Introduction Let us think of a virtual scenario - You are a Product Owner in a small to medium sized organization and will be starting on a new project. The Product Owner is an important role in Agile framework. She is the bridge between the business goals that an organization pursues and the scrum teams which achieves them. She is the interface on whom the organization depends to maximize value streams. She extracts maximum value for the customers by owning and prioritizing

Enterprise agile teams often face multiple dimension to the cone of uncertainty such as risk and dependencies. One of Constant themes across scrum ceremonies is to reduce this cone of uncertainty through iterative process. In this article we will try to figure out how Sprint Refinement helps agile teams in this activity. The Story So Far You have successfully setup your Scrum team with an initial backlog. The initial Backlog has been created from a Product Roadmap which has b

Scrumban?? Is this one of those process gimmicks which are better suited for theory rather than actual business? These were my immediate thoughts on hearing the concept of Scrumban ! Why then, you ask, am I writing about it?  Because I have felt its enormous impact and want to share the process with which I helped implement it, with you. Mind you, if you are a fence-sitter, I will convert you ! I will start by laying out the problem I faced in detail due to which I started lo

Teams not achieving the intended velocity. Missing deadlines and forecasts. We have all been there. As Scrum Master's, we have faced such issues and tried to understand the root cause. And the tool to understand underlying causes to the teams performance is a 'lessons-learned' or 'retrospective meeting' activity. In Waterfall process, PMBOK guide tells you to conduct this during the 'Closing' phase of the project. In Agile process, since iterations occur frequently, it is hel

As a Scrum Master you have been leading a team which works on both software and hardware components. Your organisation has decided to move to Agile framework from the pure Waterfall model after looking at the substantial advantages Agile brings to the table. You along with the team have enthusiastically supported this move as it helps you deliver quality software without the bureaucracy of Waterfall model. However, there is one fly in this ointment. What do you do with the ph

Here you are, a Scrum Master who has successfully made the transition from waterfall to agile along with your team. You have coached the team and facilitated self-organization. Your team has also started Sprinting regularly following a cadence and you are satisfied with the velocity achieved. All of a sudden you find that an impediment punches a hole in your perfect agile world. Suppliers!!! You believed that your movement to Agile would be mirrored by your Suppliers. However

THE CHALLENGE TPVision is a joint venture created to manufacture and sell Philips-branded televisions in multiple regional markets such as EU, APMEA etc. With a history steeped in waterfall model of development, TPVision started its journey in the same path. Unfortunately, through 2010 to 2014, its attempts at quality deliverable within predetermined deadline remained unsuccessful. This had a long-term effect in its ability to generate business value and growth. Having spent