Food for Agile Thought #265: Predictability, Team Alignment & Self-Organization, Futures Wheel Planning, Alternative Futures Analysis

TL; DR: Predictability, Team Alignment — Food for Agile Thought #265

Welcome to the 265th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 27,728 peers. This week, we delve into why large organizations undertake agile transitions; it’s predictability, stupid! We also embrace the importance of team alignment, and we apply the concept of critical core components to self-organization.

We then come back to (strategic) planning with two helpful tools: the Futures Wheel and the ‘alternative futures analysis.’ Also, we support the idea that our main objective should be solving problems instead of focusing on adhering to previously defined processes if those distract from the solutions.

Lastly, we applaud Dolly Chugh for pointing at 15 ways to make our virtual meetings better and more inclusive.

Did you miss last week’s Food for Agile Thought’s issue #264?

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?? The Tip of the Week: Predictability

?? Mike Cottmeyer (via Leading Agile): The Physics of Agility: Predictability

Mike Cottmeyer points at the core of what large organizations demand from an agile transition: Predictability, Quality, Cost Savings, Early ROI, Product Fit, or Innovation.

Source: Leading Agile: ?? The Physics of Agility: Predictability

Author: Mike Cottmeyer

?? ?? Join the Hands-on Agile #28: If You Use Scrum, Don’t Miss this One!

Agile & Scrum

Stefano Mastrogiacomo (via Strategyzer): The Essential Common Ground For Highly Effective Teamwork

Stefano Mastrogiacomo details what team alignment is about and why it is critical to team performance.

Source: Strategyzer: The Essential Common Ground For Highly Effective Teamwork

Author: Stefano Mastrogiacomo

Manuel Küblb?ck (via Medium): The critical core components of self-organized companies

Manuel Küblb?ck applies the concept of critical core components to self-organization.

Source: Medium: The critical core components of self-organized companies

Author: Manuel Küblb?ck

Dolly Chugh (via TED Talks): How to have more inclusive meetings over Zoom

Dolly Chugh shares 15 ways to make your virtual meetings better and more inclusive.

Source: TED Talks: How to have more inclusive meetings over Zoom

Author: Dolly Chugh

?? Free: Hands-on Agile #28: If You Use Scrum, Don’t Miss this One!

If you are a Scrum practitioner, you do not want to miss this meetup — trust me!

RSVP here: Hands-on Agile #28: If You Use Scrum, Don’t Miss this One!

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Product & Lean

Jeff Gothelf: Optimize your process for decision-making, not dogma

Jeff Gothelf advocates solving problems instead of focusing on adhering to previously defined processes if those distract from the solutions.

Source: Optimize your process for decision-making, not dogma

Author: Jeff Gothelf

Barry O’Reilly: Systemic Effects: the Overlooked Key to Effective Strategic Planning

Barry O’Reilly describes one of his preferred tools to handle systems’ complexity by visualization — the Futures Wheel.

Source: Systemic Effects: the Overlooked Key to Effective Strategic Planning

Author: Barry O’Reilly

(via Product Coalition): Become a Product Visionary with Alternative Futures Analysis

Blake Bassett shares an analytic technique from the intelligence community to explore possible future scenarios.

Source: Product Coalition: Become a Product Visionary with Alternative Futures Analysis

?? 47 Scrum Master Interview Questions to Identify Suitable Candidates

Last week, someone on Reddit asked whether there would be any other profession that requires attending a 2-day training class and would then pay as well as a Scrum Master job. This attitude is precisely why the 47 Scrum Master Interview Guide exists: Prevent imposters from slipping through the hiring process and causing damage.

If you are looking to fill a position for a Scrum Master (or agile coach) in your organization, you may find the following 47 interview questions useful to identify the right candidate. They are derived from my fourteen years of practical experience with XP as well as Scrum, serving both as Product Owner and Scrum Master as well as interviewing dozens of Scrum Master candidates on behalf of my clients.

Learn more: Free Ebook: 47 Scrum Master Interview Questions to Identify Suitable Candidates.

??? Last Week’s Food for Agile Thought Edition

Read more: Food for Agile Thought #264: PM-PO Delta, Lead-Squad Protocol, User Stories 101, Evidence-Based Backlogs.

?? Join 2,500-plus Agile Peers on Youtube

Now available on the Age-of-Product Youtube channel:

• ?? Remote Agile (1) Replay: Practices and Tools for Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Product Owners.
• Sprint Review Anti-Patterns
• Scrum Master Anti-Patterns.

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Food for Agile Thought #265: Predictability, Team Alignment & Self-Organization, Futures Wheel Planning, Alternative Futures Analysis was first published on Age-of-Product.com.