Scrum

You know that using Scrum to manage projects can make a positive difference in your organization, but the executives you need to help drive the change are lukewarm or resistant to the idea. Here are some tips for getting them to buy into and support a Scrum implementation.

The “chicken and pig” lore of Scrum is no longer part of the updated Scrum Guide. This is a welcome change, and should be helpful as practitioners go about implementing Scrum on projects — and explaining it to stakeholders throughout the organization.

A well-functioning Scrum project requires three distinct roles, separate but equal: the Product Owner oversees what is being delivered on behalf of the customer; the Scrum team controls how they work; and the Scrum Master facilitates and acts as keeper of the process on behalf of the organization.

The Agile2011 Conference drew more than 1,600 attendees to Salt Lake City, where dozens of companies showcased new technology solutions and training offerings. Here is a recap from the busy exhibition floor.

Agile Leadership Network board president Rob Mac Iver summarizes his highlights at the recent Agile2011 Conference in Salt Lake City, including the event's first Executive Forum.

When agile teams misunderstand or abuse the concept of Velocity, tell-tale symptoms arise, from burnout to artificial productivity. Likewise, there are clear signs when teams are properly applying velocity as a measure of delivering business value. Ultimately, it's about working smarter, not harder.

In Scrum, a sprint is complete when its time-boxed duration is over, but what if the Product Owner hasn’t signed-off on all the user stories? Should a team get credit for partially completed stories? Can a sprint be extended if the team was “close”?

It’s time for Agile to get beyond the “small team in a single room with a whiteboard” and address the “full puzzle” — value creation across the enterprise. Here, Scott Ambler discusses the community’s challenges moving forward, including scaling to the enterprise, certification ethics and software development bias.

Kanban is gaining popularity in project management circles as more teams relate to its principles of visualizing workflow, limiting work in progress and balancing demand. Here, a self-described “pragmatic Agilist” explains what drew him to Kanban, where it delivers benefits, and how it differs from other agile methods.