Food for Agile Thought #335: Idea Repositories, Team Building w/ Conway’s Law, Measuring Added Value, Estimation Is a Waste

TL; DR: Idea Repositories, Team Building w/ Conway’s Law — Food for Agile Thought #335

Welcome to the 335th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 34,866 peers. This week, we analyze the benefits of organizing transparent systems that handle the influx of suggestions, requirements, epiphanies, and learning: ideas repositories. Also, we describe the benefits of applying lessons learned from “Team Topologies” by Manuel Pais and Matthew Skelton regarding team building, and we explain the difference between coaching and mentoring, two critical stances of a servant leader.

We then listen to John Cutler exploring how “teams slip into the trap of using a single ‘mono-process’ (one way) for all types of work.” Moreover, we suggest building products with—not for—your community, delve into six essentials factors determining whether your product team will be successful, and figure out a way to measure the added value of your product.

Lastly, we share Luís Soares’s refreshingly contrarian thinking on estimations, Sprints, and other practices he considers futile. Finally, we close with Shane Parrish, who reflects on the effects of “mapping” the world and then taking this map as an accurate representation of the world.

Food for Agile Thought #335: Idea Repositories, Team Building w/ Conway‘s Law, Measuring Added Value, Estimation Is a Waste — Age-of-Product.com

Did you miss the previous Food for Agile Thought’s issue #334?

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April 13, 2022: Hands-on Agile #41: Scrum Master & Agile Coach Remuneration 2022

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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Idea Repositories

(via Team ReOps): Research Repositories: A ResearchOps Community Program of Work

Brigette Metzler, Bri Norton, Dana Chrisfield, and Mark McElhaw analyze the benefits of organizing a transparent system that handles the influx of suggestions, requirements, epiphanies, learning, and ideas in general.

➿ Agile & Scrum

(via Xero): How we used Conway’s Law to create high-performing teams

In this article, Lynn Hamilton describes the benefits of applying lessons learned from “Team Topologies” by Manuel Pais and Matthew Skelton.

Marty Cagan: Coaching vs. Mentoring

Marty Cagan explains the difference between the two critical stances of a servant leader.

(via Agile Alliance): Agile Business: A Special Report in The Times

Agile Alliance partnered with Raconteur for a special report on Agile Business published in The Times of London. You can download a free copy.

🎓 🖥 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Master Training w/ PSM I Certificate — Live Virtual Class: April 11-12, 2022

Discover Scrum’s four success principles in this official Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master training class, leading to and including the industry-recognized PSM I certification. The training is designed as a live virtual class and will be offered in English.

Enjoy the benefits of an compact class of two sessions with like-minded agile peers from 09:00 – 17:30 o’clock CEST..

Professional Scrum Master Training w/ PSM I Certificate — Live Virtual Class: April 11-12, 2022 — Berlin Product People GmbH

Learn more: 🖥 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Master Training w/ PSM I Certificate — Live Virtual Class: April 11-12, 2022.

Customer review: “Great class. Probably the best training I ever attended. Extremely driven and productive class, with interactive exercises that challenge you to think in Agile manner. Keeps the focus on the point regardless of the remote session. Stefan for sure goes above and beyond to teach you how to be a real Scum master.” (Link.)

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🎯 Product

John Cutler: 📺 Less Mono-Process

In this video, John Cutler explores how “teams slip into the trap of using a single ‘mono-process’ (one way) for all types of work.”

Scott Baldwin (via productboard): Leveraging communities to drive product growth and engagement

Scott Baldwin suggests building products with—not for—your community.

Tim Herbig (via YouTube): 📺 The 6 Key Elements of Product Discovery

Tim Herbig delves into six essentials factors determining whether your product team will be successful.

📯 Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns: 24+2 Ways to Improve as a Scrum Team

In my experience, the Daily Scrum is the Scrum event with the highest anti-pattern density among all events. Learn more about Daily Scrum anti-patterns that threaten your Scrum team’s success, from becoming a reporting session to assignments to answering these three questions.

Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns: 24+2 Ways to Improve as a Scrum Team — Age-of-Product.com

Learn more: Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns: 24+2 Ways to Improve as a Scrum Team

🛠 Tools & Measuring

Luís Soares (via Medium): #NoEstimates and #NoIterations: Estimation is waste and non-sense but many teams still abide by it

Luís Soares shares refreshing contrarian thinking on estimations, Sprints, and other practices he considers futile.

Oleg Yakubenkov: How to measure the added value of a product

Oleg Yakubenkov suggests a way to measure the added value of your product.

✂️ Cutting Room Floor

Shane Parrish (via Farnam Street): The Map Is Not the Territory

Shane Parrish reflects on the effects of “mapping” the world and then taking the map as a perfect representation of the world.


📅 Scrum Training Classes, Workshops, and Events

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🖥 💯 🇩🇪 April 20-21, 2022 GUARANTEED: Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.189 incl. 19% VAT
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🖥 💯 🇬🇧 May 9-10, 2022 Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.189 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇩🇪 May 17-20, 2022 Advanced Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO-A; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.399 incl. 19% VAT
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🖥 🇬🇧 May 31-June 1, 2022 Advanced Professional Scrum Master Online Training (PSM II; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.189 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇩🇪 June 7-10, 2022 Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.189 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇬🇧 June 20-23, 2022 Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM I; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.189 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇩🇪 June 28-July 1, 2022 Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.189 incl. 19% VAT

See all upcoming classes here.

Professional Scrum Trainer Stefan Wolpers

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.

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✋ Do Not Miss Out and Learn more about Idea Repositories — Join the 11,000-plus Strong ‘Hands-on Agile’ Slack Community

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🗞️ Last Week’s Food for Agile Thought Edition

Read more: Food for Agile Thought #334: Shape Up, Product Sense, Adaptive Self-Organization, User Onboarding at Shopify.

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