How Long Should Sprint Planning Take? #AskArtisan
Jim Schiel2023-05-26T07:48:30-07:00How long should it take to plan a Sprint? In this #AskArtisan video, I’ll explain what is and isn't important for your Sprint Goal.
Don’t Waste Time in Sprint “Capacity” Planning
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:30:04-07:00Trying to plan detailed capacity for a Sprint? Thankfully, there are two things we can do to make capacity planning easier (and faster) in Sprint Planning.
How Should a Scrum Team Handle Defects in a Sprint? #AskArtisan
Rasel Ahmed2023-05-26T07:27:55-07:00Even ScrumMasters who follow #AskArtisan videos will encounter Unplanned Defects, which are critical to address immediately and can be challenging to deal with!
How Do I Choose Sprint Length? #AskArtisan
Rasel Ahmed2023-05-21T13:19:51-07:00How do ScrumMasters set the length of a Sprint? It’s a trick question - Sprint length is determined by the entire Scrum Team! Why and how? Glad you asked!
How Do We Plan Sprints Around Holidays? #AskArtisan
Rasel Ahmed2023-05-26T07:41:16-07:00Holidays can impact a Sprint as much or as little as the #ScrumTeam decides, as long as it's decided during #SprintPlanning. Let me explain!
Sprint Goals: Why the Plan Matters Less Than You Might Think
Jim Schiel2022-08-18T18:10:45-07:00This information will help you take a BIG step toward having product dev, service, and support teams be self-managing. (Yes, really!)
Sprint Goals: The Key to a Well-Executed Sprint
Jim Schiel2022-05-12T08:34:11-07:00Sprint goals are key to a successful Sprint. They help keep the Scrum team on
What’s a Sprint Goal? #AskArtisan
Jim Schiel2023-05-26T07:51:56-07:00Ever been out shopping only to get home and realized you didn't actually get what you needed? This is what happens to Scrum teams without a Sprint Goal!
Outcomes Focused Teams and Why Sprint Goals Are Critical!
Jim Schiel2022-01-13T17:40:23-08:00This is story about two Scrum teams that need to go from New York
Sprint Operations for Virtual Teams
Jim Schiel2022-08-18T20:00:05-07:00As COVID-19 stretches teamwork limits, here's some tips for Scrum in a virtual environment, including daily Scrum, backlog refinement, Sprints, and more.
Keep Your Eyes on the Sprint Goal
Jim Schiel2022-01-13T17:40:24-08:00In this article, we'll discuss how a team bares responsibility for the Sprint and what should be done if they can’t get everything done they committed to.
Avoid Adding Content to a Sprint
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:32:07-07:00One of the worst things we can do to our teams is allow too many changes to the content of the Sprint after the Sprint has been planned.
The Product Owner’s Toolkit
Jim Schiel2023-07-07T07:09:55-07:00Empower your product vision with the transformative insights of our Product Owner's Toolkit. Specially curated
Which is Better: Commit or Forecast? #AskArtisan
Rasel Ahmed2023-05-26T07:38:59-07:00When you're in Sprint Planning, do you commit content into the Sprint, or do you forecast content into the Sprint? What's the difference, and which is better?
Speeding up Your Scrum Teams
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:28:04-07:00Effective Scrum use is more than Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, and so on. To see a big difference in your team's Sprints, make these workflow changes.
CSD Course Agenda
Jim Schiel2023-10-07T10:21:06-07:00Class Times The Artisan CSD Training Program is held in several different time zones.
New Training Programs Unveiled!
Jim Schiel2023-07-22T09:25:07-07:00We are thrilled to announce the upcoming availability of highly anticipated training programs
Building Better Teams: How Effective Communication Can Improve Your Agility
Jim Schiel2023-06-27T08:42:14-07:00Effective communication is a cornerstone of any successful team but is especially critical in a Scrum team. By improving communication and collaboration among team members, you can achieve better outcomes and build a more cohesive and productive team. This post will discuss the importance of effective communication in Scrum methodology and share tips and best practices to help you build better teams.
The 4 Keys to Making Agile Development Work for Your Company
Jim Schiel2022-05-23T06:52:42-07:00Making agile development work for your company can seem daunting, but if you focus
Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) Courses
Jim Schiel2023-10-07T09:47:09-07:00Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
Why a Forecast is SO MUCH BETTER Than a Commitment
Jim Schiel2022-01-13T17:40:24-08:00The Scrum Guide says that a Scrum team makes
Evaluating the Performance of a Scrum Master
Jim Schiel2022-01-14T11:21:55-08:00Measuring the performance of an employee is never easy to
A Little of a Lot Instead of a Lot of a Little
Jim Schiel2021-08-05T09:17:13-07:00A piece of advice I find myself always giving
Development and Support at the Same Time?
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:42:08-07:00How can a development team focus on max product value while also handling support-based interruptions? Here are a few things to pay attention to!
Scrum for Support Teams
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:17:02-07:00Scrum is the most used Agile framework, yet many still aren't quite sure how to make Scrum work best in a support environment. Let's dive into this topic!
What is Scrum?
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:46:38-07:00The most popular Agile Development framework, Scrum, can be explained in many ways. If you're just trying to understand what Scrum is, this post is for you.
What’s the RIGHT Way to Use Metrics With a Scrum Team?
Jim Schiel2022-01-14T11:27:01-08:00In many organizations, nothing wastes more time than metrics with no purpose. Here's help on the RIGHT way to measure team performance.
What Causes Conflict on a Team?
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:21:57-07:00Change usually creates conflict, but a good ScrumMaster knows what types of conflict to expect and is prepared to handle it with correct conflict responses.
Gearing a Team for Maximum Outcomes
Jim Schiel2022-01-13T17:40:24-08:00Creating a maximum outcome team is every ScrumMaster’s goal, but you must first understand how great teams form and what YOU need to do to create a great team.
Video Conferencing Tips for Virtual Teams
Jim Schiel2021-06-03T00:54:42-07:00COVID-19 has forced much of the world into isolation, but we must continue to collaborate. Here's some tips on everything from Zoom usage to overcoming trolls!
Simplify Your Work by Slicing
Jim Schiel2021-06-03T00:59:05-07:00When slicing a backlog item, we're taking a complex problem and paring it down into smaller problems, which are easier to solve and build.
What is the Role of the ScrumMaster?
Jim Schiel2022-08-18T19:51:57-07:00Although the Scrum Guide defines the ScrumMaster at length, here we're going to dissect that description and take a much closer look at what a ScrumMaster is.
Limited Skills, Great Demand
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:30:15-07:00Specialists with a particular skill can get stretched thin! But there's ways to solve this dilemma other than assigning them to ten Scrum teams at once.
Ground Rules for Your Team
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:30:24-07:00Some initial “rules” that everyone agrees to follow will help your team avoid misunderstandings and deliberate misconduct.
Keep Your Work In Process Low
Jim Schiel2022-01-13T17:44:03-08:00The fastest team productivity killer is working on 3+ backlog items at once. You'll end up with a team that's great at starting work, but lousy at finishing it.
I Think We Broke Something… Somewhere
Jim Schiel2022-01-26T09:03:01-08:00Many organizations transitioning to Agile Development suffer from a preconceived idea that coding tasks and testing tasks should be seen as separate activities.
Backlog Refinement Part 3: When Have We Refined Enough?
Jim Schiel2021-06-03T01:29:52-07:00How do you make sure the Scrum team refines enough backlog items for the next Sprint? Part 3 of my series on Backlog Refinement!
Backlog Refinement Part 2: How Small is Small Enough?
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:34:57-07:00How do you know how small to make your backlog items before you stop refining them and move on to something else? Part 2 of my series on Backlog Refinement!
Backlog Refinement Part 1: What It Is and How It Works
Jim Schiel2021-06-02T23:35:09-07:00While coaching Scrum teams I've noticed how difficult effective backlog refinement is, so I wrote a blog post series on how backlog refinement works.
What’s a Product Goal? #AskArtisan
Jim Schiel2023-05-26T07:52:28-07:00The 2020 Scrum Guide introduced a new concept called the Product Goal, and many are still confused about the purpose and function of Product Goals.
A “Reality Framework” for Metrics
Jim Schiel2021-08-27T14:35:38-07:00Thanks to 20th century management theory, the world is filled with metrics and measures
CSPO Course Agenda
Jim Schiel2021-05-25T11:55:10-07:00Class Times The Artisan CSPO Training Program is held in a number of different
Agile Transformations – Is It All-Or-Nothing?
Jim Schiel2022-01-14T11:41:51-08:00Wondering where to start with agile transformation? Do you pick a single project? Or a specific team? Train everyone and run with it? Here's some guidance.
Jim’s 10 Tips for Scrum Development Teams
Jim Schiel2022-01-13T17:40:24-08:00With COVID-19 forcing us all to learn about working from home, we're re-publishing our list of "Jim's 10 Tips for Scrum Development Teams," UPDATED for 2020!
Artisan Coaching
Jim Schiel2020-09-18T09:16:25-07:00Our Coaching Approach Our Coaching Approach Artisan
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) Courses
Jim Schiel2023-09-01T11:27:15-07:00Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
5 Ways to At Least DOUBLE Team Performance
Jim Schiel2022-01-26T09:34:05-08:00Here's 5 steps you can take as a manager or ScrumMaster to help DOUBLE your Development Team's performance (#5 is a shocker; it's easy but SUPER non-intuitive!)
Self-Organizing Teams
Jim Schiel2021-06-03T01:17:38-07:00When I teach or coach people about Scrum, we talk about self-organization, but the importance of self-organizational principles cannot be understated.