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.
Did you miss the previous Food for Agile Thought’s issue #334?
🗞 Shall I notify you about articles like this one? Awesome! You can sign up here for the ‘Food for Agile Thought’ newsletter and join 34,000-plus subscribers.
🎓 Join Stefan in one of his upcoming Professional Scrum training classes!
📅 Join 80-plus peers on April 13, 2022: HoA #41: Scrum Master & Agile Coach Remuneration 2022.
🏆 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.
: 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..
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.)
👉 From time to time, we can offer last-minute seats for training classes at cost to individuals who do not have access to a corporate training budget. If you like to be notified about these opportunities, please register here.
🎯 Product
: 📺 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.”
(via productboard): Leveraging communities to drive product growth and engagement
Scott Baldwin suggests building products with—not for—your community.
(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.
Learn more: Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns: 24+2 Ways to Improve as a Scrum Team
🛠 Tools & Measuring
(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.
: 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
(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
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 3,500-plus Agile Peers on Youtube
Now available on the Age-of-Product Youtube channel to improve learning:
- 🆕 Hands-on Agile #38: The Product Owner with Roman Pichler.
- 🆕 Agile Camp Berlin 2021: The Power and Pains of Autonomy with Jimmy Janlén.
- Hands-on Agile #31: The Zones of Value Framework with Valerio Zanini & Zeina Zeitouni.
- Hands-on Agile #35: Designing Powerful Questions to help you Coach & Create with Daniel Stillman.
- Hands-on Agile #34: Core Protocols for Psychological Safety with Richard Kasperowski.
- Agile Camp Berlin 2021: Adapt How You Lead for Agile Success with Johanna Rothman.
✋ Do Not Miss Out and Learn more about Idea Repositories — Join the 11,000-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.
🗞️ 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.