TL; DR: Story Points Made Simple, The Art Part of Product Management — Food for Agile Thought #337
Welcome to the 337th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 35,011 peers. This week, we join Tim Ottinger, exploring the truth about story points and inviting the rest of the community to join. We also delve into patterns of agile transformations, from psychological safety to the “illusion of control,” and we cover engineering team success tactics from making all work visible to WiP limits to utilizing velocity right.
We then share an engaging canvas on the opportunities and realities of picking work by product teams. Moreover, we explore the criticality of human skills for product management—the Six Cs from communication to consciousness, while pointing out that successful products are typically not the work of a single genius with a magic touch but teamwork. Also, Roman Pichler delved into your questions on the role of the Product Owner, ranging from product manager vs. Product Owner vs. business analyst to the right size of a Product Backlog to linking product vision to Product Goal and Sprint Goal.
Then, based on Annie Duke’s work from “Thinking in Bets,” First Round Capital provides a guide on helpful mental models to support decision-making in teams and organizations, not just startups. On top of that, Lean Agile Intelligence aggregated a valuable list of resources on beneficial team metrics. Finally, we listen to Hà Phan, who advocates that “machine learning (ML) can be a key tool to gain the most effective data about your users.”
Did you miss the previous Food for Agile Thought’s issue #336?
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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Story Points
(via Industrial Logic): Story Points: Why is this so hard?
Tim Ottinger started exploring the truth about story points, inviting the rest of the community to join. I am curious about the feedback of the #noestimates faction.
➿ Agile & Scrum
(via InfoQ): Using Patterns to Drive a Transformation towards Agility
Hendrik Esser and Andrea Maier delve into patterns of agile transformations, from psychological safety to the flow of information, insights, and decisions to the “illusion of control.”
(via InfoQ): 📺 Lead with Speed
In this video, Courtney Kissler covers team success tactics from making all work visible to WiP limits to utilizing velocity right.
(via First Round Capital): The Tactical Guide to Making Better Decisions When Starting and Scaling Companies
Based on Annie Duke’s work from “Thinking in Bets,” First Round Capital provides a guide on helpful mental models to support decision-making in teams and organizations, not just startups.
🎓 🖥 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Product Owner Training w/ PSPO Certificate — Online: May 9-10, 2022
Discover Scrum’s four success principles in this official Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner training class, leading to and including the industry-recognized PSPO 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 Product Owner Training w/ PSPO Certificate — Online: May 9-10, 2022.
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🎯 Product
: Can Do vs. Should Do
John Cutler shares an engaging canvas on the opportunities and realities of picking work by product teams.
: The Art of Product Management
Ken Norton explores the criticality of human skills for product management—the Six Cs from communication to consciousness.
(via Medium): Guiding principle: the basic unit of product development is the team, not the individual
Jason Yip points out that successful products are typically not the work of a single genius with a magic touch but teamwork.
📺 Roman Pichler: The Product Owner — Hands-on-Agile #38
In this energizing 38th Hands-on Agile session, Roman Pichler delved into your questions on the role of the Product Owner. The topics range from product manager vs. Product Owner vs. business analyst to the right size of a Product Backlog to linking product vision to Product Goal and Sprint Goal.
📺 Watch the video now: Roman Pichler: The Product Owner — Hands-on-Agile #38.
🛠 Tools & Measuring
(via Lean Agile Intelligence): Team Metrics in Depth
Lean Agile Intelligence aggregated a helpful list of resources on beneficial team metrics.
(via Medium): Measuring psychological safety
Richard McLean shares a simple test to understand better the level of psychological safety in a defined group.
✂️ Cutting Room Floor
(via Mind The Product): 🎙 Machine learning in product discovery
Hà Phan advocates that “machine learning (ML) can be a key tool to gain the most effective data about your users.”
📅 Scrum Training Classes, Workshops, and Events
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📺 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.
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