Blog
Read about agility, leadership, innovation. Benefit from 20 years of global hands-on agile experience. Subscribe to The Agile Compass.
How To Demo The Backend In An Agile Way?
The Agile Compass by Matthias Orgler Hello Reader, 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. But before we dive in, here are other interesting articles that you might have missed in the last couple of weeks: Assuming Positive Intent – learning from the world of soccer ⚽️ (a premium article) Why You Shouldn’t Assign Team…
Assuming Positive Intent: The secret sauce in the agile playbook ⚽️
The Agile Compass by Matthias Orgler Hello Reader, last week we explored whether extrinsic motivation really kills intrinsic motivation. This week’s article comes from the world of sports ⚽️ and teaches us a valuable lesson about perception and culture. Assuming Positive Intent: The Secret Sauce in the Agile Playbook 🎧 Listen to this article (read by Matthias) In the realm of professional soccer, a 2005 study titled “Action bias among elite soccer goalkeepers: The case of penalty kicks”…
Is Extrinsic Motivation Really That Bad? Understanding the Balance for Effective 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
The Agile Compass by Matthias Orgler Hello Reader, today we’ll have some fun 😃. We will NOT look at the Agile Manifesto, but examine The Manifesto Most Organizations Live By 🤪 🎧 Listen to this article (read by Matthias) Before we dive in, here is what you might have missed in the last couple of weeks: Overcoming Resistance To Change In Agile Transformations The Critical Role of Psychological Safety in Agile Teams The Overlooked Management Strategy That Works Wonders Upgrade now, if you…
🧭 Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development: A Guide for Agile Coaches and Leaders
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Hello Reader,
last week we talked about an overlooked management strategy that works wonders. This week we’ll set our eyes on agile teams and how we can coach them at different stages of their development.
If you have any topics you would like me to cover on the Agile Compass, please let me know. Just hit reply on this email and bring your requests. I read every single email.
Thank you for reading the free edition of The Agile Compass! Consider upgrading…
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.
Thank you for reading the free edition of The Agile Compass! Consider upgrading today. Paying subscribers improve their knowledge and skills…
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.
Thank you for reading the free edition of The Agile Compass! Consider upgrading today. Paying subscribers improve their knowledge and skills faster by getting regular premium articles and access to the full archive.
Upgrade today
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…
Let’s Chat About Writing User Stories… Or Not 😳
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Hello Reader,
last week we talked about change resistance in agile transformations and how to overcome it. This week let’s chat about writing user stories… or not 😳😄. Are user stories really about writing?
Thank you for reading the free edition of The Agile Compass! Consider upgrading today. Paying subscribers improve their knowledge and skills faster by getting regular premium articles and access to the full archive.
Upgrade today
Let’s Chat About Writing…
Overcoming Resistance to Change in Agile Transformations: A Guide for Agile Coaches and Leaders
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Hello Reader,
last week we talked about how to achieve psychological safety and why it’s important for agility. This week I wanna tackle an issue most agile practitioners grapple with: Resistance to change.
If you’d like to read about a specific topic or have a current issue in your organization, let me know! Just reply to this email – I read all replies.
And now let’s talk about resistance to change, why it happens and what you can do about it.
Thank you…
Unlocking Innovation and Autonomy: The Critical Role of Psychological Safety in Agile Teams
The Agile Compass
by Matthias Orgler
Unlocking Innovation and Autonomy: The Critical Role of Psychological Safety in Agile Teams
Thank you for reading the free edition of The Agile Compass! Consider upgrading today. Paying subscribers improve their knowledge and skills faster by getting regular premium articles and access to the full archive.
Upgrade today
Have you ever wondered why some agile teams soar to new heights of innovation and efficiency, while others struggle to find their rhythm?…
Rapid Experiments vs. Big Upfront Planning
What is better: An iterative approach with rapid experiments and lots of failures, or a cautious big upfront planning trying to sketch a perfect solution while avoiding risks? While we Agile Coaches talk a lot about this topic, it helps to look at real world cases of...
Why do we plan agile transformations as waterfall projects?
Why do we plan agile transformations as waterfall projects? It sounds hilarious, yet I‘ve seen it over and over again: Agile transformations are planned as a project with big upfront planning and a strict timeframe. We need to understand: 😲 An Agile transformation is...
Why do some management boards think agility wouldn‘t affect them?
Why do some management boards think agility wouldn‘t affect them? Don‘t limit your agile transformation to the “delivery organization“! You cannot require Product Owners and Product Managers to create clear priorities and goals … and then have 10 “most important“...
How to easily destroy agility
If you don‘t set clear goals & priorities on top management level, you‘ll stir unhealthy conflict & confusion in teams. It‘s not uncommon for managers to spend half of their workday resolving conflicts that bubble up to them. Many of these conflicts stem from...
Warning: A hybrid agile/waterfall organization should NOT be your goal.
A hybrid agile/waterfall organization should NOT be your goal. An agile/waterfall hybrid is a temporary state that exists during transformations. It‘s not the state you‘re aiming for. Agility and waterfall come with different values and beliefs. You cannot simply...
🫸 Stop arguing over frameworks and methodologies!
These are NOT what makes you agile. 🌱 The grass is always greener on the other side. Debating whether scrum or kanban or something else is better will not get you anywhere. Sure, some are a better fit for certain circumstances; but if you arent‘t agile, neither choice...
How long is your backlog?
If you start having trouble finding stories – or wondering whether the story is already in there somewhere – your backlog is probably too long 😅 The idea of a product backlog is that of a short-term buffer. A backlog lasting about 6 weeks is good; a backlog lasting 6...