Can Anyone Be a Scrum Master?

Becoming a Scrum Master requires interpersonal skills, adaptability, continuous learning, and a clear focus on goals and team dynamics. It’s about leading and inspiring teams to deliver value. To become a Scrum Master, you must genuinely be interested in guiding teams towards collaborative success. Being a Scrum Master is more than a role. It’s an […]

What Is Self-Management?

Self-management is characterised by autonomy and accountability. It effectively empowers teams to navigate complex challenges by cultivating proactive problem-solving and collaborative decision-making Self-managed teams take ownership of their work, collectively driving towards shared goals and business objectives. This behaviour fosters a culture of trust, where the team feels valued and is more engaged, leading to […]

Who Really Creates the Product Goal?

The Product Owner is accountable for the product goal, collaborating with the team and stakeholders to ensure the goal aligns with the product’s vision and strategic business objectives. At the heart of the Product Goal’s creation is the collaboration between the product owner and the team, sustained by stakeholder insights. This process is about understanding […]

What Does It Mean That a Team Is Cross-Functional?

A cross-functional team has a collective skill set that covers the entire spectrum of product-building abilities and knowledge needed to transform every product backlog item into a done increment. A cross-functional team is a microcosm of diverse skills and talents, collaborating and working outside silos towards a common goal. This structure promotes efficiency and adaptability, […]

Why Should We Care About Product Backlog Refinement?

The Product Backlog refinement ensures that the team’s efforts are coordinated and meaningful, leading them towards a valuable increment. The Product Backlog refinement is essential in understanding work. It’s a continuous process ensuring that the Product Backlog items are broken down into smaller, more precise items. For the Product Backlog to remain relevant, the items […]

Why Being a Scrum Master Is Not About the Process?

Being a Scrum Master is more than framework compliance. The SM influence extends to fostering an empirical mindset, managing complex relationships, and guiding the team through continuous growth. Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps teams and organisations to deliver value while managing complexity. A Scrum Master’s accountability, therefore, goes well beyond just managing processes. […]

Why Should We Invite the Stakeholders to the Sprint Review?

Integrating stakeholders into the Sprint Review bridges gaps between the team and them. It ensures that the team focuses on working on what’s most valuable at present and keeps the product relevant. By collaborating with the stakeholders, the Scrum Team ensures that the product remains relevant and aligned with business objectives and customer-desired outcomes. By […]

What Mistakes Does an Enthusiastic Scrum Master Make?

Enthusiastic Scrum Masters can be over-involved with and micro-manage teams. Instead, they must find what’s best for the team and focus on enablement, allowing self-management to flourish. Scrum Masters often face unique challenges when navigating the complexities of product development collaboration and organisation processes and policies. Their role is vital in steering products and teams’ […]

What Do Successful Teams Know about Complexity?

Successful teams deal with complexity by embracing it as an opportunity for growth. They prioritise based on customer value, inspect & adapt continuously to overcome challenges in product development. Successful teams understand that complexity is part of today’s fast-paced product landscape. They recognise that embracing complexity is critical to delivering valuable products for clients and […]

What Are 7 Things Product Owners Should Stop Doing?

There are good and great product owners. Sometimes, the distance from good to great is the hardest part of the journey. If you want your product owner to be more effective, show them this. Living the product owner accountability in a product organisation takes work. There’s a big difference between truly understanding the product owner’s […]