The Expensive Folly of the Oversized Product Backlog

TL; DR: The Costs of an Oversized Product Backlog

Some Product Owners believe that a comprehensive Product Backlog is the best way to accomplish the Product Goal and be fully transparent simultaneously—never let a possibly valuable idea slip away. However, a comprehensive backlog may quickly become an oversized Product Backlog with unintended side effects.

Learn more about an oversized Product Backlog’s negative impact on innovation, your Scrum team’s ability to create value, and your relationship with stakeholders.

The Oversized Product Backlog Problem — Making Your Scrum Work #11 — Age-of-Product.com
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The Uncomfortable Truth of Scaling ‘Agile’

TL; DR: The Uncomfortable Truth of Scaling Agile

Agile transformations, scaling Agile from a team level to the whole organization, are more than implementing frameworks like SAFe®. They require a radical shift from rigid, top-down management to flexible, people-centric operations rooted in simplified structures, autonomous teams, and frequent, sustainable value delivery rather than promising quicker, cheaper results.

The Uncomfortable Truth of Scaling Agile — Age-of-Product.com
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Useless Agile Metrics

TL; DR: Useless Agile Metrics

Ideally, a metric is a leading indicator for a pattern change, allowing your Scrum team to analyze the cause in time and take countermeasures. However, what if you picked the wrong metrics? What if these useless agile metrics lead you in the wrong direction while providing you with the illusion that you know where your team is heading?

Learn more about useless agile metrics, from individual velocity to estimation accuracy to utilization rates.

Useless Agile Metrics — Age-of-Product.com
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Why Employing Agile Coaches next to Scrum Masters Is Unnecessary

TL; DR: Employing Agile Coaches next to Scrum Masters?

Often, when organizations employ agile coaches and Scrum Masters, we can observe that agile coaches work at an organizational level. In contrast, Scrum Masters work in a tactical role at the team level in a “delivery manager capacity,” which defies the Scrum Guide’s concept of accountabilities.

However, if you take Scrum seriously, this approach has no upside. Here are eight reasons for empowering your Scrum Masters to work with the organization.

Disclaimer: I acknowledge, though, that “agile coach” is a helpful keyword for positioning yourself as an agile practitioner; potential employers and clients search for this term.

Why Employing Agile Coaches next to Scrum Masters Is Unnecessary — Age-of-Product.com
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Scrum Master Interview Questions — ChatGPT Edition

TL; DR: Can ChatGPT 4.0 Create Scrum Master Interview Questions?

Previously, I tested how ChatGPT would answer questions from the Scrum Master Interview Guide; see below. Back in January 2023, I would not have taken the next step in the Scrum Master interview process, inviting ChatGPT to a full-size interview with several Scrum team members.

So, if the GPT 3.5 or 4.0 models still need to be better to pass the interview hurdle, what about their capability to create similar interview questions? Enjoy the following article on my excursion into creating Scrum Master interview questions with ChatGPT.

Scrum Master Interview Questions — ChatGPT Edition — Age-or-Product.com
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