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

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
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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.

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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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How to Create an Agile Community of Practice

TL; DR: Creating an Agile Community of Practice

Creating an agile community of practice helps winning hearts and minds within the organization as it provides authenticity to the agile transition — signaling that the effort is not merely another management fad.

Read more to learn how to get your agile community going even without a dedicated budget and how to make it work with distributed teams.

📺 Update 2023-05-11: Recently, Petra Wille published the findings of her study on how to establish and grow a product community of practice based on interviewing 100-plus practitioners. Watch her talk now!

How to Create an Agile Community of Practice — Age-of-Product.com
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