The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

In a recent article by Alex Griffith, Stop Hiring Scrum Masters, Hire Value Delivery Leaders Instead, he discusses a strange phenomena. For years I have seen people create new frameworks, add to existing frameworks, and find ways to change up what should be very simple frameworks. In this episode I feel what Alex is trying to say and give you my two cents. 

It is not everyday that you celebrate your fifty-first birthday! I thought it would be fun to share Twenty life lessons that have brought me fulfillment:  Lead with love Serve others Show gratitude Seek happiness Inspire others Be prepared Practice kindness Uplift others Express empathy Always be honest Give freely Never judge Share your talents Ignite passion Be humble Embrace change Raise a...

Here we go again.. Yet another episode with what feels like an impossible result... In all actuality, I have only carried over 2 items from one sprint to the next in my entire 19 year career! This means it IS possible if you do these three things:  Establish a sound team working agreement Learn to INVEST in solid User Stories Maximize team communication & commitment 

I recently received an email from Mike Cohn discussing techniques to NEVER deliver an Agile project late. At first I must admit, I was a perfect combination of excited to learn and extremely doubtful in the ability to do this. After some reading and discussion, I have determined that this is indeed possible.. 

Thank you to all Veterans Everywhere.. 

What Should Be Included in a Team Working Agreement? Join V. Lee Henson as we discuss what items could be incorporated into a team working agreement: Honor & Pride Over-Communication Early is On Time No Heroes Win or Lose as a Team Embrace Constraints The Penalty Box  Own Our Quality Thrive On Deadlines Welcome & Own Our Challenges

STABLE - Defining Personal Leadership In Chapter 13 of The STABLE Framework book, the master chief section, Mike Berry discusses Personal Leadership. Here are the 4 key principles:  Communication & Networking Skills A Strong Work Ethic Good Decision Making Skills The Ability To Deliver Results WITH Your Team

You Call That a User Story? Sometimes this topic drives me completely bonkers! There are far too many people who claim to have the silver bullet answer to defining and consuming the perfect story. Spandex approach, one size fits all, is almost always a BAD idea!  Research, Research, Research..: The most important thing most of the story writer do wrong. For writing stories you can not follow...

How DEEP is Your Product Backlog? Join V. Lee Henson as we review and article by Teodora Todrova where she discusses the acronym DEEP and why it is so critical for teams to understand and monitor their Product Backlog...  D = Detailed Appropriately E = Estimated E = Emergent P = Prioritzed

Can increasing our gratitude improve our physical, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing? How does this connect to our personal productivity and health? Join V. Lee Henson as we explore how all of this ties together and accept his November challenge to show gratitude. 

A Daily Standup Subscriber recently asked for me to review this article from Tom Whiteley. He did a great job in explaining and I almost feel like he got inside my head. :)  Take a listen and do share your thoughts. 

There are MANY types of leadership styles. Some come naturally and others must be learned. At the end of the day, it is quite the science. Join V. Lee Henson as we discuss the following leadership styles:  Transformational Leadership Transactional Leadership Autocratic Leadership Democratic Leadership Bureaucratic Leadership Laissez-Faire Leadership Servant Leadership

Key Stakeholder, Stakeholder, Interested Party - What Is The Difference & How Do We Control WIP? In this episode join V. Lee Henson as we explore the differences between these three roles and how they each impact organizational, team, and individual WIP. 

Happy Halloween Everyone! Enjoy this SCARY Agile episode. Try not to SCREAM!!! 

Celebrate with me as my oldest daughter turns 22 and learn what makes her the greatest daughter EVER!! 

When asked what facilitation is, I have heard Scrum masters describe it as Sending meeting invites and booking conference rooms, Starting and ending the events on time, Creating reports or sending out M.o. M and Ordering refreshments and pizzas Is this really facilitation? Facilitation originates from the Latin word facile, which means ‘to make it easy.’ The facilitator is thus the person who make...

Agile teams are self-organized, which means they operate with the absence of central authority. Dev Managers often ask, "So what's my role?" If your Development Manager is not the Product Owner, or the Scrum Master, or a contributing pig or chicken, they are left asking the obvious question, "What do I do?" The legacy answer was to "stay out of the teams way!"  Agile enthusiasts agree this is...

1. Business outcomes Those are metrics related to the organization’s goals like: increase revenue lower operating costs grow market share grow profit margin reduce churn rate Business outcomes allow the company’s stakeholders to track the company’s progress (e.g., “profit margin grows by 5%”). Business outcomes are lagging indicators. On top of that, product teams typically cannot influence them d...

7 great ScrumMaster Interview questions:  Question 1: How would you organize the Sprint Planning? Question 2: What factors should a Scrum Team consider at the Sprint Planning to determine a feasible Sprint Goal? Question 3: Is it acceptable for the Product Owner to introduce a business objective for the upcoming Sprint that resembles a list of random work items? Question 4: Is it okay to use...

Can I get a Hell Yeah? I recently had the privilege and honor of meeting and presenting at a conference with none other than Phil Barth. Many of you have said that I may be the most interesting person on the planet. I learned today that this is not true. Phil has appeared on Who wants to be a millionaire, written a best selling book, and has a son in a rock band! His message was inspirational and...

A product owner is generally either the visionary behind a product or a representative of the users and customers. This means the product owner is perfectly positioned to write the product backlog. I don’t, however, think a product backlog should be written entirely by the product owner. Others such as team members, users, stakeholders, customers, and so on should be encouraged to contribute their...

Every organization, everywhere is trying to achieve Operational Excellence, whether they have the vocabulary for it or not.  Operational Excellence  is delivering exactly what your customers need (effectiveness), with a minimum of byproduct (efficiency). The Agile Mindset helps organizations achieve the first goal. The Stable Mindset helps organizations achieve the second goal. Agile is...

Just a quick update from the PMBA Conference in Boston. Please enjoy!

Learn about SAFe from our resident Scaled Agile Expert Jacob Anderson. In this episode he explores Values 9 and 10.  #9 – Decentralize decision-making  Achieving fast value delivery requires decentralized decision-making. This reduces delays, improves product development flow, enables faster feedback, and creates more innovative solutions designed by those closest to the local knowledge....

How good are your communication skills? Join V. Lee Henson LIVE from the Delta Sky Club as we explore ways to communicate better.