There are few people in the agile world that have had a bigger impact on our work than Lyssa. In this episode, we’ll talk about her upcoming session at the Agile Virtual Summit entitled Running Around Like Crazy? Use Agile on Yourself! (it’s harder than it seems but really worth it). She’ll even share some brand...

Agile Answers

Agile Virtual Summit Preview: Lyssa Adkins

Every once in a while I stumble upon a facilitation tool that works so well I’m a little shocked. Recently I was helping several teams work together to create a backlog for their large project and I had a sneaking suspicion that the teams they had formed were not truly cross-functional. The trouble was, as...

How do we make sure we have cross-functional teams and why does it matter?

Whether you build video games for a living, or just like playing them for fun today’s episode will help you improve your Scrum implementation. I’m always looking for practical tips on how teams can improve their work together and my friend Clinton Keith (who wrote Agile Game Development with Scrum) just came out with a new book...

What agile practices can you recommend to our game development studio?

Ed works for a government integrator and is finding it very difficult to deliver thin vertical slices of functionality every sprint. The difficulty is that, by law, his company cannot have access to the full system they’re working on. I’ve enlisted the help of my friend Patrick McConnell, who’s an Agilist with tons of government experience...

How do we remove silos when doing government contract work using Scrum?

In my courses and coaching, I’m often asked how a Scrum team should be formed. Since the Scrum Guide gives no guidance on this, organizations usually decide to have managers form these new teams. Sadly, this approach doesn’t work well in the long run for a myriad of reasons. Thankfully, there’s a better way. On today’s show,...

How should we form new Scrum teams?

The podcast is BACK! Today’s question comes from Stig, who is wondering how to help his team give honest and constructive feedback to their Scrum Master during retrospectives. We’ll talk about an approach you can use to help your team to break through the power imbalance that might be keeping them from sharing useful information with your Scrum...

How can we have good retrospectives (about our Scrum Master)?

I’ve gotten the same question from several different people over the last several weeks”What happened to the podcast?” and “Is it ever coming back?”. > Yes it’s coming back. Soon Listen to this quick update to find out what the heck happened to it. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take...

When’s the podcast coming back?

Today’s question come from an anonymous source. “Stifled Scrummer” says that their boss is on their team, which makes self-organization difficult. Stifled is wondering what tips I have for helping them deal with this organizational impediment. Mentioned in this episode:  Free chapter of Agile Antipatterns  Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate...

How do we self-organize if our boss is on our team?

We’ll take a look at why teams often use user stories to capture agile requirements and how the format often gets misused. If a user story isn’t a detailed requirement, then what is it? Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate it in iTunes. Do you have a question for the...

How do we deal with constant interruptions to our Sprint?

We’ll take a look at why teams often use user stories to capture agile requirements and how the format often gets misused. If a user story isn’t a detailed requirement, then what is it? Mentioned in this episode:  User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate...

Can a User Story be too long? Ours seem insane!

Andrew’s organization is small. Since the company is small, they’ve decided that the Product Owner and Scrum Master need to be the same person. We’ll discuss the possible pitfalls of mixing these two roles and what can be done instead. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate it in iTunes. Do...

Can our Scrum Master and Product Owner be the same person?

I’ve been meditating daily for around 3 years, which has hugely improved my skill as an agile coach due to the focus it helps promote. In this episode my friend Hala asks for tips on how to get started. Since I think every agile coach and scrum master can benefit from setting aside a few minutes...

What 1 simple thing can I do to improve my coaching & scrum mastering?

Susan wants to get a new job as a Scrum Master. The problem? She’s never been a Scrum Master before and it seems that employers are only hiring people with experience. She has become a Certified Scrum Master, but that alone isn’t doing the trick. In this episode, we’ll explore how she can improve her...

How do I get hired as a ScrumMaster if I’ve never been one before?

Alex’s team wants to be more agile, and he’s wondering what process they should try first. With so many approaches out there, how does one pick the right one? Even though I’m a Certified Scrum Trainer, my answer might surprise you. Like the podcast? I’d love it if you’d take 60 seconds to rate it in iTunes....

Our team wants to be more agile. What agile process is best?

Dae-Ho’s organization has multiple Scrum teams, and one giant all-day Sprint Review. People come and go throughout the day, and stakeholders are not always present. He wonders if there’s a better way to do things. Even if your company only has one Scrum team, the tips in this episode will likely help improve your Sprint...

How do we improve our giant, multi-team Sprint Review session (or Sprint Reviews in general)?

Get actionable answers to your questions about agile software development, the Scrum framework, and agile management. Adam tackles questions from callers to help them conquer their real-world challenges.

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