The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

Where Does The Agile Project Manager Fit In? As companies progressively adopt Scrum as the preferred project management framework over traditional waterfall approaches, the subject of ‘role-mapping’ becomes more critical. Perhaps, one of the biggest challenges that organizations face when they move to Scrum is where does a Project Manager fit in Scrum? We are so used to the role of a Project Manag...

5 Keys To Relieve Stress Life has a way of piling on demands and expectations, whether you're at home juggling family commitments, or at work grappling with deadlines. In our fast-paced world, stress seems almost inevitable. However, I'm here to share with you that serenity and balance are not only attainable but sustainable. Let's dive into the top 5 keys to relieve stress at home and...

The Top 4 Reasons Why Agile Product Management Is The Cause For Your Failure Just Take The Pill Half-hearted Adoption Slicing Mechanism Forget The Big Picture 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/

The 7 Dysfunctions of Scrum - I disagree with ALL of these! LOL The Myth of Perfect Predictability Good Estimates Take Time Emphasis on ZERO Predictable = A Pretty Burndown Chart Points Aren't Everything Expecting Velocity to Match Calendar Time Ineffective Standup How to connect with AgileDad: - [website]  https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram]  https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [face...

In Scrum Change is ALWAYS Welcome... Or is it ALWAYS welcome? Join V. Lee Henson as we discuss the 4 Agile project phases and when change should be in the forefront vs when changes should be minimal. Do NOT get caught in the TRAP!! How to connect with AgileDad: - [website]  https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram]  https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook]  https://www.facebook.com/RealAg...

Agile Timeboxing - Gain The Focus You Need! In the dynamic world of Agile project management, the concept of “timeboxing” has emerged as a crucial technique for fostering efficiency, maintaining focus, and enabling iterative development. Timeboxing is a disciplined approach that sets specific time limits for tasks, activities, or phases within an Agile project. This technique empowers teams to man...

The Chain Reaction of Kindness Cedarville, a small town nestled in the heart of the Midwest, has recently been making headlines, but not for the reasons one might expect. Amidst the barrage of global news, this heartwarming tale from Cedarville stands as a testament to the power of a simple act of kindness. It began on a chilly Monday morning when Jane Patterson, a retired schoolteacher and a long...

Selling Scrum To Leadership & Management Is this really still a thing? We should have enough data to support Agile & Scrum solving many of the problems organizations face. But what happens when people are just not ready to make the jump? How to connect with AgileDad: - [website]  https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram]  https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook]  https://www.faceb...

3 Tips to Excel as a Product Owner - Mike Cohn Tip # 1: Hold the Interruptions What do good product owners tell the team once a sprint has been planned? That what they’ve been asked to develop will not change. But that’s a hard promise to keep when customers and stakeholders change their minds or come up with new needs! In rare cases, it’s ok to interrupt. Some changes are very important and worth...

Just Throw More People At It... That Always Works! We all know what happens when leadership wants more work... They hire more people! We also know that this causes a DECREASE in productivity to bring everyone up to speed. The best part is when the team finally understand the work and momentum increases, they are promptly 'rewarded' with MORE WORK! How do we break this vicious cycle? How to...

September 11th - A Day of Remembrance It was VERY difficult to record this episode, just as it is each and every year. Please take the time to listen and focus on the best parts that came to us from this day of grief. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website]  https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram]  https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook]  https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Lin...

Building Bridges - The Story Behind the AgileDad Logo MANY people have questioned why we selected a bridge for the AgileDad Logo? Here is the story of how it came to be. 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/

Introducing Jordan - SPECIAL Edition! Have you met Jordan? She is the latest addition to the AgileDad team and She is AMAZING!! Jordan was born and raised in Southern California before moving out to Utah where she attended the University of Utah. While there, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. She has worked in project management for over...

Retro of Retros - Is This Really a Retrospective Thing? In the whirlwind of fast-paced, agile environments, where sprint-to-sprint cycles often blur into one another, it’s easy to get caught up in the momentum of delivery. The sprint review is done, the retrospective is complete, and the team is off to the next sprint. But, wait — amidst the relentless march forward, have we ever paused to look ba...

Definition of Ready Should NOT be a Contract Although there should be no question that the Definition of Ready is a guide to a Scrum team to check if a work item is ready for them to start in the next Sprint, I found in many teams that it has been used as the contract to decide when the work can be  handed over  to the Scrum team. The team doesn’t understand that the backlog is just a list of idea...

What Are Cascading OKR's and Do They Even Work? Cascading OKRs is a strategic goal-setting framework   where high-level objectives are broken down and aligned across different levels of an organization, ensuring alignment, focus, and accountability throughout the hierarchy. The concept of cascading OKRs involves breaking down high-level objectives into smaller, more specific objectives and key...

How Do I Choose Between Waterfall or Agile? The first step is to know and understand what Agile Frameworks exist and how they are similar or different from each other. Next you identify and understand what makes a project Agile. Once you know what makes a project Agile, then you can dive deeper into each Agile framework before you choose. After you understand the frameworks, you can compare to the...

Beyond The Mountains Shadow - Overcoming Obstacles How do you deal with and overcome personal and professional obstacles? Today we go on an adventure with Clara as she embarks on her life journey to climb Mount Espara. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website]  ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram]  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook]  ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠...

Debunking Common Myths About Agile Philosophy We’ve all come across a plethora of quotes that don’t accurately capture the true essence of agile. Many of these quotes are, in fact, misconceptions. Let’s debunk some prevalent myths surrounding the agile philosophy by providing clarifications based on agile practices, the Scrum guide, and personal experience. Myth 1: Agile Means No Documentation Myt...

Let's Talk About User Stories - Mike Cohn Tip # 1: Start with some definitions A user story describes something a user wants. The story usually follows this template: “As a [type of user], I [want or need or am required to do this thing] so that [I can accomplish this goal].” An epic is a big user story. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. A theme is a collection of related user stories. So...

The 3 Pillars of Scrum and Why Adaption Is So Very Powerful! What are the three pillars of Scrum? The Scrum framework uses three pillars of empiricism: Transparency, Inspection and Adaption. Transparency  suggests that the details about the product development process are available, accessible, and present to all those involved in the process; including customers, Scrum team and the stakeholders....

Struggles and VICTORY During Backlog Refinement / Grooming Session What happens when your team is REALLY struggling with proper backlog refinement? How do we address these concerns? What is the best ways to help teams understand the importance of proper refinement? Join V. Lee Henson as we discuss a story shared by one of his students. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website]  ⁠https://www.agiled...

The Unseen Storm - Depression & Anxiety Are Real! If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, depression, or any mental health challenges, please reach out. Here are some resources that can help: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Crisis Text Line: Text "HELLO" to 741741. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - They offer supp...

Is WSJF Effective? Or Should I do Objective Stack Ranking? How is WSJF calculated? Weighted Shortest Job First is a simple formula: Cost of Delay divided by Job Duration (or Size). Step 1: Calculate Cost of Delay To arrive at the Cost of Delay figure, however, we will need to do a few additional calculations. As the training company Scaled Agile explains,  ⁠Cost of Delay in the WSJF framework is t...

How Do You Teach others About Story Points? It’s nearly back-to-school time where I live. I can almost smell the new spiral notebooks and freshly sharpened pencils! What are your back-to-school plans? Do any of them involve building your agile skills? I want to help. For the next six weeks, I’ll send a tip per week on common Scrum and agile topics, with three practical pointers for each. Every poi...