Scrum Sucks? Kanban Sucks? with CST Chris Li and PKT Troy Lightfoot
Sep 23, 2024
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Certified Scrum Trainer Chris Li and Professional Kanban Trainer Troy Lightfoot dive into the prevalent online sentiment that Scrum and Kanban 'suck.' They explore the roots of these criticisms and discuss the importance of effective communication and collaboration in agile teams. Join them as they tackle meeting fatigue, stressing the need for clear objectives, and introduce innovative metrics to enhance flow and process improvement. The conversation is packed with practical tips and personal anecdotes that encourage a reevaluation of these agile frameworks.
Many practitioners struggle with Scrum's daily meetings due to repetitive questioning, emphasizing a need to revisit the original collaborative intent.
Kanban should be viewed as a flexible strategy to optimize workflow and complement existing frameworks like Scrum, rather than a replacement.
Deep dives
Price Cuts in the Wireless Industry
Mint Mobile has announced a significant price reduction for its unlimited plan, dropping from $30 to just $15 per month. This decision comes in response to rising prices from larger wireless companies, which were attributed to inflation. By cutting its prices, Mint Mobile aims to provide more affordable options for customers who are feeling the financial strain of increased costs. The company’s approach emphasizes its commitment to offering competitive rates compared to traditional providers.
Common Misunderstandings of Scrum Practices
Many practitioners express frustration with the daily Scrum meetings, particularly when it begins to feel like a repetitive cycle of answering the same three questions. This stems from a common misunderstanding of the purpose behind these questions, which were initially intended to foster collaboration and progress towards the sprint goal, rather than serve as a checklist. Often, these misunderstandings lead to monotonous and unproductive meetings that participants dread. Revisiting the principles of Scrum and emphasizing the original intent can help transform these meetings into valuable team discussions.
Kanban as a Complementary Strategy
Kanban is frequently misunderstood as a standalone method that should replace Scrum when it is deemed ineffective, but it is actually a strategy meant to optimize workflow and can be used alongside other frameworks. This misconception often leads teams to adopt Kanban without fully understanding its potential for enhancing existing processes. Effective implementation of Kanban involves recognizing its flexibility, which allows it to pair with Scrum or operate independently, depending on the context. Recognizing Kanban as a complementary tool rather than a competitor can enhance team dynamics and productivity.
Reevaluating Flow Metrics and Their Usage
When organizations track flow metrics, they often rely on averages, which can obscure valuable insights into team performance and process efficiency. Averages can be misleading, as they do not reflect the variability of cycle times and can hide significant outliers in the data. Instead, utilizing a cycle time scatter plot allows teams to visualize their performance distribution and identify specific areas for improvement. Focusing on actionable data rather than simplistic averages provides a clearer path to enhancing processes and achieving more meaningful outcomes.
In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, host and Professional Kanban Trainer Troy Lightfoot sits down with Certified Scrum Trainer Chris Li to discuss the pervasisive online sentiment that common agile of ways of working like Scrum and Kanban just suck. If you read LinkedIn you'll see these types of posts frequently. They discuss why so many people feel this way, is it a fault of the ways of working themselves or something else? They also give practicial tips to address common issues! Links Spark Plug Agility: Trainer Immersion Program: ProKanban.org: Kanban Pocket Guide: The Secret HIstory of Kanban and Why it Matters: Contact Info About the Agile Uprising If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a review, a rating, or leave comments on iTunes, Stitcher or your podcasting platform of choice. It really helps others find us. Much thanks to the artist from who provided us our outro music free-of-charge! If you like what you heard, to find more music you might enjoy! If you’d like to join the discussion and share your stories, please jump into the fray at our We at the Agile Uprising are committed to being totally free. However, if you’d like to contribute and help us defray hosting and production costs we do have a . Who knows, you might even get some surprises in the mail!
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