The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

3 Valuable Lessons on Agile Transformation Lesson 1: You can’t help everyone equally if you’re stretching yourself thin. Ask for help! Lesson 2: Hire early, and hire right. Lesson 3: Say “No” so your team can say “Yes”. Learn to limit WIP and you will be successful! How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

5 Words That Create Additional Psychological Safety at Work I’ve Never Done This Before. Simple, right? Five words. One sentence. Boom. That’s it. What I’ve realized is that over the last few years, these major deliveries, tiny successes, and teachable moments were lined up on the same set of starting blocks. We tried do something that hasn’t been done before. So much of the productivity and leadership space is trying to convince us it has ALL been done before. We are collectively churning out playbooks, best practices, and proven methods that demonstrate it HAS been done and THIS is how you do it. But we all end up at the same place when we finish reading that playbook. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

The Core of Motivation - Understanding What Drives You As you embark on the journey of self-awareness, understanding what motivates you and the mechanics behind your decisions becomes imperative. Whether you’re a leader aiming to inspire a team, an educator molding young minds, or simply someone keen on self-improvement, grasping the crux of motivation can be transformative. Today, let’s delve into the heart of motivation and uncover three crucial keys that drive better decision-making. 1. The Psychology of Intrinsic Motivation 2. The Role of Extrinsic Motivators 3. The Power of Emotional Connection How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

Who Gets Blamed When Agile Goes Wrong? When something goes wrong with a project, who gets blamed? If you are the Product Owner, Scrum Master or Project Manager, you’re probably saying that the leader gets the blame. If you’re a Scrum Team or development team member, you’re probably saying, “We always get blamed.” What if the reality of the situation is it’s a bit of both, and both failures could be solved by a purposeful application of skilled follower-ship? Rob Asghar wrote about this recently in his Forbes article “Why Followership Is Now More Important Than Leadership.” He makes a strong point that “Good, skilled followers are able to nurture good leadership.” He adds that “It’s a lost art in our narcissistic times.” The article, which is worth reading, provides enough information to see that following Scrum principles and practices can — and already do — produce skilled followers who nurture their fellow coworkers and even their bosses. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

How You Define Success In Agile Matters! - Mike Cottmeyer There’s been a divide in the Agile community for a while now. On one side, you have the camp that’s all about team-based, iterative and incremental delivery. On the other side, you have the camp that sees Agile more of a social movement; this side is all about empowering the teams and building a culture or a mindset of Agility. Meanwhile, as the debate rages on, a lot of the executives and leadership teams we talk to don’t even want to talk about Agile at all. It’s become a dirty word, they tried it and it didn’t work,  and now they just don’t believe in it anymore. So, how do we get these leadership teams back on board with Agile? https://www.leadingagile.com/2023/09/how-you-define-success-in-agile-matters/?utm_source=How%20You%20Define%20Success%20in%20Agile%20Matters&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%20Reader How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

4 Challenges A Leader May Face When Leaning In On Agile Principles Using Agile principles as a team leader can also pose some challenges or pitfalls that you need to be aware of and prepared for. Here are some of the possible challenges or pitfalls that you may encounter: Resistance to change: Some of your team members, customers, or stakeholders may be reluctant or resistant to adopt Agile principles or practices. They may prefer the traditional or familiar ways of working, such as waterfall, documentation, contracts, or plans. They may also fear losing control, authority, or stability in an Agile environment. To overcome this challenge, you need to communicate the benefits and values of Agile principles clearly and convincingly. You also need to provide training, coaching, or mentoring to help them understand and embrace Agile principles. You also need to involve them in the Agile process and make them feel valued and respected. Lack of clarity: Some of your team members, customers, or stakeholders may be confused or uncertain about the scope, goals, requirements, or expectations of the project. They may also have different or conflicting views or opinions about the project. To avoid this pitfall, you need to define and communicate the vision, mission, and objectives of the project clearly and consistently. You also need to establish and maintain a shared understanding and alignment among all the parties involved in the project. Technical debt: Some of your team members may accumulate technical debt in their code or products due to frequent and rapid changes or iterations. Technical debt is the cost of rework or maintenance caused by poor quality or design choices. Technical debt can affect the performance, reliability, security, or usability of your products or services. To prevent this pitfall, you need to pay attention to technical excellence and good design principles Unrealistic expectations: Some of your customers or stakeholders may have unrealistic expectations about the project outcomes or deliverables. They may expect too much too soon from your team. They may also change their requirements or feedback too often or too late in the project. To manage this challenge, you need to set realistic and achievable goals and milestones for your project. You also need to communicate and negotiate with your customers or stakeholders frequently and transparently. You also need to manage their expectations and feedback effectively and respectfully. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

6 Agile Principles to Help You Become a Better Leader Agile principles can help you become a better team leader by improving your leadership skills in various aspects, such as communication, collaboration, feedback, adaptation, empowerment, and delivery. Here are some examples of how you can apply Agile principles to your team leadership: Communication: You can use face-to-face conversations as the preferred method of conveying information to and within your team. You can also use tools such as [Microsoft Teams] or [Slack] to facilitate online communication and collaboration . You can also communicate regularly with your customers or stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations, and to share your progress and feedback. Collaboration: You can work closely with your team members and business partners throughout the project. You can also involve them in planning, designing, testing, and reviewing your products or services. You can also use tools such as [GitHub] or [Azure DevOps] to manage your code repositories, workflows, issues, and pull requests . Feedback: You can seek feedback from your customers or stakeholders frequently and continuously. You can also give feedback to your team members regularly and constructively. Adaptation: You can welcome changing requirements or feedback from your customers or stakeholders. You can also use tools such as [Jira] or [Trello] to manage your backlog, sprints, tasks, and priorities . You can also adapt your products or services accordingly by making frequent and incremental changes or improvements. Empowerment: You can build your team around motivated individuals who have the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for the project. You can also give them the environment and support they need, such as tools, resources, training, or coaching. You can also trust them to get the job done by delegating tasks, responsibilities, or decisions to them. You can also encourage them to self-organize and self-manage their work. Delivery: You can deliver working software or services frequently and continuously to your customers or stakeholders. You can also use tools such as [Azure] or [AWS] to deploy, host, or scale your products or services . You can also measure your progress and success by using working software or services as the primary indicator. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

Dreams Really Do Come True - Richard Branson Those of you that know me well, I always call Richard Branson a role model and someone that I admire VERY much! He is a great man and does all he can to uplift others. Someone asked him what was the very first thing he thought of when he went into space? His answer may just surprise you! How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

Demystifying The Definition of Ready Are you ready? Each time we hear these word, whether we are planning for a vacation, planning for a sprint, or about to receive BIG news, our minds go on auto-pilot and start running through the checklist to make certain everything is in order. My BIG ask is are we doing this too late in Agile? Let's talk about the definition of ready and how if it is not applied correctly is merely a symptom of a much larger issue. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠

3 Tips To Further Develop Your ScrumMaster - Mike Cohn I was chatting with my colleague the other day. He told me that even more than the first day of school, he’s always loved the feeling of the first day at a new job.Why? Because everything is new and everyone you meet has yet to form an opinion about you. You have a clean slate and the possibilities seem endless.But what about when it’s not a new team for you and/or you are not a new Scrum Master? How do you know if you are being the kind of Scrum Master your team needs at this point in their agile journey?I have some tips for the not-so-new Scrum Master that I wanted to share with you.Tip 1: Re-Check BoundariesWhen the team first started, maybe you worked within the organization to help uncover team boundaries for self-organization. Things like  Does the team have authority to add its own technical work into a sprint? What happens if they find they need a skillset not found on their team? Are they going to be able to make their own estimates on their items? But have you checked on those boundaries lately? Are they the same? Is there more the team could be doing? Now that the basics are up and running, could you explore ways to improve flow or decrease dependencies between teams?Inspecting boundaries isn’t something you need to do every day, but it’s good to check in once and a while to ensure you aren’t missing key improvement opportunities.The Role of Leaders on Self-Organizing TeamsTip 2: Be AccountableYou’re probably tracking a bunch of metrics with the team: velocity, the time between idea and delivery, weekly bug count, and so on.But how are you doing in your efforts to support the team? Are you proactively seeking out opportunities for improvement? Are you being honest and fair in your dealings with the team? When you tell a team member you’ll do something, do you follow through? How quickly? Are you keeping them updated on your progress?You help keep the team accountable for their commitments, so hold yourself to the same (or even a higher) standard.Become the Scrum Master Your Team NeedsTip 3: Know When To Break the RulesI say to teams all the time, start by using Scrum by the book. Then, as you grow comfortable with an agile way of working, look for opportunities to incorporate new approaches that might not be in the Scrum rulebook (or might even go against a Scrum “rule”).As Scrum Masters, we should know the rules of Scrum better than anyone else. There are only a few rules, and they exist for good reasons. Rules, though, are made to be broken.One example of this is timeboxes. Each event has a timebox, and 99% of the time we should stick to them. On occasion, though, common sense might tell you that it’s not crucial to strictly keep that timebox.Knowing where to bend the rules without breaking Scrum can be one of your most important skills to develop as a Scrum Master.Start Scrum by the Book. Don’t Finish There.Even if you’ve been with your team for a while now, you have a chance each day to make a new impression on them. I know that purposefully looking for ways to improve as a Scrum Master will help you succeed as a Scrum Master, and succeed with agile, How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/⁠