OKRs or Objectives and Key Results is a goal setting framework developed at Intel to help executives and technical staff align themselves on high-level objectives yet measure their progress on a weekly or monthly basis based on whether key results were being achieved.  

It's a great framework for ensuring that you are always aligned with your 'north star' yet have a firm finger on the pulse of the daily work you are doing.  

#agile and #scrum environments have a reputation for not being as metric focused and performance-driven as traditional #projectmanagement environments but that simply isn't true.  

In truth, data and regular inspection of what has been achieved is a central pillar of the #scrumframework. Without keeping a close eye on what is being attempted, produced and shipped, there is no way a #developmentteam and #productowner could know whether they are creating products and features that truly delight customers.  

The difference is simply that people in #agile environments don't guess up front and follow a rigid, detailed plan regardless of whether that plan is working or not. Instead, they make informed decisions based on the data and evidence they gather throughout the short, sharp period of work known as a #sprint.  

Working with evidence and building from a perspective of knowledge and learning is precisely what #empiricism is based upon. And #scrum is an empirical process with transparency, inspection and adaptation on a regular basis.  

So, what does a #scrumteam measure? What are good #OKRs for a #scrummaster to measure and evaluate?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through some valuable OKRs for a Scrum Master to measure and explains how these measures provide insights and ideas for improvement.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing #scrumteams in the world as both a Scrum Master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he knows a great deal about OKRs and aligning a team's efforts to achieve business and organisational objectives.  

If you like the idea of becoming a Scrum Master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a Scrum Master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a Scrum Master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https:///www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #scrummaster #okr #OKRs #agilecoach #scrumteam #certifiedscrummaster #advancedcertifiedscrummaster #certifiedscrumprofessional #agilecentre #johnmcfadyen

As a #scrummaster, you will be initiating and facilitating #scrum events for the #developmentteam and #productowner.  

These events are designed to help the team review performance, product updates, and what has been achieved. They also help the team understand where improvements can be made and how best to proceed moving forward.  

As a scrum master, you are a key player in these events and responsible for crafting something that actively engages the team, challenges them, and promotes understanding of why and how things have turned out the way they have.  

Two of the most productive events are the #sprintreview and the #sprintretrospective.  

The sprint review often includes the #productowner, #productstakeholders and the development team whilst the sprint retrospective tends to be reserved exclusively for the developers.  

So, what is the difference between a sprint review and a sprint retrospective?  

In this short video, John McFadyen explains the difference between the sprint review and the sprint retrospective, and provides some insights into how you can host a great event of your own.  

John McFadyen has worked on some of the highest-performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most comple #agiletransformations so he's led high-performance sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn by visiting https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #sprint #sprintreview #sprintretrospective #scrummaster #productowner #agilecoach #coaching

The #sprintretrospective is the final event in the #scrum Sprint. It's a great opportunity for the #developmentteam to reflect on everything that has happened in the Sprint, what worked, what didn't work, and why.  

As the #scrummaster, you have an opportunity to help the #scrumteam focus on the areas that are going to lead to the most significant improvement.  

A skilled Scrum Master uses the retrospective as a vehicle for discussion that helps the team focus on what they feel needs to improve and what they can do better in the next #sprint.  

It's often a favourite event for most Scrum Masters as well as the development team and there are many ways that you can craft a retrospective to get the most out of the event for everyone.  

In this short video, John McFadyen gives us some of his top tips for facilitating a great Sprint Retrospective and explains how they will help you in facilitating your own.  

John McFadyen has worked on some of the highest performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he knows a thing or two about high-performance sprint retrospectives that lead to excellence.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/ 

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/ 

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/ 

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/ 

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching 

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn on https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/ 

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #scrummaster #advancedscrummaster #agilecoach #coach #scrumcoach #certifiedscrumprofessional #scrumprofessional #sprint #sprintretrospective #developmentteam

#agile and #scrum environments are well known for their flat structure and direct reporting lines. Hierarchy isn't described within the #scrumguide nor is it encouraged within the #agile canon.  

That said, as we transition from waterfall-style #projectmanagement and 20th-century style organisations to newer, more #agile organisations, the old structures remain and are slowly looking for ways to integrate themselves into the 21st-century style organisation.  

Hierarchy and the structure of traditional organisations aren't going away anytime soon and so #scrum teams, including #scrummasters, need to fit into the equation somewhere?  

Where is that somewhere? Who does a Scrum Master usually report into and what would be considered their 'home' within a traditional or legacy style organisation? 

In this short video, John McFadyen describes where scrum masters usually report into in his experience working with organisations and he also provides some insights and recommendations into where he would place them in a traditional organisation instead of the two domains they are generally found.  

John has worked on some of the highest-performing #scrumteams in the world as both a Scrum Master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the largest, most complex #agiletransformation in the UK and Europe so he knows a thing or two about large organisations and how they are traditionally structured.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified ScrumMaster course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified ScrumMaster course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional ScrumMaster course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https:///www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #agilecoach #scrummaster #agileorganisations #agileteams #scrumteams #scrumcoach #certifiedscrummaster #advancedcertifiedscrummaster #certifiedscrumprofessional

Part 3 in our #scrummaster #interviewquestions series where John McFadyen answers some of the more common questions asked of #scrummasters and #agilecoaches in interviews.  

This is an interesting question designed to test your knowledge of process and what trips a #scrumteam up.  

Newbie scrum masters and agile coaches tend to be pretty dogmatic and lean heavily on theory and 'best practice', whilst more experienced scrum masters and agile coaches tend to have the deep expertise and experience necessary to understand that every situation is unique and the answer depends on many variables.  

As with all great consultant answers, the answer to this question is 'it depends'. There are several reasons why this is perfectly acceptable, even great whilst there are several reasons why having 200 items in a product #backlog is a bad idea.  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through his answer to the question of whether 200 items in a product backlog is acceptable.  

If you are interested in becoming an agile coach and value mentored, coach-driven skills development in your journey to mastery, visit our Growing Agile Coaches page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/growing-agile-coaches/. 

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master and want to achieve internationally recognised and certified accreditation as a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master (CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/certified-scrummaster/.   

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill to a more advanced level of knowledge and agile coaching capability, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/advanced-certified-scrummaster/.   

If you have several years’ experience as a scrum master and want to validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM) course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/.  

#agile #agilecoach #agilecoaching #agileprojectmanagement #agileproductdevelopment #agility #businessagility #scrum #scrummaster #scrumtraining #scrumcertification #scrumalliance #agilecentre #johnmcfadyen #coach #coaching #certifiedscrummaster

Congratulations, it's your first day on the job as a #scrummaster and you're probably super excited about all the opportunities that lie ahead of you.  

Your #productowner and #developmentteam have probably been working together for some time before you arrived and they should have an established way of getting things done so don't worry about walking in day one and having to change the entire organisation.  

You can take your time, embed yourself in the team, and start to develop your influence and credibility within the organisation.  

So, what do seasoned and experienced Scrum Masters do differently to newbie scrum masters and how can you learn from them?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through the difference between experienced Scrum Masters and those who have just set out on their apprenticeship journey.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing #scrum teams as both a Scrum Master and #agilecoach. He has also worked on the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he knows a thing or two about high-performing scrum masters and agile coaches in high-pressure #agile environments.  

If you like the idea of becoming a Scrum Master, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a Scrum Master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a Scrum Master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com  To connect with John on LinkedIn, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

#agile #scrum #scrummaster #advancedscrummaster #professionalscrummaster #agileprojectmanagement #projectmanagement #productdevelopment #certifiedscrummaster #advancedcertifiedscrummaster #agilecoach #scrumcoach

In #agile environments, #scrum teams are often seen as being too warm and fuzzy and not strong enough with data to guide their performance and decision-making.  

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Scrum is built on the pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation.  Things need to be frequently inspected and that includes data and metrics.  

Regular scrum events such as #sprint planning, #sprintreviews and #sprintretrospectives ensure that there is a lot of data being measured and a lot of feedback circulating amongst the #productowner, #scrummaster and #development team.  

The team also regularly interact with #productstakeholders with and via the product owner to ensure that they are building the right product, feature or service in the right way.  

So, what are some of the most useful metrics for a scrum master to measure?  

Turns out there are a few valuable metrics to keep an eye on, and one of those metrics isn't 'velocity', although it can be useful to measure velocity over time and compare whether the team are progressing and improving.  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through some of the most useful metrics for a scrum master to measure and explains why those metrics matter.  

John McFadyen has worked on some of the highest-performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he's learned a thing or two about high performance metrics and how to measure them effectively.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #scrumprojectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #agileproductdevelopment #scrummaster #scrumprofessional #agilecentre #johnmcfadyen #agilecoach #scrumcoach #certifiedscrummaster #advancedcertifiedscrummaster #certifiedscrumprofessional #agilemetrics #scrummetrics

#scrum is built on #kaizen or continuous improvement as a value proposition.  

The concept is that with each iteration, the #scrumteam learn from the previous sprint and use the knowledge that they have acquired during the previous sprints to improve on their processes and technical capability.  

The team are aiming for continuous excellence in all aspects of their work, from team interaction and engagement to technical excellence in the work that they produce.  So, how does a #scrummaster help the team achieve that goal?  

A scrum master carries no authority in a team environment nor are they able to tell the scrum team what needs doing and how to do it?  

In this short video, John McFadyen explains how a scrum master helps scrum teams achieve continuous excellence and demonstrates how their role is critical in helping the team to focus on improving with each iteration.  

John McFadyen has worked on some of the highest performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he's learned a thing or two about high-performing scrum masters.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' exprience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on  https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #productdevelopment #scrummaster #agilecoach #scrumcoach #developmentteam #agilescrumtraining #advancedscrummaster #certifiedscrummaster

In 2001, the #agilemanifesto was created by 17 of the world's brightest, most respected software engineers.  

The purpose of the manifesto was to articulate the #agile values and principles that governed their proposed methodology for product development.  

Traditional waterfall style #projectmanagement simply didn't work effectively when it came to complex environments and complex product development, so they invented a new way of creating products, features and services based on their research and experiments that had been conducted over the past 10 years or more.  

One of the #agile frameworks that had informed a great deal of their thinking was #scrum, co created by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber in the late 80s and early 90s.  

Scrum had been developed in a multitude of applications and proven itself as a resilient, reliable and proven #agileframework for creating products, features, and services in complex environments.  

Scrum was built on the foundation of inspection and adaption, with 5 core values that governed how #scrumteams worked.  Courage Commitment Focus Openness Respect  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through each of these scrum values and provides some context as to why these values exist and why they are so important in creating environments where scrum teams can excel.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing scrum teams in the world as both a #scrummaster and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations, which has given him a great deal of experience and expertise in high-performing scrum environments.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #productdevelopment #agileproductdevelopment #scrummaster #agilecoach #scrumteam #agilescrumteam #agilescrumtraining

As a #scrummaster, you're going to have the opportunity to work with a variety of #scrumteams in a variety of different applications.  

As an #agilecoach, mentor and facilitator, it's your job to help create an environment where a team can excel. An environment where the team take ownership of the work they are doing and the purpose of the work they are doing.  

Sometimes you get lucky and you walk into a great team environment where everything flows smoothly and the team are deeply invested in continuous improvement and innovation.  

Sometimes, you're not so lucky. Sometimes, you need to start from scratch and help your team become the high-performing, creative and collaborative team they could be.  

So, how do you differentiate between a high-performing team and a poorly performing team? How do you recognise the telltale signs of a poorly performing #scrumteam and set about developing a remedy?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through an example of a poorly performing team and why those factors determine their level of performance.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing #scrum teams in the world but he's also had his work cut out for him on a few client engagements.  

He's worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations and has worked with a variety of teams, from software engineering teams to senior leadership teams.  

It's given him a great insight into how teams perform and what a great performing team looks and operates like.   

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #productdevelopment #agileproductdevelopment #scrummaster #agilecoach #certifiedscrummaster #teamwork #teamperformance