People and team member management for Agile project management and Scrum software development teams.
Agile software development teams often use the notion of “velocity” to measure their ability at delivering value to the customer. In his blog post, Norberto Herz discusses the concept of “predictability” as a measure of the team’s health. His blog post starts with a series of interesting questions: can the company sell “predictability” to its customers? Is predictability a new application feature? Is predictability A team quality or a team goal?
Who says you need “stable” Scrum teams in order to build a successful software company? While the addition or removal of one person from a team means you have a “new team”, there is a myth out there about “stable” teams. When your Agile team compositions change it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong – it could be the secret to your success. Different companies have thrived through reteaming – the act of moving people around teams in different ways. This talk goes over the what, why and how of reteaming and shares stories from different companies who are living this reality.
Some software development teams are orders of magnitude more effective than others, turning around business solutions in days or even hours. Their secret is a combination of smart technology choices, great development habits and a powerful team dynamic. This talk describes a number of patterns of behavior that have been identified working with some great teams, beyond the basics of colocation, stand-ups and pair rotation. You’ll gain a new appreciation for old techniques like code reviews, and even working in silos won’t seem so bad!
The Agnostic Agile Oath is a movement that aims at recognizing the importance of being agnostic with agility at any level. As it is stated on the web site: “one size does not fit all, one framework is not the answer, and the what’s and the how’s of what needs to be done, should be suited to customer context and to a wider strategic vision.”
This is a talk about how shifting the focus from craft to product has affected my company. Our delivery teams are required everyday to make trade offs between what would the best technical solution and the one that is right for the product they are delivering. Ultimately, we get paid to solve business problems, not to be perfectionists.
The first value of the Agile Manifesto is about “individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. Communication is fundamental inside and outside the Scrum team. In his article “Watch Your Words: Feedback Analysis”, Tom Bartel give some hints on how to improve the feedback process especially in a negative context.
When do you need to stop coaching an Agile team? In his blog post “An Exit Strategy for the Agile Coach”, Len Lagestee discusses this question and explains how he will gradually work to be ready to leave and let the Scrum team be ready to carry the Agile values on its own.