TL; DR: Software Factory Syndrome, Product Discovery — Food for Agile Thought #251
Welcome to the 251st edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 26,781 peers. This week, we analyze the software factory syndrome; we apply Jocko Willink’s leadership principles to writing software, and we point at the elephant in the #noestimates room.
We then follow a CEO’s take on the importance of empowerment of product teams; we check the approach of a cross-functional team’s real-world collaboration model, and we learn about the next version of the future press release concept for (product) risk mitigation.
Lastly, we thank Jeff Patton for providing another helpful free ebook on how to figure out what is worth building. Spoiler alert: 85-plus percent of all startups get this wrong.
Did you miss last week’s Food for Agile Thought’s issue #250?
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🏆 The Tip of the Week
: 📖 Product Discovery Recipes
Jeff Patton shares a free 20-page PDF on how to figure out what is worth building.
Agile, Scrum & the Software Factory Syndrome
: Software Factory to Feature Factory
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick delve into the Taylorist’s mindset and the resulting unfavorable outcome.
(via ThoughtWorks): ‘No Estimates’ is not the (only) Answer or: Moving towards Predictability
Inger Dickson points at the obvious: there are stakeholders with questions that need answers.
(via The Startup): Extreme Ownership for Software Engineering
Payne C. Miller applies Jocko Willink’s leadership rules to software development.
📅 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Professional Scrum Master Training PSM I — Online: August 25-28, 2020
This guaranteed 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.
Learn more: 📅 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Professional Scrum Master Live Virtual Class: August 25-28, 2020.
Product & Lean
(via ProdPad): Product Leadership: Autonomy, Alignment, and Psychological Safety
Janna Bastow shares her take on contemporary product leadership by empowering teams.
: Developer & Designer Collaboration (in the Real World)
John Cutler shares the approach of a real-world collaboration model of a cross-functional team.
(via Medium): Working Backwards: A New Version Of Amazon’s “Press Release” Approach To Plan Customer-Centric Projects
Jeff Gothelf iterates on future press release approach to risk mitigation for product launches.
📯 Speaking Truth to Power 2.0 — Taking A Stand as an Agile Practitioner
Do you need an emergency fund as a change agent—whether you are acting as Scrum Master, Product Owner, or agile coach—because conflict is inevitable, but change is not? Speaking truth to power probably comes at a price.
In my experience, speaking truth to power, pointing at the emperor’s new clothes and the reality in the trenches, is necessary a trait for every change agent — including Scrum Masters and agile coaches — in organizations that lack strong leadership.
Learn more, how this form of professional honesty can backfire when the incumbents, privileged by the existing system, strike back.
Read more: Speaking Truth to Power 2.0 — Taking A Stand as an Agile Practitioner.
📅 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:
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 2,300-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 Software Factory Syndrome: Join the 7,850-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.