Agile Answers

By Adam Weisbart: Certified Scrum Trainer & Agile Coach

What's Agile Answers about?

Get actionable answers to your questions about agile software development, the Scrum framework, and agile management. Adam tackles questions from callers to help them conquer their real-world challenges.

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Agile Answers episodes:

01.18.2022
What should we do instead of painful “Annual Planning”?
05.16.2020
Agile Virtual Summit Preview: Lyssa Adkins
=== Before the show: Join me for our LIVE Open Space event on January 27th, 2022! === There are few people in the agile world that have had a bigger impact on our work than Lyssa. In this episode, we’ll...
06.01.2017
How do we make sure we have cross-functional teams and why does it matter?
Every once in a while I stumble upon a facilitation tool that works so well I’m a little shocked. Recently I was helping several teams work together to create a backlog for their large project and I had a sneaking...
05.17.2017
What agile practices can you recommend to our game development studio?
Whether you build video games for a living, or just like playing them for fun today’s episode will help you improve your Scrum implementation. I’m always looking for practical tips on how teams can improve their work together and my friend Clinton...
05.10.2017
How do we remove silos when doing government contract work using Scrum?
Ed works for a government integrator and is finding it very difficult to deliver thin vertical slices of functionality every sprint. The difficulty is that, by law, his company cannot have access to the full system they’re working on. I’ve enlisted...
05.03.2017
How should we form new Scrum teams?
In my courses and coaching, I’m often asked how a Scrum team should be formed. Since the Scrum Guide gives no guidance on this, organizations usually decide to have managers form these new teams. Sadly, this approach doesn’t work well in the...
04.27.2017
How can we have good retrospectives (about our Scrum Master)?
The podcast is BACK! Today’s question comes from Stig, who is wondering how to help his team give honest and constructive feedback to their Scrum Master during retrospectives. We’ll talk about an approach you can use to help your team to break...
05.26.2016
When’s the podcast coming back?
I’ve gotten the same question from several different people over the last several weeks”What happened to the podcast?” and “Is it ever coming back?”. << Spoiler Alert >> Yes it’s coming back. Soon Listen to this quick update to find...
02.16.2016
How do we self-organize if our boss is on our team?
Today’s question come from an anonymous source. “Stifled Scrummer” says that their boss is on their team, which makes self-organization difficult. Stifled is wondering what tips I have for helping them deal with this organizational impediment. Mentioned in this episode: ...
01.28.2016
How do we deal with constant interruptions to our Sprint?
We’ll take a look at why teams often use user stories to capture agile requirements and how the format often gets misused. If a user story isn’t a detailed requirement, then what is it? Like the podcast? I’d love it if...
01.20.2016
Can a User Story be too long? Ours seem insane!
We’ll take a look at why teams often use user stories to capture agile requirements and how the format often gets misused. If a user story isn’t a detailed requirement, then what is it? Mentioned in this episode: User Story...
01.13.2016
Can our Scrum Master and Product Owner be the same person?
Andrew’s organization is small. Since the company is small, they’ve decided that the Product Owner and Scrum Master need to be the same person. We’ll discuss the possible pitfalls of mixing these two roles and what can be done instead....
01.07.2016
What 1 simple thing can I do to improve my coaching & scrum mastering?
I’ve been meditating daily for around 3 years, which has hugely improved my skill as an agile coach due to the focus it helps promote. In this episode my friend Hala asks for tips on how to get started. Since I...
12.01.2015
How do I get hired as a ScrumMaster if I’ve never been one before?
Susan wants to get a new job as a Scrum Master. The problem? She’s never been a Scrum Master before and it seems that employers are only hiring people with experience. She has become a Certified Scrum Master, but that...
11.03.2015
Our team wants to be more agile. What agile process is best?
Alex’s team wants to be more agile, and he’s wondering what process they should try first. With so many approaches out there, how does one pick the right one? Even though I’m a Certified Scrum Trainer, my answer might surprise...
10.27.2015
How do we improve our giant, multi-team Sprint Review session (or Sprint Reviews in general)?
Dae-Ho’s organization has multiple Scrum teams, and one giant all-day Sprint Review. People come and go throughout the day, and stakeholders are not always present. He wonders if there’s a better way to do things. Even if your company only...
10.13.2015
What are some creative & effective ways to make Retrospectives more engaging?
Anthony is looking for ways to make the Scrum meetings more engaging and useful. In this episode I’ll talk about how to get your team engaged in Retrospectives by making them FUN! If your team feels stuck, tools in this episode will...
10.05.2015
Will this hurt my Daily Scrum? And how do we deal with “non-dev” work?
Jamie has two questions: the first is about the Daily Scrum, the second is about how to account for work a team needs to do that doesn’t directly affect the product they’re building. I’ll answer both questions this episode, and...
09.29.2015
How do I escaped the dreaded ‘Scrummerfall’ trap?
Duncan’s team has switched from waterfall to an iterative approach. Their iterations are 2 weeks in length, but it seems the team is just doing mini-waterfalls in the two-week timebox. I’ll share the 3 simple steps teams can take to extract themselves...
09.22.2015
How do you help PMs and Managers not fall back into their waterfall ways?
Switching from waterfall to an agile approach can be difficult. Managers, PMs, and others often cling to their old command-and-control ways in order to feel comfortable and, well, “in control”. Raj asks how he can help his organization move forward...
09.15.2015
Our teams keep changing. How do I set guidelines that keep teams together?
illConstantly moving people from team to team hurts the teams in question, the individuals being moved around, and the organizations they serve. Amanda asks what guidelines can be put in place to help protect against this. You’ll learn a handy...
09.05.2015
How do you make sure your team has time to make the improvements they identify in their Retros?
Does your team identify process improvements in your Retrospective then find it hard to make time during the next sprint to actually implement the improvements? You’re not alone. In this episode I’ll answer Cheryl’s question by suggesting 3 steps to help combat...
09.05.2015
When should the business stakeholders get help from the dev team to get items ready for work?
When’s the right time to get the development team and business stakeholders together to discuss requirements? Marcy is struggling with a few challenges around this topic, so my friend Luke Walter, CST stopped by and we tackled it together. We...
09.04.2015
How do I energize a demotivated Scrum team?
Angela recently joined an existing team as their new ScrumMaster. Unfortunately the team is a bit shell-shocked from their old ScrumMaster’s command-and-control ways. I’ll offer up several approaches to help her team get energized about Scrum again. Like the podcast? I’d love...
09.04.2015
Mic Check! 1…2…3…
Introducing the Agile Answers Podcast! Every week I’ll answer a question submitted by a listener, and will give you no-nonsense real-world tips, tricks, and techniques to help you improve your agile kung-fu. At around 10 minutes per episode, you’ll get tons of...

What's Agile Answers about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Agile Answers episodes:

What should we do instead of painful “Annual Planning”?

Agile Virtual Summit Preview: Lyssa Adkins

How do we make sure we have cross-functional teams and why does it matter?

What agile practices can you recommend to our game development studio?

How do we remove silos when doing government contract work using Scrum?

How should we form new Scrum teams?

How can we have good retrospectives (about our Scrum Master)?

When’s the podcast coming back?

How do we self-organize if our boss is on our team?

How do we deal with constant interruptions to our Sprint?

Can a User Story be too long? Ours seem insane!

Can our Scrum Master and Product Owner be the same person?

What 1 simple thing can I do to improve my coaching & scrum mastering?

How do I get hired as a ScrumMaster if I’ve never been one before?

Our team wants to be more agile. What agile process is best?

How do we improve our giant, multi-team Sprint Review session (or Sprint Reviews in general)?

What are some creative & effective ways to make Retrospectives more engaging?

Will this hurt my Daily Scrum? And how do we deal with “non-dev” work?

How do I escaped the dreaded ‘Scrummerfall’ trap?

How do you help PMs and Managers not fall back into their waterfall ways?

Our teams keep changing. How do I set guidelines that keep teams together?

How do you make sure your team has time to make the improvements they identify in their Retros?

When should the business stakeholders get help from the dev team to get items ready for work?

How do I energize a demotivated Scrum team?

Mic Check! 1…2…3…