Videos

001 – “Agile” is one of the more common workplace business terms.  What does it mean, and what if you only had a few minutes to explain agility to someone?

002 – You can easily look up the definition of Scrum in many places.  However…what if you had to explain Scrum to someone, but you only had a few minutes?

003 – Some people use the terms “Scrum” and “Agile” interchangeably.  Are they the same thing? What if you had to explain the difference to someone, but you only had a few minutes?

004 – Although the authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development did not number the associated principles, they are often referenced by number. Here’s an explanation of principles 1, 2, and 7.

005 – Although the authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development did not number the associated principles, they are often referenced by number. Here’s an explanation of principles 3, 8, and 10.

006 – Although the authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development did not number the associated principles, they are often referenced by number. Here’s an explanation of principles 4, 6, and 12.

007 – Although the authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development did not number the associated principles, they are often referenced by number. Here’s an explanation of principles 5, 9, and 11.

008 – Beyond the Agile Manifesto, Scrum adds five more significant values that will have a great impact on your team. Watch this explanation using the writings of Scrum’s co-founder Ken Schwaber.

009 – “The Stacey Diagram,” published in 1996, has been picked up by agilists over the years as a way to explain the significance of complexity. However, did you know that Mr. Stacey regretted publishing this well-known diagram?

010 – We’re used to hearing the comparisons between “waterfall” and “agile” environments. In less than 7 minutes get a better understanding of how what we’re actually comparing are “defined” and “empirical” approaches to product development.

011 – What do the PMI and the Scrum Guide (2017) have to say about the difference between a framework and a process? Find out in 5 minutes, and how it impacts your perception of work.

012 – Many of our leaders expect us to have all the answers about our project work before work even begins! Here are the three pillars of empirical process control that can help.

013 – The “Iron Triangle of Project Management:” an old term that still has real-world implications.  However, the PMI has stopped referring to this expression, considering it deficient. Why?

014 – We’ll focus on the framework’s three core accountabilities: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. All can be summarized in simple, memorable terms.

015 – The framework’s three core artifacts (and associated commitments):  Product Backlog (Product Goal), Sprint Backlog (Sprint Goal), and Increment (Definition of Done).

016 – The framework’s core events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and the Sprint itself.  We also review the ever-important Product Backlog refinement activity.

017 – The lean movement has become a primary influence in the production of goods and even services.  How did that lean movement influence Agile, and subsequently, Scrum?

018 – The Scrum Guide moved from describing Scrum Teams as self-organizing to self-managing.  Why, and what’s the difference?

019 – See if the challenges you’ve experienced while implementing Scrum will somehow connect with one or more of my three stated challenges related to change.

020 – While many might debate what to expect from their Developers, here’s a simple list of minimal expectations that most would agree with.

021 – Here in Part II of Developers, you’ll hear what we believe to be the “rights,” or prerogatives, of our Developers.  Not everyone will agree with these rights!

022 – While many might debate what to expect from their Product Owner, here’s a simple list of minimal expectations that most would agree with.

023 – Here in Part II of Product Owners, you’ll hear what we believe to be the “rights,” or prerogatives, of our Product Owners.  Not everyone will agree with these rights!

024 – While many might debate what to expect from their Scrum Master, here’s a simple list of minimal expectations that most would agree with.

025 – Here in Part II of Scrum Masters, you’ll hear what we believe to be the “rights,” or prerogatives, of our Scrum Masters.  Not everyone will agree with these rights!

026 – What is the Product Backlog, and how do I know when the Product Backlog is ready? Finally, what is this idea of an associated Product Goal commitment?

027 – Here we look at the second artifact of the Scrum Framework, the Sprint Backlog, and the associated Sprint Goal commitment.

028 – What is the Increment, this third chronological artifact of the Scrum Framework, and the associated Definition of Done?

029 – Here’s a set of four questions that can be part of a helpful ongoing thought process for Scrum Masters.

030 – The Scrum Master is referred to as “the true leader who serves.”  What does it mean to be a true leader? And who are they serving?

031 – It’s standard thinking in the agile world that project managers are no longer needed.  Is this a valid assumption?

032 – We know the Product Owner is expected to understand the value of the items in the Product Backlog, but how do they determine value?  Start with these four questions.

033 – How do you know you’re ready to move into the next Sprint?  Here are five basic validations you’ll want to confirm for each and every Sprint.

034 – We’re an agile, self-organizing, self-managing team, so why do we need an agenda? Agendas can be very helpful, even in agile spaces.

035 -Here’s a sample agenda that has been used for hundreds of Sprint Planning sessions, and while you can create your own, we’ve found this is a great starting point.

036 – As we explore the possible agendas for each of the Scrum Events, should we expect an agenda for the Daily Scrum? 

037 -While we would like to keep the Sprint Review less formal, having an agenda can not only be a great help to your team, but also to your stakeholders.

038 – While there are some very simple approaches to conducting a Retrospective, why not ensure you’ve covered the various considerations that lead to a more meaningful event?

039 -Product Backlog Refinement is one of those areas where practical expectations on how to go about refining need to be filled in. We’ve got some ideas

040 – We prefer user acceptance testing as part of our definition of done, but what do you do when the user doesn’t cooperate in completing UAT within the Sprint?

041 – Managing Dependencies, Part I: intra-team dependencies, those dependencies that take place within a team.

042 – Managing Dependencies, Part II: inter-team dependencies, those dependencies that take place across teams working from the same Product Backlog.

043 – Managing Dependencies, Part III: extra-team dependencies, when a team needs assistance from another Scrum Team, another department, or an external vendor

044 – When it comes to agility, many team members complain that their leadership just doesn’t “get it.”  What causes this disconnect, and what can you do to help?

045 – Estimating in an Agile environment is a potentially controversial topic.  Here in part 1 of a 4-part miniseries, we’ll start with estimating in hours and days.

046 – Here in part 2 of our 4-part miniseries on estimating in an agile environment, we’ll look at estimating in relative and abstract terms.

047 – Here in part 3 of our 4-part miniseries on estimating in an agile environment, we’ll look at why the “Golden Ratio” (Fibonacci sequence) is a helpful estimation scale.

048 – Here in part 4 of our 4-part miniseries on estimating in an agile environment, we’ll explain the value of getting team-based estimates for your Product Backlog items.