TL; DR: Scrum Master Interview Questions on Creating Value with Scrum If you are looking to fill a position for a Scrum Master (or agile coach) in your organization, you may find the following 12th set of the Scrum Master interview questions useful to identify the right candidate. They are derived from my eighteen years of practical experience with XP as well as Scrum, serving both as Product Owner and Scrum Master as well as interviewing dozens of Scrum Master candidates on behalf of my clients. So far, this Scrum Master interview guide has been downloaded more than 27,000 times. ? May 30, 2 ..read more

TL; DR: Agile in the AI Age — Food for Agile Thought #438 Welcome to the 438th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,401 peers. This week, Henrik Kniberg challenges traditional Agile team sizes, advocating for smaller, AI-enhanced teams in his article on Agile in the AI age. Our Lemon champions a retro, bureaucratic approach to “Agile reporting,” and Murray Robinson and Shane Gibson discuss enhancing organizational agility with Evan Leybourn. Also, Michael Küsters argues for Agile as a dynamic, evolvable practice rather than a rigid dogma, while Petra Wille emphasize ..read more

TL; DR: The Product Operating Model — An Interview with Marty Cagan Let’s explore Marty Cagan’s insights on revolutionizing product management, embracing empowered teams, and fostering innovation by employing the Product Operation Model described in his latest book “Transformed.” We will uncover how to effectively navigate the transformational path to a product-centric approach and how Marty sees Scrum in this context. (Move directly to the Scrum-related part of the interview.) ? May 30, 2024: Learn to Master Your Most Important Artifact w/ the Advanced Product Backlog Management Course for J ..read more

TL; DR: Dunbar’s Number — Food for Agile Thought #437 Welcome to the 437th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,378 peers. This week, Patrick O’Shaughnessy interviews Robin Dunbar on Dunbar’s Number, revealing insights into human connections and their relevance in organizational structures. Jim Doran links Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle with Agile, highlighting the balance between focus and speed, alongside the importance of collaboration between Product Managers and Technical Leads. Eric Barker offers strategies to enhance team performance, including keeping te ..read more

TL; DR: Tackling Fake Agility with Johanna Rothman Your team is supposed to use an agile approach, such as Scrum. But you have a years-long backlog, your standups are individual status reports, and you’re still multitasking. You and your team members wish you had the chance to do great work, but this feels a lot like an “agile” death march. There’s a reason you feel that way. You’re using fake agility—a waterfall lifecycle masquerading as an agile approach. Worse, fake agility is the norm in our industry. Now, there is light at the end of the tunnel; let’s delve into Tackling Fake Agility with ..read more

TL; DR: State of Agile 2024 — Food for Agile Thought #436 Welcome to the 436th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,352 peers. This week, we dive into pivotal insights on Agile’s current landscape and organizational impacts. The State of Agile 2024 Report, as discussed by Joyce Tompsett and Shane Hastie, uncovers the evolving challenges and adaptations within Agile practices, highlighting a trend towards hybrid methodologies and the crucial alignment of Agile with business outcomes. Murray Robinson and Shane Gibson’s conversation with Ron Westrum sheds light on orga ..read more

TL; DR: How Scrum Teams Fail Stakeholders In this article, we uncover typical ways in which Scrum teams fail stakeholders, from overpromising results to poor risk communication to neglecting feedback. Moreover, we will also explore actionable strategies to overcome these anti-patterns by building trust, aligning priorities, and enhancing collaboration for successful product development. ?? Zur deutschsprachigen Version des Artikels: Wie Scrum-Teams Stakeholder verlieren und was Sie dagegen tun können. ? May 30, 2024: Learn to Master Your Most Important Artifact w/ the Advanced Product Backlog ..read more

TL; DR: Overcoming the Feature Factory — Food for Agile Thought #435 Welcome to the 435th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,329 peers. This week, John Cutler presents strategies for product managers or overcoming the feature factory by refining skills through customer interaction and collaboration. Elizabeth Ayer discusses the dangers of software overproduction and strategies for value maintenance, and Vadim Kravcenko examines software project failures, emphasizing the need for accountability and collaboration. Also, Maarten Dalmijn compares evolution’s adaptatio ..read more

Transform Your Skills and Career with the Advanced Product Backlog Management Course Are you facing challenges in aligning vision, stakeholders, and your team and delivering real value? Then, prepare to transform your career with my comprehensive, self-paced online class: The Advanced Product Backlog Management Course. Dive deep into professional Product Backlog management techniques supported by videos, exercises, and an engaging online community of like-minded peers supporting each other: ? Transform Your Skills, Transform Your Career — all for an Introductory Price of $149! ? May 30, 2024 ..read more

TL; DR: Continuous Improvement for Teams Cultivating a culture of continuous improvement within Scrum teams or Agile teams is pivotal for personal well-being, enhancing effectiveness, building trust with stakeholders, and delivering products that genuinely enhance customers’ lives. This post dives into the top ten actionable strategies derived from the Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide book, providing a roadmap for teams eager to embrace Kaizen practices. From embracing Scrum values and fostering psychological safety to prioritizing customer feedback and continuous learning, these strategies offer a c ..read more