I was recently approached by the Microsoft Project Users Group (MPUG) to write a brief overview of the Scrum framework. The MPUG is a community of project managers from around the world, many of whom are just beginning to work with agile frameworks like Scrum.
You…
As professional software developers we apply good technical practices with the goal of delivering high-value products with no defects. When defects do occur, high-performance agile teams deal with them quickly and effectively, preferably as soon as they are exposed.…
In the late 1980s and early 1990s I used to help companies analyze large systems and generate project plans (Gantt charts). During those activities, I would often see two people having a conversation using the same word, but talking right past each other. Even though…
This blog is the first in a series of blog postings regarding the concept of technical debt. The content of this blog is based on my book Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process.
Technical debt is a term used to describe the obligation…
Not too long ago, I had the honor of being interviewed by Matthew Heusser for InformIT. Matt and I started out talking about Essential Scrum and the Visual AGILExicon® (VAL). We ended up in an in-depth conversation about whether Scrum teams need technical practices,…
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 14 (Scrum Planning Principles) of my book Essential Scrum.
I live in Colorado where the skiing is world-class. Occasionally I do some recreational skiing, but I’m no expert. A friend of mine, John, is an extreme skier.…
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 6 (Product Backlog) of my book Essential Scrum.
Grooming the product backlog should ensure that items at the top of the backlog are ready to be moved into a sprint so that the development team can confidently commit and…