Jim Schiel’s Blog

Tangible Empathy: How Compassionate Leaders Boost Productivity

In today's dynamic Agile workspaces, leadership extends beyond traditional managerial abilities. Compassionate leadership emerges as a critical factor in boosting productivity as we grapple with team dynamics, project requirements, and stakeholder expectations. This post explores how compassionate leadership, underpinned by empathy, can substantially increase team productivity. We also offer best practices, tips for

By |2023-06-26T16:23:59-07:00July 12th, 2023|Categories: Leadership|Tags: |

Role Fluidity: The Key to Self-Managed Agile Teams

In Agile project management's complex and dynamic landscape, the ability to adapt quickly to changes is not just an asset - it's a necessity. One of the key elements facilitating this adaptability is the concept of "role fluidity," which allows team members to transcend traditional role boundaries and embrace new challenges. This article

By |2023-06-26T16:20:49-07:00July 5th, 2023|Categories: Leadership|Tags: |

Agile Communication: Tailoring Messages for Maximum Team Engagement

In any organization, the role of effective communication cannot be understated. In Agile environments, where adaptability, speed, and cross-functional collaboration are key, communication is even more crucial. How leaders and team members communicate can significantly impact team engagement and overall project success. This post will explore how Agile leaders, including Scrum Masters and

By |2023-06-22T13:39:02-07:00June 28th, 2023|Categories: Leadership|Tags: |

Tools Don’t Self Manage – Teams Do

For Scrum teams to be their most effective, they need to be truly self-managing and must take the initiative to define their ground rules and processes. Tools should not be used to force the team into a tool-supported process; rather, tools should be used to support the team's processes. Teams that have successfully

By |2023-06-22T13:26:32-07:00June 22nd, 2023|Categories: Best Practices|

The Agile Mindset: How Compassionate Leadership Enhances Team Engagement

As a manager, Scrum Master, or leader, you've likely encountered the phrase "individuals and interactions over processes and tools" from the Agile Manifesto . While this principle embodies the Agile approach's essence, in practice, many organizations still grapple with the challenges of employee disengagement. Gallup reports a staggering $500 billion annual loss in

By |2023-06-22T22:52:45-07:00June 21st, 2023|Categories: Leadership|Tags: |

Breaking Through Resistance: Change Management Frameworks for Agile Teams

Change can be a challenging process, especially when it comes to agile development adoption. Resistance to change can prevent organizations from realizing the benefits of agile development, such as increased productivity, improved quality, and greater flexibility. Change management frameworks provide a structured approach to managing change and can help organizations to identify and address resistance to change. By using a change management framework, organizations can create a culture of openness and transparency, involve team members in the change process, and ensure that change is managed effectively and efficiently. In this post, we'll explore the role of change management frameworks in overcoming resistance to change and provide examples of successful change management frameworks used in agile development adoption efforts.

By |2023-06-27T08:41:11-07:00May 31st, 2023|Categories: Leadership, ScrumMaster|Tags: |

Breaking Through Resistance: A Guide to Effective Communication Strategies in Agile Development

Effective communication is the cornerstone of success in agile development. Without effective communication, team members may not understand their roles and responsibilities, misunderstandings may arise, and conflicts may escalate. In this post, we've explored the importance of effective communication in agile development and provided practical strategies for improving communication within your team. By establishing clear communication channels, using visual aids, practicing active listening, fostering open communication, providing context, and tailoring communication to different audiences, you can ensure that your team members are working together effectively towards a common goal. Implementing these strategies can help to ensure that your agile development process is successful and that your team members are productive and motivated.

By |2023-06-27T08:41:25-07:00May 24th, 2023|Categories: Leadership, ScrumMaster|Tags: |

Breaking Through Resistance: How to Understand and Overcome Resistance to Change

Are you facing resistance to change within your organization? Do you find it difficult to convince your team to embrace new practices or processes, particularly in the context of agile development? Resistance to change is a common challenge that many organizations face when trying to adopt new methodologies like agile development. In this post, we'll explore the various forms of resistance to change and how to overcome them, so you can successfully implement agile development practices in your organization.

By |2023-06-27T08:41:42-07:00May 17th, 2023|Categories: Leadership, ScrumMaster|Tags: |

Building Better Teams: How Effective Communication Can Improve Your Agility

Effective 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.

By |2023-06-27T08:42:14-07:00May 10th, 2023|Categories: Best Practices|

Revolutionize Your Agile Workflow with Sierra Agility

Sierra Agility is a powerful tool for teams looking to become more agile and efficient. By catching common errors in process and action and advising teams on correcting them, Sierra Agility ensures that your team is operating at its full potential. With features like team size recommendations, defined Scrum Masters and Product Owners, and sprint and product goal tracking, Sierra Agility takes the guesswork out of agile project management. Learn more about how Sierra Agility can help your team achieve its goals and become more successful by visiting sierraagility.net.

By |2023-08-03T11:34:56-07:00May 5th, 2023|Categories: Best Practices, News, Sierra Agility|

Get Yourself a Coach!

Think about the times when you've felt completely lost at work. Maybe you're in a new role and don't know where to start. Maybe you're stuck on a project and can't seem to find a way out. Or maybe you're just feeling burnt out and need some motivation. In these moments, having a regular coach can make all the difference.

By |2023-02-03T07:08:07-08:00February 22nd, 2023|Categories: Best Practices, Coaching, Leadership|