The Daily Standup

How to Engage Busy Stakeholders - Mike CohnWe often find ourselves reliant on others outside the team.
For example, an agile team may get stuck waiting for feedback on the latest features or input on what to build next because a key stakeholder has never shown up for a sprint review. Without that stakeholder’s feedback, the team is impeded: unable to determine if what they’ve created is what’s needed.
The team nags, pleads, and cajoles. But still they’re left waiting because stakeholders are often busy, and they just can’t (or won’t) find the time.
You’ve tried moving the sprint review meeting to more convenient times. You’ve sent agendas that make it clear the stakeholder’s most desired feature is the one being discussed in the review.
But time and time again, something comes up at the last minute and the stakeholder is a no show.
In these instances, it’s time to take the meeting to them.
 
When a stakeholder won’t (or can’t) show up for the team, it’s time for a different approach:
 

• Schedule time on the stakeholder’s calendar for a meeting a few days before sprint planning.
• Use that block of time to work together on what the team needs.

Schedule a Non-Meeting Meeting Tip within the Tip: Want more help with team dynamics and stakeholder management? Try my free Scrum Team Reset training. It’s three videos from me that will help you find new ways to take your team from good to great.
 When I schedule the meeting, I’ll sometimes be very clear what the meeting is about: “I want to go over such-and-such with you before the review.” Other times, I’ll be more vague: “I need to chat about the project.”
Use whatever language you need to secure time on the person’s calendar. Why? Because we are all more willing to cancel appointments with ourselves than we are to cancel an appointment with someone else. By putting time on their calendar that they’re reluctant to cancel, you’ve secured enough time for them to actually do the work.
 Get the To-Do to Done
During the meeting, explain to them the work you need them to do (look at the feature and give feedback or clarify how the feature should work.) Then, use the time to step through the implementation (or plan) with them.
This results in two things: the team gets the information it needs. The stakeholder finds that the thing they’ve been putting off really wasn’t so bad once they focused on getting it done.
 Why This Works
When stakeholders show an inability to get work or answers to you at appropriate times, it’s time to intervene. Maybe they’re worried their time will be wasted in a review where their feature is one of many being discussed.
Maybe “review the xyz feature” has been on their to-do list and keeps getting bumped down. Or maybe they haven’t actually scheduled a specific time to work on it.
No matter the reason, the work the team needs done is not happening. And your best chance of helping the stakeholder do that work is to schedule time with the stakeholder directly. And then use that time to make it happen.
Should stakeholders be able to do this on their own?
Sure.
But we all struggle at times. My experience is that after doing this a handful of times with a stakeholder, most stakeholders will form a new habit and be able to continue without you.
In other cases, you and the stakeholder will discover it actually is more efficient when done together, and you’ll keep a recurring meeting on their calendar that isn’t the review. That’s perfectly fine, too.
Stakeholders are often busy. And that can cause them to take longer to respond than a fast-moving agile team might like. Finding creative solutions that keep the team moving (even if it’s not something Scrum prescribes) is the best way to help advance a team from good to great,How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Clarity Is the Secret Weapon of Agile!We often mistake transparency for clarity. Transparency just means the information is available. Clarity means you can actually see. Clarity is not dumping everything on the table. It’s making sense of it. It’s vision. It’s seeing...How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Burnout Is NOT a Agile Problem - It Is A Planning ProblemI remember a sprint planning meeting a few months ago, and I knew the sprint was doomed before it even started. Not because of bugs or blockers — those we could handle. It was the way everyone looked during planning: like we were gearing up for a marathon we hadn’t trained for.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

5 “Healthy” Habits That Are Quietly Aging You

1. You swapped breakfast for a smoothie.
2. You do long cardio and skip weights.
3. You religiously avoid fat.
4. You graze all day.
5. You think stress management means just relaxing.

How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Is Scrum Dying? Or Are We Just Doing It Wrong?Scrum used to be king. Now people don’t even want it on their CV.Remember when being a Product Owner was cool? When Scrum Masters were change agents, not glorified note-takers?When saying “we use Scrum” signalled progressive, Agile thinking?Fast forward to now, and you’ll find Product Owners ashamed of the title, Scrum Masters sidelined, and developers stuck in factory-mode delivery.Teams are jumping ship to SAFe, Kanban, or “whatever Spotify did,” chasing results Scrum couldn’t deliver.
How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Is it ever OK to deviate from the Scrum Guide? - Mike CohnI’m out there on social media and I see all the same posts you do about the sanctity of the Scrum rules. And I get it. There are many rules of Scrum that teams break when they shouldn’t. But I don’t think it does anyone any good to be so hung up on rules that you throw practicality out the window.
Here’s the thing: No team should break a Scrum rule before they’ve tried to do it by the book for a while, and given themselves a chance to understand why each rule exists in the first place.
But teams that have been doing Scrum together for a while sometimes need to bend a few Scrum rules to fit their specific circumstances and situation. And in most cases no one needs to start calling foul if they do!
Here are a few common rules most teams can safely break or bend:
Never extending a sprint is a great rule. Usually. Can it be broken? Yes—not often and always for a good reason (such as a holiday that makes a longer sprint sensible).
It’s ideal to have a dedicated Scrum Master–it’s the best way to build high-performing teams. But having a dedicated Scrum Master is an economic decision and it may not always be justified, especially once the team can take on some responsibilities for itself.
Having a retrospective every sprint is a wonderful way to put improvement front and center. But if a team is running one or two-week sprints and things are going well, I think it’s OK for them to only do a retrospective every four weeks (or every other sprint).
Teams that are new to Scrum should do Scrum by the book. But it’s unrealistic to expect teams to never bend or break a rule to better fit their context.
Knowing when to follow the rules, and when to break them, helps teams succeed,
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The 5 Stages of Leadership

1. The Doer — You deliver results by doing everything yourself.
2. The Fixer — You solve everyone else’s problems.
3. The Enabler — You empower others to solve problems and grow.
4. The Multiplier — You build systems that scale others’ success.
5. The Shaper — You shape culture, vision, and the next generation of leaders.

How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Scrum Masters, You’re Not Just the Meeting PersonYou set up the standup, run a clean retro, update the board — and yet, nothing really changes. Dependencies still hit late. Stakeholders still ask for fixed timelines. The team’s doing its best, but it always feels like someone outside is pulling the rug. Sound familiar?That’s because agility doesn’t stop at the team boundary. And if you’re only coaching inside the circle, you’re missing half the job. The real magic? It happens when you start coaching around the team too.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

$1 from 130,000 Strangers: Bella’s Viral Mission to Reclaim Her Great-Aunt’s HomeFourteen-year-old Bella had a dream: to bring back into her family the little 1950s house next door — the home that once belonged to her great-aunt and uncle. With six brothers and sisters, a part-time job at her dad’s sno-cone stand, and a barely-used TikTok account, she launched a wildly ambitious idea: what if 130,000 people each sent $1 to help her family buy the house?A month in, Bella has already raised about $43,000 — almost entirely from small, heartfelt donations. Her campaign proves something simple and powerful: when a story is real, humble, and human, people respond. This episode explores Bella’s origin, her progress, and the smart, ethical ways we can help push her all the way to the finish line.In this episode we’ll hear from Bella’s dad (Zachary Patrick), learn how a small business (a sno-cone shop) and a big heart are powering a grassroots movement, and lay out a tactical plan listeners can use right now to help — whether that’s amplifying the message, organizing local support, or contributing safely.Donate / follow Bella’s fundraiser: CashApp: $summersnow2015
Venmo: ZPatrickFamily2008
SpotFund: https://www.spotfund.com/story/8aaa610d-6d63-492d-a999-a9999284c151

Agile Coaches Can’t Fix What Leadership Keeps BreakingYou can run the cleanest standups, the best retros, and the most motivated team workshops — and still feel like you’re sprinting in circles.
Because if leadership isn’t on board, the system breaks faster than you can coach it. It’s the silent pain many Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches carry: you’re hired to drive agility, but you’re blocked by decisions made way above your influence. And when things stall, guess who gets blamed?How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/