TL; DR: Development Culture, Levels of Autonomy—Food for Agile Thought #238
Welcome to the 238th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 26,169 peers. This week, we delve into the findings of the latest Software Development Culture and Methods Report—spoiler alert: Liberating Structures are becoming something big—; we differentiate between different development levels of distributed organizations, and we learn that Zoom is safe to use despite all of the fear-mongering.
We also explore the differences between Impact Mapping and various other product frameworks; we embrace the idea that product discovery does not require a product team to be co-located, and we revisit the shift of product planning to customer-centricity.
Lastly, we applaud Dave Dame for sharing with us how he navigates the struggles of Cerebral Palsy.
Did you miss last week’s Food for Agile Thought’s issue #237?
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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Software Development Culture Q1 2020
(via InfoQ): Software Teams and Teamwork Trends Report Q1 2020
InfoQ presents the findings of the latest Software Development Culture and Methods Report.
Agile & Scrum
: Distributed Work’s Five Levels of Autonomy
Based on his experience, Matt Mullenweg details how distributed companies evolve.
(via TED Talks): 📺 Sprinting with Cerebral Palsy
An inspiring TED talk of my fellow PST David Dame on how to navigate the struggles of CP with grit and grace, becoming a thought leader in the process.
(via Medium): Beyond the noise — 7 reasons it’s safe to run Zoom – Rowan Trollope – Medium
Rowan Trollope summarizes the top seven facts about Zoom security.
📅 🖥 Online Professional Scrum Master Training PSM I: May 25-28, 2020
This guaranteed online Professional Scrum Master training is an official Scrum.org class that leads to and includes the industry-recognized PSM I certification. The training is designed as a live virtual class of 4 hours per day and will be offered in German.
Additional services for this online Professional Scrum Master training:
- Part of this virtual PSM training is also the free participation in the Distributed Agile Masterclass for Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and agile coaches by appointment.
- On request and for an additional charge of € 299 incl. 19% VAT, it is also possible to take part in a classic PSM training class.
Learn more: 📅 🖥 Professional Scrum Master Training PSM I — Online: May 25-28, 2020.
Product & Lean
: The Difference between Impact Mapping and…
Tim Herbig compares Impact Mapping to #JTBD, #NorthStar, #OST, and #OKR.
: Discovery When Working Remotely
Marty Cagan addresses the question of how to succeed at product discovery when a product team is no longer co-located.
(via Amplitude): Sustainable Product Strategy: How to Move from Outputs to Outcomes
Inessa Lurye explains her approach to shifting product planning to focus on customer-centricity.
📯 Remote Agile (Part 5): Retrospectives with Distributed Teams
We started this series on remote agile with looking into practices and tools, followed by exploring virtual Liberating Structures, how to master Zoom as well as common remote agile anti-patterns. This fifth article now dives into organizing a remote Retrospective with a distributed team: practices, tools, and lessons learned.
Read more: Remote Agile (Part 5): Retrospectives with Distributed Teams.
📅 Scrum Training & Event Schedule
You can secure your seat for Scrum training classes, workshops, and meetups directly by following the corresponding link in the table below:
| Date | Class and Language | City | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 January 29 to February 19, 2026 | Guaranteed: AI for Agile BootCamp #5 (English; Live Virtual Cohort)A | Live Virtual Cohort | €499 incl. 19% VAT |
| 🖥 🇩🇪 February 10-11, 2026 | Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) | Live Virtual Class | €1,299 incl. 19% VAT |
| 🖥 🇬🇧 March 10-11, 2026 | Professional Scrum Master—Advanced Training (PSM II; English; Live Virtual Class) | Live Virtual Class | €1,299 incl. 19% VAT |
| 🖥 🇩🇪 March 24-25, 2026 | Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) | Live Virtual Class | €1,299 incl. 19% VAT |
See all upcoming classes here.
You can book your seat for the training directly by following the corresponding links to the ticket shop. If the procurement process of your organization requires a different purchasing process, please contact Berlin Product People GmbH directly.
📺 Join 2,125-plus Agile Peers on Youtube
Now available on the Age-of-Product Youtube channel:
- 🆕 Remote Agile (1) Replay: Practices and Tools for Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Product Owners.
- Scrum Sprint Retrospective Anti-Patterns.
- Scrum Master Anti-Patterns.
✋ Do Not Miss Out and Learn about Development Culture: Join the 7,425-plus Strong ‘Hands-on Agile’ Slack Community
I invite you to join the “Hands-on Agile” Slack Community and enjoy the benefits of a fast-growing, vibrant community of agile practitioners from around the world.
If you like to join all you have to do now is provide your credentials via this Google form, and I will sign you up. By the way, it’s free.
