Resources

Software For Standup Meetings

Agile, Resources, Scrum /

Remember when we all didn’t use Slack all the time? There’s a pretty cool app for Slack called SUP. In a nutshell, it allows you to collect a lot of data from team members which they can answer throughout the day….meaning you don’t have to take time during the meeting to get arbitrary stuff like mood, etc. That way you keep the main thing the main thing during the actual standup. SUP can be found over at https://sup.today/

The things that make a standup great today are the things that made one great 10 years ago, only now we may be using different tools to reach the same objectives. We didn’t live in the age of remote work and distributed teams a decade ago, so the tools we use have had to evolve. Still, a good meeting is a thing of beauty. Here’s a rundown of what it takes to keep things running smoothly.

How to run effective daily standup meetings in 2022?
A complete guide on what makes daily standup meetings effective in 2022. Tips and sample questions for conducting daily standup meetings effectively.

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What’s the Best Scrum Software?

Industry News, Resources, Scrum /

With so much to keep track of, what’s the best software out there to use to help Scrum Masters and teams get their work done? As you may expect, there are a ton of options on the marketplace, and the best solution for a SAFe team may not be the best solution for a 10-man small shop. This article lists the pros and cons of some of the best solutions currently out there. While a lot of these solutions have paid options, a surprising number of them offer unlimited free tiers as well.

10 Best Scrum Software Tools & Scrum Boards Of 2022
In this article, I outline the best Scrum software and Scrum boards and explain what each tool does best and what types of use cases it’s good for.

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Scrum et al.

Resources, Scrum /

Way back in 2006, Ken Schwaber (one of the creators of Scrum) gave a great talk at Google that describes how Scrum fits in with everything around it, and what sets it apart from the other methodologies being used out there.  It’s filled with insight and depth about this field.  It’s an hour long, so grab some popcorn and a drink, and check out the zen of Scrum.

Scrum et al.
Google Tech TalksSeptember 5, 2006Ken Schwaber co-developed the Agile process, Scrum. He is a founder of the Agile Alliance and Scrum Alliance, and signatory…

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Why YOU Should Be a Scrum Master

Industry News, Resources, Scrum /

Being a Scrum Master is a calling for some, but what skills does it really take to get into the field?  This article explores some of what both recruiters are looking for and what current Scrum Masters are offering.

Agile Coach Scrum Master Must-Have Skills List & Keywords for Your Resume – Ziprecruiter
Recommended Agile Coach Scrum Master Resume Keywords & Skills based on most important Skills Found on Successful Agile Coach Scrum Master resumes and top skills required by employers.

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The Lean of Scrum

Resources, Scrum /

David Starr has written an excellent article discussing how to make the art of Scrum even leaner and meaner.  Translation = more efficient.  There are some great tips here to help improve the Scrum process by improving lean thinking.  Worth a read!

The Lean of Scrum
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How to Introduce Scrum Into a Waterfall Culture

Resources, Scrum /

What does one do if they find themselves in a Waterfall-based culture that’s failing? Introduce Scrum, right? Well, yes…but sometimes it’s not that easy if upper management isn’t on board with the solution. How could we gradually introduce Scrum bit by bit, in a way that management won’t be upset by, and that will bring about effective change? The article here provides some good tips on ninja-implementing Scrum into a company’s process.

Promoting Agile in a Waterfall Culture
It’s all well and good to say that you want to adopt Agile practices. But sometimes, waterfall development processes are an ingrained part of the business culture.

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Scrum From Hell

Resources, Scrum /

One of the best things we can do as Scrum Masters is help the team discover what the various roles are about.  When everyone has a well-rounded idea of what’s what, it will only help everything go smoother. Here’s a game called “Scrum From Hell”, which is a great team-building exercise that’s sure to increase efficiency in the daily standup.

Scrum from Hell – XP123
Practice standup meetings with a dysfunctional one. Continue reading Scrum from Hell→

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Scrum Trends

Industry News, Resources, Scrum /

Scrum, and Agile as a whole, is continuously evolving, iterating, and what was best practice last month may not be in vogue next month.  Here’s an article listing some current trends.  Not all of these trends will apply to every Agile/Scrum-based organization, but it’s worth a glance to see where the industry is headed.

Top 11 agile trends in 2022 & beyond
Fasten your seat belts for the top 11 agile trends that will be more prevalent for businesses in 2022.

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The Agile Manifesto

Resources, Scrum /

The guiding principles of Scrum/Agile.  As a Scrum Master, focusing on these principles is a meaningful part of your day-to-day work, and will bear good things for you and your team:

The Agile Manifesto

The Agile Manifesto, with its Twelve Principles of Agile Software, is the underpinning of agile product development. We agree to support the Agile Manifesto in its entirety:

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

We follow these principles:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10. Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done – is essential.

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

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The Scrum Guide 2020 Update

Resources, Scrum /

ScrumGuide

What is the Scrum Guide?  It’s a document put together by the creators of Scrum (Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber) that explains in moderate detail exactly what Scrum is.  The roles of a Scrum team, the actions that take place during the various phases of a sprint, and how to evaluate the team’s effectiveness, are all covered.  It’s recommended reading for new and experienced Scrummers alike.  The latest version (as of this post) is from 2020.  Click the image above for a link.

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