Agile Coaches' Corner Scrum and Empirical Process Control with Sam Falco
In today’s episode, Dan Neumann is joined by Sam Falco once again! Sam is Dan’s colleague at AgileThought and is an Agile Coach and Certified Scrum Professional with an extensive background leading Agile development teams.
In a previous episode, Sam and Dan discussed games and why Scrum works for people from a gaming-standpoint and helps drive engagement. In this episode, they’re discussing empirical process control and how it makes Scrum work from a getting-things-done standpoint!
Sam shares some of the lessons he has learned as a Scrum master (both early and later in his career) and gives examples from his work. He also explains the benefits of empirical process control; how transparency is built; how Scrum events support transparency, inspection, and adaptation; and how to inspect and adapt in meaningful, healthy ways.
Key Takeaways
What is empirical process control?
A principle that emphasizes the core philosophy of Scrum based on the three main ideas of transparency, inspection, and adaptation
The benefits of empirical process control:
Provides thorough data to help make good decisions
Without it, you’re relying on assumptions
Gives you the ability to inspect each increment of the product every sprint and adapt the product backlog based on the feedback
It builds trust between the Scrum team and stakeholders
Gives transparency in the process
Creates a feedback loop
How transparency is built:
Hold sprint review meetings and daily Scrum meetings
Disclose defects of the state of the product so you can make good decisions about releasing it (or not releasing it)
Create transparency around the technical debt
Be honest about the issues around the product and around the work in the sprint
Where one team has a dependency on another do more effective planning, scaling, and collaboration
Minimize team dependencies when possible (by inspecting, adapting, and understanding/adjusting where the work is flowing)
Clear communication during sprints and be transparent even with “bad news” and issues
Mentioned in this Episode:
Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 21: “Why Are Games Important to Agile? With Sam Falco”
Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 22: “The Role of Managers in Agile Organizations with Esther Derby”
The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community, by Jeff Thompson
Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 20: “Dr. Jeff Thompson on Values-Based Leadership”
Sam Falco’s Book Pick:
User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product, by Jeff Patton
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