TL; DR: Agile Forecasting, Winning Product Strategies — Food for Agile Thought #354
Welcome to the 354th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 35,689 peers. This week, we analyze agile forecasting challenges in epic breadth, from avoiding story points to rolling wave forecasts. Also, we illustrate and quantify the impact of unfinished work to help you convince your team to ‘stop starting and start finishing,’ and we delve into decision-making practices as a group, from reversible to expensive or irreversible decisions.
Then, we listen to Lenny Rachitsky interviewing Melissa Perri on what to do when your strategy is not working: what are the signs, and how can you change direction? Moreover, we point out that ‘most strategies are a collection of assumptions,’ from certainty levels to competitor behavior. Also, we enjoy ten video clips expressing precisely that product/market-fit feeling Marc Andreessen described years ago.
Finally, we share strategies to identify and work through design and engineering conflicts and a more innovative framework to apply the ‘rocks, pebbles, and sand’ lesson. Lastly, McKinsey claims to have identified ‘four types of behavior that account for 89 percent of leadership effectiveness.’ This brings us to Deloitte Insights, exploring whether you can measure a ‘hidden—yet increasingly critical—key performance indicator:’ trust.
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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Agile Forecasting
(via InfoQ): Talking About Sizing and Forecasting in Scrum
John Coleman analyzes the challenges of agile forecasting in epic breadth, from avoiding story points to rolling wave forecasts.
➿ Agile & Scrum
: Why are Group Decision-making Techniques Important?
Mark Levison delves into decision-making practices as a group, from reversible to expensive or irreversible decisions.
(via Smashing Magazine): Resolving Conflicts Between Designers And Engineers
Scott Himmer shares strategies to identify and work through design and engineering conflicts.
(via McKinsey & Company): What is leadership?
McKinsey claims to have identified ‘four types of behavior that account for 89 percent of leadership effectiveness.’
🎓 🖥 🇬🇧 Advanced Professional Scrum Master Online Training w/ PSM II Certificate — September 6-9, 2022
Discover Scrum’s four success principles in this official Scrum.org Advanced Scrum Master training class including the industry-recognized PSM II certification. The PSM II training class is designed as a live virtual class and will be offered in English.
Enjoy the benefits of an immersive class of four sessions with like-minded agile peers in the morning hours from 09:00 – 13:00 o’clock CEST.
Learn more: 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Advanced Professional Scrum Master Online Training w/ PSM II Certificate — September 6-9, 2022.
“Very hands-on class with lots of concrete takeaways to help in real world scenarios. Reinforced practices and highlighted things that helped in passing the PSM II exam but that was merely a bonus as the content of the class is so useful – certifications or not. Stefan Wolpers is an excellent trainer with broad practical and theoretical knowledge on the subject and his classes seem to have very good working atmosphere (this was a second class by him that I have taken).”(Link.)
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🎯 Product
and : 🎙 How to create a winning product strategy
Lenny Rachitsky interviews Melissa Perri on what to do when your strategy is not working: what are the signs, and how can you change direction?
: Words Matter—Strategy & Certainty
John Cutler points out that ‘most strategies are a collection of assumptions,’ from certainty levels to competitor behavior.
: 📺 What Product Market Fit Feels Like
CJ Gustafson admits that Marc Andreessen was right: PMF is a feeling. Enjoy ten video clips expressing precisely that feeling.
📯 No Sprint Goal, No Cohesion, No Collaboration — Making Your Scrum Work #26
There are plenty of failure possibilities with Scrum. Given that Scrum is a framework with a reasonable yet short “manual,” this effect should not surprise anyone. For example, what if there is no Sprint Goal — Sprint after Sprint? What if the Scrum team is always only working on a random assortment of work items that seem to be the most pressing at the moment of the Sprint Planning?
Join me and delve into the importance of the Sprint Goal for meaningful work as a Scrum team in less than two minutes.
Learn more: No Sprint Goal, No Cohesion, No Collaboration — Making Your Scrum Work #26.
🛠 Concepts, Tools & Measuring
: How finishing what you start makes teams more productive and predictable
Lucas F Costa illustrates and quantifies the impact of unfinished work to help you convince your team to ‘stop starting and start finishing.’
: The practical application of ‘Rocks, Pebbles, Sand’
Jason Cohen shares a framework to apply the ‘rocks, pebbles, and sand’ lesson smarter.
(via Deloitte Insights): Can you measure trust within your organization?
Deloitte Insights explores managing a ‘hidden—yet increasingly critical—key performance indicator.’
✂️ Cutting Room Floor
: How long will this take?
Seth Godin elaborates on forecasting.
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📺 Join 4,000-plus Agile Peers on Youtube
Now available on the Age-of-Product Youtube channel to improve learning, for example, about agile forecasting:
- 🆕 Hands-on Agile 42: Lean Roadmapping and OKRs with Janna Bastow.
- 🆕 Hands-on Agile 40: The Best Team Ever with David Burkus.
- 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.
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