Agile Coaches' Corner

In this episode, Dan and Scott are discussing the challenges of bringing agile into a non-agile environment. They talk about the challenges they generally see in work environments transitioned to agile, misconceptions they often hear around agility, the concerns and struggles they often see as organizations are in their agile journey, how to overcome these challenges, and how AgileThought works with organizations that are getting started on their agile journey

In this week’s episode, your host Dan Neumann is going solo! He will be sharing the top 10 misconceptions he regularly runs into related to Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. Some of these myths include believing that Scrum is a methodology, that Agile is a process, and that following the mechanics of Scrum is sufficient enough to be an excellent team. Have you run into of these? Or do you believe them yourself?

 

Prepare to have 10 myths debunked! Tune in to hear them all and find out if you’re mistakenly falling for one of these misconceptions!

 

Key Takeaways

Misconception #1: There is an Agile process

Agility is 4 values and 12 principles

When the Agile Manifesto was created back in 2001 they defined the various values and principles from what they found was common in finding success; they didn’t just imagine what a new process might be

Misconception #2: Agile is good and every other approach is bad

Agile works really well for complex, challenging problems that require teamwork to deliver a solution to

Straightforward problems may not require agility; simple problems require simple solutions

Misconception #3: Scrum is a methodology

Scrum is a lightweight framework

Misconception #4: “We do Scrum… but…”

If you don’t follow the Scrum framework you’re not doing Scrum

By saying “We do Scrum… but…” you’re putting these cracks in the Scrum framework which is going to inhibit your team’s ability to be successful using the Scrum framework

Misconception #5: Following the mechanics of Scrum is sufficient enough to be an excellent team

Scrum’s effectiveness is really enhanced when teams embrace and understand the values behind the Scrum framework (focus, openness, respect, courage, and commitment)

When the values are not present, you can follow the mechanics but you’re really going to be lacking in your ability to become a high-performance team

Scrum values really bring the events, the roles, and the framework to life

Misconception #6: You can have a highly productive Scrum team without adopting good engineering practices

Though this might be true if you are organizing a group of volunteers to do yardwork for a non-profit, it doesn’t work for delivering a working increment of software every sprint

You will be very challenged as a Scrum team if you do not have good engineering practices that are agreed upon as a team

If you don’t take time to continually practice intentionally growing your engineering skills to share those with the team that’s going to limit the ability for your Scrum team to be highly productive

Misconception #7: We can do Scrum without improvement

The retrospective at the end of each sprint is an opportunity for your team to become intentional about committing themselves to continuous improvement

No Scrum team is going to be perfect right out of the gate, but you’ve got to commit to continual improvement

Misconception #8: Running to Kanban because the Scrum boundaries are uncomfortable

It’s difficult to put together a product increment every sprint but these are opportunities for growth and improvement; not your reason to run away and use a different approach

A misconception about Kanban is that it is an iteration-less framework; in reality, Kanban has values and principles just like Scrum

Misconception #9: You don’t “go to” Kanban

You apply Kanban’s values to the work that you’re doing and you embrace those principles (in other words: you just start doing Kanban)

Do not invent a new workflow that you imagine will work; just start with where you are

Misconception #10: Scrum and Kanban are mutually exclusive

They work incredibly well together, so feel free to use them together

You can use the information you glean from Kanban to help improve your team’s ability to deliver using the Scrum framework

What myths do you run into?

Share them by tweeting using the hashtag #AgileThoughtPodcast or email them to [email protected]!

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Agile Manifesto

Agile Coaches’ Corner Podcast Ep. 28: “Misconceptions and Interpretations of ‘The Agile Manifesto’ with Arie van Bennekum”

Daniel Vacanti

Agile Coaches’ Corner Podcast Ep. 19: “Eric Landes on Kanban Metrics in the Scrum Framework”

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott

Christy Erbeck

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

In this week’s episode, your host Dan Neumann is going solo! He will be sharing the top 10 misconceptions he regularly runs into related to Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. Some of these myths include believing that Scrum is a methodology, that Agile is a process, and that following the mechanics of Scrum is sufficient enough to be an excellent team. Have you run into of these? Or do you believe them yourself?

Joining Dan Neumann today are Johanna Rothman and Mark Kilby! In case you don’t already know them, Johanna Rothman is known as the “Pragmatic Manager” and is the author of 14 books (and counting)! Through her management consulting, she helps managers and leaders create projects, teams, and organizations that work. Mark Kilby is an agile mentor and coach, playing many roles on the software and product lifecycle stage. His passions include serving servant leaders and building sustainable organizations that bring value to the people inside and outside the organization.

 

Recently, Mark and Johanna have collaborated on the book, From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams, that teaches how to create a successful distributed agile team and leave the chaos of virtual teams behind. This fascinating book will also be today’s topic of discussion! Johanna and Mark outline the differences between co-located, distributed, and dispersed teams; why the distinction between all three is important for agile teams; what is an agile team; key principles for these different types of agile teams; and nuggets of wisdom for managers of these teams.

 

Key Takeaways

The distinction between colocated, distributed, and dispersed teams; and why it’s important:

A co-located team is one that is collaborating and communicating in person (one that you can simply walk up to and have a discussion with)

A distributed team is a group of individuals collaborating and communicating via communication technology (AKA a virtual team)

A dispersed team is where some team members are in one space together while the rest are in another

Mark has a simple way of distinguishing between these types through space analogies:

A Satelite team: where the bulk of the team is located but you’ve got a small number of the team that is not co-located with each other

The Clusters: where the organization has several clusters of people in different locations (i.e. co-located teams that have to coordinate the work)

The Nebula: where everybody is distributed and works from different locations to collaborate as a team

What is a team? And what is key specifically for agile teams?

A team has a single goal (and one that is small enough to be able to actually collaborate together with) and has interdependent work

The team has the capability and the hours of overlap to communicate and check-in with each other so that they have the right understanding of their collective progress and goal

The team watches out for each other to make sure they’re collectively working towards their goal

Key principles that will help your distributed team move towards better agility:

Hours of overlap are crucial in allowing the teams to truly collaborate

Flow efficiency for agile teams

The team needs to create tighter bonds with each other

Self-organizing and self-managing teams

Critical for the teams to decide when the meetings occur and to outline their own working agreements

Nuggets of wisdom and important qualities to uphold for managers that are leading distributed agile teams:

The three important mindset shifts for managers (outlined in their book) are: manage for change, emphasize communication and collaboration, and use agile principles (not practices)

Great managers have organizational expertise and understand how to get things done in the organization in order to set up the right environment for the teams

Managers support teams in their continued growth

Experimentation is key to managing for change

What is Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and how is it an important tool?

VSM is a lean management tool that helps visualize the steps needed to take from product creation to delivering it to the end-customer

It’s especially useful for nebula teams that are completely separated from each other (to be able to see where the work is and how much wait time there is)

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Johanna Rothman

Mark Kilby

From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams: Collaborate to Deliver, by Johanna Rothman and Mark Kilby

“Dispersed vs. Distributed Teams,” by Johanna Rothman

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep.5: “Exploring an Experimental Mindset with Adam Ulery”

Value Stream Mapping (VSM)

 

Johanna and Mark’s Book (and TV Show) Picks:

The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Prime Series)

Accounting for Slavery: Masters and Management, by Caitlin Rosenthal

Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Joining Dan Neumann today are Johanna Rothman and Mark Kilby! In case you don’t already know them, Johanna Rothman is known as the “Pragmatic Manager” and is the author of 14 books (and counting)! Through her management consulting, she helps managers and leaders create projects, teams, and organizations that work. Mark Kilby is an agile mentor and coach, playing many roles on the software and product lifecycle stage.

Joining Dan Neumann today is Logan Butler, a Senior Software Developer and Scrum Master at AgileThought, who is currently working in a scaled scrum environment!

 

Today, Dan and Logan will be discussing conflict with civility. Conflict within teams is inevitable — but how you choose to manage the conflict within your team is entirely within your control! In Logan’s experience as a developer and Scrum Master, he has learned that approaching conflict with civility not only helps you maintain highly positive relationships but also puts you on the right path toward building a transparent and brave team. And, as a former high school teacher, Logan has plenty of experience with conflict management. In this episode, he brings his unique perspective from his days as a teacher to his current role as a Sr. Developer to the podcast!

 

Tune in to learn all about how to handle conflict with civility!

 

Key Takeaways

What does it mean to handle conflict with civility? And what can be done to support it?

Dealing with complex situations while maintaining highly positive relationships with the people that we work with

Remembering conflict is not synonymous with angry or yelling; it is simply a problem that needs to be navigated

Empower your team through communication

Create a culture where everyone feels comfortable to speak up

Keep good working relationships with everyone on your team so they stay engaged

How to navigate conflict with civility:

If someone doesn’t want to participate, don’t force them

Lead by example and model what you want to see in your team

Explore the conflict through going through SBI feedback model (Situation-Behavior-Impact)

Utilize the Enneagram Personality Assessment tool to better understand a team member’s personality and perspective

Why is it important for teams to be able to handle conflict well?

Because conflict within teams is inevitable

It is healthy to deal civilly with conflict by not becoming affected emotionally or leave with hurt feelings

Logan’s three strategies for handling conflict with civility:

Protect your team:

Make sure everybody is treating everybody with respect, everyone is supported, and everyone is built up

Don’t support misbehavior (i.e. ignoring jokes at someone’s expense)

Have conversations to make sure everyone is included

Set up your working agreement and ground rules as a team

Look out with empathy:

Consider others’ circumstances 

Use group activities to help build empathy (such as retrospectives and the True Colors Exercise)

Think from someone else’s perspective, then listen, and have a conversation

Walk humbly:

Choose to go in a situation and acknowledge you won’t have all the right answers

Choose to be a constant learner and look at every opportunity as room to learn

Always be willing to better yourself and go into conflicts looking for what you missed rather than telling the other person what should have been

If you can do these three things, you have set yourself up to walk into a conflict with a demeanor that will ultimately lead to a better resolution and less baggage

The mindset of a continuous learner:

Be proactive in the way that you act humbly by choosing not to go down a path where you become a hero of the team

If you see yourself going down the path of becoming a hero, you can choose to become a team player

Don’t measure yourself on quantitative things; your value and contribution to the team is more than you can quantifiably deliver to the team

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Logan Butler’s LinkedIn

Eckerd College

Situation-Behavior-Impact Feedback Model (SBI)

Enneagram Personality Assessment

True Colors Assessment

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep.26: “How an Effective Leader Coaches with Joseph Carella”

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep.20: “Dr. Jeff Thompson on Values-Based Leadership”

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep.32: “Christy Erbeck on Courageous Leadership”

Brené Brown: The Call to Courage (Netflix Special)

 

Logan Butler’s Book Pick:

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts., by Brené Brown

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Joining Dan Neumann today is Logan Butler, a Senior Software Developer and Scrum Master at AgileThought, who is currently working in a scaled scrum environment!

What does it mean to be done in Scrum? This is something that gets overlooked frequently. The Scrum guide says that the heart of Scrum is a sprint — a timebox of one month or less, during which a done, useable, and potentially releasable product increment is created. So for something to be done means it’s either in production or it’s ready to go to production without any further work. And especially with new Scrum teams, this can be a major hurdle. It can seem like too much to ask.

 

Joining Dan Naumann today is AgileThought colleague and return guest, Sam Falco! Sam is an Agile Coach and Certified Scrum Professional with an extensive background leading Agile development teams. And today they’re highlighting exactly what it means to be ‘done in Scrum,’ why you should care about the definition of ‘done,’ how to go about shaping your team’s definition of ‘done,’ how to reach ‘done,’ and what you can do as a new Scrum team to overcome the hurdle of what ‘done’ is.

 

Key Takeaways

What does it mean to be done in Scrum?

• According to the Scrum guide, it means: during a sprint a useable and potentially releasable product increment is created (meaning it is either in production or ready to go to production without any further work)
• This definition of ‘done’ applies to the increment you’re creating each sprint
• Everything has to be working and working together

What can you do as a new Scrum team to overcome the hurdle of what ‘done’ is?

• Make sure your items are broken down small enough
• Make sure an increment is doable
• Remember that it’s better to deliver a small piece of value than a bunch of stories or backlog items that are not ready

How to reach ‘done’:

• Work together toward a common increment
• Build a strong enough sprint goal that is aimed at creating a solid product increment
• Do integration testing
• “If it hurts to release, do it more often”
• Consider: what can you do to automate it and make it easier to release?
• If, as a team, you feel your sprint is too short, consider the possibility that you’re perhaps trying to do too much
• Identify undone work in the increment
• Use the retrospective to frequently inspect your team’s definition of ‘done’

Sam’s tips for how to go about shaping your Scrum team’s definition of ‘done’:

• The team should create it with the product owner
• Brainstorm as a team by considering the question: what does it mean to get work into production?
• Align with your company’s developmental standards if they exist
• There has to be a common definition that everyone agrees to and adheres to

Why should someone care about the definition of ‘done’?

• Builds trust between business and IT
• Helps the team manage batch sizes by helping them to determine what they can do in a sprint
• Helps the Scrum team be clear to the business about what they’re going to receive
• Helps you minimize technical debt
• Continual attention to technical excellence enhances agility

Key takeaways around the concept of ‘done’:

• Start with what you know that you need to do to get to ‘done’
• Don’t obsess about having the perfect definition of ‘done’ (especially if you’re a beginning team)
• Make sure that you have useful guidelines that will help you communicate what is ‘done’
• Remember that this can eliminate the cost of technical debt and make your organization more nimble

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Nexus Scaling Framework

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep.33: “Nimble Facilitation with Rebecca Sutherns, PhD”

Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation, by Rebecca Sutherns

 

Sam Falco’s Book Pick:

The Enterprise and Scrum, by Ken Schwaber

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Joining Dan Naumann today is AgileThought colleague and return guest, Sam Falco! Sam is an Agile Coach and Certified Scrum Professional with an extensive background leading Agile development teams. And today they’re highlighting exactly what it means to be ‘done in Scrum,’ why you should care about the definition of ‘done,’ how to go about shaping your team’s definition of ‘done,’ how to reach ‘done,’ and what you can do as a new Scrum team to overcome the hurdle of what ‘done’ is.

This week, Rebecca Sutherns is joining your host, Dan Neumann, on the Agile Coaches’ Corner Podcast! Rebecca Sutherns is a strong strategic analyst and Certified Professional Facilitator, trained in numerous facilitation methodologies. She has conducted community consultations, strategic planning, research and evaluation exercises for a range of clients in Canada and internationally. She is an Instructor of a Facilitation Skills course within the Conflict Management Diploma program at the University of Waterloo, the CEO of Sage Solutions (where she bring her expertise as a professional facilitator to help purpose-driven leaders align what’s important to them with what they actually do), and the author of her new book, Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation.

 

In this episode, Rebecca and Dan are focusing on all things related to nimble facilitation! Though her background is not in Agility, her insights around nimble facilitation greatly align with the Agile value of “responding to change over following a plan,” and apply to what Agile coaches do daily.

 

Tune in to get Rebecca’s insights on what facilitation is, what separates a good facilitator from an average one, how to bring a meeting back on track through nimble facilitation, what facilitation should look like after a meeting, her tips for creating psychological safety, and all about her new book, Nimble, and the key lessons about facilitation from there as well!

 

Key Takeaways

What is facilitation?

• Giving people a structure by which to get things done as a group

What separates a good facilitator from an average one?

• A good facilitator is someone who can adjust in real time to what’s going on in the room
• The ability to respond to change over following a plan
• Knowing yourself well and knowing how you work under pressure
• By not being the “Oblivious Facilitator” (Example: If you’re not going to adjust based on the feedback that the group is giving you, don’t ask for the feedback)

How to bring a meeting back on track through nimble facilitation:

• Set expectations at the beginning (both in your own head and for the group) about what constitutes being on and off track
• Understand that things will go differently than you thought
• Give people starting and end times but not detailed agendas (because that can stress some people out)
• Plan for multiple scenarios
• Break down your main objective into smaller objectives

What should facilitation look like after a meeting?

• Ask yourself how it went and how do you know how it went
• Follow-up with people whose opinion matter to you
• Become a reflective practitioner and update your plans

In Rebecca’s book, Nimble, facilitation is broken down into these three phases:

• In advance: Anticipation
• In the room: Agility
• Afterward: Absorption
• And below that, there are four facets to each of those phases: People, Purpose, Place, and Process

Rebecca’s pro facilitation tips:

• Good process and good facilitation is the best antidote to a heckler or nay-sayer
• Part of skillful facilitation is self-regulation and having the mental discipline to not let distractions bother you
• Always have your plan A, B, C, D, etc. ready to go
• Do whatever prepping you need prior to the meeting to make yourself the most relaxed that you can possibly be

Rebecca’s tips for establishing psychological safety:

• As a facilitator, give roughly equal airtime (because if only one or two people dominate, others may feel like they don’t have space)
• Set norms for respectful behavior
• Make your shared purpose very explicit
• Let people put their own thoughts up on the board or ask for clarification; don’t edit their words

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Rebecca Sutherns

Sage Solutions

Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation, by Rebecca Sutherns

The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, by Amy C. Edmondson

 

Rebecca Sutherns’ Book Pick:

New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World — and How to Make It Work for You, by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!