Agile Answers

=== Before the show: Join me for our LIVE Open Space event on January 27th, 2022! === There are few people in the agile world that have had a bigger impact on our work than Lyssa. In this episode, we’ll talk about her upcoming session at the Agile Virtual Summit entitled Running Around Like Crazy? Use...

Every once in a while I stumble upon a facilitation tool that works so well I’m a little shocked. Recently I was helping several teams work together to create a backlog for their large project and I had a sneaking suspicion that the teams they had formed were not truly cross-functional. The trouble was, as...

Whether you build video games for a living, or just like playing them for fun today’s episode will help you improve your Scrum implementation. I’m always looking for practical tips on how teams can improve their work together and my friend Clinton Keith (who wrote Agile Game Development with Scrum) just came out with a new book...

Ed works for a government integrator and is finding it very difficult to deliver thin vertical slices of functionality every sprint. The difficulty is that, by law, his company cannot have access to the full system they’re working on. I’ve enlisted the help of my friend Patrick McConnell, who’s an Agilist with tons of government experience...

In my courses and coaching, I’m often asked how a Scrum team should be formed. Since the Scrum Guide gives no guidance on this, organizations usually decide to have managers form these new teams. Sadly, this approach doesn’t work well in the long run for a myriad of reasons. Thankfully, there’s a better way. On today’s show,...

The podcast is BACK! Today’s question comes from Stig, who is wondering how to help his team give honest and constructive feedback to their Scrum Master during retrospectives. We’ll talk about an approach you can use to help your team to break through the power imbalance that might be keeping them from sharing useful information with your Scrum...

I’ve gotten the same question from several different people over the last several weeks”What happened to the podcast?” and “Is it ever coming back?”. > Yes it’s coming back. Soon Listen to this quick update to find out what the heck happened to it. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take...

Today’s question come from an anonymous source. “Stifled Scrummer” says that their boss is on their team, which makes self-organization difficult. Stifled is wondering what tips I have for helping them deal with this organizational impediment. Mentioned in this episode:  Free chapter of Agile Antipatterns  Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate...

We’ll take a look at why teams often use user stories to capture agile requirements and how the format often gets misused. If a user story isn’t a detailed requirement, then what is it? Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate it in iTunes. Do you have a question for the...

We’ll take a look at why teams often use user stories to capture agile requirements and how the format often gets misused. If a user story isn’t a detailed requirement, then what is it? Mentioned in this episode:  User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate...

Andrew’s organization is small. Since the company is small, they’ve decided that the Product Owner and Scrum Master need to be the same person. We’ll discuss the possible pitfalls of mixing these two roles and what can be done instead. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate it in iTunes. Do...

I’ve been meditating daily for around 3 years, which has hugely improved my skill as an agile coach due to the focus it helps promote. In this episode my friend Hala asks for tips on how to get started. Since I think every agile coach and scrum master can benefit from setting aside a few minutes...

Susan wants to get a new job as a Scrum Master. The problem? She’s never been a Scrum Master before and it seems that employers are only hiring people with experience. She has become a Certified Scrum Master, but that alone isn’t doing the trick. In this episode, we’ll explore how she can improve her...

Alex’s team wants to be more agile, and he’s wondering what process they should try first. With so many approaches out there, how does one pick the right one? Even though I’m a Certified Scrum Trainer, my answer might surprise you. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate it in iTunes....

Dae-Ho’s organization has multiple Scrum teams, and one giant all-day Sprint Review. People come and go throughout the day, and stakeholders are not always present. He wonders if there’s a better way to do things. Even if your company only has one Scrum team, the tips in this episode will likely help improve your Sprint...

Anthony is looking for ways to make the Scrum meetings more engaging and useful. In this episode I’ll talk about how to get your team engaged in Retrospectives by making them FUN! If your team feels stuck, tools in this episode will help you break out of old patterns. If you’re already enjoying your retrospectives, this episode will...

Jamie has two questions: the first is about the Daily Scrum, the second is about how to account for work a team needs to do that doesn’t directly affect the product they’re building. I’ll answer both questions this episode, and let you know how you can help shape the podcast moving forward. Help improve the...

Duncan’s team has switched from waterfall to an iterative approach. Their iterations are 2 weeks in length, but it seems the team is just doing mini-waterfalls in the two-week timebox. I’ll share the 3 simple steps teams can take to extract themselves from this common agile antipattern. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate...

Switching from waterfall to an agile approach can be difficult. Managers, PMs, and others often cling to their old command-and-control ways in order to feel comfortable and, well, “in control”. Raj asks how he can help his organization move forward and improve their agile implementation despite this. Dave Prior, CST, PMP, and AAGG (All Around...