Planning Sprints on the Rummikub Model
I was playing Rummikub with my kids and noticed they were unnecessarily frustrated all the time. In between their own turns they spent the whole time moaning, "You've ruined my plans!" every time another player put a stone down.
It was not a new ...
Specialization and Generalization in Teams
Specialization in Scrum has been a hot topic for many years and pops up at every Scrum course I run. It is an important issue that’s particularly relevant for a new team in their first Sprint.
Scrum defines specialization as a cross-functio...
Writing the Product Backlog Just Enough and Just In Time
How much work should you do in advance of a sprint? Nothing? As little as possible? As much as possible? Find out why doing just enough, just in time might be your best strategy.
Prepped for Success: Eight pre-sprint activities that will help get your Scrum project off on the right foot
Your project has to be done yesterday. You need to kick off your first sprint as soon as possible. But before you take that leap, spend a little bit of time getting ready. This article describes four activities that should be completed before the first sprint is kicked off and four activiites that should take place prior to each sprint planning meeting.
The Power of Closure
Tobias Fors explains how Scrum's frequent finish lines offer a powerful sense of closure.