Food for Agile Thought #106
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?

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

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

