If you have any ideas please contact me and we can talk about exploring them via a comic strip or even you writing a guest blog entry!

Here is the scenario:

You are running a Scrum Team in an organization that contains a large contingent of Waterfall Projects and surviving somehow in a command-and-control environment.

Maybe you even have multiple teams running at this point.

You are following the “Combo Approach” of rolling this out, and you have support of the team and a person at the highest level within the organization, so that when impediments are hit they can be cleared if you ask.

All of the sudden, there is a reorganization.

The Chickens have moved around.

Your Scrum Team inherits some very new Chickens with little experience using Scrum and are pretty tight when it comes to command-and-control management styles.

One of the new Chickens walks into the Scrum Team room and asks for status reports to start up again. In writing using the template this Chicken has always used to get control of projects.

Starting today.

You look at this Chicken in amazement.

You ask, “Why?”

This project seems to be out of control in the view of this Chicken.

“We also need to start having daily one hour status meetings from everyone in this group… Fifteen minutes is not enough. I (The Chicken) will run the meeting and set the agenda. It may have to be two times a day.”

The Chicken wants a “all hands” meeting at the end of the day today for a few hours.

The Chicken is thinking about instituting mandatory sixty hour work weeks.

The words “Microsoft Project” are thrown around.

The Chicken also wants to put the teams back into offices because their stature in the company is high — the team members have all been with the company for a long time and want their own offices back (according to the Chicken).

The Chicken wants to have an all day post moderm to determine the root cause of the problems with this team because the boss of the Chicken wants the Chicken to be in charge.

So,

What do YOU do?

- As a Team Member?
- As a ScrumMaster?
- As a Product Owner?
- As “The Chicken”?

Comment on your responses.

Let’s get the conversation going!

Well this evening I put out a posting on CNN’s site where they do this iReporter stuff.

The posting of course had our intrepid Chicken and Pig with the Lipstick.

Remember the point is that politics aside (I could care less) the analogy of the lipstick and the pig represents the fact that people try to make something old pretty by using nice words and flowing bla bla bla.

Wow.

Look at me go.

Please visit http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-82862 and comment and DIGG IT for me there!

Thank you,

- mike

Welcome back to yet another day at www.implementingscrum.com.

Just passed CNN Headline news and heard the politicians in the USA blabbering on about a “Lipstick on a Pig” comment.

Propaganda and political agendas aside, it did remind me of a posting I did back in 2006.

It was about removing the lipstick from a pig.

And it was a good reminder about what a lot of teams are trying to do with Scrum today.

Stuff I am hearing more and more come up — both within Scrum and life in general.

Timely for news junkies.

Start those tough conversations.

Today!

And get the word out about it.

Hopefully this will be of use for both new and regular readers.First, the story of the Chicken and Pig. Read more here. And here if you speak more than just English.

Even if you are not a techie, some of these stories and cartoons at the blog may help tell good stories.

One of the most popular on the site is here. I do not know why, but can imagine some. Whatever .

If you just like looking at cartoons, check out here. There is a thumbnail of all cartoons every created on this site. Just click and enjoy.

Rinse and repeat.

So that gives a good tour of what the site is today.

I’d recommend coming back in the next few weeks. Subscribe now.

Because things are about to change.

There will be a new look and feel to the site.

The site is moving to a dedicated server — faster cartoon loading for you.

You will get more for your money.

OK. Well. The site is still free.

And no advertisements (hopefully that will continue!).

Even if you are not a geek — tell your friends. Or just have fun reading about geeks (that would be me and people I work with).

And strange things that happen in our world.

And.

I promise Tony will be back to work on new comic strips soon. Really. I promise.

Like when my parents come to visit — I know they really just come to see my kids. Just like the cartoons are the lifeblood of this site. I appreciate knowing that and providing those and my blog entries as a bonus (smie).

Have a great weekend (or welcome to Monday) and happy surfing!

If you or your friends [or enemies] have not signed up for FREE updates to this blog, please Subscribe to Implementing Scrum via Email!

Gotta run Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

OK.

So what was I talking about a few nights ago with the cartoon posting above?

It really truly is not politically correct.

In no sense of any being.

But.

It is HIlarious to me.

Because it can help me make a point.

Actually tonight, eight points.

Eight Points.

Just for you.

How is that for a Thursday night or Friday morning?

Hmm.

Think about it this way.

You are arriving on “Fantasy Island” if you think…

1) You can stock the Product Backlog without a Product Owner present during Planning Poker

2) The definition of “Done” is not important to anyone

3) BurnDown Charts are useless, actually more useless of tracking tasks

4) The CSM Workshop is a waste of your time

5) You can pronounce the last name for

Ricardo

(c’mon Fantasy Island Buffs (or OK… is there even a “buff” reading this?))

6) Documentation is not needed on any agile projects

7) Scrum is a Silver Bullet

You can get a date with the “Hot” ScrumMaster replacement (smile) or Jessica Alba or with some hot babe with her Bottom Up.

9) This cartoon is about SCUBA Diving [strangely enough this is one of the most downloaded cartoon on this site)

…. OK.

Enough for now.

Man.

I can go on for a while.

But I think you get the picture.

What have I missed?

Now….

Do you see where you can spend a lot of time on Fantasy Island?

Do you want to leave it?

Really?

Why?

Gotta run! Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Welcome back to yet another week at www.implementingscrum.com.

I sincerely apologize for the lack of a new posting last week. Sometimes even I need to remind myself that I am human.

And.

The cartoon for this week really says it all.

Keep IT Simple Stupid.

In the past, I have seen the “KISS” stuff look like: “Keep it simple stupid” or “Keep it super simple” or many other variations.

Note the capitalization of “IT”?

That’s where you and I come in a lot of the times.

So.

Really.

Keep IT Simple Stupid.

I am not calling you stupid. If anything, this is a great reminder for “me” to not get stupid.

A few weeks ago I was with a client (actually doing the work thing, which I doooo actually “do”!) and they have been spending a lot of time planning for their agile rollout.

What is a lot of time?

This will vary.

Let’s just say it looked very much like a waterfall process — nothing near agile.

And I had to tell them this.

Will “they” listen?

Who knows.

But.

It was a great reminder to me that taking months and months planning for an agile rollout of more than ten teams at one time is not a good idea for people starting agile stuff.

What is my recommendation?

Get ready for “Captain Obvious.”

Start with one project.

Today.

Now.

And stop the planning game.

Really.

Get good at what you do.

And the only way to do this is to get started.

One project at a time.

Don’t worry about the enterprise rollout today when you have not started even one project.

Scary thought?

Yes.

Reality?

It does work.

Worry about the “enterprise” stuff later.

Start producing working software.

Today.

Think about it and challenge the way you currently do things today.

Results will vary, but all will surprise you.

Gotta run! Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Welcome back to yet another week at www.implementingscrum.com.

So.

A few weeks ago had someone in a class explain this. He was trained as an Antropologist — not a software developer.

Interesting dude. Really.

Let’s say your current organizational system is like a river flowing down stream.

How rough varies.

Introduce change.

Any change.

Just one.

Scrum for example (funny how that gets worked into this conversation, eh?).

Pretend that change is a boat (or canoe, as drawn!).

Insert a Chicken and Pig for some humor (smile).

Following along with me?

Now.

Paddle.

What happens when you stop paddling?

The river flushes you back down stream.

That’s the gist.

Easy brilliance.

Does this apply in your current situation?

If you are about to just embark on this journey, remember to always keep paddling!

Stop paddling and you have made a choice to give it up — and make room for something else to take its place.

Gotta run! Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

This is a hard story to tell.

You may want to grab some Kleenex.

OK.

It is not that bad.

But you may want to read this through a few times and pass it on to people in your organization.

There are some great lessons learned (for me anyway).

Names and places have been changed to protect the innocent.

But.

It is a story that must be told.

Since.

Well.

It involves me.

As the ScrumMaster.

And.

I wound up becoming a “Dead” ScrumMaster today.

How did that happen?

About three weeks ago I got called into meet with the CIO of a large private company somewhere on this planet (actually it was through someone who knew him and I and trusted us both).

The company is professing itself as “Doing Agile” and has a few small projects started up.

The CIO had a particular project in mind [for me] and we spent about a half an hour having a conversation about what he wanted me to do, and discussing some of the implications (including implosion of the project).

Basically at the end of the conversation my direction was set — in the next day and a half… figure out fast how to make the biggest impact.

Boy.

I guess I did. In retrospect.

You see, the project they were getting ready to kick off as “Agile” was still not an officially funded project.

Read that last sentence loud and clearly — they had no approved budget. This was all supposedly under the radar.

So, as with a lot of organizations, people spent months and many many many hours creating the “perfect” power point presentation for their senior leadership team to review. This was prior to me coming in.

It was not good enough yet, and the team had two weeks to clean up the presentation.

I boldly asked for a team that could produce some working software during those two weeks, while the parallel effort of the funding presentation went on.

We started gaining the needed resources (wow.. did I say resources [yes... PEOPLE and the other stuff to DO a project??!!) and ideas.

We were going to take their highest priority customer and run a [one] real transaction set through a real working architecture (not on power point).

It was approved by a VP on Friday afternoon, just before a holiday weekend. I went home excited.

I arrived back on Tuesday morning and the team starting getting wind of this, and we got together in the afternoon to talk about what would happen in the next 8 business days.

Lots of blank stares and smiles, but people started getting excited.

It was something the team could focus on.

Technical people working on technical stuff — not power point presentations.

We reviewed the basics of Scrum and that during the next two weeks we would get a course — by doing the work — on what it looks like to actually do it.

Once we delivered, we would have a Retrospective and see what we could improve once the project was funded and actually “officially” started.

We talked a little about User Stories — this is a Use Case shop — and we wound up writing very basic user stories that were tasked out. No owners, no estimates. This is “normal” [real world] from what I see on the first cut in situations [and timing] like this.

Should I have put a stop to the project (or un-project) then? I made a call not to do that.

We went home.

The next morning we had a temporary conference room and we had an effective stand-up meeting.

Kept it at 15 minutes.

People were off and doing real work.

It was cool to see. I stood back.

We had an impediment with getting some dev machines that was taken care of by the team and outside stakeholders in an incredibly quick manner. Kudos for getting that first impediment out of the way!

The parallel process of getting the project funded (via the power point presentation) was happening outside of the room.

We started talking about the “Cone of Uncertainty.”

I left town that evening and the team worked for two days focusing on the tasks and items on the wall.

All highly visible to the people walking into the room (or by it).

The team got moved around a bit each day, but we had our eye on one room for the “final week” of this part of the project (or is that pre-proect?).

Not all the team members were there all the time. Hmmm…

Stand-ups stayed focused and on track. No more three hour status meetings to schedule status meetings with the entire team.

People (including me) were calling in if they could not be physically located in the team room.

I arrived the next Monday morning to the new location for the team. It was “ours” for the week. The five business days remaining on this part of the project.

New building. But we could have all the players collocated in one room or on the phone. Things were humming along.

Impediments came up and were handled by the team. Awesome. We even got a temporary AC unit put in the room to cool us off — 12 people in a small room with lots of computers… you know how that can get.

The parallel process of getting the project funded was happening outside of the room. Still. Small concern, which, in retrospect, I should have dealt with better.

During the few days I was there that week, I did what I told the CIO and others I would be doing — a lot of observation on team interaction.

I did not want to jump in and be the answer man for coding [nor did I really feel like me getting into the code would help anyone -- including the people that really needed to be in it (which was awesome to see how people recognized this and stood up and took ownership without being directed!)].

I did a little nudging along the way to fill out the task cards with owners and estimates (so we could start having what looked like a Burn Down to see what that represents); however, I mainly stayed out of the way and let the technical team dive in and watch them do what many thought to be impossible.

The goal now was to deliver working software, not a methodology (a tough balance in this situation).

Get to “Done.”

Before leaving, the Project Manager and I came up with a plan for the following week.

Assuming the project was funded, the Project Manager would start assembling the team and getting them lined up to start the “real work” the next week (people had to be lined up to work on this project).

I would not be on site this week, and meeting notices started coming into my inbox as expected and according to our plan.

Then, Thursday night I get a call telling me the client probably does not want me back. It came to fruition today.

Partly because I “sat in the corner” watching.

Partly because people heard me say things that did not tow the party line (and I did not do the Schwaber, “You Suck and that makes me Sad“).

Partly because I did not code.

Partly because I was not engaged with that team doing the request for outside funding.

I am sure there are a lot of reasons.

Go back and notice a key role missing. One that was unfortunately a key to this part of the success — or lack thereof — of this part of the project.

I did not do a good job of managing and communicating expectations with all of the stakeholders — known and unknown.

Funny thing happened though.

I hear the team delivered working software.

And.

I had a lot of great conversations with the people on the team and saw negative energy transform into a powerful focus of delivering working code in a very short period of time.

Is it perfect?

No.

Is it something they can show to outside stakeholders that has true business value for them today?

I think so.

So in part I have failed that team, and I am sorry. I am doing the failure bow now — hoping they understand.

And.

I have learned [again] that any ScrumMaster can be taken out and shot at any time.

Hopefully this is a lesson learned that does not happen to you.

It has happened to me before.

And.

Will again.

I do this at a lot of places around the world, and I know I cannot please everyone all the time.

Is it any wonder that most teams fail using Scrum?

Yet.

I try.

As do others.

Yet.

I will not blow smoke or be a “yes man” (or woman, as in the last panel of this cartoon).

And.

I am OK with that.

In some places people call this career suicide — so YOU be careful.

Read this lesson.

Read this real world situation.

And.

Talk about it with other another ScrumMaster or two or three in your organization.

Talk about it with your stakeholders.

Talk about it with your Scrum Team.

Talk about it with your Product Owner.

Talk.

Have the conversations.

BEFORE things implode on you.

Because remember.

A Dead ScrumMaster is a useless ScrumMaster.

I am going to go eat some humble pie and hope that someone learns something from this posting.

I apologize if it was a long one this week.

Lots for me to learn.

Still.

I may post more on this during the week.

And if you want to hire me (smile)….

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Some of you may be familiar with the term, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas….”

Well, tonight I am introducing a new guest writer to the blog, a guy I have worked with for almost the past three years on some major enterprise rollouts of Scrum and co-train with him on a pretty regular basis. His name is Mark Pushinsky and this “enlightenment” came to him a few years ago and we have been waiting on how to actually introduce this to the Scrum Community.

So… without further ado… here is his write-up on the topic (and thanks to Tony as usual for the cartoon!).

I may add something to it later this week (smile).

=================

I was on my way back from Vegas sitting on a plane, with a massive hangover…….and this thought occurred to me.

I know they say that, �What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas� but this occurred to me on the plane ride home and I am pretty sure we cleared Nevada airspace before it did so I feel compelled to share it.

Do you know about the �Cone of Uncertainty�? It is a phenomena that people in software use to describe the fact that when you start a project you have no idea when you�ll finish.

The longer the project goes and the closer you get to finishing the better/more accurate your estimate. Basically you are pretty sure your going to finish it the day before its done.

We have been trying to make it go away in software for many years. Fancy new estimation techniques, months and months of analysis, and brute force have not materially changed the fact that software projects are unpredictable!

Period!

Managers having been trying for decades to make it disappear/pretend it doesn�t exist/figure out how to make it turn from a cone into a cylinder.

Yet time and time again the uncertainty in projects remains.

The epiphany that occurred to me is that Agile or Scrum flips it around. This means that if you ask me what I can deliver in the next 2-4 weeks I am pretty accurate, if you ask me what I am going to deliver 3 months from now I have some uncertainty, but I can give you a reasonable guess, and if you ask me what I can deliver 6 months from now I have no idea…….

When we teach Estimation and Planning in class, we make a point of saying that Agile does not make the �Cone� disappear.

Nothing will!

We use light weight, proven techniques to make our best guess at long term plans.

We don�t pretend to know the end…….in fact we are pretty sure it will change……and we commit to be back in 2-4 weeks to tell you how its changed.

Then we focus on short term commitments, doing the right things, executing well, and delivering real business value.

I have found that after a couple of iterations of working that way we get customers focused more on prioritization, the next release, and getting impediments removed.

They begin to worry less about when the whole thing will be done.

I think the best way to end a project is to stop working on it before all of �The Requirements� have been implemented.

The 80/20 rule, right?

=================

So there goes.

Mark is an awesome person, trainer, and mentor by the way…. While our opinions do not match 100% I love the opportunity to provide an outlet for different opinions and thoughts (even if we are competitors and collaborators in the marketplace).

Let me know if you are interested in contributing in the future!

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Well, I finally had the idea to try and see if posting any information or videos on YouTube.com would help us spread the word more about Scrum.

So, tonight I had my almost-eight-year-old son (Dominic) and I record a very low-tech version of the cartoon using some audio files and the “original” Chicken an Pig cartoon. Right now, it is mainly a test.

My son and I are willing to post a version of the cartoons with commentary by myself and him on an ongoing basis.

Is this worth our time? My son loves doing this and I think this can add some very new perspectives on Scrum and all we do.

Thoughts?

I’d love to hear your feedback. Please spread the word.

Here is the link to the video:

- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com

Well, I was able to tell you a little about my first two days of this week. If you have not seen it, go here.

Upon arriving into Richmond (my home base) at about midnight, i got the opportunity to make the final preparations for the Certified ScrumMaster Workshop I would be delivering on Wednesday and Thursday.

It would be yet another great class where the attendees walked out of there with a new respect (as did I) for what Scrum can and cannot do.

I have done this course around the world and have trained on my own, with one other person, and with two other people.

Wow.

What a change this makes to both the overall presentation and the outcome to the attendees.

Is this bad?

The easy answer to this is, “No.”

Can every Certified Scrum Trainer co-teach with other people?

Nope.

When it works though….

It is like magic.

I have been lucky enough to work with multiple trainers around the would (and most are not CST’s).

Lucky?

Am I nuts?

Think about it.

If some initial ground rules are set between the two or three people training the class — it can be extremely more powerful at the end of the two days for the attendees.

The first sentence of this is important.

And.

This last one with another Certified Scrum Practitioner (who is looking to become a Certified Scrum Trainer) worked out very well. It was, to be 100% transparent, a surprise to me.

While I was initially looking for the art of the possible, I also knew our styles of coaching in the past has been wildly (sometimes) divergent in techniques.

I made a bad assumption.

Wow.

Like a lot of things in real life that we all live in.

The course got great feedback (sorry about the air conditioning versus the constant heater war going on with the HVAC system… we finally (at the end of day 2) were shown how to useeeeeee the system). Sigh.

So now there are about 11 new Certified ScrumMasters running around Virginia in one place or another.

I’d say it was one of my best classes (workshops) to date.

Why?

Well… let me know why you think this is so….

Gotta run….Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Forum to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Hi.

Wow. I just did an informal count (and recount) of all the comic strips that have been posted on this site. This is comic strip #65 since we started with the initial comic series of the Chicken and Pig since September 11, 2006.

I was having a conversation with another “Scrum Person” last week over lunch and the topic of this site came up. He was surprised that this blog has been updated on such a consistent basis since we started the site. Turns out a lot of people in the industry thought this idea had no staying power. I met for dinner with an ex-CIO of a past client this evening (just got back and am writing this now!) who was surprised we only had 60-something cartoons up there… so…. information is taking off in all different directions about this site.

Back to my pundits…. [Still getting over the fact that I do have people out there that want me to fall flat on my face!]

“This is Scrum… how much can you really talk about this each week Mike?”

“Scrum is a simple framework. That’s it. Duh!”

And.

I agree.

It is.

A simple framework.

It is designed to be that way.

For a reason.

What makes this fun for me — and I hope for the people who read this on a regular basis — is the fact there is almost a never-ending product backlog of ideas for me to write about and Tony to illustrate new comic strips for us.

Huh?

Remember… Scrum deals with people. Not resources. People.

This is not a static topic that will go away. People will continually show me there is new material to write about in the context of Scrum.

And for that, I thank you sincerely.

In fact…. over the time we have been publishing this blog, it has grown in popularity (we consistently receive over a million hits per month) and some of the comic strips have been translated into over a dozen different languages.

What amazes me is that the comic strips (most of the times without the write-ups) are showing up in other Scrum Training presentations and being used selectively in team rooms and corporate presentations.

When I start seeing these posted in team rooms, seldom do people in the rooms realize I am the author of this site.

I ask, “Why do you post this (or these) comic strips?”

A consistent answer to me is, “They are great conversation starters with our outside stakeholders.”

“Oh, and they are funny and our team really relates to them.”

Wow.

Um.

When I started the vision for the site I originally thought I’d connect with an illustrator (it took me six months to find Tony) and start to see if we could push the envelope on some topics that a lot of people in the Scrum Community have been avoiding.

Or.

Should I say, “had” been avoiding.

Why do I say “had”?

I have seen that these comic strips and blog entries are now bringing out some very tough conversations about transparency or real-world issues between team members, product owners, ScrumMasters, and outside stakeholders.

Wow.

Bringing the fringe to the forefront.

In my case, one comic strip and/or blog entry at a time.

Do you see this happening in your team, organization, or enterprise today?

Has one — or more — of the comic strips help create some change that was really effective for your team?

What about thinking if one of the comic strips has been disruptive to your team?

I hope you do not agree with everything I write or Tony illustrates.

I do a lot of what I do to help people start thinking about the ordinary in an unordinary manner.

Is this happening for you?

If not… Why not?

Meanwhile, my plan is to keep cranking out new comic strips and blog entries no matter what my pundits are saying. I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. While it may not make me popular…. I stopped worrying about that sometime in high school and now think about how well I can sleep at night — and feel good about me. And not only about me (that sounds selfish in retrospective)…. but does this stuff add value to you (the person or group of people reading this blog and our comic strips)?

Is that a bad thing?

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

I am sorry I was unable to write about this topic further last evening. Life happens and I thank you for staying with us.

You know how some days you just know things will not come out sounding correct? Last night I had one of those feelings.

So. I stopped.

Until tonight.

Without further ado….

I am blogging about Social Networking Sites.

Now…. before you think you hear crickets singing in the trees from the dead silence you may think this topic deserves…. please hold on and let me explain. There is actually a reason for using Social Networking Sites when you are on Scrum Teams.

Can you think of some off the top of your head?

Seriously.

Think of the possibilities!

Got some? Write them down, as that list — I hope — will motivate you to sign-up or become more active in some of the sites I mention this evening.

Trust me. I know there are a ton of Social Networking sites out there (heck, I am working with a few clients who are developing their own portals for niche markets today!).

I’d like to talk about the main Social Networking sites I am using today, along with “why” I am using them, and for how long. Will it be an exhaustive list?

No.

Do they work for me?

Yes. In different ways.

And.

In an Agile fashion, if it is delivering the results you expect, maybe that is “good enough” for now.

Will these change in the future?

Of course.

So.

Here is a snapshot of a few “Social Networking Sites” I use today (along with my links to them) with the main reasons why I use them.

I use three main Social Networking Sites today.

They include the following:

1. Plaxo
2. LinkedIn
3. FaceBook
4. Twitter.

I use Plaxo to keep my address book on my computer and iPhone up-to-date.

Why is this important?

I see a lot of people move around quite a bit — both personally and from company-to-company. As people become members of Plaxo, it keeps me up-to-date. If I have a business relationship with a person who moves from Company A to Company B, at least I am aware of it. As people then move from Company B to Company X, I know about it and stay informed.

From a Business standpoint, I find this information valuable so I can keep in contact.

Or at least try.

Which brings me to the next one I use, LinkedIn. I have been a member of that service since the product was in Beta many years ago. My personal network has over 500 people (who I have worked with in the past!) and the way this works is to “link you” to other people’s connections — out to what they call “degrees.” From spending the time using this tool, I am approaching almost 4 MILLION other people I can actually contact through the connections my direct contacts with me have.

My link to this profile is just below on the button.

This has been a powerful tool for me at the business level both for introductions to others — and making connections for people that I know and trust. Also, this is a place where people can find out more about me at a professional level, and even feel free to leave (or read) comments from people I have worked with in the past. It is something that I also use when talking to new people I meet and may want to do business with.

At the personal level, I got pulled into 2008 with FaceBook. OK… so this is what I thought would be a totally “personal” kind of site. It turns out that a lot of my contacts from the two services listed above also use FaceBook… and I am learning more about them too.

My “profile information” can bee seen in the little signature thingee below.

Are there other Social Networking sites out there?

Yes.

Will I join them.

Maybe.

I do think as the “open standards” (where the different Social Networking Sites start “talking” to each other and “sharing” information) come about in this space, it will be a lot easier for people to become even more involved.

If they want.

I have personally not hopped on the Twitter bandwagon yet, since I really do not think people need to know everything I am doing every second of every day. Um. I don’t even want to remember that sometimes LOL.

OK. I am now on Twitter. Follow me! Man, how hip am I now!?!?!?

What does this all have to do with Scrum?

Remember.

Scrum deals with what?

People.

Not technology. There are plenty of other Agile Software Development techniques out there for that.

People.

People.

People.

Are you beginning to see how there may actually be a connection to these Social Networking sites and Scrum?

Do some thinking about it.

And get out there and do some personal and professional networking.

It is a small world.

Trust me. I travel it regularly (smile).

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Thanks for sticking with us last week. We lost a few subscribers but by the end of the week we saw a large net increase. So thank you for helping me get the word out on this site and blog.

I also got some great feedback and ideas for content in the future.

Keep it coming please.

This week we conclude the three part series on the process of hiring a new ScrumMaster.

Part one is here.
Part two is here.
Part three is below (smile).

Part one talked about what a typical HR department posts when frankly, they are clueless on what they really need. The point here is to remember to work with the people posting the positions to make it realistic to what your team is looking to hire.

Really.

Part two talked about the interviewing process. Wow. This can be complicated – for both the potential scrummaster and the team that person may be working with.

Make it fun if you can.

Notice in the comic strip this week that the chicken did not make the final call for selecting a ScrumMaster.

Who should?

The pigs (or the scrum team).

Really.

Why?

Remember this person who will be filling the role of a ScrumMaster for the team is going to be working with the team on a daily basis.

What does a certified ScrumMaster do?

It depends on the circumstance. As I was reminded in a comment from my last comic strip (see the comment at the bottom and feel free to add to it!).

Some teams may actually like and receive a ScrumMaster who professes Scrum as the Silver Bullet.

Personally… I have not seen this work effectively; however, remember that is what I have found working with the teams around the world.

Remember though… everyone is different and we need to remember situations and teams need different things depending on their — or your — needs.

The last part of this comic strip talks about the possible need for a ScrumMaster to have to sit through the class for training anyway (and no it is not just to learn the “Secret Handshake of a ScrumMaster” (sigh).

Or.

Whatever training the Organization requires.

Read that last sentence and remember it!

Sometimes it is like the Dilbert comic I think many people have seen (and sent me!) this week. More on that later I think (smile)… this posting is long enough for today!

So.

What are you going to do differently when hiring your next ScrumMaster?

Anything?

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

It sounds like people are getting some good value for their time (always a great thing!) while reading the Scrum Community

I hope all is going well out there in your world today (or this evening, depending on where in the world you are!).

Today we continue examining some of the postings and related comments at www.implementingscrum.com and the Scrum Community.

This entry is going to ask you to look at the topic, “Scrum vs. PMBoK“. Go ahead and take a look at it.

Thoughts?

You may also want to check out the following blog postings and comments related to this topic:

Wanted: Certified ScrumMaster.
Why are ManHole Covers Round?
More Fun Than Watching Paint Dry. Or Grass Grow.

Learn anything new or change your current perspective?

Please share it with us on the forum!

Thanks for continuing to read this — or welcome new people reading and subscribing to this forum!

- mike vizdos

Have a great day and thank you for your time.

- mike vizdos
www.implementingscrum.com
www.michaelvizdos.com

PS –> Want to join the Forum? Click here!

This week we are not publishing a new comic strip; instead, we are going to focus on some of the “real world” questions over in the Scrum Commuity at implementingscrum.com (http://www.implementingscrum.com/community/).

In addition to referencing some of the questions that have come up in the forum, I will link to some of the cartoons that reference the material in the forum postings to help people make the connection between the real-world questions and our real-life comic strips (smile).

Please also take note that the forum is a place where the community can ask and answer questions in an un-moderated format — and “all” the answers do not just come from “me” (there are other active members that can contribute). Also… I want to introduce you to a place where you can feel free to ask any questions related to Scrum — and use a powerful search component on the forum to look for more specific answers to questions that you may have.

I hope you enjoy the format this week and that we all (including me) learn even more about Scrum in the real world. It’s fun actually practicing this stuff in real life… but it can be a challenge sometimes.

If you are new here… or need a “refresher” on the Chicken and Pig story… go here (http://www.implementingscrum.com/blog/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-and-chicken/)

Thank you!

- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com

PS –> Want to join the Forum? Click here!

Guess what?

A purely “Bottom Up” approach will yield much the same results.

Huh?

You may be asking yourself.

Mike…. what can you mean by this statement?

Here is a typical scenario I see using the “Bottom Up” approach….

A developer (and by this I mean anyone in the role of a tester, business analyst, coder, architect, bla bla bla techno-type-person) goes to a conference and gets fired up about some new methodology or framework to use in their environment.

Or, maybe they do not have a “conference” budget and can squeak a book budget out of their current manager (or wow… even buy it themselves!). You can check out great Agile Book recommendations here.

The point is, this person gets excited.

About Scrum. Of course.

“Wow.” They think.

“We have been doing a lot of what Scrum says but not calling it Scrum.”

[RED LIGHTS AND BIG DANGER SIGNS GO OFF IN MY HEAD WHEN I HEAR THIS.....]

It usually means there is nothing in place at this time to help the organization and they are hacking their way through a problem and looking a some major death marches [THAT makes me sad].

Or.

“Wow. This Scrum stuff looks like it is a Silver Bullet and will fix all my problems.”

It does not.

Scrum is not a Silver Bullet.

In fact, Scrum starts amplifying the dysfunctional areas within your organization.

Ouch.

Really?

Yes.

See…. the “problems” that usually start surfacing “because” of Scrum have always been there. Scrum is actually just making them more visible — and sometimes painful.

So.

It is doing the job it is supposed to do.

Now.

How does an organization handle this amplification of problems and issues?

Hmmmm….

Notice I said, “Organization.”

If one team starts trying to do this on their own and “fight” the current organizational boundaries…. to quote my last statement….

[Political Correctness OFF]

You are screwed.

[Political Correctness ON]

It is unfortunate and I have seen this time and time again.

A team is successful at implementing Scrum.

And.

All of the sudden, the rest of the organization starts seeing that they are successful.

Yikes.

Sometimes too successful.

And.

They get taken out behind the shed and, how can I put this…. get shot.

The organization rejects it.

And Scrum “fails.”

Hmmm.

So what to do?

I am saying a pure “Top Down” OR “Bottom Up” approach are not usually successful.

The next comic will address how to actually use a combination of these in order to be successful at implementing Scrum within an organization.

There is hope.

It can be done.

It is done every day!

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

When the top level “CxO” (“x” can = “Executive” or “Technical” or “Financial” or whatever bigwigs like as their titles) comes up with these great ideas and wants to “push” it down to the people that work for them, a lot of the times the people actually doing the work roll their eyes and think, “Oh, another change of the week.”

And suck it up.

And.

Do it.

Only to the point where things do not break.

And.

They stay under the radar and do not rock the boat.

And.

Are not really productive with this Scrum stuff that is being shoved down their throats.

Yikes.

We have seen this before (in this series of cartoons, you may want to look at the, “You Suck. And Somebody is Sad” entry.

Ouch.

It happens way too often.

And.

There is usually a very large mushroom cloud going off somewhere in the organization.

Then.

Some other “fad” gets brought in to clean up the mess of the last one.

Rinse and Repeat.

Ug.

Frustrating, huh?

I think you can see if you are in an organization that is rolling out Scrum in this fashion….

[political correctness off]

You are screwed.

[political correctness on]

So.

What can you do besides look for another job?

See if you can help actually make it work.

And.

That will be what the next cartoon in this series will address.

Until then, remember.

All is not lost!

Really.

Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Since starting the site back in September, I have received a lot of email from readers regarding the cartoon about the Chicken and Pig. If you are not familiar with the story, please go read it here.

Please note: This is not a story I started. It has been around for a long time (even since before Scrum — applied in different circumstances).

I had one very long email thread (that I may one day publish here) that discusses how I am degrading people by referring to them as Chickens and Pigs.

Three words:

Get over it.

In addition to being a great way to have people recognize the role they play on a Scrum team, the analogy has allowed Tony and I to create this cartoon and website.

Cool stuff.

Maybe it is even something you’d like to pass around to your geek friends and neighbors.

And laugh. We all need that once in a while.

I hope you agree.

I still do intend to continue publishing on this site using Chickens, Pigs, and other “cast members” (including the ScrumMaster, Product Owner, and “Ken”). Who knows what else will appear in the future!

If any real Chickens and Pigs are offended, please tell them I apologize. No Animals, ScrumMasters, or Product Owners are being hurt in the production of this cartoon series (smile).

Have a great day!

- mike

Welcome to another Monday (albeit it late — or Tuesday morning — for my European readers). Today’s comic strip represents a common misperception that a Chicken and a Pig can be one person. It really does not work.

Do I see this happening in reality? Unfortunately, more often than not. The largest crowd I have to work on coaching for this “affliction” is the line or middle management. If they are coming from a typical command-and-control // waterfall methodology environment, the middle managers are used to giving orders and having them fulfilled. This Scrum thing can be perceived as a large threat to them. Can you understand why?

Think about this. At some point in a “typical” middle management career, a person taking on this role was “rewarded” for being a super effective sole performer (insert role name here — programmer, team leader, analyst, or having pictures of their boss in a compromising situation (I am kidding on the last one, really!)). Once the sole performer has made the leap to a middle manager, the game in large corporations change to mostly pure politics and making sure that they get next year’s budget by spending the budget they have this year (another common thread I see with clients — spend like there is no tomorrow in the fourth quarter to “use up” the money that will disappear by January 1st (or whenever their fiscal year ends)). I usually shake my head and sigh, but this seems to be reality.

Now, take this middle manager and start that person with a new Agile methodology (in this case, Scrum). Typical response from said middle manager, “Oh, I have been doing this with my teams for years. We get them together, put them into a room, give them food and lots of compressed deadlines and viola…. out comes a product at the other end. Really Mike (patting me on the back), I know how to do this…”

Now comes the story of the Pig and Chicken. For a refresher read here. Go read it and come back. I promise I will not go anywhere… just come back real fast. I am waiting!!!!Done with the refresher? Good. So, please recall…. a Pig has SKIN in the game. Their bacon. Their asses-to-the-fire. Accountable. When relating the Pig/Chicken story to a middle manager starting with Scrum, I get to tell them they are a Chicken. They lay eggs. They contribute. Responsible to deliver the project? Sure, but not accountable on a daily basis to get it done. This naturally leads to contention.

[Tangent ON]

OK… remember… I am a consultant. I can say things that some people (maybe you) may not feel comfortable saying. If you are not comfy talking to a middle manager (or above) about this topic, feel free to use this as a job-aid and send it to them for review. I’ll take the heat. They will laugh (and maybe want to hire me — google is a good thing — spelled VIZDOS). Remember, I am an outsider with only opinions (of which they pay dearly for, and I sincerely appreciate!). Also, I am not knocking the middle manager role; it is just an easy on for me to use for the Pig/Chicken analogy. Laugh guys and gals. This is good stuff and you know it![Tangent OFF]

Where was I? Ahhh.. yes. Contention. See, remember in the corporate world there is huge game of politics that must be played — on a second-by-second basis — in order to “win” at the end of the year [they have to beat their peers and look better than the others so the next promotion can come to them]. Does this happen in all corporations? Surely not. However, since I get called in most of the time when things are blowing up, I can tell you it occurs more often than I care to talk about. Does it matter if it is a large or small corporate environment? Probably not. In smaller companies, I have a better chance at speaking and working with the “C-Level” executives (CIO, COO, CEO, CxO, etc.) but in a lot of cases those smaller companies are as large as some of the smaller divisions I work with in the larger corporations.

Basically contention can occur anytime more than one person is involved. Sometimes it only takes one, but that is why doctors can write prescriptions for Xanex (smile). So in the eyes of a middle manager, they now see some outside consultant (or internal ScrumMaster) coming in and rocking their comfy world. This is not the best place to be for most people. I enjoy it. Really. Gives me great content to write about and share with you….

So, the conversation usually winds up with the middle manager agreeing to be a Chicken. “Sure Mike… no problem.” Until the first time the team blows chunk (for those unfamiliar with the term, think about the last time you went fishing and the ocean had some really large waves and the porcelain princess was your only true cold friend).

The story continues soon. Come back for more….Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here. You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this cartoon and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Since the original publication of this cartoon series (starting September 11, 2006) I have made a few updates to the content of this page.Nothing has materially changed since we started the series; if anything, I hope it adds clarification to the overall content! This story is the first in an ongoing series to help explain what Scrum “is.”

And.

What Scrum “is not.”

Will we get it correct all the time?

Probably not. And that is OK. The plan is for all of us to learn.

Your comments are always welcome.

So, why are we using a Chicken and Pig? The story depicted above, as weird as it is, helps me — and others — explain two of the main types of people in Scrum.

I am amazed that the Human Resource Departments of many companies I consult with have not shut down this example; it is probably only a matter of time. This is still the best example I know of to explain the roles, and this is what our cartoon series reflects.

The basic premise of the Chicken and the Pig can be seen from the cartoon example above.

Here is an easy definition of the Chickens versus Pigs.

A Pig is someone who has skin in the game. Mike Cohn aptly refers to the people in that role as, “Having their Bacon on the line.”

Pig roles are considered core team members. Performers. People who “do” work.

Get it?

I would consider the roles of both Product Owner and the ScrumMaster to be pigs on a team.

A Chicken is someone who has something to gain by the Pigs performing, but in the end, really do not contribute day to day to “getting things done.” Their “eggs” are a renewable resource, and many get laid (eggs that is).

I get asked the following question by many people when starting to use Scrum:

“Can I be a Pig and Chicken at the same time?”

No.

You cannot be a Pig and a Chicken at the same time.

This is something I work with middle managers who struggle with this on a daily basis. The concept takes coaching, and constant [gentle] reminders that they cannot be a Pig/Chicken. I call this a Pigkin… and it is something you do not want to see in any organization!

A video commentary of this cartoon can be viewed here (it was posted February 16, 2008):

Meet the rest of our cast in this series!

We will examine this and other issues in this series, as this is fun to see happen (sometimes sad WHILE it is happening, but funny to imagine).

I do hope the simplicity of the cartoon above gets the point across. Remember it. It will serve us well in the journey ahead.

Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here. You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this cartoon and other Scrum topics.

Thank you!

Originally Published:
September 11, 2006
Updated:
May 1, 200
October 23, 2007
February 16, 2008 (with Video)
More:
November 29, 2006