The Liberators Podcast

In the Scrum.org Headquarters there is a picture of Ken Schwaber — one of the founders of Scrum — pointing at a sticky saying “Done”. This picture underscores the most essential rule in Scrum: create “Done” software every Sprint.

But what does that mean? And why does it matter? Isn't it enough if you just work as hard as you can during a Sprint and do the rest - like testing and deployment - in a future Sprint?

In this episode we explore how vitally important a Done increment is to the purpose of the Scrum Framework. And more importantly, to working empirically in the face of complex work.

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2LkKcFc

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators 

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

A simple search on Google yields dozens of Maturity Models for Agile and Scrum. At first sight, they seem incredibly helpful. By flattening the complexity of growth and learning into a single model you can easily identify what needs to be improved.

But in this episode we share why we don't like maturity models one bit. They make several assumptions about growth and learning that just don't hold up. And they introduce a kind of language into the workplace that we should want to avoid if we want to create a safe environment. In the episode, we also more useful alternatives (hint: they're very simple too).

We're eager to hear your take after listening to the episode. What is your experience? What alternatives do you see?

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2UD2jsY

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

This episode is an excerpt from the book that we’re writing, the ‘Zombie Scrum Survival Guide’. It’s our way of delivering small increments and involving our stakeholders. So we’d love to hear your feedback, encouragements and wild ideas. You can also listen to us reading this post here. Sign up here to stay informed and provide feedback on our writing.

What makes someone a "stakeholder"? It’s such a simple question that you can’t help but wonder why we’re even asking it. The Scrum Framework relies heavily on involving stakeholders. And for good reason. You need them to validate your assumptions and to determine what is valuable (and what isn’t).

We’ve visited Sprint Reviews where all the ‘stakeholders’ present were internal to the organization; people from marketing and sales, an internal product manager and an opinionated colleague. None of them were either using or paying for the product and its development. We’ve found that not included the right stakeholders is one of the primary causes of Zombie Scrum.

In this podcast we share what is necessary for someone to actually be a stakeholder. We also offer three questions to help you find them.

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2Pw6NkO

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

On November 22, we had the huge pleasure of hosting a 1-day workshop on navigating tension and conflict in groups with Julie Huffaker, Karen Dawson, and Daniel Steinhöfer. Attended by 55 participants, we explored how instead of ‘resolving’ conflict — which often isn’t possible — we can navigate conflict and tension more productively instead. Rather than making this a very theoretical workshop, we opted for a hugely interactive and experiential experience.

In this episode, we capture the five biggest insights we took from the workshop.

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2rmhtKF

The string for the workshop can be found here:
http://bit.ly/2OCa2H5

You can sign up for the next workshop, on October 27, 2020 here:
http://bit.ly/2JVSHcg

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

"Scrum has too many meetings!" is a common complaint against the Scrum Framework. And we totally get where that is common from.
 
But if you look at the numbers, Scrum doesn't have "many meetings" at all. Instead, other things seem to be happening that are making teams feel as if they're wasting their valuable time in meeting rooms. In this episode, we explore the myth that Scrum requires many meetings. We also give you several tips on how to start improving your situation.

We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. You can do so by giving us a thumbs-up on the platform you're listening on. Or follow us on Twitter, Medium or LinkedIn (Barry & Christiaan).

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/33VRN4L

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Or check out our upcoming events at:
https://theliberators.com/events

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

Scrum Masters can't remove someone from the team, right? That would harm trust, it would violate their self-organizing nature. But what if the dynamic in the team is so harmful that it is affecting a team's ability to work. What if Scrum crumbles because of a prolonged and unresolved conflict?

In this episode we dive into one of the toughest myths of Scrum. And by doing so, we explore the essence of what it means for the Scrum Master to be both and servant and a leader.

We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. You can do so by giving us a thumbs-up on the platform you're listening on. Or follow us on Twitter, Medium or LinkedIn (Barry & Christiaan).

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2NMxZLm

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Or check out our upcoming events at:
https://theliberators.com/events

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

Are you a Scrum Master and ready for the next step as Agile Coach? Do you need an Agile Coach to help facilitate organizational change while Scrum Masters focus on the Scrum Teams? Do you have experience as a Scrum Master and want to become Agile Coach with a 3-day course? Ever considered changing your job title to ‘Agile Coach’ because it nets you a higher salary?

These statements exemplify the myth that we intend to bust today; the idea that the Scrum Master is a Junior Agile Coach. Or maybe even that you need Agile Coaches ...

We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. You can do so by giving us a thumbs-up on the platform you're listening on. Or follow us on Twitter, Medium or LinkedIn (Barry & Christiaan).

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2VJD8tv

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Or check out our upcoming events at:
https://theliberators.com/events

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

Why do we estimate work in Scrum? Are Story Points the best way to do this? And what about #noestimates? In this episode we address the myth that Scrum requires all work to be estimated in Story Points. In the process, we already explore what the purpose of estimation is in Scrum, and how it is very different from plan-based approaches.

We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. You can do so by giving us a thumbs-up on the platform you're listening on. Or follow us on Twitter, Medium or LinkedIn (Barry & Christiaan).

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2YVvLSp

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Or check out our upcoming events at:
https://theliberators.com/events

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

Is the Product Owner the only person who interacts with stakeholders? You may also recognize a Product Owner who claims exclusive responsibility for talking with users. Or the Product Owner as the only member of a Scrum Team who identifies and clarifies work for the Product Backlog.

In this episode, we bust the myth that the Product Owner is the only person on a Scrum Team who interacts with stakeholders, like users and customers.

We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. You can do so by giving us a thumbs-up on the platform you're listening on. Or follow us on Twitter, Medium or LinkedIn (Barry & Christiaan).

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2OS1eQx

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Or check out our upcoming events at:
https://theliberators.com/events

Like our work? You can support us by becoming a patreon and donating the price of a beer or a coffee:
https://www.patreon.com/liberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.

Does Refinement feel like a chore for your team? Is refinement taking place during required meetings during the Sprint? In this episode, we address the myth that refinement is a required meeting in Scrum. We also explore what the purpose of refinement is in the first place, and how to make it more effective.

We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. You can do so by giving us a thumbs-up on the platform you're listening on. Or follow us on Twitter, Medium or LinkedIn (Barry & Christiaan).

This podcast is an audio recording of this post on Medium:
http://bit.ly/2N59XfW

Follow us on Medium:
https://medium.com/the-liberators

Or check out our upcoming events at:
https://theliberators.com/events

Donate to support our work
https://bit.ly/supportheliberators

Support the show

We're building Columinity to help teams improve continuously based on scientific insights:
https://columinity.com

Check out our webshop for tons of powerful exercises and workshops to run with your team(s):
https://shop.theliberators.com

The music for episodes 91 and onward was written and produced for us by Basanite. The music for episodes 1-90 was acquired through Yummy Sounds. Post-production by Jasper Huiskamp.