The (mis)adventures of an agile coach
So today marks the last day of work at the digital agency that has been my employer for the last three years. I have found a new challenge as a full-time Scrum Master at an international software company, with multiple Scrum Teams in the Netherlands, Portugal and Australia. That’s right, I’m stepping out of the … Read more
It was 2012, I was 27 years old and I felt as if I was at the zenith of my career. It was the year of change and ambition, of standing in the limelight. Of attending award shows and even taking the stage at a TEDx event. I rode on a high, and I loved … Read more
Scrum is mainly known for its visible roles, events and artifacts. But there are some elements, less visible to the naked eye, that are of utmost importance in using Scrum. Scrum focuses on individuals and their interaction, rather than on processes or tools. Scrum is also organized around values that Scrum Teams could (and should!) … Read more
“Scrum team members respect each other to be capable, independent people.” – The Scrum Guide Everyone comes from a different place in life, and they bring with them different experiences and ideas. To work as a Scrum Team, members must respect each other’s differences. Better yet, celebrate them! Take the developers for example. They are … Read more
“The Scrum Team and its stakeholders agree to be open about all the work and the challenges with performing the work.” – The Scrum Guide Openness as a Scrum Value is of utmost importance. To ensure that the Scrum Team makes the most progress in the shortest amount of time, each team member must be … Read more
“Everyone focuses on the work of the Sprint and the goals of the Scrum Team.” – The Scrum Guide Scrum Teams can quickly feel overloaded. Or they can lose sight of what each member is doing. To figure out what to tackle first and to minimize waste, the whole team needs to think as one … Read more
“Scrum team members have the courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems.” – The Scrum Guide Why should ‘courage’ be mentioned specifically, do you think? Courage in the context of the Scrum values means having the courage to do what needs to be done and not being afraid that it won’t … Read more
“People personally commit to achieving the goals of the Scrum Team.” – The Scrum Guide Commitment as a value sounds rather bit abstract and is often misunderstood. Get out of bed, brush your teeth, come into work with a positive mindset, follow instructions, make it to the deadline – right? In the context of the … Read more
Let me tell you a little story about assertiveness as a (digital) project manager. Don’t underestimate the power of No. Although this topic is not really related to Scrum, I would like to share a life lesson that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. In my career as a digital project manager, I have … Read more
One of my favorite activities is teaching (potential) Product Owners about their roles and responsibilities in the Scrum Team. One of the most important things I try to help them understand, is “time is rigid, scope is flexible”. And it’s true, in the (Scrum) projects I have been working on at a digital agency for … Read more
This article is a review of “Scrum Insights for Practitioners: The Scrum Guide Companion” by Hiren Doshi. To me, the Scrum Guide (by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland) is the gift that keeps on giving. Every once in a while I read the guide all over again and I always get different take-away’s every time … Read more
While I was writing an article about the stances of a Scrum Master, I was at first a bit confused about the differences between the roles of coach, mentor and teacher. In this small article I want to zoom in on the differences between these different roles. Coaching, mentoring, and teaching are all important roles … Read more
In a previous article I talked about the eight stances of a Scrum Master, as described in the 2016 whitepaper by Barry Overeem. These stances are the roles that a Scrum Master should fulfill. In his whitepaper Overeem also described eight misunderstood stances of a Scrum Master. As a Scrum Master, it is important to … Read more
One of my most fondest memories of my PSM II training was a sheet depicting the various stances (and misunderstandings of the role) of the Scrum Master. This was based on the famous 2016 whitepaper of Barry Overeem, in which he wrote about his personal experiences as a Scrum Master. Last year, when I presented … Read more
Story of my life: I read a book, come across an interesting concept, Google it – and fall into a rabbit-hole of information I have never heard of before. It’s 11 PM and here I am writing about mathematical concepts and psychological principles. The conclusion is – spoiler alert – to reduce the amount of … Read more