Category around blogs pertaining to scrum masters
Who here just started a new job? Or maybe you’re about to start a new job? This is the situation I recently faced. It’s stressful, and it was important to me that I make a strong, lasting, and positive first impression. In fact, let’s talk about that today, but before we do, I’d like to […]
Starting a New Job Is Tough Read More »
Words are hard. They shouldn’t be, but they are. We each internalize a definition of a word, and more oft than not, our internal definition conflicts with someone else’s. Even ancient Greek philosophers like Epictetus faced this problem offering this advice: First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. Today, let’s talk
Why Process and Efficiency Are Terrible Words Read More »
In my previous blog post, I talked about sprints in the ethereal discussing their similarities to deadlines and reminding us to be inquisitive of the world around us. However, I offered no practical advice. Today, I’d like to remedy that. Below, I tackle many common questions about sprints. Let’s get started. So What’s the Right
What’s the Right Sprint Length? Read More »
Let’s talk about sprints. What’s the right length? When should they begin and end? On a Monday and Friday, respectively, or is another schedule more appropriate? Should we ever change the length of our sprints? These are all good questions, and we’ll get to them, but let’s start with something more fundamental. Why even have
Sprints, Deadlines, And Scrum As Scripture Read More »
This is a common question. People often ask on LinkedIn about how many teams a Scrum Master can reasonably handle, and a breath later, they mention how large their teams are. Similarly, I’ve had conversations with members of my own organization where I hear, “It’s a small team. I can’t imagine the team will take
As a Scrum Master, Can I Work With Multiple Teams? Read More »
When a Scrum Master joins a team, there’s so much to do. It’s daunting and sometimes a bit overwhelming. We have so many questions! Where’s the team need our help? Are they entrenched in how they operate or open to change? How do they interact with each other? How receptive are they to me, their
Scrum Master for a New Team? Here’s What to Do. Read More »
In my previous blog post, I talked about how I believe a Scrum Master should be trying to put him or herself out of a job. Put another way, we should master the art of actively doing nothing. Some agreed; some didn’t. Some thought the language was too strong. Others thought it was just right. However,
Mastering the Art of Actively Doing Nothing Read More »
Much of the role of the Scrum Master is intangible. We don’t write elegant code, we don’t craft beautiful designs, and we better not be creating Gantt charts. Instead, we’re masters at soft skills, but how can such a thing be quantified? And if not quantified, how can I know if I’m a good Scrum
Am I a Good Scrum Master? Read More »
In my last blog post, I promised to offer up some tricks and tweaks to help facilitate the daily scrum. Today, I intend to deliver on that promise. Before reading on, I encourage you to read Mastering the Daily Scrum. As a reminder, we previously discussed how to improve and focus our stand up; however, something
Tools to Facilitate the Daily Scrum Read More »
5,000. That’s the number of daily scrums, or stand ups, I’ve been a part of in my career. There’s not a lot of things I’ve done 5,000 times so I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned. First, let’s remind ourselves why we’re there. Why have the meeting at all? Why every day? I like
Mastering the Daily Scrum Read More »
