Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — A New Team Exercise

TL; DR: Forensic Product Backlog Analysis Exercise

The Forensic Product Backlog Analysis: A 60-minute team exercise to fix your Backlog. Identify what’s broken, find out why, and agree on practical fixes—all in five quick steps. There is no fluff, just results.

Want technical excellence and solve customer problems? Start with a solid Product Backlog.

Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — A New Team Exercise — Age-of-Product.com
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Is the Era of the Scrum Master Coming to an End?

TL; DR: Three Data Points Pointing to the Decline of the Scrum Master’s Role

If you hang out in the “Agile” bubble on LinkedIn, the dice have already been cast: Scrum is out (and the Scrum Master), and the new kid on the block is [insert your preferred successor framework choice here.] I’m not entirely certain about that, but several data points on my side suggest a decline in the role of the Scrum Master.

Read on and learn more about whether the Scrum Master is a role at risk.

Scrum Master: Is an Era Coming to an End? Three Data Points Pointing to its Decline — by Age-of-Product.com.
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Can Pure Scrum Actually Work?

TL; DR: Pure Scrum?

Can you rely on pure Scrum to transform your organization and deliver value? Not always. While Scrum excels in simplicity and flexibility, applying it “out of the box” often falls short in corporate contexts due to limitations in product discovery, scaling, and portfolio management.

This article explores the conditions under which pure Scrum thrives, the organizational DNA required to support it, and practical scenarios where it works best—along with a candid look at where it struggles. Discover whether pure Scrum is a realistic approach for your team and how thoughtful adaptation can unlock its true potential.

Learn about conditions under which pure Scrum thrives and the organizational DNA required to support it — Age-of-Product.com
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Product Team Empowerment Anti-Patterns

TL; DR: Product Team Empowerment Anti-Patterns

Leadership anti-patterns often undermine product team empowerment — an essential success factor in Marty Cagan’s product operating model. These failures include micromanagement, overly rigid constraints, conflicting stakeholder demands, informal power struggles, and inadequate tools.

Learn more about addressing these challenges by redefining success, aligning incentives, fostering alignment, and balancing autonomy with standardization.

Product Team Empowerment Anti-Patterns — Age-of-Product.com
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The Inverted MoSCoW Framework: Stop Building What You Do Not Need

TL;DR: Inverted MoSCoW

The inverted MoSCoW framework reverses traditional prioritization, focusing on what a product team won’t build rather than what it will. Deliberately excluding features helps teams streamline development, avoid scope creep, and maximize focus on what truly matters.

While it aligns with Agile principles of simplicity and efficiency, it also requires careful implementation to avoid rigidity, misalignment, or stifling innovation. Used thoughtfully, it’s a powerful tool for managing product scope and driving strategic clarity.

Read on and learn how to make the inverted MoSCoW framework work for your team.

The Inverted MoSCoW Framework: Stop Building What You Do Not Need and Focus on Creating Value — Age-of-Product.com
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Why Leaders Believe the Product Operating Model Will Succeed Where Agile Initiatives Failed

TL; DR: Why Leaders Support the Product Operating Model Despite Agile’s Failure

Why might leaders turn to the Product Operating Model (POM) after a previous Agile transformation, for example, based on SAFe, failed?

This article uncovers the psychological, organizational, and strategic reasons behind this seeming contradiction, exploring what motivates leaders to believe that a new approach will succeed where others have not.

Why Leaders Believe the Product Operating Model Will Succeed Where Agile Initiatives Failed — Age-of-Product.com
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