New to agile? What does the ScrumMaster do anyway?
I often have people ask me what a ScrumMaster does. Interestingly, today it came up on a mailing list I read on a regular basis. …
Author: Bob Hartman
Known as Agile Bob, brings over 35 years of experience and broad industry knowledge cultivated by serving in almost every role in the software industry including developer, tester, documentation writer, trainer, product manager, project manager, business analyst, senior software engineer, development manager and executive. Over the past 20+ years Bob has grown from being an early adopter of Agile to his current status as a Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST) and Certified Enterprise Coach℠ (CEC) and an expert in training, coaching and mentoring across all areas of Agile development. Bob is a popular speaker, having spoken at numerous major conferences, seminars, workshops and user group meetings where his engaging style, holistic view of development and personal anecdotes are always well received by attendees. See his upcoming courses by clicking on Upcoming Courses under Agile For All in the menu at the top of your screen.
Agile antipattern: Working overtime
Ever feel like the guy over there to the left? Yeah, me too. Sorry to offend some people with my language, but working overtime really…
I’m a Certified Scrum Coach (CSC) – so what?
I’ve asked myself that question more than once in the 5 or so months since I became a CSC. I never doubted my decision to…
New to agile? Don’t make it too hard!
OK, so this isn’t my normal type of blog entry. I don’t usually plug my speaking enagements like this, but then I thought – why…
Agile2009 thoughts so far
So far I am having a great time at the Agile2009 conference in Chicago. There are some amazing speakers at this event. With approximately 1350…
Wow, this is a Best of the Web Top 100 blog!
I just found out that this blog is now listed as a Top 100 blog by The Daily Reviewer! I am truly flattered to be…
New to agile? Work at a sustainable pace
Question: Which is better: a) Working nights and weekends to meet iteration commitments, or b) Admitting the commitment was too much and working normal hours…
Agile pondering: Is it agile to have a “single wringable neck?”
In Scrum one of the named roles is that of Product Owner. Some people have taken to referring to this position as the “single wringable…
Agile antipattern: Waiting for all the requirements before starting
Time for a short blog entry (I tend to be way too verbose!). I often see teams trying to make sure they have all of…
Making Agile a Reality®
Today is an interesting day. Back in January 2009 I decided to apply for registered trademark status for the phrase “Making Agile a Reality.” Today…
Agile antipattern: Using email as the primary communication tool
Can I just be short and to the point for this one? I hope so, because that is my intention! Email is LOW BANDWIDTH communication…
New to agile? What to do when you are behind
Wow, has it really been more than a month since I posted something on my blog? Ouch! I guess I’ve been busier than I thought. …
Agile antipattern: Insanity! (5 insanity antipatterns)
It is sometimes said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. This definition has…
How to make a LOT more money using agile
Yesterday’s blog post dealt with how to manage scope for an agile project. Today I have to admit it was a bit of a setup. …
New to agile? 3 ways to cut scope (and live)
The primary way I see teams release products faster is by reducing the scope of each product. However, this can’t be done in an arbitrary…
New to agile? Remember how to say “No”
No. Only two letters. Very simple word. Yet for some reason, with the exception of when we are at “the terrible 2’s” stage of life…
New to agile? INVEST in good user stories
As a <user> I want <function> so that<value>. Above is a very simple user story template. How can something so simple be so hard to…
Agile antipattern: Treating symptoms not causes
Agile teams often get to a point where they have a number of problems which must be addressed. During retrospectives these items keep coming up…
New to Agile? Use a Rules of Engagement document.
How do we work together? Seems like a simple question, right? How wrong you could be! For an agile team, working together is vitally important,…
Agile antipattern: Hiding unfortunate truths
“Unfortunate truths” are things which are true – unfortunately! I’ve heard the phrase used by defense lawyers and I have to admit it is pretty…