In the past, the Certified ScrumMaster examination process has been relatively simple. If you answer all the questions, you are awarded the certification. You could answer every question incorrectly and still pass. That is about to change in April, 2012.

The Scrum Alliance is building credibility into the certification designation by modifying the standard of passing the exam. From April 2012 forward, the CSM’s will have to demonstrate a minimum level of knowledge and proficiency of Scrum/Agile methodologies.

I think this is good news for our industry. It takes our integrity up a level. We can’t imagine all doctors passing their exams simply because they answered questions. That would be crazy. While we are not doctors, we should expect high performance standards from our peers and colleagues who regulate our trade.

All of you who have taken the CSM exam previously, I am sure you answered all the questions brilliantly and contribute highly to your Scrum teams. To all of you who will take the exam after April 1, you know you will have earned your certification. All of us need to continue to move Scrum to the forefront of great development teams and beyond.

Any questions related to these changes should be directed to the Scrum Alliance.

Agile vs Waterfall Video Reactions:

Kate and Rusty have the same goals: to build a great product for their client. Their approaches, outcomes, and results are very different. Neither is right nor wrong. BUT I sure know which team I would appreciate.

Tear down the walls of silos, put multiple heads on a problem, and engaging the client frequently are all hallmarks of agility and gaining business value. Every wonder how they get those video games to market so fast? Agility. Proudly deliver a product every two weeks to your clients…

Agility is the ultimate in teamwork. Projects move fast and everyone pulls their own work, thereby creating accountability. Boss-worker mentality is a thing of the past. Kate’s team stays fresh and motivated. Rusty’s team has a hard time staying in for the long haul.
Which team are you on?

Are Product Demos painful and shallow on the feedback?

This is what we hear from our Scrum teams over and over.  The Scrum framework is simple and elegant, but implementation can be complex.

Asking questions is risky business.  We have no control over the answer and we may not like the answer.  But as ScrumMasters, Product Owners, and developers, we must be fearless in our quest to drive greatness for our end users.   Here are some question examples to bring life to your next Scrum ceremony.  

We use an agreement driven approach to handle planning at all levels. In each case we are building an understanding of what we think we can do. For complex work we often encounter new information while doing the work that causes us to rethink and build new agreements.

Often, we see people make plans, very detailed plans and when those plans need to change they fault the planning effort. Managing effort by shifting precision and attention is key to an agile process and keeping things moving through the system. A great leader manages to detail enough to get moving, learn from realities encountered and in a positive manner shift attention to ‘next steps’.

As we encounter information that informs or alters our expectations we manage that with planning. In this context planning becomes a continuum and our agility is an observable behavior of an adaptive system finding a way to build complex products. Complex problems require an adaptive approach to management.

Through the eyes of the Integrator on your team, see inclusion.  Ask:  How is the product reflecting the values of the stakeholders? 

Through the eyes of the Organizer on your team, see structure.  Ask:  What is the criteria for decision making?

Though the eyes of the Producer on your team, see results.  Ask:  Who is best suited for which task?

Through the eyes of the Visionary on your team, see possibilities.  Ask:  What are we willing to risk?

These four “lens” or perspectives will lead your team to higher collaboration patterns which will result in better designed product solutions for your customers.

Join us for 4MAT for Scrum Teams and propel your team to deliver results.

• “Let’s knock this product out of the park!”
• “If we can reach consensus, we can move to the next level.”
• “The SOP will tell us what to do next.”
• “To be efficient, we must eliminate the fluff and complete only what is absolutely necessary.”

Join us at 3Back to learn more team navigation skills with 4MAT for Scrum Teams.

Reference Exploring Scrum: The Fundamentals

Based on Terms from Exploring Scrum

You have a meeting at 3:00.  Are you looking forward with dread or anticipation?

Scrum meetings are a frequent and essential occurrence as we move through the Scrum framework.  As a team member, a Product Owner, or a ScrumMaster, we have an obligation to facilitate meetings that are engaging.  How to accomplish that??  It requires awareness and practice.

An engaging meeting. That sounds like a tall order.  Webster’s Dictionary defines engaging:  : to attract and hold by influence or power : to interlock with : to hold the attention of : to induce to participate.

I have been to many a product demo that is lack luster.  I have seen daily standups where team members leave asking, “what are we doing next?”,  and retrospectives that are dominated by one or two people. Meetings are a forum for learning.  Learning about the product, the requirements, or learning about the people involved in development.  To craft a successful meeting, we must shift our perspective.  We must view meetings as a opportunity and challenge to expand our ability to engage.

How are we going to accomplish this engagement?  By running a meeting that appeals to all learning styles and team members.  If we use the Learning Type Measure from 4MAT, we know the learning language that everyone speaks. Whether the ScrumMaster or Product Owner is directing the meeting, if a framework is followed, engagement will be embedded.

The first step is to answer the question Why?  Why are these features important, why do the stakeholders value something, why was this process selected?  Then we move to What?  What features have been built, what does the market research say, what are the advantages of the new development process?  How is the next question in the meeting format.  How will the features work in the real world, how can this be built with the resources available to us, how will we test the product in the market?  Finally, we need to know What if?  What if we shift our budget to finance the newest trend in the market place, what if we eliminate feature X for feature Y, what if we re-organize our priorities to meet the deadline?

A meeting framework grounded in good learning strategies will propel your team to a higher degree of effectiveness and achievement.  Want to learn more?  Join 3Back for our new course targeted at teams and meeting dynamics, 4MAT for Scrum Teams.