TL; DR: Spotify Model Critique — Food for Agile Thought #377
Welcome to the 377th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 36,609 peers. This week, we start with a Spotify Model critique: Jason Yip dissected what many consider an agile framework from an insider’s perspective. Also, we point to issues contributing to management’s failure to keep pace with innovation, from branded management practices vying for attention to business school complicity to confusing management with exact science, and we appreciate John Cutler’s sketch of a simple framework to become a better leader.
Then, we apply the 5C model to ‘bring some structure and product thinking to AI solutions.’ Additionally, we share practical advice on a common product management challenge: feature or product? Also, we listen to Jason Knight and Jeff Gothelf philosophizing about the necessary shift from output to outcome orientation and why organizations still struggle to do so, and we explain Spotify’s approach to validation employing the broader DIBB framework: Data, Insight, Belief, and Bet.
Finally, John Shook shares his guidelines for Gemba walks as an outside advisor, from asking why to showing respect. Moreover, RebootHQ released a bundle of free self-guided courses, and Puppet made the 10th edition of the State of DevOps Report available. Lastly, we shed light on quality metrics, defining different ones for different stakeholder groups while warning of the risks of gaming them.
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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Spotify Model Critique
(via Medium): My critique of “the Spotify Model”: Part 1
Jason Yip started dissecting what many consider an agile framework from an insider’s perspective.
➿ Agile & Scrum
(via Forbes): The 12 Obstacles That Inhibit Management Innovation
Steve Denning points to issues contributing to management’s failure to keep pace with innovation, from branded management practices vying for attention to business school complicity to confusing management with an exact science.
: Probably, Just, Maybe, and Perhaps
John Cutler sketches a simple framework to become a better leader.
(via Lean Enterprise Institute): How to Go to the Gemba: Go See, Ask Why, Show Respect
John Shook shares his guidelines for Gemba walks are an outside advisor, from asking why to showing respect.
🎓 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Master Training w/ PSM I Certificate — Live Virtual Class: February 7-10, 2023
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Learn more: 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Master Training w/ PSM I Certificate — Live Virtual Class: February 7-10, 2023.
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🎯 Product
: Building Products With AI
Tariq Rauf applies the 5C model—from containing the problem to capturing the value—to ‘bring some structure and product thinking to AI solutions.’
: Product or Feature?
Rich Mironov shares practical advice on a common product management challenge—feature or product?—identifying indicators when a feature has product potential.
and : 🎙 OKRs: The Gateway Drug to Agility & Good Product Management
Jason Knight and Jeff Gothelf philosophize about the necessary shift from output to outcome orientation and why organizations still struggle to do so.
📖 Scrum Master Interview Questions 2023: The Scrum Master Role
If you want to fill a Scrum Master position in your organization, you may find the following interview questions helpful in identifying the right candidate. They are derived from my seventeen years of practical experience with XP as well as Scrum, serving both as Product Owner and Scrum Master, as well as interviewing dozens of Scrum Master candidates on behalf of my clients. This revised set of questions addresses the Scrum Master role.
Given the remarkable results, ChatGPT recently scored in my fictitious interview for a Scrum Master position; I added extra scrutiny to the nature of the questions. While I find ChatGPT a fascinating technology, I want it to fail in this interview challenge.
So far, this Scrum Master interview guide has been downloaded more than 25,000 times.
👉 Learn more: Scrum Master Interview Questions 2023: The Scrum Master Role.
🛠 Concepts, Tools & Measuring
(via RebootHQ): Communication 101: Create Safety, Build Trust, Stay Relational-the Work of Non-Violent Workplaces
RebootHQ released a bundle of free self-guided courses.
(via Puppet): Free State of Platform Engineering Report
Puppet made the 10th edition of the State of DevOps Report available.
(via InfoQ): Finding Adequate Metrics for Outer, Inner, and Process Quality in Software Development
Michael Kutz sheds light on quality metrics, defining different ones for different stakeholder groups while warning of the risks of gaming them.
🎶 Encore
: My Product Management Toolkit (56): Spotify’s ‘Bets Board’
Marc Abraham explains Spotify’s approach to validation employing the broader DIBB framework: Data, Insight, Belief, and Bet.
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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 product team performance:
- 🆕 Hands-on Agile 47: How much Product Discovery Is enough? The Confidence Meter Explained with Itamar Gilad.
- 🆕 Hands-on Agile 46: The Agile Fluency Model ® with Diana Larsen.
- Hands-on Agile 44: Honey, I Shrunk the Backlog with Allan Kelly.
- Hands-on Agile 43: Outcome-Based Product Planning with Jeff Gothelf.
- Hands-on Agile 42: Lean Roadmapping and OKRs with Janna Bastow.
- Hands-on Agile 38: The Product Owner with Roman Pichler.
✋ Do Not Miss Out and Learn more about the Spotify Model Critique — Join the 12,000-plus Strong ‘Hands-on Agile’ Slack Community
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Help your team to deal with Spotify model critique by pointing them to the free Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide: