Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

BONUS: The AI Paradigm Shift, Interview With João Moura, creator of CrewAI In this episode, we explore the impact that AI may have in our work, and discuss with João Moura, a key actor in the AI space about the future trends and what they mean for product development. The Journey into AI and the Genesis of CrewAI João Moura's interest in AI began during his childhood coding endeavors, a journey marked by curiosity and challenge. Despite finding AI more complex than traditional programming, his persistent engagement led to the creation of CrewAI.  CrewAI, João’s library to take advantage of the multi-agent paradigm, is an example of what can happen when we bring different disciplines together in the form of a software development team. João refers to the transformation that happened in the field of AI when finally the software developers were working together with the AI researchers. Transformative Changes in Technology through AI Integration The AI landscape saw a pivotal shift with the collabor

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, we explore the story of a team that started to question the way they did estimates. The PO would use the estimations provided by the team to make a certain number of assumptions and reports that just did not correspond to reality. In the quest to solve that problem, the team started to experiment with different approaches, and naturally evolved to a #NoEstimates approach. Carsten explains the steps the team went through as well as the insights at each step. A self-organized change story on adopting #NoEstimates! In this episode, we refer to the #NoEstimates book.  About Carsten Lützen Carsten is an Agile Coach at the LEGO Group. Before that a Scrum Master for different teams. He has a deep love of graphical facilitation and professional coaching. Besides his full-time job, he shares weekly tips on YouTube and LinkedIn on Agi

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. We explore a real-life project that Marcus was part of, and how the #NoEstimates methods he used helped him make predictions, even if did not estimate the work to be done. About Dan Vacanti and Marcus Hammarberg Daniel Vacanti is a 20+ year software industry veteran who has spent most of the last years focusing on Lean and Agile practices. In 2007, he helped to develop the Kanban Method for knowledge work. He also co-founded ActionableAgile which provides industry leading predictive analytics tools and services to any Lean-Agile process. Dan co-founded ProKanban.org a community focused initiative to help people learn about Kanban. You can link with Dan Vacanti on LinkedIn and connect with Dan Vacanti on Twitter.  Marcus Hammarberg is the author of Salvation: The Bungsu Story (available on Amazon), an inspiring and actionable story about how

Maryse Meinen: Value Over Velocity, A Product Owner’s Journey to Value-Driven Development, NoEstimates Unplugged Week This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams.  To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here. Introduction to #NoEstimates Maryse Meinen shares her journey into agile and lean methodologies, highlighting a pivotal moment at her first international conference where she attended a workshop on #NoEstimates led by Seb Rose. The workshop's quiz on estimating the distance from Earth to the moon led her to an epiphany about the common tendency to provide estimates even when uncertain, driven by peer pressure—an insight that spurred her to experiment with the #NoEstimates approach.   A Real-World Example of Success Maryse describes her experience with a new team tasked with developing an infrastructure solution without relying on traditional estimate

Luis Garcia: Forecast Over Estimation, How To Transform Your Approach To Project Management, NoEstimates Unplugged Week This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams.  To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here. Introduction to #NoEstimates Luis Garcia, transitioning from estimation discomfort to a #NoEstimates approach as a product owner, discovered its benefits after attending a workshop by Woody Zuill. Faced with the challenges of hard commitments in government projects, he sought to shift focus from when to what and why in project discussions. A Transformative Project Example  Implementing #NoEstimates in a kanban team, Luis emphasized work breakdown and comfortable task sizing. This method facilitated stakeholder communication, improved expectation management, and enabled precise progress measurement through metrics like cycle time and using techniques

Lee Beckett: Using NoEstimates to Help Agile Teams Focus On Value, And Create Transparency - NoEstimates Unplugged Week   This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams.  To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here.   Exploring #NoEstimates Lee Beckett shares his journey from coder to Product Owner (PO), and how his diverse experience led him to question the effectiveness of traditional estimation techniques in agile environments. He discusses the adoption of a #NoEstimates approach, highlighting its benefits in simplifying processes and focusing on delivering value. Lee illustrates how abandoning estimates, except for significant items, streamlined project workflows and improved team dynamics. This approach fostered a culture of trust and transparency, crucial for managing stakeholder expectations and focusing on product delivery. Challenges and Solutions Im

Johannes Andersen: Ceremony Over Substance, The Scrum Master Trap, And How It Affects Teams And The Product Owner Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Scrum Master: Beyond the Backlog, How a Great Scrum Master Helps Product Owners From a Product Owner's perspective, Johannes shares what an ideal Scrum Master looks like. This Scrum Master not only introduced him to Scrum but also focused on the underlying purpose beyond mere processes. His patience, clarity, and pragmatic approach in defining priorities and solving conflicts greatly facilitated the PO's understanding of product development challenges. This Scrum Master’s ability to foster meaningful conversations significantly helped Johannes in the PO role, highlighting the importance of a Scrum Master's soft skills in guiding and supporting the product vision. The Bad Scrum Master: Ceremony Over Subst

Johannes Andersen: Autonomy as an Achievement, Empowering Self-Sufficient Scrum Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. When it comes to being a successful Agile Coach and Scrum Master, Johannes emphasises the goal of becoming unnecessary as the team matures. For Johannes, success is evident when the team autonomously conducts check-ins, engages in constructive debates, and effectively self-organizes while maintaining good relationships. The ability to request help and independently run retrospectives are signs of a well-functioning team that continuously challenges its own processes. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: The Timeline Retrospective With a Twist Johannes shares a favorite retrospective format, focusing on flexibility and open dialogue. Starting with a timeline to objectively list events, the process encourages a shared understanding of r

Johannes Andersen: The Critical Role of the Leap of Faith in Organizational Change Programs Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Johannes discusses leading a small business unit through a change process to improve project flow and efficiency. Initially working in silos, the team aimed to reorganize around customer-focused products. Despite considering an outside-in model, they chose an inside-out approach for practicality. An off-site session helped visualize the workflow under the new structure, but progress in the change was slow due to overplanning. Johannes learned that successful change requires adaptability and a leap of faith, emphasizing the importance of navigating between complicated and complex models as reality shifts. In this episode, we talk about the importance of being able to differentiate between complex and complicated types of

Johannes Andersen: Disjoint Silos, The Illusion of Teamwork and How it Affects Agile Coaches’ Work Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this segment, Johannes reflects on his transition from a business unit to an HR position, which initially seemed promising due to the team-based approach they embraced in HR. However, he soon discovered that the HR team lacked unity, with various small roles not functioning cohesively as a team. Tasked by his manager to enhance the HR team's effectiveness, Johannes found himself dedicating much of his time to internal issues rather than organizational improvement. The core issue was the absence of a shared goal, leading to misalignment and lack of collaboration within the team, effectively making them "disjoint silos" rather than a unified force. We discuss Vasco’s mnemonic of “One Team, One Goal” andthe importance of aligning

Johannes Andersen: Collaboration Over Isolated Performance, Lessons Learned as a Scrum Product Owner Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Johannes shares a personal story of his struggles as a Product Owner (PO). In his early career, Johannes believed he needed to have all the answers and provide detailed requirements alone; but he quickly found that it was not so easy to define all the features by himself. This experience taught him the importance of involving the entire team in writing user stories, highlighting that collaboration, not individual effort, leads to success. Johannes emphasizes focusing on outcomes, encouraging POs to ask goal-oriented questions and to view technical solutions through the lens of their importance. He recommends resources like Mike Burrows' list of questions to foster effective communication and collaboration.   [I

BONUS: Beyond Profit, How Happy Office Is Redefining Success in the Workplace, with Maartje Jansen and Fennande van der Meulen Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Maartje and Fennande's journey into the realm of happiness at work began with a blend of personal insight and professional evolution.  A conversation with a neighbor about the  innovative step of hiring the Netherlands' first Chief Happiness Officer, led them to the realization that prioritizing worker happiness is not just beneficial but essential for business success.  This revelation was the cornerstone for founding Happy Office, the consultancy they work for. Both had always valued engagement and purpose in their work, but now they were seeing the business world through a new lens: one that focuses on harnessing the full potential of employees, beyond just profit generation.  Their early skept

Freddie Brown Jr: Inspiring Excellence, How the Commitment and Clarity Transforms the Performance of the Scrum Product Owner Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Inspiring Excellence, How the Commitment and Clarity Transforms the Performance of the Scrum PO In this segment, Freddie highlights the exceptional qualities of a great Product Owner (PO), Sara. She exhibited visionary leadership, with a clear and effectively communicated product vision. Her ability to inspire the team and her commitment to the product's success were some of the most important qualities highlighted by Freddie. Sara's enthusiasm for the work, skill in defining and explaining requirements, and prompt feedback to the development team set her apart as an exemplary PO. The Bad Product Owner: Collaboration Over Dictation, Tackling the Micro-Manager Scrum PO Challenge

Freddie Brown Jr: Beyond Project Completion Metrics, The Key Metrics For Scrum Masters Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. When it comes to defining success for Scrum Masters, Freddie invites us to go beyond conventional metrics like project completion. Key aspects include fostering collaboration, building high-performing teams, and enhancing organizational agility. Success encompasses team happiness and morale, creating a psychologically safe environment, encouraging innovation and efficiency, stakeholder feedback satisfaction, and effectively removing team impediments. Featured Retrospective Format For The Week: Simplifying Retrospectives for Impact When it comes to Agile retrospectives, Freddie emphasizes simplicity and effectiveness. He advocates for a straightforward approach, asking the team to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and potential improve

Freddie Brown Jr: From Assessment to Action, How Scrum Masters Can Start Their Engagement With A New Team Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Freddie shares a story from his role as a change agent in a team engagement. He begins with 'CCC' - coffee, conversation, and candidness - to understand the team's dynamics. Following this, he conducts a thorough team and technical assessment to identify gaps. In one case, while noticing a lack of SAFe knowledge, Freddie designed a Scaled Scrum Master workshop and implemented a skill improvement plan. The process concluded with a retrospective on the training, emphasizing the importance of celebrating changes and achievements, guided by metrics.   [IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working

Freddie Brown Jr: Self-Organizing For Success, How Agile Teams Need to Define and Accept Roles and Responsibilities Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. This segment features Freddie discussing challenges faced by a team with undefined roles and blurred responsibilities. He recalls an experience where QA personnel doubled as Scrum Masters, leading to role confusion. Freddie emphasizes the effectiveness of the RACI matrix in clarifying roles and responsibilities. He advises fostering discussions where teams define their own roles, thereby encouraging self-organization and clear understanding of each member's duties. Featured Book of the Week: Whiteboard: Business Models That Inspire Action by Daren Martin In this segment, Freddie discusses how "Whiteboard" by Derrin Martin profoundly influenced his approach as a Scrum Master. The book, renowned for its models

Freddie Brown Jr: From Chaos to Clarity, How A Process To Manage The Inflow Of Work to an Agile Team Transformed Their Performance Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode with Freddie, we explore the story of a team that was grappling with conflicting priorities. Freddie stepped in to shield the team and initiated a dialogue with the leadership, who were familiar with agile methodologies. The root cause of the problem seemed to be the absence of a structured process to integrate and prioritize new work that led to shifting priorities. Freddie worked with the stakeholders to create a clear process for leaders to introduce and manage new priorities effectively, without disrupting the team. This story highlights the need for clear processes that manage the “inflow” of work to the team.   [IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a cr

Viktor Didenchuk: Effective, Protective, Result-Oriented, The Traits of a Successful Scrum Product Owner Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Effective, Protective, Result-Oriented, The Traits of a Successful PO When describing a great Product Owner and how they work, Viktor focuses first on effective communication; a great PO must clearly articulate what's working and what isn't to the team and stakeholders while fostering a reflective environment. Secondly, protection is essential; they must safeguard the team and product vision amidst constantly evolving technology, resisting the urge to chase every new trend. Finally, being result-oriented is vital; a great PO has a clear understanding of the desired outcomes and end state of the product. Viktor encapsulates this with the mantra, "It's always the leader who is wrong, and it's always th

Viktor Didenchuk: Reflect, Review, Succeed, How To Develop Your Own Success Routine As A Scrum Master Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Viktor discusses the definition of success for Scrum Masters, emphasizing the goal of making oneself redundant. For Viktor, success involves the team being self-sufficient in facilitating conversations and functioning effectively without constant guidance. He advocates for regular self-evaluation through 360 feedback and daily journaling to aid in self-development. Assessing team success and reviewing metrics in the scrum of scrums are crucial. Viktor encourages Scrum Masters to develop a personalized success routine, ensuring continuous improvement and effective team leadership. Featured Retrospective For The Week: The Battle Between Two Movies, Finding Relatable Metaphors For Retrospectives In this segment, Viktor discu

Viktor Didenchuk: Behind the Scenes, Helping A Company Pivot From Enterprise To SaaS, And How To Help Agile Teams Change Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Viktor discusses the transition of his company's focus from an enterprise-centric product to a SaaS offering. The main challenge was establishing an incident management process for the new product. The team sought inspiration from industry giants like Google and Netflix, creating a rulebook and testing the process in real-time. They used OKRs for regular review, gradually involving more staff. Stress factors for users were identified and addressed, including establishing a dedicated Slack channel. A critical hurdle was motivating people to participate, recognizing that incentives vary across individuals. The solution included designing benefits for those managing incidents, acknowledging that