training Archives - Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

Rayyan Karim: Agile Transformation at scale, just-in-time training and other tips for success

In this episode, Rayyan discusses his experience with implementing change in large-scale organizations. He shares the steps he learned from previous experiments in other parts of the organization. These steps include hands-on immersive sessions focused on real work, just-in-time training, and defining success with OKRs. The first step in the process is evaluating the flow of demand through the organization with a systems thinking mindset. Rayyan recommends training people in byte-sized bits at the time they need it, using design thinking, and taking an MVP first approach. To disseminate this knowledge throughout the organization, they put together a roadshow with 15-minute interactive byte-sized trainings for each of the topics. Rayyan emphasizes the importance of practicing explaining things until it comes out naturally and concisely, relating the learning to the environment, and focusing on interaction to enable people to learn on their own as a group.

Want to Improve Your Change Management Results? Discover the Lean Change Management Approach Today!

As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Rayyan Karim

Rayyan is and Agile Coach & Trainer and the founder of Design Your Future with presence in the UK and the UAE. Rayyan is known for supporting leading executives of FTSE100 and NASDAQ corporations to create transformational results quickly.

You can link with Rayyan Karim on LinkedIn and connect with Rayyan Karim on Twitter.

Harri Tunturivuori: How To Help Your Team Embrace Scrum Values and Principles

In this episode, Harri shares his experience as a Scrum Master who was hired to work with a team that had tried to implement Scrum before his arrival. He discovered that although the team had changed roles and adopted some practices from Scrum, they were not following the values and principles. The Product Owners were command and control oriented, and the team members were not engaged in the work. Harri took a step back, talked to all team members 1-on-1 and as a team, and communicated with the rest of the organization about Scrum to explain the contract with the Scrum team. He was able to get buy-in from around the organization by creating a shared image of what Scrum is and showing what’s in it for the rest of the organization.

Harri shares three tips for change leadership in this situation: first, educate the team on Scrum and the practices; second, communicate with the rest of the organization about Scrum to get buy-in; and third, hold a retrospective regularly. He emphasizes the importance of holding retrospectives to create a continuous improvement culture, and the need to get support from the manager to implement Scrum effectively. This episode is a great resource for anyone who is struggling to implement Scrum effectively in their organization and wants to learn more about change leadership.

Want to Improve Your Change Management Results? Discover the Lean Change Management Approach Today!

About Harri Tunturivuori

Harri is an experienced leader, Scrum Master, and Agile Coach who was introduced to the world of agile software development in 2010. Since then, Harri has had the pleasure of leading great agile teams in various forms.

Harri enjoys working in a fun environment where there is room for innovation, and Harri is driven by the challenge of growing a group of good people into a great team.

You can link with Harri Tunturivuori on LinkedIn.

Fred Deichler: The opposite of “too dogmatic” isn’t “less dogmatic” for Scrum Masters! Lessons learned in helping teams

Fred had just started his first assignment as a Scrum Master. As he joined the team, he was told that the previous Scrum Master had been too dogmatic. Fred took that as a hint, and focused on being less strict in his Scrum training/mentoring, however as he started to work with the team, things started to unravel. The team was not really working well together, and there was tension between the team and their management/leadership. This brings us to a discussion on how to set up teams, and how to help the team members take responsibility for their participation in the distribution of work by taking on “T-Shape” skill development.

Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story – How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Fred Deichler

Always leaning on the Scrum values and Agile principles (even before he knew about them), Fred has guided numerous teams through their Agile Journeys over his 20-year career in Technology leadership. Driven by a passion for continual improvement and finding a balance between people, process, and tools. And Fred knows his own journey is just as important.

You can link with Fred Deichler on LinkedIn.

BONUS: Why Experience is the Agile 3.0 with Jurgen Appelo

To start us off, Jurgen shares a personal secret that he had not shared before. And that secret explains why discuss some of the topics we do in this episode.

Jurgen has applied a fair amount of the insights he’s collected over the years during 2020 when his own business got severely affected by the COVID19 crisis. Some of the projects he took on are on his blog – like this Painting 3.0 post – but there’s a lot more he shares in this segment. He hear about how Jurgen experimented with his own business during the pandemic. One piece of advice he shared, was to go to extremes with the experiments, trying something completely different from your regular approach or product.

Introducing the idea of an Agile 3.0

We reflect on the 20 years of the Agile Manifesto (published in 2001), and what that means for product and software development. Jurgen shares a personal story to illustrate how a different approach to customers (“the experience approach”) can significantly change the perspective that people have on the services and products they use.

This focus on experience may become what Agile 3.0 is all about. Including the role of games, and game mechanics in the design of products and services. But Jurgen takes it further and talks about experiences at all levels, not just the customer. We talk about the experience we have as employees working for an organization, and the need to start talking about “experience owners”, not “product owners”.

Gamifying learning, to create a rewarding learning journey

We know that continuous learning is an aspect of modern work, knowledge work. However, how do we create that need, and design to continuously learn? Jurgen shares his latest project shiftup.work, a site where people can learn at their own pace, and get credits for learning. He uses gamification mechanics to create a rewarding learning journey through a community site. To learn more about shiftup.work, check out the learning site.

About Jurgen Appelo

Jurgen describes himself as “the creative networker”. But sometimes he’s a writer, speaker, trainer, entrepreneur, illustrator, manager, blogger, reader, dreamer, leader, freethinker, or… Dutch guy. Inc.com has called him a Top 50 Leadership Expert and a Top 100 Leadership Speaker. He’s also one of the most influential Agilists, thanks to his work on Agile Management with his book Management 3.0

You can link with Jurgen Appelo on LinkedIn and connect with Jurgen Appelo on Twitter.