Hi,
Last week I spent a lot of time on improving my own skills… so we’ll see how that plays out in the future!
I have been talking about connecting people looking for Scrum Jobs with REAL people who have Scrum Job Openings in their Organization.
Over the past few weeks I have been silently getting names of people who are looking for Scrum Jobs. I expect now that anyone who visits www.implementingscrum.com/scrum-jobs and is looking for a job WILL go out and do this. NOW.
Also… and here is the challenge… if you are in an organization who is looking for a person with Scrum Jobs skills, please go to www.implementingscrum.com/scrum-jobs and see if I can help you make a connection.
What is the fee for this?
FREE. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Why am I doing this?
Mainly good Karma.
Pass it on! Twitter this link. Retwitter it if you see it. Put it up on FaceBook. E-mail it to your friends. Start to create some buzzzzzz for this. Please.
So… can you help me meet the challenge of actually making the ultimate hook-up of at least one person looking for a Scrum Job with a person in an organization who needs a qualified person here.
Transparency.
Trust.
Walking what I teach…
Let’s see how it works!
Good luck.
- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com
Hi all.
The chat test today during the two hour-long sessions was a success.
I learned many things, and, as all things we do with Scrum the next iteration will be even better.
I can go into the retrospective we had — but suffice it to say that there were enough in the “cons” section (versus “pro”) for trying another tool.
So.
From 13:00 – 14:00 EST (GMT-4), Friday, June 12, 2009, we will test a new page (it is located at www.implementingscrum.com/chat). And a new chat system. Feel free to go in and take a look at it ahead of time; however, I will plan on being there for an hour in the afternoon to discuss a Product Backlog for the ImplementingScrum site.
As a stakeholder, I’d really appreciate like your input.
Tony is back from a short vacation and we will have yet another comic strip out early next week.
And.
I’ll make an announcement on Friday night that will put another service “live” on this site. And yes, as usual, it is still all free. I do love what I do for a living, and thank all my clients (and future clients) for the work I get so that I can give back to the community through initiatives like this site, www.implementingscrum.com.
And hey… if you are not following me on Twitter yet… do so on the right side of the screen in the sidebar. It is 2009 and there is so much GREAT stuff on that system about agile and scrum. Stuff you should not miss! Including real-time announcements that I do not make via the blog entry or e-mail (it is usually THAT time sensitive!).
I hope to see you online to discuss the Product Backlog for the site at 13:00 EST (GMT-4) at the following address: www.implementingscrum.com/chat.
Thank you.
- mike vizdos
Hi all,
I want to try a new service so if you have time Thursday, June 11, 2009, to try this with me — I will be online from 10:00AM – 11:00AM and then 2:00PM – 3:00PM (Both are in Eastern Time (GMT-4) – I am currently in Richmond, Virginia, USA).
It is an interactive chat session that may have some potential for all of us.
See you Thursday! Let’s see where this leads…
- mike vizdos
Thanks for reading the latest blog entry at www.implementingscrum.com.
And — THANK YOU for waiting — a BRAND NEW comic strip. I am excited to get this new one out to you. I hope you enjoy…
A Sprint is typically 30 days (can be less — more for another posting) and a lot of places I go to and consult with look at the word “Sprint” as a bad word.
The general idea of a Sprint is for all stakeholders to get into a regular heartbeat of delivery (you know, so the team can deliver potentially shippable products on a regular basis).
For some teams, this looks like a continuous non-stop treadmill or running in a mouse cage (do you get a good visual on that now?).
And it goes on and on and on…. with teams never getting to “Done.”
This is sad.
How can you keep this from happening?
Well, I see a few ways that I’d like to examine today.
I want to examine how this is not a bad word or term and how it can be used effectively for sustainable development.
The whole idea of Scrum is to produce working software on a regular basis.
Working Software.
Say it with me now… “Working Software.”
Nothing else. Everything else is, well, not “working software.”
This does not mean the team has to forget about the differences between the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog (hmmm… foreshadowing my next two topics and comic strips) — because this is one of the ways a team usually gets to this point.
Think about it.
Who is committing to the work you are doing as a team during the Sprint?
If you are on the floor laughing, or have a blank stare on your face right now… let me re-frame the question to…
Who is SUPPOSED to commit the the work you are doing as a team during the Sprint?
If all else fails, what is the last thing we do before starting a new Sprint over again?
Stop and think about this.
It begins with the letter, “R”.
A Retrospective is probably needed.
Maybe this means reading a book about it.
And I mean READING it until the end and then actually PRACTICING what you read about.
There is a night and day difference between a crappy Retrospective and a good one. Retrospectives work.
Use them.
Find out why your team thinks the word “Sprint” is a bad word.
It should not be a never-ending cycle.
Really.
And.
If it is…
Maybe it is time to perform an “Abnormal Termination” of the Sprint, call it a day, and go back to the Scrum Basics.
Hope this helps stop the insanity of never-ending-Sprints.
What else can you recommend to help stop this?
Send your comments and share some of your experiences.
Thank you!
- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com
Hi,
Welcome back to a new week at www.implementingscrum.com.
This week (tomorrow night, actually) I will introduce the first of a comic strip in a three part series (of course punctuated by other blog postings) over the next three weeks.
As usual, this blog posting can be consumed and enjoyed alone.
However.
As with all the comic strips Tony and I have published here over the years, please remember that you should take these in moderation.
And context.
And.
Use each one of them to start having some tough conversations about Software Development in your environment today.
Hope you have a great week, and enjoy the NEW comic strip coming to you tomorrow (I am excited…. FINALLY… I know… I know….).
Thank you!
- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com
