Stefan Wolpers

Food for Agile Thought #404: Social Status, In Defense of Strategy, Broken Ownership, Amazon’s Document Culture

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-08-04 News

TL; DR: Social Status — Food for Agile Thought #404

Welcome to the 404th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 48,271 peers. This week, we explore intriguing perspectives on social dynamics: David Pinsof delves into the psychology of social status, while Alex Ewerlöf discusses ownership in project management. We also feature Daniele Altomare’s insights on ethics in Agile environments and John Cutler’s viewpoint on the influence of culture on organizational frameworks.

Then, Packy McCormick warns about the pitfalls of execution without a robust strategy, using Breather as a case study. Aatir Abdul Rauf identifies common blunders in product discovery that affect success. Also, Melissa Perri and Teresa Torres address complex issues in large companies, emphasizing skilled product management and standardized processes.

Finally, Justin Garrison examines Amazon’s unique document-centered meeting approach. Lenny Rachitsky and Dr. Nicole Forsgren unpack productivity in DevOps with the DORA and SPACE frameworks. Dave Hora advocates for strategic agility in software production, while Casey Rosengren explores non-coercive leadership strategies. Lastly, a McKinsey report delves into the growth and impact of generative AI tools in organizations.

Food for Agile Thought #404: Social Status, In Defense of Strategy, Broken Ownership, Amazon’s Document Culture — Age-of-Product.com

Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy — The Big Picture of Why Scrum Fails?

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-07-31 Agile and ScrumAgile Transition

TL; DR: Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy

As the editing process of the Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide is nearing its end, it is time to take the next step. The brand new Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide offers 180-plus anti-patterns organized by roles, events, artifacts, and commitments. However, the Guide does not create a meta-level or abstract Scrum anti-patterns taxonomy. Consequently, the Guide does not provide an overall strategy to counter or evade Scrum anti-patterns at a personal, cultural, structural, or organizational level. The question is whether it is possible to create such a taxonomy.

Read on and learn more about the first steps of completing the big picture of Scrum anti-patterns.

Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy — The Big Picture of Why Scrum Fails — Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #403: Life Coaching In Agile? Full Stack Product Management, Agile Maturity Models, Optimal UVPs

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-07-28 News

TL; DR: Life Coaching In Agile? — Food for Agile Thought #403

Welcome to the 403rd edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 48,157 peers. This week, Ronald Purser critically examines the life coaching industry, often selling pseudo-solutions to profound issues. Is that trend spilling over to Agile? Also, Maarten Dalmijn questions the efficacy of Agile Maturity Models, while Julee Everett makes a strong case for full-time Scrum Masters based on financial benefits. Moreover, Vidas Vasiliauskas reflects on Teamhood’s evolution with Scrum, highlighting the significance of continuous improvement.

Then, Howie Mann proposes a novel way of handling product feature requests by focusing on recent problems, and Šejla Vatreš probes into the emerging trend of ‘full stack’ product managers and its potential implications. Additionally, John Utz examines the common disconnect between expected product features and valuable outcomes, especially in annual budgeting, and Ash Maurya underscores the importance of creating a unique value proposition (UVP) that captivates customer attention.

Finally, Nick Brown scrutinizes the metric of Flow Efficiency in Agile, using data from over 60 teams at ASOS to discuss its merits and pitfalls. Daniel Stillman presents a compelling 2018 study that illustrates how a “committed minority group” making up at least 25% can initiate cultural change within a community. Lastly, we suggest applying Hanlon’s Razor to improve relationships and enhance empathy, which can lead to less judgment, increased rationality, and personal happiness.

Food for Agile Thought #403: Life Coaching In Agile? Full Stack Product Management, Agile Maturity Model, Optimal UVPs — Age-of-Product.com

Product Discovery for Scrum Teams — Scrum Tools, Part 2

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-07-24 Agile and ScrumLean and Product

TL; DR: Product Discovery for Scrum Teams

While Scrum excels at building and releasing Increments, it does not guarantee that those are valuable—garbage in, garbage out. Scrum teams can equally make things no one is interested in using at all. The critical artifact to create value is the Product Backlog, “an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product.” (Source.) However, Scrum does not elaborate on how the Product Owner identifies Product Backlog-worthy work items. That would be the job of the process that feeds into the Product Backlog: product discovery.

Learn more about which frameworks have proven useful to augment Scrum with product discovery practices.

Product Discovery for Scrum Teams — Scrum Tools, Part 2 — Age-of-Product.com

Food for Agile Thought #402: Agile First Principles, Digging Moats, Steve Jobs on ‘No,’ The Right Product Metrics

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-07-21 News

TL; DR: Agile First Principles — Food for Agile Thought #402

Welcome to the 402nd edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 48,061 peers. This week, Maarten Dalmijn unravels Agile first principles without the usual labels, while Steve Jobs elucidates the importance of ‘no.’ Pierre Pureur and Kurt Bittner propose incorporating sustainability into a team’s DoD, and Pete Hodgson examines the nuances of effective collaboration within platform teams. Additionally, we delve into health checks for agile teams.

Then, Saeed Khan advises on ensuring lasting business success beyond mere feature delivery, Packy McCormick’s challenge to tech industry beliefs regarding the need for ‘moats’, and Jin Leem’s intriguing parallels between Roman military innovation and modern design thinking principles.

Finally, Jason Cohen discusses the importance of a comprehensive metric system over a singular metric; Catherine Norris stresses the art of saying ‘no’ in product management, and Ash Maurya critiques the traditional experimental approach, arguing it often leads to unproductive cycles. Lastly, Ethan Mollick notices the AI industry’s neglect of user documentation despite fast-paced advances.

Food for Agile Thought #402: Agile First Principles, Digging Moats, Steve Jobs on ‘No,’ The Right Product Metrics — Age-of-Product.com

Health Checks for Agile Teams — From Spotify to The Liberators to Self-Made

by Stefan Wolpers | 2023-07-17 Agile and Scrum

TL; DR: Health Checks for Agile Teams

Agile teams thrive on continuous improvement and adaptability. Self-assessment isn’t just a health check measuring tool but a compass guiding teams toward their potential. It enables teams to understand their strengths, identify areas of improvement, and delve deeper into work dynamics beyond mere output.

The true essence of self-assessment in Agile is fostering transparency, collaboration, and relentless improvement. It’s not an audit; it’s a mirror reflecting a better version of your Agile team.

This article comprises a few well-known self-assessment tools; use them or have them inspire you to create your own assessment.