To become a Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) you have to Take the in person 2 day Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) class delivered by a Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST®).Pass the Scrum Alliance administered CSM exam within 90 days of taking the class. To pass, you must correctly answer 37 out of 50 questions within 60 minutes.Accept the…
In my previous post, I talked about establishing a debt payment plan. On a Scrum team, there are several approaches a team can take to pay down the debt. Debt Limit Trigger – Whenever our debt limit is reached, the team focuses the next Sprint on technical debt reduction (better than nothing).Release Trigger - After every…
The classes described here lead to certifications issued by the Scrum Alliance®, a nonprofit association with more than 1 million practitioners worldwide. Scrum Alliance was founded in 2001, and is the largest, most established and influential professional membership and certification organization in the Agile community, guiding Agile practitioners through every step of their journey, and providing…
In the previous blog, we looked at how when we don’t actively manage our debt, it can lead to a vicious cycle we can’t get out of. We want to make prudent and deliberate decision on debt and have a plan to service the debt and make our payments. So to do that, we need a…
In my previous post, we looked at the difference between good technical debt and bad technical debt and highlighted the importance of keeping our debt low. Unfortunately, the typical scenario that most teams face is that they eventually reach a point where their output is lower then what it used to be. Instead of stopping and…
In my previous post, we defined technical debt and saw how not all technical debt is bad. Just like in the financial world, some type of debt is considered ok as long as it is paid back. Consider a house loan or a car loan for example. Those are generally considered acceptable types of debt in…
In my previous posts we looked at symptoms of bad code and reasons we write bad code. And bad code leads to technical debt. The Technical Debt Metaphor Ward Cunningham introduced the Technical Debt metaphor by stating: “Shipping first time code is like going into debt. A little debt speeds development so long as it is…
In my previous post, I discussed symptoms of bad code. Here I’m going to look into some of the reasons we end up writing bad code: Top 5 Reasons For Writing Bad Code 1. Deadlines You’ll hear excuses like we have a deadline to meet so we don’t have time to test or to make the…
Bad code tends to creep up on us over and over again. We’ve all been there. We kick off a project, things start a little slow, but then things quickly pick up and a lot of features are getting developed and delivered. We have an excited team and a happy customer. However, soon things start to…
At the 2017 Global Scrum Gathering in San Diego, CA, I presented on Fostering Self-Organizing Team. Below is the abstract of the talk, along with links to the Fostering Self-Organizing Team blog series and the presentation slides. 2017 San Diego Global Scrum Gathering Abstract: One of the 12 principles of the Agile manifesto states that “The…
Effective leaders or Scrum Masters are the catalyst that transforms ordinary teams into high-performing, self-organizing powerhouses. But this transformation capability doesn't happen overnight. Just as teams develop through stages, Scrum Masters must evolve their own skills and approaches to match their teams' needs and effectively guide their development. Understanding the ScrumMaster's or Leader's Development Path Earlier…
Creating high-performing self-organizing teams doesn't happen by accident. It requires deliberate leadership approaches that evolve with the team's development. One of the most challenging aspects for leaders is determining how much decision-making authority to grant their teams at various stages. Without clarity around authority boundaries, teams either hesitate to make decisions or overstep in ways that…
We know that self-organizing teams can drive innovation and deliver exceptional results. But what exactly makes a team truly "self-organizing" and capable of high performance? Seven critical attributes distinguish truly exceptional teams from ordinary teams. What Makes a Team Self-Organizing? Before we explore the seven attributes, let's clarify what we mean by "self-organizing." A self-organizing team…
In the journey toward team excellence, ScrumMasters and leaders play a pivotal role in developing high-performing teams. They serve as catalysts, coaches, and servant-leaders who create the conditions for teams to reach their full potential. But how exactly does a skilled leader guide a team toward high performance? Understanding the Journey to Team Excellence Effective ScrumMasters…
A Strategic Framework for Team Leadership Effective team leadership requires understanding how teams evolve and develop over time. While many leaders are familiar with Tuckman's stages, the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model offers a more nuanced approach that focuses on the critical questions teams must answer to progress toward high performance. This powerful framework helps leaders identify…