Food for Agile Thought #106

Stefan Wolpers
Aug 26, 2017 · 5 min read

Food for Agile Thought’s issue #106 focuses on agile maturity and transition issues, escaping the feature factory, and asks whether sprints have become a burden.

We learn that the product people of WP Engine hate MVPs. Instead, they support SLC. (Which isn’t just another abbreviation but a sound product creation concept.) We also learn why management techniques of the 19th century will not deliver disruptive products today, and how to integrate UX with your agile practices.

Lastly, after months in the making, the Scrum Master Salary Report 2017 is available for download.

Have a great week!


🏆 Tip of the Week: How to Escape from the Feature Factory

John Cutler (via Mind The Product): How to Break Free of the Feature Factory

John Cutler looks at why his post ’12 Signs You Are Working in a Feature Factory’ touched a nerve for so many people in product development.

Source: Mind The Product: How to Break Free of the Feature Factory

Author: John Cutler


Agile Maturity & Scrum

Josef Langerman: Why Agile project management is harmful

Josef Langerman reflects on the attempts of project management proponents — such as the PMI — the establish the practice of ‘agile project management.’

Source: Why Agile project management is harmful

Author: Josef Langerman


Blaine Willhoft: Are Sprints still relevant?

Are Sprints still relevant?
Image from medium.com

Blaine Willhoft asks whether the idea of sprints has itself become burdened with the same waste it was designed to combat.

Source: Medium: Are Sprints still relevant?


andy cleff: Distributed Team Retrospective: Communication, Empathy, and Explosions

Andy Cleff shares his toolset for distributed retrospectives.

Source: Distributed Team Retrospective: Communication, Empathy, and Explosions

Author: Andy Cleff


(via Corporate Rebels): Why Employees Should Make All The Important Decisions

This Corporate Rebels’ post describes one of the eight trends of a highly progressive workplace: the transformation from centralized to distributed authority.

Source: Corporate Rebels: Why Employees Should Make All The Important Decisions


Laura Delizonna (via Harvard Business Review): High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here’s How to Create It

Laura Delizonna shares six practices increasing psychological safety on your team.

Source: Harvard Business Review: High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here’s How to Create It

Author: Laura Delizonna


From the Blog: Download the Scrum Master Salary Report 2017

Every now and then, the position of the scrum master is revealed as one of the top paying jobs in the United States. However, few have ventured to investigate the state of this career path on a global scale. The Scrum Master Salary Report 2017 is the first salary survey of its kind.

➡️ Download the free Scrum Master Salary Report now… ⬅️


Please click the “clapping hands” 👏, if you found this post useful–it would mean a lot to me!

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Product & Lean

Barry O’Reilly (via Mind The Product): How to Run Product Portfolios at Scale

Barry O’Reilly showcases in this video how he supported enterprises rekindle their capability and culture of experimentation and learning.

Source: Mind The Product: How to Run Product Portfolios at Scale

Author: Barry O’Reilly


Derek Huether (via Leading Agile): Know your metrics and the behaviors they drive

Derek Huether points at the importance of being intimately familiar with the metrics that drive the business, and what behaviors they encourage.

Source: Leading Agile: Know your metrics and the behaviors they drive

Author: Derek Huether


Jason Cohen (via Jason Cohen): I hate MVPs. So do your customers. Make it SLC instead.

Jason Cohen on the reason why are no MVPs at WP Engine. Instead, they focus on SLC: simple, lovable, and complete features.

Source: Jason Cohen: I hate MVPs. So do your customers. Make it SLC instead.

Author: Jason Cohen


Christiaan Verwijs (via Agilistic): 7 Powerful Ways To Get Feedback From Users (In Scrum)

Christiaan Verwijs lists seven practical approaches to gather feedback from users while using Scrum.

Source: Agilistic: 7 Powerful Ways To Get Feedback From Users (In Scrum)

Author: Christiaan Verwijs


Jerry Cao (via UXPin): The Definitive Guide to Integrating UX & Agile

Jerry Cao shares a free ebook on case studies and advice on how to integrate UX with agile practices.

Source: UXPin: The Definitive Guide to Integrating UX & Agile

Author: Jerry Cao


Please click the “clapping hands” 👏, if you found this post useful–it would mean a lot to me!

Do you want to read more like this? Well:

Food for Agile Thought #106: Agile Maturity, Feature Factory, Integrating Agile and UX was first published on Age-of-Product.

Food for Agile Thought

Best posts from last week on agile and lean methodologies, Scrum and product management. Manually curated, no robots involved.

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Stefan Wolpers

Written by

I have worked for 13-plus years as an agile coach, Scrum Master, and Product Owner. Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org.

Food for Agile Thought

Best posts from last week on agile and lean methodologies, Scrum and product management. Manually curated, no robots involved.

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