complex a subject can be, the most important thing is to take care of people. Because teams, companies, and communities are made of those!
You can link with Sónia Won on LinkedIn and connect with Sónia Won on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Sónia shares her experience with a small feature team consisting of 3-4 members responsible for delivering 3 products, each with separate calendars. The team constantly faced pressure, and the knowledge of the products was concentrated in just 2 team members. This knowledge imbalance led to overwork and complaints from those 2 members. In retrospectives, the team decided to address the issue and brainstormed solutions. They chose not to assign any work to the 2 overloaded members, leading to the knowledge spreading across the team over a few sprints. Sónia highlights the importance of discussing such challenges in retrospectives and emphasizes that team-driven solutions are key to addressing knowledge transfer issues during team growth.
In this segment, Sónia discusses her favorite book, "Transforming Nokia" by Siilasmaa. The book explores how to handle tragedy scenarios while maintaining inspiration and optimism. It shares radical stories of optimism and serves as a valuable lesson for large companies, emphasizing that the market dictates the direction. The book's concepts are linked to VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity). Sónia highlights that Scrum's essential aspect is the ability to swiftly adapt to new requirements, making it a crucial tool for coping with changing circumstances in the business world.
[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!
About Sónia Won
Sónia is an experienced professional with 17 years in Software Engineering. She has held roles as a Software Engineer, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach for a decade. Currently, as a Product Owner, she values teamwork and recognizes the significance of prioritizing people in any endeavor.
The big lesson she's learned so far: no matter how complex a subject can be, the most important thing is to take care of people. Because teams, companies, and communities are made of those!
You can link with Sónia Won on LinkedIn and connect with Sónia Won on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Sónia discusses a mistake she made while working on a large-scale agile project. The team struggled with a lack of focus due to working on numerous topics, and being a feature team serving multiple products. The Product Owner (PO) was not engaged with the team, leading to difficulty in setting sprint goals and prioritizing tasks. The team found it challenging to decide what to tackle first as everything seemed equally important. Sónia suggests dividing the team into two for improved focus and recommends having the PO actively collaborate with the team. A complete Scrum team requires all accountabilities in place to function effectively.
[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.
About Sónia Won
Sónia is an experienced professional with 17 years in Software Engineering. She has held roles as a Software Engineer, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach for a decade. Currently, as a Product Owner, she values teamwork and recognizes the significance of prioritizing people in any endeavor.
The big lesson she's learned so far: no matter how complex a subject can be, the most important thing is to take care of people. Because teams, companies, and communities are made of those!
You can link with Sónia Won on LinkedIn and connect with Sónia Won on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Rohit shares his experience working with a highly enthusiastic Product Owner (PO) who joined from the business side. This PO actively sought knowledge by attending training sessions and conferences, generously sharing their learnings with Rohit. They introduced the concept of NoEstimates and encouraged experimentation. Despite initially being unfamiliar with NoEstimates, Rohit appreciated the PO's drive for innovation. He emphasizes that Product Owners like this create a safe environment for the team to explore, challenge, and improve. The episode highlights the importance of a proactive and knowledgeable PO in fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
In this episode, Rohit recounts his experience with a problematic Product Owner (PO) and how he addressed the situation. Initially, the PO relied heavily on Rohit to build and write the backlog, causing him to become a substitute PO. Realizing the negative impact of this pattern, Rohit initiated a conversation with the PO to clarify his need to prioritize the team's focus. He emphasizes the importance of setting clear boundaries and saying "no" to taking on others' responsibilities. The episode underscores the significance of establishing accountability and ensuring a healthy balance between the Scrum Master and Product Owner roles.
[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.
About Rohit Ratan Mani
Rohit is an Enterprise Agile Coach, helping Leaders, individuals and teams to develop a growth mindset to be top achievers in their respective work area and in personal life.
You can link with Rohit Ratan Mani on LinkedIn and connect with Rohit Ratan Mani on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Rohit distinguishes between short-term and long-term success. In the short term, he shares his experience with a team new to DevOps, encouraging them to take initiative and experiment by asking, "Who's stopping you?" Rohit emphasizes the importance of building a safe space for the team to explore and learn. In the long term, he measures success by the team's ability to refer to the knowledge and conversations shared, becoming self-sufficient and capable of driving their own growth. Trust, empowerment, and fostering self-organization are vital for achieving success as a Scrum Master.
Drawing inspiration from the book "Improv-ing Agile Teams" by Paul Goddard, Rohit incorporates metaphors and improv games into retrospectives to encourage creative thinking and engagement. One format he enjoys is Collaborative Drawing, where the team collectively creates a drawing representing their reflections on their work. This leads to a fun and deep conversation about their sprint experiences. Rohit suggests having the team title the drawing and recommends using word games or drawing games to trigger creative thinking before the retrospective. The key takeaway is the importance of incorporating interactive and creative elements to make retrospectives more engaging and insightful.
[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!
About Rohit Ratan Mani
Rohit is an Enterprise Agile Coach, helping Leaders, individuals and teams to develop a growth mindset to be top achievers in their respective work area and in personal life.
You can link with Rohit Ratan Mani on LinkedIn and connect with Rohit Ratan Mani on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Working with a team of mixed experience levels, he shares the struggle of balancing high delivery expectations with the need for learning. By encouraging the team to learn from each other, organizing a "talk show" for knowledge sharing, and leading by example, Rohit initiated a positive change. While Rohit’s suggestion was initially met with hesitance, the team gradually embraced the learning culture, triggering a cascade of actions such as hackathons. This story emphasizes the importance of being a partner in change, fostering a safe environment, and actively participating in the transformation process.
[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
About Rohit Ratan Mani
Rohit is an Enterprise Agile Coach, helping Leaders, individuals and teams to develop a growth mindset to be top achievers in their respective work area and in personal life.
You can link with Rohit Ratan Mani on LinkedIn and connect with Rohit Ratan Mani on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Rohit discusses his experience as a Scrum Master working with a back-end team suffering from high attrition rates. He realizes that the team members feel undervalued and that the monotonous work is affecting their motivation. To address this, he arranged a workshop with the team and leaders, where the team gained new insights into their importance to the organization. The workshop helped the team see the bigger picture and meaning behind their work, revitalizing their motivation. The key takeaway is the significance of creating opportunities for teams to understand their value and fostering open communication to prevent attrition.
Rohit discusses "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Lencioni, which provides valuable insights into team dynamics. The book helped him understand the hidden dynamics within teams and enabled him to observe and analyze their functioning. It particularly highlighted the significance of trust and conflict in team success. Rohit emphasizes the need for adaptability when working with different teams, as each team is unique and requires a tailored approach. Overall, the book enhanced his understanding of how teams work together and his role within them, emphasizing the importance of trust and conflict resolution.
[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!
About Rohit Ratan Mani
Rohit is an Enterprise Agile Coach, helping Leaders, individuals and teams to develop a growth mindset to be top achievers in their respective work area and in personal life.
You can link with Rohit Ratan Mani on LinkedIn and connect with Rohit Ratan Mani on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Rohit shares his journey from a project management mindset and a need for control to a Scrum Master mindset. As he learned more about being a Scrum Master, he realized he was a bottleneck for the team's progress. Going on leave highlighted the team's dependence on him, and he felt frustrated. This experience led him to embrace the art of letting go and find new ways for the team to work independently. He emphasizes the importance of doing things differently to foster a mindset change. We discuss the conflict between control and empowerment, with the key takeaway being the significance of awareness and a willingness to change.
[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.
About Rohit Ratan Mani
Rohit is an Enterprise Agile Coach, helping Leaders, individuals and teams to develop a growth mindset to be top achievers in their respective work area and in personal life.
You can link with Rohit Ratan Mani on LinkedIn and connect with Rohit Ratan Mani on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this segment, Andrew emphasizes the importance of moving POs out of engineering and into the business to better understand business needs. Inspired by Marty Cagan's book “Inspired”, this great PO excelled in writing effective stories and facilitated closer collaboration between developers and customers. They viewed the engineers' involvement with customers as a helpful aid rather than a threat. This shift toward self-management empowered the team and enabled faster delivery of products. A great PO plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration, understanding business requirements, and driving successful outcomes.
In this segment, Andrew discusses the challenges that arise from having a bad Product Owner (PO). These POs excel in discovery but struggle to communicate effectively with the team, leading to frustration and a lack of trust. Andrew suggests coaching the POs in writing clear stories and focusing on value and prioritization. Interrupting the team's work is another issue to avoid. He emphasizes the importance of well-defined acceptance criteria in stories. Andrew also notes that problems with bad POs often stem from organizational issues rather than individual skills. Bringing the team closer to the discovery work can help address these challenges effectively.
[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.
About Andrew Mitchell
Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals.
He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated.
You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Andrew shares that success is achieved when the Scrum Master can gradually step back and allow the team to navigate Agile events independently. This includes team members reminding each other of Agile values, active participation without the Scrum Master's constant input, and the ability to carry out refinement meetings and handle customer interactions without heavy reliance on the Scrum Master. Avoiding unhealthy conflicts and not making decisions on behalf of the team are key aspects. Conducting team happiness surveys is recommended to gauge team dynamics. Overall, a successful Scrum Master empowers the team and fosters autonomous decision-making.
In this segment, Andrew discusses his favorite retrospective format, which is always “the one that works best for the team” at that time. He shares that a colleague started surveying the team by asking a few questions. The survey is conducted two days before the end of the sprint, allowing team members to think about their answers in advance. This approach generates great conversations during the retrospective and helps facilitate meaningful discussions. Andrew emphasizes that this format leads to valuable exchanges and contributes to the overall effectiveness of the retrospective.
[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!
About Andrew Mitchell
Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals.
He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated.
You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Andrew discusses his change process of transitioning from traditional story point refinement to flow-based metrics and #NoEstimates. He faced resistance at the team and organizational levels. Andrew conducted an experiment using two years' worth of data, showing that story points were not superior to throughput. He presented the results to leadership and the teams, emphasizing the importance of holistic metrics and their impact on predictability and team dynamics. Andrew introduced t-shirt sizing for simpler estimation conversations and highlighted that counting stories was more predictive than relying solely on story points. The episode emphasizes lessons in change management, including metric selection and fostering collaboration and predictability.
[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
About Andrew Mitchell
Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals.
He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated.
You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Andrew discusses a team that struggled with excessive time spent on refining stories and engaging in arguments during daily scrums. The organization was in the early stages of its agile transformation, and the team had difficulty transitioning from detailed requirements. Engineers felt judged by bugs, leading to a fear of making mistakes. To address these issues, Andrew introduced the concept of shared accountability, shifted the team's focus to problem-solving, and encouraged smaller work slices. He also emphasized the importance of prioritizing helping people over solely delivering software. These changes aimed to foster collaboration and a supportive team environment.
In this episode, we refer to the book NoEstimates, and the method it describes that served as inspiration for Andrew’s work.
In this segment, Andrew recommends the book "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek as required reading for Scrum Masters. The principle of the book originates from the US Marines, where leaders eat their meals after the soldiers. Andrew highlights the key tip of "They would do it for me," emphasizing the importance of leaders who prioritize the well-being and needs of their team members. He describes the book as wonderful, implying that it offers valuable insights and lessons for Scrum Masters.
[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!
About Andrew Mitchell
Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals.
He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated.
You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Andrew shares his experience as a new Scrum Master and the mistake he made by trying to replicate a command and control leadership style. The team was demotivated and lacked trust, and Andrew initially felt the need to have all the answers despite his limited experience. However, he learned the importance of admitting mistakes and building trust with the team. He also discusses the transition from project manager to Scrum Master, emphasizing the need to let go of control and embrace shared leadership. Lastly, he advises embracing silence to foster deeper thinking and collaboration.
[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.
About Andrew Mitchell
Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals.
He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated.
You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this segment, Chuck discusses the qualities of a great scrum master who maximizes time and talent within the team. He shares an example of a scrum master who displayed exceptional empathy and understanding of team dynamics, even in remote meetings. This scrum master skillfully selected retrospective formats that facilitated discussions on crucial topics. Additionally, the scrum master played a valuable role in helping Chuck understand his own responsibilities as a development manager. Chuck provides tips on the importance of addressing resistance to change and the scrum master's responsibility in communicating with stakeholders. Overall, a great scrum master possesses empathy, effective communication skills, and the ability to facilitate meaningful discussions within the team.
In this segment, Chuck addresses the issue of scrum masters becoming overly rigid in their adherence to the process, which can lead to conflict within the team. He highlights that successful agile practitioners understand the need to adapt Scrum to fit their specific context. Chuck shares an example of a novice scrum master who insisted on a particular story pointing process, causing frustration among senior developers. He advises providing feedback to the scrum master and encourages self-reflection on whether one is imposing processes on the team. In this segment, we mention the book "NoEstimates" as a resource for further exploration of this topic. The segment emphasizes the importance of flexibility and considering individual team dynamics in Scrum implementation.
[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.
About Charles “Chuck” Durfee
Chuck Durfee is an Engineering Manager in the Denver area. He leads teams to deliver quality software on-time and within budget. With expertise as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, he uses relationships, teamwork, and a pragmatic approach to solve complex business problems. In this episode, we explore his perspective as an engineering leader, and learn what makes a great Scrum Master from the perspective of the leaders they work with.
You can link with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on LinkedIn and connect with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on Twitter.
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Chuck discusses the qualities that make a successful development manager. While scrum masters are measured on different metrics, dev managers are primarily evaluated based on results and retention. They are responsible for delivering projects on time and within budget, and it is their role to establish effective mechanisms and processes. They also need to consider the people aspect, striking a balance between team demands and the challenges of finding and retaining talented individuals. Chuck advises scrum masters to understand the factors of time and talent and find the right timing to discuss matters with dev managers. The episode highlights the importance of achieving results while managing people effectively in the role of a dev manager.
In this episode, Chuck shares his favorite Agile retrospective format that he used with a team after completing a project using Kanban. He introduced the activity of designing a movie poster (explained here) that would encapsulate the story of bringing the feature to life. The team had a lot of fun with this exercise, and it fostered creativity and honesty.
Chuck explains that the activity of storytelling enabled the team to express themselves in a more imaginative and authentic way. The ultimate goal of this retrospective format was to encourage creativity and facilitate open and honest discussions within the team.
[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!
About Charles “Chuck” Durfee
Chuck Durfee is an Engineering Manager in the Denver area. He leads teams to deliver quality software on-time and within budget. With expertise as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, he uses relationships, teamwork, and a pragmatic approach to solve complex business problems. In this episode, we explore his perspective as an engineering leader, and learn what makes a great Scrum Master from the perspective of the leaders they work with.
You can link with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on LinkedIn and connect with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on Twitter.