Im März 3 CSM Termine - allen voran das
deutsche CSM Training mit ScrumCooking in Wien am 15+16.3.
Gefolgt von 2x Zürich: am 11+12.3. CSM in englischer Sprache Boris Gloger mit CST-Anwärter Ralph Jocham und am
29.+30.3. CSM in deutscher Sprache Boris Gloger mit CST-Anwärter Josef Scherer.

Das der Auftakt unseres neuen Professional ScrumMaster® Programms in Wien: 4+5.3. TeamEntwicklungsTraining in Wien mit Dieter Rösner/co Boris Gloger.

Was ist ein Professional ScrumMaster?
Das Professional Scrummaster Programm ist eine Serie von Advanced Trainings für alle, die bereits CSM sind und sich als ScrumMaster noch weiterbilden wollen. Es geht darum Ihr Wissen und Können vor allem in der täglichen Arbeit mit Scrum Teams zu erweitern; Ziel ist die bessere, effektivere Arbeit mit Teams, abwechslungreiche und hocheffiziente Moderation der timeboxed Meetings, Konfliktlösung und -vorbeugung, mehr Zusammenhalt im Team, weniger Scrumbut und mehr Freude gemeinsam. Das Professional ScrumMaster Programm besteht aus

0) CSM
1) Moderationstraining für ScrumMaster
2) Teamentwicklungsworkshop für ScrumMaster
3) Change Management für ScrumMaster

Wer alle 3 Advanced Trainings positiv absolviert hat, darf sich Professional ScrumMaster ® nennen.
Infos auf der Homepage sind zwar noch etwas dürftig - aber Termine gibts schon. Das Programm gibts 1x komplett in München und in Wien. Die Reihenfolge von 1-3 ist egal. Trainings können auch einzeln gebucht werden. Pro 2-Tages-Training ab 890€ exkl. Seien Sie unter den Ersten!

Using Scrum means you commit to constant change and improvement. As mentioned in earlier articles, a ScrumMaster usually is not in any kind of authoritative position to lead his team. He is leading because he is focused on the best interest of the team, the company, the product owner, the customer … usually everybody involved. And he is constantly questioning everything in place to be able to improve.

That’s what Seth Godin elaborated in his speech about true leaders:

1. They challenge the status quo: Challenge everything. They challenge what is currently there.
2. They build a culture: “A secret language, a 7-second handshake, a way of knowing whether you are in or you are out.
3. They have curiosity: “about the people in the tribe, and about outsiders.”
   
4. They connect people to one-another. They allow people to achieve what they want more than anything….to be missed!”
   
5. ll tribal leaders have charisma. BUT, you do not need charisma to be a tribal leader. Leading a tribe gives you charisma. If you look and study the leaders throughout history, you will see where the charisma comes from. It comes from the leading.
6. They Commit: They commit to the cause, they commit to the tribe, they commit to the people.

Whatever your role is in a Scrum team … be aware of the fact that you are a leader!

Again and again I see the expression “ScrumBut” [1] used as a running gag among the Scrum community. ScrumBut means the excuse Scrum teams use why they don’t fully comply to the Scrum specifications. “We are doing Scrum but …”. The cause of this phenomenon seems to be the “We suck less” mentality in some companies. [2]

Generally there’s nothing wrong with adapting the Scrum method according to your companies needs and structures, as long productivity and profitability are the main focus. Bending Scrum rules for the sake of keeping obsolete structures in place doesn’t seem to be such a good idea. Especially because Scrum is predestined to identitfy bottlenecks and the cause for suboptimal productivity.

So, to transform a running gag into a valuable tool, ask yourself in what respect, if any, your Scrum team or your company deviates from the recommended Scrum method.

Are there real causes for this deviation? Or is it just because “that’s the way it is”? Do you have to consider facts that are more important than productivity?

Which causes for deviations are ok for you and which are not?

[1] http://blogs.msdn.com/ericgu/archive/2006/10/13/scrumbut.aspx

[2] http://www.stickyminds.com/sitewide.asp?Function=edetail&ObjectType=COL&ObjectId=15032

Penelope, after the meeting with her customer [see last story], talks to her actors team. The Customer needs something else, with a high business demand. So she wants to change the Product Backlog and has a different opinion than the team about what is important. A conflict arises. Business Value or professional ethos.

I like the way the team solved the issue.

More from Penelope and her team in 2 Weeks.

Pixars funny short film about a group of birds and how they react to a strange intruder reminded me of some teams and their behaviour I have seen in the past.

Seeing things the same way, having common values, the same enemies and reacting automatically and synchronously may be very powerful, but can also create problems that are sometimes only perceived in retrospect, when it’s too late.

Some thoughts about your  Scrum team, your company and your circle of friends:

• Do you prefer homogenous groups because they feel familiar?
• How do you react to outsiders? Are they “impediments” that should be removed?
• Do you appreciate “strange birds” and their new views, strengths and possibilities?
• Can you play a part in contributing to integrate the stranger?
• Are you strong enough to perceive inconvenient truths, the outsider could make visible?
• How would you compose a perfect team if it were only up to you to decide?

EDIT: In case this video can’t be viewed from your country, follow this link [1] … there must be a suitable one for your location.Thanks for the hint Christian!

[1] Youtube.com Title “For the Birds”

In the past Scrum has mainly been used for professional purposes, and there especially within the IT sector.

Using Scrum Cooking to show the practical applications, I’ve been showing for some time now how Scrum knowledge can also be helpful in private life.

Shortly the following message reached me:

“Your training is not only helpful for my job, it’s also useful for my everyday life. Thanks  again!”

- Dorin Lupu, Technical Lead, O2

I am glad about that, because Scrum can be much more than just a method for software development, but if used in the proper way, it can also be a way of life.

——————————————————–

Bisher ist Scrum fast ausschließlich im beruflichen Umfeld, bzw. auch dort eher in der IT-Branche eingesetzt worden.

Durch den praktischen Einsatz von Scrum Cooking versuche seit einiger Zeit zu verdeutlichen, dass das Wissen um Scrum auch im Privatleben hilfreich sein kann.

Nun hat mich kürzlich folgende Nachricht erreicht:

“Dein Training kommt mir nicht nur im Job sondern auch im Alltag zu Gute! Nochmals Danke! ”

- Dorin Lupu, Technical Lead, O2

Das freut mich sehr, da Scrum viel mehr sein kann als nur eine Methode zur Softwareentwicklung, sonder richtig angewandt sogar eine Lebenseinstellung.

Today I ordered a car from Sixt. I was not able to do it online, as the website did not allow me to order a car for the same day. So I gave them a call. The nice voice on the phone told me to wait, put me on loop aksed me to punch keys and then I got a woman on the phone. She was very kind, but told me, she had no car in my category with GPS.

So I said, well, then I take the next level. Oh no she said, no BIG car is available. The only thing she can offer would be a C-class Mercedes with GPS. I said, ok - I take it!

[Isn´t it strange ... you are a Premium Card holder and they do not want to sell you a large car, even if they would have to send you to the next rental office or drive a car to the office you want the car in?]

At 18:30 I went to Sixt in Frankfurt got my car, all was fine, and then the CD of the Navigation System was not in the car. So I got out of the car again. (Glad I checked before I started to drive)

The women said. Oh yes, the GPS is broken. I said, well then I want another car, as I ordered one with GPS. She said, no you did not! I said, of course. That is the reason, why I ordered a bigger car than I wanted. She said, no you did not book a GPS on top.

I told her firm but friendly I did, and I wanted to have a car with GPS, she said again no, I would be wrong and so I told her that I do not want to have a broken car, and her boss started to say the car would not have a defect. I said, this is exactly what she said and I told him that it is not ok to lend a car that has a defect, without telling me that. He said the car did not have a defect, it would be fully safe to drive.

I said … the navigation system does not work and in my eyes this is a defect.  He only answered that it would be a non issues, as I did  order a C-Class mercedes without GPS, based on their records. I told him that it was not my fault if her college from the call center had not put this into the order, as she had clearly understood, that I wanted a car with GPS. He told me this was not his problem and she is somewhere in x, and he does not know where she is.

I told him him if this is the only thing he can offer me, no refund although I am a Sixt Premium  Card holder and a LH Senator. He said, only if he would have a car available I do have a benefit.

I was telling him, that this was the last time I book a Sixt car and I had to leave driving this car, that I did not want as I needed to be on time for my meeting.

His response was, that this were of course an option I could take.

I learned from this little story that the rental car companies in Germany do not need to satisfy us customers. In my eyes they are obviously still making too much money, if they can afford to send customers away who spent a lot of money using their service in the past.

[...]

informelles Treffen der Scrum-Anwender, Scrum-Begeisterten und denen, die es werden wollen im Rhein-Main-Gebiet. Als Einstieg wird jeweils ein Thema diskutiert und dann kann es in weiteres Kennenlernen, Erfahrungsaustausch, Diskussion und Stammtischrunde weitergehen.

Treffen jeden dritten Donnerstag im Monat um 19:00h, an wechselnden Orten innerhalb des Rhein-Main Gebiets (Darmstadt, Mainz, Frankfurt ff.; Details siehe jeweils die Einladung in XING und b.a.w. auch hier).

nächstes Treffen:

Do, 21. Jan. 2010, 19:00h

im

KUBU,

Frankfurt am Main, Opernplatz 2

Starter:

CSM & PMP - agile & classic?

weitere Infos und möglichst Rückmeldung via XING:

https://www.xing.com/events/scrum-user-group-rhein-main-csm-pmp-agile-classic-452741

oder direkt an:

mailto:stefan.gfroerer@prodyna.de

Grüße aus Frankfurt

Stefan G. Gfrörer

(der, der sich das Backlog-Item “Einladung” aus dem Sprint-Backlog genommen hat)

ScrumAlliance released a new year message [1] and informed the community about some changes within the organisation and about their plans for 2010.

You may read the complete article, following the link at the bottom, but to make it easier for you, here is a short summary of the news:

• New board member: Michele Sliger
• New team member: Tobias Mayer (CST)
• Still looking for a permanent Managing Director
• Deep dive workshops at Orlando Scrum Gathering
• New SA scholarship program
• Mentoring program for CST applicants

[1] http://www.scrumalliance.org/news_items/82

A ScrumMaster is a real leader. But what really defines a leader? Is it enough to have a vision or to be in a position of authority?

Let’s have a look at some of the - more or less known - great leaders and visionaries of the 18^th century and let’s see what a modern day ScrumMaster can learn from them.

Maria Theresia: The Austria Empress was the first to create a decoration for officers who did more than their duty demanded from them. They were decorated for great accomplishments in battle, even when they refused to obey an order to achieve a significant advantage. Never before has a leader encouraged his soldier’s disobedience.

Sir Isaac Newton: The British genius always questioned every principle he came in contact with. Therefore he was able to find solutions for problems, nobody had thought before. Discovering the concept of gravity is his best known accomplishment. But this was only possible because he constantly questioned existing theories.

Thomas Jefferson: One of the most influential Founding Fathers, he envisioned America as a driving force behind the “Empire of Liberty”. He did not only see his responsibility towards his country. He was aware of his countries responsibility towards mankind. For this vision to become reality, the rules had to change radically.

Mary Wollstonecraft: As one of the first feminist authors, she had a major influence in how women’s roles have changed until now. Her “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In it, Wollstonecraft argues that women ought to have an education commensurate with their position in society and then proceeds to redefine that position, claiming that women are essential to the nation because they educate its children and because they could be “companions” to their husbands rather than mere wives. This created a compelling vision that broke all existing rules about relationships.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: This music genius was a composer who did not bow to the taste of his emperor. He rather followed his own unique understanding of music and changed for whom he was composing. As he knew that the people liked his music, he did not compose to please one man, like everybody else did. So he radically changed the world of music once and for all.

Jules Verne: This author was the first who not only dreamt about fantastic journeys, but dared to write books about them. This way he became the founder of the science fiction genre. Ideas that became reality long time ago were first described in his books, like that man can fly to the moon or crossing the sea in submarines. Dare to think about the impossible, things that nobody has ever done before.

Every one of the examples above proved to be fearless, expanding known boundaries and sometimes doing this by risking their own necks.

When to break the rules

Just being rebellious and always opposing every rule doesn’t make anyone a leader. But seeing the greater good, increasing productivity, keeping a customer whom you would otherwise lose … and to make this happen by breaking given rules for the greater good of everybody in your team – that makes you a true leader.

So sometimes a leader has to break rules if necessary and he also has to create new and motivating visions.