The Liberators Podcast

The Scrum Framework doesn't work when developers don't take (or are not given) ownership of their craft. Without a developer culture that encourages innovation, experiments and trying new things, Scrum tends to be lipstick on a pig. In this episode, Barry and I have a conversation about developer cultures. Specifically, we share some of our own experiences in creating and being part of t...

In this episode we're using the Liberating Structure "Troika Consulting" to offer help to one of our listeners. Its an experiment, so let us know what you think. One of our patrons, Sven de Koning, provided us with the following challenge: "My team is unable to deliver a done increment because they don't know how to slice items on their Product Backlog vertically. How can...

What do pizzerias have in common with software development? Not much, right? But they do offer a useful perspective on what kind of metrics are really useful and which are likely to encourage the wrong things. In this episode, we explore how tracking user stories, number of hours, number of hours spent is like measuring the number of pizzerias. It doesn't tell you anything about how valuable...

You can use Liberating Structures without any prior training or experience. At the same time, practice makes perfect. One example is to always start your explanation by saying "When I'm done explaining". Its a simple tweak, but it prevents people from moving and pairing while you are explaining the steps. In this episode, we share this and 13 other tips for facilitating Liberating S...

These days, a lot of the work inside and outside organisations is done in groups. Like task forces, Scrum Teams, management teams or your local church committee. Despite the benefits of working in groups, there are also several risks. Groupthink is a social bias that is clear example of this. In this episode we explore what it is, what causes it and how to prevent it. Especially when it comes to d...

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 -...

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&apos...

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"...

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,...

"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 myt...

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 th...

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 m...

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...

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 stake...

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 gi...

Do Development Teams commit to completing all the items on the Sprint Backlog? Or is it okay for the Sprint Backlog to change as new insights emerge. Find out in this episode. 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 )....

In many organizations and teams, Scrum is certainly not a lightweight process. All the items in JIRA must be in the form of User Stories. Every Sprint features at least one or two sessions where people pull out their planning poker cards to spend an hour estimating items. And there's a Definition of Ready that must be adhered to in order to pull something into a Sprint. Over time, and with go...

Should Scrum Teams revolt against creating "plans"? Are Scrum Teams supposed to not look further than their current Sprint? Is Scrum a "happy go lucky" way of building products,  not planning ahead in any way, shape or form? In this episode we bust the myth that Scrum doesn't like planning and plans. We love to share our materials. Please help us by supporting our work. Yo...

"I'm more of a Scrum Janitor" - Carsten Grønbjerg Lützen In this edition, Christiaan and Barry talk with Scrum Master Carsten Grønbjerg Lützen about his journey as a Scrum Master. Carsten works at the LEGO Group, and has been a passionate and driven Scrum Master for many years. Together, we dive deep into what makes Scrum work at the LEGO Group, and how it all starts with having a c...

Zombie Scrum is something that looks like Scrum, but isn't Scrum at all when you take a closer look. Usually, Zombie Scrum is marked by a complete lack of working software, no involvement of the actual users and no drive to do anything about this. This is nothing new. But instead of stating the obvious, we wanted to do something to help. So we built a Zombie Scrum Symptoms Checker - together...

In this episode, it is all about how problems are resolved that are hindering a Development Team in their work. From a broken wifi router to a steady stream of meeting-requests from outside the team. And from clarifying unclear work to resolving a conflict between members. What problems should a Scrum Master resolve? What is the difference between impediments, blockers, problems and issues? This a...

Are stakeholders present at your Sprint Review? Is this event called a 'Demo' in agenda's? Are stakeholders actively invited to offer feedback? In this episode, we address the myth that the Sprint Review is primarily an opportunity to ‘demo’ the increment to stakeholders. And we give you plenty of tips to make your Sprint Review more effective. We love to share our materials. Please...

Sprint Goals are one of the more elusive parts of the Scrum Framework. Although most teams understand why they matter, there is usually this idea of "that won't work here" or "we'll do that when the rest of Scrum is working". In this podcast, Barry and Christiaan talk about their experience with Sprint Goals. They also explore how Scrum Master can actually use the lac...

Have you ever come across User Stories like "As a designer, I want to set up a style guide so that all developers can do basic design themselves"? Or "As a developer I want to have an API so that I can access the back-end"? In this edition, we talk about the myth that Product Backlog have to consist entirely out of User Stories. We also clarify the purpose of User Stories and o...

In this podcast, Barry and Christiaan explore what their journeys as Scrum Masters looked like. What helped? Where did they find support? They also talk about their upcoming workshop on September 17 where over 50 Scrum Masters will identify next steps on their personal journeys. 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 pla...