The Agile Compass
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💪 How to motivate people: Autonomy, mastery & purpose
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler How to motivate people: Autonomy, mastery & purpose How can we motivate people? Does money work? No! But what works then? Let’s look at the research. Hello Reader, today I want to talk about motivation – especially about how it does NOT work, and what you can do better.Before we start, here are a few recent Agile Compass articles you might have missed: Why managing dependencies is dangerous, and how to do it better How to get started building trust in teams…
Real lessons on teamwork from the Marshmallow Challenge
Ever thought that a marshmallow could teach you a thing or two about building effective teams?
Why Not Understanding the Cybertruck is a Management Problem
This article isn’t about Tesla. It’s about leadership, innovation, and why too many managers fail to grasp the essence of how innovation really works.
How To Build Trust And Vulnerability In Teams With The Personal History Exercise
Agile coaches often face the challenge of nurturing trust and openness within teams. The Personal History Exercise, as presented by Patrick Lencioni in “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, offers a practical and effective approach to initiating this journey.
Why Managing Dependencies Is Dangerous And How To Do Better
When it comes to dependencies, most teams and managers immediately ask, “How do we manage these dependencies?” But are we asking the right question?
The Benefits of Setting Impossible Goals – Why Great Leaders Aim High
We all laugh when Elon Musk misses yet another audacious goal. But is he just a deluded lunatic billionaire or is there more behind him consistently missing his goals?
Why you should know the Ball Point game – and how to facilitate it
Every Agile Coach or Scrum Master should know this game! It’s the standard we use to ease people into the world of iterative development, especially Scrum. You likely played it when you learned about Scrum. If not, I urge you to check it out. And this article is about the Ball Point Game, how to facilitate it, and what it can teach us.
Are your Daily Scrums wasting your team‘s time?
The Daily Scrum is an often loathed Scrum practice. But it certainly wasn’t invented to waste your team’s time – so what are we missing? Why are some teams not getting value out of the Daily Scrum? And most important: How do we do better?
Boost productivity: Manage your energy, not your time! ⚡️
Did you know: The average worker is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes a day?
That’s a jarring 30% of an 8 hour work day. What happens the rest of the day? And why do we spend time “at work“, if we‘re not productive anyway?
The Power of TDD – it’s not just about testing!
To be agile we need to move and adapt fast. Software developers have come up with hands-on techniques to enable this speed. One of these techniques is test-driven development (aka TDD)
The Iron Triangle from an Agile Perspective
The Iron Triangle guides every project – agile or not. But how agile methods use that knowledge to make projects more successful and hit deadlines is a surprise! Intrigued?
Mastering Deadlines with Agile Methods: How to Deliver on Time and Within Budget
Have you ever been told that agile methods can’t meet deadlines or stay within budget? It’s a common myth that leaves many skeptical about the true power of agility. But what if I told you that agile methods are not only capable of meeting these constraints but often excel at it?
Don‘t ignore the hidden preconditions for Scrum
Don‘t ignore the hidden preconditions for Scrum Did you know that many organizations are not a great fit for Scrum? Scrum makes a few assumptions that are often ignored and not fulfilled. And when we naively start to implement Scrum, we wonder why it doesn’t seem to work as promised. Let’s uncover these hidden assumptions today! Hello Reader, you’re reading a free article of the Agile Compass. If you find my articles valuable, you might want to become a…
The Hidden Agile Killer: How Traditional Budgeting Methods Undermine Innovation
How agile can you be, if your budgeting process is still stuck in waterfall land? Sadly, many agile transformations are stopped in their tracks by the budgeting process. In order to fund a "project" (hint: it's most often actually a product development!), companies...
Beyond Bug Hunting: Mastering Agile Testing For Superior Product Quality!
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Beyond Bug Hunting: Mastering Agile Testing For Superior Product Quality! Did you know that “testing” in an agile context is very different from what testing traditionally means? Agile companies invest heavily in test automation and shift from a test last to a test first approach. Hello Reader, last week we talked about how emotional check-ins can boost collaboration, trust and communication in a team. This week we dive into product quality and testing. I…
Boost Your Emotional IQ Every Day: Why Daily Check-Ins Are Great
This is where the magic of emotional check-ins comes into play. Rather than diving straight into the tasks at hand, you decide to take a moment—a simple, powerful moment—to ask everyone to
How to Improve Your Retrospectives in 7 Steps
Retrospectives can turn into mere problem discussions yielding little positive impact on the work of a Scrum team. Here is how you can ensure insanely effective Sprint Retrospectives with an easy to follow 7 steps template.
Why Your Sprint Retrospectives Fail and How to Make Them Inspire Real Change
Are your retros effective? Do only discuss problems or does the team actually improve continuously? Here is my proven template for effective retrospectives.
How To Measure Psychological Safety In Agile Teams?
Psychological safety and how we can measure it. Think of the best team you’ve ever been part of. What made it stand out? Was it the easy way everyone shared ideas, or maybe the comfort of speaking up without fear of…
Efficiency or Effectiveness – What Will Give You the Competitive Edge?
Today I want to give you an article you can pass on to doubting managers. It talks about a company‘s competitive edge in the 21. century: is it efficiency or effectiveness?
How To Demo The Backend In An Agile Way?
A common question I get: How do we demo virtual deliverables in the Sprint Review or System Demo? If we only have a backend or a library to show, how can we best do it? Let me give a few tips in this week’s article.
How Positive Intent Transforms Agile Team Dynamics for Better Productivity
Agile through the world of sports ⚽️: A valuable lesson about perception and culture. Assuming Positive Intent: The Secret Sauce in the agile Playbook.
Is Extrinsic Motivation Really Bad? Understand the Balance for Great Leadership
The Agile Compass by Matthias Orgler Hello [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], this week’s topic is extrinsic motivation and bonuses. But first let me welcome a bunch of new readers hopping over from my “Life of Scrum Master” newsletter. I’m so happy this newsletter is growing and delivering value to all of you 😃. Here is what you might have missed in the last couple of weeks: The Manifesto Most Organizations Live By Overcoming Resistance To Change In Agile Transformations The Overlooked Management…
The Manifesto Most Organizations Live By
Ah, the hallowed halls of traditional management, where the air is thick with the scent of printed reports and the sound of keyboards clacking away into oblivion.
How Agile Teams Naturally Progress: Unveil the Power of Tuckman’s Stages
Tuckman’s stages of group development help us to coach agile teams at different stages of their development.
Unlocking Performance: The Overlooked Management Strategy That Works Wonders
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Hello Reader,
in the last two weeks we looked at planning: assessing why we insist on finalizing the plan (and how to stop) and why you shouldn’t pick user stories in Sprint planning (and what to do instead).
This week we’ll talk about an overlooked management strategy that could unlock high performance for you.
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Why You Shouldn’t Assign Team Members to User Stories During Sprint Planning
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Hello Reader,
last week we talked about why we can’t seem to let go of “finalizing the plan”. This week we’ll look at a common bad habit that can sneak into your sprint planning in Scrum.
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Why You Shouldn’t Assign Team Members to…
The Great Agile Paradox: Why We Can’t Seem to Let Go of “Finalizing the Plan”
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Hello Reader,
last week we talked about why Product Owners shouldn’t spend so much time writing user stories. This week we’ll look at the paradox of well knowing how much waste big upfront planning is, yet still insisting on doing it.
Before we dive into why we can’t let go of planning to plan the plan, here are other articles you might have missed:
Overcoming Resistance to Change in Agile Transformations: A Guide for Agile Coaches and Leaders
Unlocking…
How to Boost Team Collaboration with User Stories – Not Just Writing!
Alright, do you measure the effectiveness of product owners by how much time they devote to writing great user stories? Many do – more or less explicitly. But there is a hard truth: The better the Product Owner, the less time they spend writing user stories 😱!
How to Overcome Resistance to Change in Agile Transformations
Let’s tackle an issue most agile practitioners grapple with: Resistance to change. Why it happens and what you can do about it.