Food for Agile Thought #268: Decision Making, Technical Debt Explained, Stages of Innovation, Product Validation in the Field

TL; DR: Decision Making, Technical Debt Explained — Food for Agile Thought #268

Welcome to the 268th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 28,041 peers. This week, we delve into the dirty secrets of decision making; we refresh our memory regarding eight agile estimation practices, and we take appreciation beyond the usual Kudo cards.

We then welcome eleven lessons on how to escape the build trap; we come back Lean’s four phases of a product’s lifecycle, and we learn more about the results of evaluating an app in a real-life context.

Lastly, we embrace another approach to understanding technical debt.

Food for Agile Thought #268: Decision Making, Technical Debt Explained, Stages of Innovation, Product Validation in the Field — Age-of-Product.com

Did you miss last week’s Food for Agile Thought’s issue #267?

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Scrum Guide 2020 — Download the new edition of the Scrum Guide Reordered — Age-of-Product.com

🏆 The Tip of the Week

Jock Busuttil: The dirty little secrets of decision making

Jock Busuttil asks: What makes one decision better than another?

Agile & Scrum

Gareth Davies (via Parabol Focus): 8 Agile Estimation Techniques to Try With your Team

Gareth Davies reflects on the actual value of estimation efforts: getting everyone on the same page.

Dave Rupert: Technical debt as a lack of understanding

Dave Rupert on technical debt’s underlying problem of ‘never reorganizing [the code] to reflect your understanding.’ The article includes a brief yet excellent video with Ward Cunningham, who coined the phrase ‘technical debt.’

(via InfoQ): Applying Languages of Appreciation in Agile Teams

Christine Thompson describes five languages of appreciation for team building beyond the usual Kudo cards.

📅 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Professional Scrum Master Training PSM I — Online: December 15-18, 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.

📅 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Professional Scrum Master Training PSM I — Online: December 15-18, 2020 — Berlin Product People GmbH

Learn more: 📅 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Professional Scrum Master Training PSM I — Online: December 15-18, 2020.

Product & Lean

(via The Startup): ‘How to Avoid the Build Trap’ By Melissa Perri – 11 Key Learnings

Julia Park summarizes her eleven key takeaway from th ebook, from outcomes to product kata to a culture of safety and learning.

(via Playing Lean): The four stages of innovation

Dora Jelčić refreshes our memories of the four phases of a product's lifecycle, from business modeling to scaling.

(via UX Magazine): Product Validation In A Real-Life Scenario: Intercept Field Study

Bence Mózer shares lessons learned from evaluating an app in a real-life context.

📯 Sprint Planning Checklist

A Sprint Planning checklist? How dare you: Agile is a mindset, not a methodology. It is a journey, not a destination. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and what else could you possibly cover with a checklist, the mother of all standardized processes?

Well, it always depends on the purpose of a tool’s application. Read more about why Scrum checklists are a handy tool if applied at an operational, hands-on level, reduce your cognitive load, and free up time for more relevant things.

Sprint Planning Checklist — Age-of-Product.com

Learn more: Sprint Planning Checklist.

📅 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
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 November 21, 2024 GUARANTEED: Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class (PSFS; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €749 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇩🇪 December 10-11, 2024 GUARANTEED: Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1,299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇩🇪 December 12, 2024 GUARANTEED: Professional Product Discovery and Validation Class (PPDV; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €749 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 December 18-19, 2024 GUARANTEED: Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training (PSM II; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1,299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Feburary 4-6, 2025 GUARANTEED: Hands-on Agile 2025: From Concept-Based to Context-Based Agility (English) Live Virtual Conference FREE
🖥 🇩🇪 January 28-31, 2025 Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1,299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇬🇧 February 12-13, 2025 Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training (PSM II; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1,299 incl. 19% VAT

See all upcoming classes here.

Professional Scrum Training by PST Stefan Wolpers, Berlin  Product People

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.

Download the Remote Agile Guide for Free — Age-of-Product.com

📺 Join 2,500-plus Agile Peers on Youtube

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✋ Do Not Miss Out and Learn about Decision Making: Join the 8,500-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.

Large scale agile: Join the Hands-on Agile Slack Group

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.

Download the ’Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide’ for Free — Age-of-Product.com

🗞️ Last Week’s Food for Agile Thought Edition

Read more: Food for Agile Thought #267: Psychopaths and Narcissists, Get Your Brain Back, Paradoxes of Product Management, Experiment Pitfalls.

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