One of the hallmarks of being agile versus merely doing agile is that scrum team members contribute in whatever way is needed for the team to meet the sprint goal. Old habits of dividing roles into teams can be a barrier to realizing the benefits of agility. Before agile, many organizations had “development teams”, “QA … Continue reading Talking about the Team
Leadership
Retrospectives – Back to Basics
For a new Scrum Master, the mechanics of getting started with retrospectives are deceptively easy. Somebody tells them to write three columns on the whiteboard (What Went Well, What Did Not, Ideas) and to facilitate the discussion. The Scrum Master makes sure that management is not invited to the meeting. He/she Identifies the team members … Continue reading Retrospectives – Back to Basics
Evolving Team Structures Through the Product Development Lifecycle
One of the most fascinating management challenges is determining the best structure for Scrum teams based on the stage of the project. This does not mean the major waterfall phases like Analysis, Design, Construction, etc. When developing software for use by customers (especially niche SAAS products) and there is some level of customization or specific … Continue reading Evolving Team Structures Through the Product Development Lifecycle
The ScrumMaster as Servant Leader
eadership in a modern organization is a paradox whereby leaders provide a vision of what the organization should strive to achieve but then serve those in the organization in order to realize that vision. This is embodied in the management philosophy of servant leadership. As defined by the Alliance for Servant Leadership, the principles of … Continue reading The ScrumMaster as Servant Leader
Agile Reflections 