Food For Thought #86: Dual-Track Agile, 11th State of Agile, Clarity Metrics, Product Psycho Tricks

Age of Product’s Food for Thought of April 9th, 2017 — shared with 7,402 peers — celebrates the 11th Annual State of Agile Report by VersionOne, despite the fact that it reveals a most unsettling news about SAFe.

We ask whether a scrum master should aim for putting herself out of a job, or whether having more than one team at a time is sustainable. We also learn how to support the product owner (and the team) in slicing user stories in the right way.

On the product side, this issue is all about dual-track agile, product discovery, early adopters, and getting the minimum viable product right. Okay, one for the road: ever heard about clarity metrics? Gotcha… ??

Lastly: We risk a glimpse at the dark side of product design with Uber’s behavioral psychology experiments. Thank you, Travis!

Agile & Scrum

(via Version One): 11th Annual State of Agile Report

VersionOne presents the latest edition of its free global survey on agile practices, the ‘11th Annual State of Agile Report’.

Source: Version One: 11th Annual State of Agile Report

Eb: Should A Scrum Master Have A Goal To Make Themselves Unneeded?

Ebenezer does not share the opinion that a scrum master should put herself — or himself — out of a job. What do you think?

Source: Should A Scrum Master Have A Goal To Make Themselves Unneeded?

Author: Eb

Adrian Kerry: How many teams should a Scrum Master have?

Adrian Kerry addresses the question how many teams a scrum master can or should handle.

Source: How many teams should a Scrum Master have?

Author: Adrian Kerry

Stephanie Ockerman: 6 Coaching Tips for Scrum Masters

Stephanie Ockerman shares her top coaching tips for scrum masters: from what matters most to people to challenging them.

Source: 6 Coaching Tips for Scrum Masters

Author: Stephanie Ockerman

Christiaan Verwijs (via Medium): 10 powerful strategies for breaking down User Stories in Scrum (with cheatsheet)

Christiaan Verwijs explain why the break-down of work is necessary, and why we should break down user stories across functional — instead of technical — boundaries.

Source: Medium: 10 powerful strategies for breaking down User Stories in Scrum (with cheatsheet)

Author: Christiaan Verwijs

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Join 402 Peers And Contribute to the Anonymous Poll ‘Scrum Master Salary Report 2017’

The purpose of this anonymous poll is to create a clear, data-backed benchmark that allows everyone in the agile community to get an understanding whether her or his compensation is adequate.

The report will cover Scrum Master as well as Agile Coaches, both employed and freelancing.

To generate an acceptable first report, we will need at least 500 answers. A larger sample would allow providing more detailed insights, though. At the moment, we already have 402 of 500 replies.

Participate in the ‘Scrum Master Salary Report 2017’ survey now…

Dual-Track Agile, Product & Lean

Jacob de Lichtenberg (via Mind The Product): Dual-Track Agile: Why Messy Leads to Innovation

Jacob de Lichtenberg explains dual-track Agile, an IT development methodology where figuring out what to build is as important as the building process.

Source: Mind The Product: Dual-Track Agile: Why Messy Leads to Innovation

Author: Jacob de Lichtenberg

Chris Jones (via svpg): Product Discovery: Pitfalls and Anti-Patterns

Chris Jones lists several anti-patterns on how teams misuse product discovery, and he provides guidance on fixing the problem.

Source: svpg: Product Discovery: Pitfalls and Anti-Patterns

Author: Chris Jones

(via InfoQ): Putting the ‘V’ Back in MVP

Ralf Jeffery explains the different types of MVP execution, why stakeholders struggle to support MVPs, and how successful teams practice MVP design and implementation.

Source: InfoQ: Putting the ‘V’ Back in MVP

(via Customer Development Labs): Early Adopters Part 2: Who you should Interview

Customer Development Labs shares who you should be interviewing, where, and how to find them, when you are looking for your early adopters.

Source: Customer Development Labs: Early Adopters Part 2: Who you should Interview

lloyd tabb (via First Round Capital): I’m Sorry, But Those Are Vanity Metrics

Lloyd Tabb introduces the concept of clarity metrics. These are the hidden gears that drive growth. Use them to solidify your competitive advantage.

Source: First Round Capital: I’m Sorry, But Those Are Vanity Metrics

Author: Lloyd Tabb

The Essential Read

Noam Scheiber (via The New York Times): How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons

Noam Scheiber reports on Uber’s extraordinary experiment in behavioral science to subtly entice an independent workforce to maximize its growth.

Source: The New York Times: How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons

Author: Noam Scheiber

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