Food for Agile Thought #452: Agile Implementation Differences, Output to Outcome, LeSS Scrum Guide, Alignment Tools
Stefan Wolpers
?? I help Product Owners, Product Managers, Scrum Masters & Agile Coaches Grow w/ Classes, Courses, Books & Community. ?? Author of the ”Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide;” ??Trainer at Scrum.org; ?? Book a 1-on-1; talk chances!
Welcome to the 452nd edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,633 peers.
This week, Alistair Cockburn and Jon Kern discuss differences in global Agile implementation. Hrishikesh Karekar explores evolving Scrum Master roles, and Maarten Dalmijn critiques overreliance on the Agile Manifesto. Yossi Kreinin advocates for incompetent management benefits, while Derk-Jan de Grood balances stable and restructured teams. We also enhance team effectiveness with alignment tools.
Next, Teresa Torres emphasizes the shift from outputs to outcomes for product success, and Vladimir Kalmykov champions the ‘MVP Razor’ for efficient feature development. Ian Vanagas outlines strategies for deciding what to build next. Moreover, Lenny Rachitsky interviewed Jeff Weinstein about customer obsession and impactful metrics at Stripe.
Lastly, Craig Larman and Bas Vodde introduce the LeSS version of the Scrum Guide, enhancing multi-team alignment. Prateek Singh explores the value of small-batch deliveries and continuous learning, and Ben Kuhn stresses the role of trust in team efficiency. Finally, Jim O’Shaughnessy advocates for handwritten journaling to maintain accurate self-reflection.
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This week, the most popular discussion on LinkedIn was: Scrum Masters, are you working too much ?
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?? Alistair Cockburn and Jon Kern (via YouTube): Jon Kern & Alistair Cockburn Discuss Agile’s Global Implementation Differences and Challenges
Alistair Cockburn and Jon Kern discuss the global differences in implementing ‘Agile.’ They emphasize the importance of low power distance for effective communication and early problem discovery while critiquing the resurgence of process-heavy approaches in the US.
Authors: Alistair Cockburn and Jon Kern
?? Lemon of the?Week
Eiki (via Medium): 10x More Effective Sprint Planning for High-Performance Scrum?Team
Eiki Takeuchi hilariously bungles Sprint Planning for Scrum teams, missing the mark with misguided emphasis on over-preparation, redundant goals, impractical prioritization, and tedious facilitation, proving once again that some folks struggle to apply first principles.
Author: Eiki
? Agile &?Scrum
Hrishikesh Karekar (via Medium): Scrum Master?—?What Lies Ahead. Evolution or Obscolesence
Hrishikesh Karekar explores the evolving role of Scrum Masters, highlighting the impact of emerging technologies, such as AI, remote work, and the need for new skills to thrive in Agile environments.
Author: Hrishikesh Karekar
Maarten Dalmijn: Agilesplaining: Why the C-level Doesn’t Get?Agile
Maarten Dalmijn argues that the C-level doesn’t get Agile because we over-rely on the outdated Agile Manifesto for explanations. Instead, we should focus on what matters to them without “Agilesplaining.”
Author: Maarten Dalmijn
Yossi Kreinin: Advantages of incompetent management
Yossi Kreinin shares his unorthodox perspective on how the very nature of managerial competence often leads to inefficiency and resource wastage, advocating for the unexpected advantages of incompetent management.
Author: Yossi Kreinin
Derk-Jan de Grood (via AgileConnection): To Move or Not to Move: Optimizing Agile?Teams
Derk-Jan de Grood explores the balance between stable and restructured Agile teams, emphasizing that while stability enhances collaboration, periodic team changes can foster employee growth, knowledge sharing, and alignment with organizational goals.
Author: Derk-Jan de Grood
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领英推荐
Teresa Torres: Shifting from Outputs to Outcomes: Why It Matters and How to Get?Started
Teresa Torres explains why shifting from outputs to outcomes is crucial for product teams, detailing the steps to define, measure, and achieve meaningful outcomes that drive business success.
Author: Teresa Torres
(via Product Coalition): ‘Can I Make It Smaller?’ How to Use an MVP Razor to Build?Features
Vladimir Kalmykov advocates using an ‘MVP Razor’ to minimize features during product development, emphasizing efficiency and resource management by focusing on essential elements to validate and iterate on ideas quickly.
?? Lenny Rachitsky and Jeff Weinstein: Building at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession
Lenny Rachitsky interviews Jeff Weinstein on the power of customer obsession in product development, choosing impactful metrics, techniques for productivity in large companies, and the global mission behind Stripe Atlas.
Authors: Lenny Rachitsky and Jeff Weinstein
Ian Vanagas (via PostHog): How we decide what to?build
Ian Vanagas explains how to decide what to build next in product development, emphasizing shared principles, mapping user wants, prioritizing effort vs impact, clear ownership, and minimal effort testing.
Author: Ian Vanagas
?? Alignment Tools
Understanding and implementing the right alignment tools in agile product development can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your team and organization. Fostering better relationships between stakeholders and teams can ensure strategic clarity, improve adaptability, and maintain a user-centric focus.
This article provides actionable insights on leveraging these tools to build trust, enhance collaboration, navigate risks, and maximize value creation. This will ultimately lead to more successful product outcomes aligned with organizational goals.
?? Concepts, Tools & Measuring
Bas Vodde and Craig Larman (via LeSS): The Scrum Guide (LeSS Version) by Craig Larman & Bas?Vodde
Craig Larman and Bas Vodde present the LeSS version of the Scrum Guide, aligning Scrum principles with Large-Scale Scrum for consistent and effective multi-team product development and emphasizing the importance of adhering to Scrum’s core elements.
Authors: Bas Vodde and Craig Larman
Prateek Singh (via Medium): Investigating the Central Claim of Agility?—?Does Frequent Delivery Create More?Value?
Prateek Singh investigates the central claim of Agile, demonstrating that delivering work in smaller batches (Right Sizing) significantly increases value delivery and economic outcomes, especially when combined with continuous learning.
Author: Prateek Singh
Ben Kuhn: Trust as a bottleneck to growing teams?quickly
Ben Kuhn emphasizes that trust is essential for scaling team collaboration. Without it, increased supervision and inefficiency occur. Building trust requires proactive efforts like sharing mental models, one-on-one communication, trial tasks, and consistent feedback.
Author: Ben Kuhn
?? Encore
Jim O’Shaughnessy: Your Memory is Lying to You???
Jim O’Shaughnessy highlights how handwritten journaling can counteract our brain’s tendency to rewrite memories, fostering accurate self-reflection and better decision-making by maintaining an unaltered record of our beliefs and decisions.
Source: Your Memory is Lying to You ??
Author: Jim O’Shaughnessy
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