You are most likely aware of it already but I will state the obvious:
creating software is complex, difficult, and full of variation. You seldom build the same product, using the same tools and technology, several times in a row.

Why can’t we admit that we can’t predict or know when a product will be ready? Scrum uses the Fibonacci scale in planning poker and some say “don’t keep sprints longer than you can keep change away”. We do this to handle uncertainty. Why is this hard for above-average, intelligent managers to register? Why do estimates become commitments?

One reason…

“Work them ’til they bleed” is a phrase that has stuck with me for a few years now. The quote is from a manager summoned to fix a crisis we had. Every day we had status meetings, endured micro-management and follow-ups against a fixed deadline approaching as fast and unstoppable as a train.

We were supposed to be Agile! How did we end up having project plans, command and control, and lack of trust?

Many organizations wish to implement Scrum and become Agile to earn more money or become more competitive. …

Have you had the gut feeling your Scrum implementation doesn’t fit your organization? Like trying to fit the wrong piece into a puzzle? You might be right!

Change management is a structured approach to guide individuals, groups, and organizations from the current situation to a desirable future state. The discipline of Change Management is vast, and the number of theories numerous. Still, the field remains surprisingly unexplored by many Scrum practitioners. Frameworks, such as SAFe, rely only on Kotters “eight steps” process, for example.

Scrum and Agile embrace the idea of change. We hear phrases such as “inspect and adapt”…

Forgive me, Scrum, for I have sinned. I have carelessly referred to Scrum Events as ceremonies or rituals.

Let’s face it. Religion and tradition have ceremonies. Scrum is neither. So the logical conclusion is — no ceremonies. Still, if you search on the Internet, you notice many of us refer to Scrum’s Events as ceremonies.

Marking a word might seem pedantic or a small thing. We do seem to think discussing tiny details necessary, though. At code reviews, we spend hours religiously debating whether a curly bracket should be on a new line or not. As Agile practitioners, we do…

Do we need to cultivate our own Scrum garden?

“If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?”
― Voltaire, Candide

In the story of Candide, the philosopher Pangloss claims we live in the best of all possible worlds despite all catastrophes happening to him on his path. As the story progresses, he partially abandons his philosophy. Pangloss still chooses to make his surroundings believe he is faithful to his original teachings. …

Many believe the Agile revolution started with the New New product game. Many believe Scrum is the forerunner and vigilant battling waterfall. Significantly few realize the epic battle between A priori and A posteriori has been going on for thousands of years.

A priori is knowledge independent of experience, for example, mathematics. A posterior depends on empirical evidence. The most famous champions of the two approaches are Plato on one ringside and Aristotle on the other side.

Plato is the father of waterfall, and Aristotle, the mother of Scrum. For a long time, Plato’s ideas ruled alone in Europe. By…

Have you pondered on the philosophical aspect of why communication is so hard? Did you think long and hard after watching the movie The Matrix? Is it possible that both of Wittgenstein's philosophies are correct? Can we both have the cake and eat it too?

Ludwig Wittgenstein (born Vienna, 1889) is probably the only famous philosopher who introduced two very different philosophies during his lifetime. I believe both of them can be useful for creating better software. In different contexts.

Wittgenstein was active during the first half of the 20th century and started as an engineer. He was interested in…

I had just got a new management position. In the first briefing, my supervisor introduced the importance of KPIs — “they’re in our DNA,” he said. We measure and evaluate everything we do against our metrics.

Roughly two years ago, the CEO had given the go-ahead for an “Agile Transformation” using Scrum. Now they wanted to know if they were getting “twice the work in half the time.”

The Executives decided to set a goal for each team member to create seven Story Points per Sprint. The picture shows each team member delivering 5.9 Story Points per iteration— in the…