Perfecting Scrum Basics
Find clear definitions and the original thinking behind the core Scrum Framework.
Retrospectives
One of the core principles in Scrum is the idea of continuous improvement. Each Sprint the Team engages in an inspect-and-adapt cycle during the Retrospective meeting. Beyond that though, the Scrum Guide doesn’t offer much insight into how to run a successful Retrospective and how to use the meeting to improve production, quality, and velocity. Visit the full course page.
How To Launch a Scrum Team
Join us as we share how we help clients launch teams. We share our step-by-step backlog for launching new teams or reinvigorating old. Three different perspectives from three Scrum Inc. coaches on what to do, what the common impediments are, how to avoid the worst and conquer the inevitable. Visit the full course page.
All Topics on Scrum Basics
Richard Hackman and Scrum
A guest post from Jens Meydam (@jmeydam) on the death of Richard Hackman. A few days ago, on January 8, a man passed away who may be considered one of the patron saints of Scrum, even though he had never heard of Scrum and few in the Scrum community know his name....
Requirements for Product Owner: Common Pitfalls
Recently during a leadership workshop an engineering manager complained that his Scrum teams deliver the product and that it was not what the customer wanted. He thought this was a problem with Scrum. I pointed out that the Product Owner determines what is DONE at the...
Scrum Goes Mainstream in France
As Scrum enters the mainstream, Xebia France has become one of the leading Scrum coaching companies for French developers. What they have noticed is that as Scrum expands, the basic ideas become watered down. For example, their Scrum Master Academy Rule #2, is the the...
Continuous Improvement for a Perfect 10
By Arline Sutherland I remember sitting on the basement steps in the summer of 1976 watching Nadia Comaneci win the worlds first perfect 10 in the history of modern gymnastics. Her command of the whirling routine on the uneven bars was a marvel. The announcers told...
Waterfall to Agile
Ade Shokoya of agile.tv has written a good book on Waterfall to Agile. The added value starts in the preface:As you know, the global economy is very volatile at the moment, and things aren't looking like they will get better any time soon. Across Europe and America...
Update: Excel Spreadsheet for Hyperproductive Scrum Teams
In the years since the first paper on metrics for hyperproductive teams, I have been thinking about new ways to measure high-performing teams. Tune in to the webinar "Hyperproductive Metrics" for the latest metrics to guide teams on the path to hyperproductivity....
Tipping Point: Get Agile or Get Outsourced
In the past six months, Scrum jobs on simplyhired.com have increased from 20,000 to 420,000. Despite this tsunami of Scrum job offerings, many of the traditional project leaders and senior IT staff I talk with are still resisting the inevitable and they fail to see...
Give Thanks for Scrum 2012
THANKS FOR EVERYONE WHO MADE [GIVE THANKS FOR SCRUM] A GREAT TIME !! TUESDAY NOVEMBER 20: The 4th Annual GIVE THANKS FOR SCRUM Event, Honoring Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. Learn more about GIVE THANK FOR SCRUM 2012. (Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, Give Thanks...
How Scrum Was Made: Kenji Hiranabe
Why and how you made Scrum – Interview with Jeff Sutherland by Kenji Hiranabe November 21, 2012 at 12:57 am kenjihiranabe Leave a comment Boston where Scrum Inc. based-in Kenji: I visited scruminc. in Boston last September. Unfortunately, Jeff was out in Zurich at the...
Scrum Ripples: Bringing Scrum Beyond IT
As the 20th anniversary of Scrum approaches, I’m struck by how the idea has spread. Tens of thousands of people hold Scrum credentials . Thousands of companies across the globe use Scrum. The US Department of Defense has a mandate to be Agile. Gartner Group says...
Webinar: Scrum Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of Jeff Sutherland’s invention of Scrum. What does it mean to reach such a landmark? There is a gulf between those who were there at the beginning and those who have joined the journey more recently. It behooves us all to...
Technical Debt: Every Company Needs a Technical Debt Remediation Program
The Gartner Application Development Advisory for 2012 strongly mandates abandoning waterfall, going Agile, and implementing a technical debt remediation program. This needs to be driven by the Product Owner and supported by management. But what is technical debt, and...
Getting Lean with Scrum
By Christine Hegarty In working for the creator of Scrum, I have gained an appreciation for the influence of Lean thinking on the development of Scrum principles. The concepts of continuous improvement, eliminating waste, limiting work in progress, etc. are intrinsic...
Scrum Inc. had the privilege to visit Kaplan Test Prep’s New York Office in August of 2013.
Scrum Inc. had the privilege to visit Kaplan Test Prep’s New York Office in August of 2013. Kaplan participated in the Scrum Capability Assessment Program and their strong performance earned two Bronze medallions: for the Agile Center of Excellence Team and for the Nursing Development Team.
How Scrum Manages Risk
There are 457,889 Scrum job openings today in the United States, up from only 20,000 earlier in the year. The top companies hiring are: Cybercoders8,113 Deloitte Development6,202 Randstad Technologies3,663 Robert Half Technology3,138 Deloitte2,939 Computer Sciences...
First Scrum Capability Rating Awarded
This summer Scrum Inc. launched its Scrum Capability Assessment program. The Assessment was carefully developed and exhaustively tested to give teams and companies measurable and detailed insight into the health of their Scrum implementation. The results are targeted, actionable steps organizations can take immediately to improve. Companies demonstrating a top-notch Scrum implementation are also recognized for their performance with a rating and award. The intent is to recognize companies that go the extra mile and implement a thorough and thoughtful Scrum that delivers excellent results.
Facebook or Microsoft: Who Has the Best Daily Scrum?
Making the Daily Standup Work
As the author of the paper Scrum in Church, I’ve been invited to give a talk about using Scrum in non-IT settings. It’s hard to find a setting more removed from software development than a church! For the past two years I have been working at Scrum Inc. where we do...
Update: Scrum Metrics for Hyperproductive Teams
The Scrum Metrics for Hyperproductive Teams: How They Fly Like Figher Aircraft will be presented at the IEEE HICSS Conference in Maui in January. A preliminary copy is available online at the link above. Previously, OpenView Venture Partners videotaped the Scrum...
Outsourcer Says: Do Not Outsource
Guest Blog By Peter Vaihansky, GM Americas, First Line SoftwareDo not outsource your software development. Yes, you read that right. I work for a software development outsourcing firm, and I am telling you not to outsource. But why not? Everyone’s doing it, and...
One Manager at a Time
By: Laura Althoff, Scrum Master and Executive Director of Scrum Inc. Last weekend while catching up with my mom on the phone the topic of Agile arose. I'd off-handedly let her know that I had presented at the Agile Boston monthly meeting, but this story prompted...
Announcing Scrumlab:
The definitive online community and resource for Scrum I’ve trained at last count, some 7,000 Scrum Masters. That's a lot of change to unleash into the world, and the stories I hear are nothing short of inspiring. I also hear a lot of questions on every topic...
GAO Report on Agile Practices in Government
The government is waking up to the incredible waste in federal software procurement. In 2000, a DOD study showed that 75% of $34B in projects was totally wasted. Ken Schwaber and I reviewed the Sentinel Project at the FBI in our latest book Software in 30 Days and...
Announcing Scrumlab! Where To Get Answers On Scrum.
I've trained, at last count, some 7,000 Scrum Masters. That's a lot of change to unleash into the world, and the stories I hear are nothing short of inspiring. I also hear a lot of questions on every topic under the sun. I've done my best to answer them one on one,...
Time Tracking is Anti-Scrum: What do you do when you need it for billing?
In general, tracking hours slows teams down and confuses the Product Owner about release dates. Over 50 years of research shows that hours have high error rates and variability and relative point estimation is better. Even worse, some of our consulting partners bill...
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