Category Archives: Better Agile

Please try all of Scrum.

Scrum is a bare framework. It is very simple.  Scrum is not trying to be a full methodology. Lots of people are doing Scrum-Butt.  “We do Scrum, but…” Then they say… …we don’t have a product owner. …we change the length of the sprint often …we don’t have a ScrumMaster …we don’t do a _daily_ […]

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Joe’s Agile Release Planning – New Version

While I was writing the book on Agile Release Planning I was posting free versions. The book is now available here: https://leanpub.com/joesagilereleaseplanning   But it is no longer free (except to class participants).  (Although I frequently have deals on LinkedIn or Twitter.) I hope you will leave comments or send me comments or questions.

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Joe’s Agile Release Planning

I have written a new booklet that I want you to have (I think you will find it useful) and also to comment on. It is about Agile Release Planning. [Note: It was a booklet, it is now a book.  See: https://leanpub.com/joesagilereleaseplanning] It proposes that agile release planning consists of these major steps (at least): […]

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Something Unexpected

What do we do when something unexpected happens? “The readiness is all,” said Hamlet. So we must be ready.  Ready to meet that new thing, that innovation, that crazy idea, that new person…more than half-way. Yes, we may be skeptical. Yes, as Polonius says (careful grandmotherly type that he may be)…we must try our friends […]

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The Team and the Implementer Role

There has been, in several places, some good discussion about the roles in Scrum.  And often the discussion turns (explicitly or implicitly) to ‘what is the Team and what does it mean?’ The Team The full team is what is most important.  Product Owner (PO), ScrumMaster (SM), and Implementers.  Together.  About 7 in total. Ideally […]

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Why our CSM (Scrum) course + Workshop is unique.

We believe our CSM (Scrum) course plus Workshop is unique.  And better.  For the following reasons. 1. We focus on results. We want you, your team and your customers to get real results in a big way.  In 3 words, more satisfaction, more money, more fun. 2. Therefore the teaching style is not toward remembering […]

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Release Planning: Product Roadmap

I did a session today at the Atlanta Scrum Gathering about ‘Joe’s Approach to Release Planning.’  Jason Tanner asked “what about the product roadmap?”  And his question made me realize that I have not said enough about that. My quick thoughts. 1. You need a product roadmap. For almost all products, at least almost all […]

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A list summarizing Scrum

The list below is not self-explanatory, but it covers the key ideas one has to know and execute on to do Scrum professionally.  Of course, becoming proficient at doing them at the highest level (at the rugby World Cup level) is a lifetime’s work.  Rugby is a simple game with simple rules, but to reach […]

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Release Planning: Effort (1)

[For those who have not been reading here before, this is a continuation of a series that starts here.] Now we move on to Effort in Release Planning. *** The title of this blog post might be misleading.  Estimating the effort of a full Release per se is not quite what we want to do. […]

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Agile’s broad adoption and mediocrity – what to do

Ken Judy has an excellent, although blunt, blog post here: http://judykat.com/ken-judy/agilescrumlean-broad-adoption-mediocrity-faul/ His main point maybe is that we do not have enough truly professional scrum (or agile) implementations. And why? Because we have implemented too broadly too fast.  Is probably the main reason, in his opinion. Some good insights.  Read them. *** Here are my […]

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