Thinking about becoming a Certified Scrum Master? A deep dive into what it really takes to be a great Scrum Master. Discover why character, experience, and broad knowledge are more important than just a certificate, and why the role is more senior than you might think.
Posts for: #Reddit
Daily status meeting
Is your Daily Scrum just a series of status updates? A look at a common misunderstanding of this key Scrum event. Discover why the Daily Scrum is a planning meeting for developers, not a status report, and what it means for team collaboration.
Sprint partitioning
Should you partition your sprint into fixed percentages for features, bugs, and tech debt? An alternative approach to balancing new development with maintenance. Discover why integrating refactoring into your user stories might be a more effective way to improve code quality.
Does every team really need QA testers?
Does every agile team need a QA tester? A nuanced look at the role of QA in software development. Discover why testing skills are essential, even if you don’t have a dedicated tester, and how to build quality into your process from the start.
What do you, as developers, expect from a good Scrum Master?
What makes a good Scrum Master from a developer’s perspective? A list of expectations that go beyond the textbook definition. Discover the skills and qualities that can make a Scrum Master a true asset to a development team.
Handling Sprint Spillover Stories in Jira
Struggling with sprint spillover and story points in Jira? Stop the Excel madness and discover a simpler approach. Learn why re-estimating unfinished work as a new story can help you focus on value and not get lost in the numbers.
Does QA time included in the story points?
Should you include QA time in your story points? A story of a team’s journey from separate estimations to a more agile, continuous process. Discover how their approach to estimation evolved as they embraced practices like Continuous Delivery and smaller stories.
Agile set up
How do you set up an agile team? It’s not just about sprints. Discover why focusing on goals, feedback, and technical excellence is more important than just adopting a framework like Scrum. Learn about the Agile Fluency Model as a guide for your agile journey.
Feature factory
Why won’t your team commit to Sprint Goals? A look at a common problem: the ‘feature factory’. Discover why developers might resist sprint goals when they’re just being handed tickets, and what it says about your agile process.
My team stopped doing sprints
What happens when a team stops doing sprints? A look at a team that ditched traditional Scrum ceremonies for a more continuous workflow. Discover how they handle planning, priorities, and large-scale work without sprints.
Why are we doing Scrum?
Scrum vs. Kanban: which is more agile? A simple answer to a common question. Discover why agility is about culture, not the framework you use, and how you can be agile with or without Scrum.
How to make Scrum fun?
Is your Daily Scrum a boring status report? Learn the true purpose of this crucial Scrum event. It’s not about standing up or making it ‘fun’ – it’s about effective daily planning for the development team. Discover how to fix a broken Daily Scrum.
Delayed project
Is your project ‘delayed’ or ‘on track’? A look at a common disagreement about project status and what it reveals about the difference between project management and a true agile mindset. Learn why focusing on goals and iteration is more important than fixed deadlines.
Not-finished task estimation
Should you re-estimate unfinished tasks from a sprint? A pragmatic take on story points, velocity, and what really matters in agile development. Learn why re-estimation can be a useful tool to encourage your team to ‘start less, finish more’.
Team mates from very different time zones on your agile teams
Can an agile team be effective when spread across very different time zones? A direct take on the challenges of collaboration, pair programming, and fast decision-making in a distributed team.
SM Job Market
Is ‘Scrum Master’ a real job? A controversial take on the role, arguing that it’s a set of responsibilities, not a job title. Read a different perspective on what it means to be a Scrum Master and why having other skills is crucial for career stability.
How do you handle unplanned work?
Drowning in technical debt and unplanned work? Read a real-life story of a team that ditched long sprints for a more adaptive, flow-based process. Discover how shortening your feedback cycle can help you navigate a dynamic environment and deliver value.
Story Progression Workflow in Gitlab
Is your GitLab workflow too complicated? See a critique of a waterfall-like story progression and discover an alternative approach based on Continuous Delivery and Extreme Programming. Learn how to shorten feedback cycles and build quality into your development process.
How do ideas start in agile?
Ever wonder where great ideas come from in an agile team? It’s not about building more features. Discover a simple yet powerful mindset shift: from features to customer value. Learn how to frame your ideas as hypotheses, validate them quickly, and build products that truly matter.
Favorite videos on Agile product development
Looking for some of the best videos on Agile product development? Check out these two recommendations that can help you, whether you’re a game developer or new to agile.