Podcasts about noestimates

BONUS: Challenging the Agile Status Quo with #NoBacklogs, Allan Kelly In this BONUS episode, we explore the provocative ideas of Allan Kelly, the author who introduced #NoBacklogs to the Agile community. Allan shares his insights on why traditional backlogs may be hindering true agility, offers practical alternatives, and explains how teams can maintain accountability while focusing on outcomes rather than outputs. The Problem with Traditional Backlogs "Backlogs keep ideas for far too long." Allan Kelly challenges the conventional wisdom of maintaining extensive backlogs in Agile environments. He distinguishes between sprint backlogs and product backlogs, highlighting how the latter often becomes a repository for stale ideas that outlive their relevance. Allan argues that this practice undermines the adaptability that should be at the core of Agile methodologies, transforming what should be a flexible approach into a more rigid, traditional project management framework. Outcome-Focused Alternatives "What are you doing to try and change the world?" Instead of lengthy backlogs filled with specific tasks and features, Allan advocates for approaches centered on outcomes and meaningful change. He discusses the concept of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) as a form of "test first management" - a powerful framework that shifts focus from outputs to measurable impacts. This perspective encourages teams to consider the broader purpose of their work rather than simply executing a predetermined list of tasks. Balancing Structure and Flexibility "There should be a 'Best before' date for all backlog items." Finding the right balance between necessary structure and agile flexibility is crucial for effective delivery. Allan suggests implementing a "best before" date for all backlog items to prevent the accumulation of outdated ideas. He emphasizes starting with the Sprint Goal as a guiding principle, using it to create focus and purpose that allows teams to adapt their approach while maintaining a clear direction. Breaking Free from Traditional Mindsets "The work to do is not a fixed entity." According to Allan, the reliance on extensive backlogs has perpetuated traditional project management mindsets within supposedly Agile organizations. He challenges the underlying assumption that the scope of work is a predetermined, fixed entity waiting to be discovered and documented. Instead, he suggests embracing the evolving nature of work, allowing teams to respond to changing priorities and insights as they emerge. Maintaining Accountability Without Backlogs "Test first management as a management innovation that helps focus on goals, and measure progress by the teams." Allan addresses concerns about accountability by offering practical approaches to tracking progress without traditional backlogs. He emphasizes the importance of regular demonstrations of working solutions and assessing whether these demonstrations align with the team's strategic direction. His concept of "test first management" provides a framework for focusing on goals while measuring genuine progress rather than simply tracking task completion. Resources for Deeper Learning "Honey, I shrunk the backlog." For listeners interested in exploring these ideas further, Allan recommends his YouTube presentation "Honey, I shrunk the backlog," which offers additional insights and practical guidance on implementing a #NoBacklogs approach in Agile teams. About Allan Kelly Allan Kelly is the author of #noprojects: A Culture of Continuous Value, and an outspoken Agile practitioner that helped introduce the idea of #NoBacklogs to the Agile community. His work spans several decades, and includes some breakthrough contributions that he shares in his books and conference talks. He is the author, among others, of Project Myopia: Why projects damage software, Continuous Digital: An agile alternative to projects for digital business, The Art of Agile Product Ownership: A Guide for Product Managers, Business Analysts, and Entrepreneurs, and Xanpan: Team Centric Agile Software Development. You can link with Allan Kelly on LinkedIn.

This is a special episode, where I introduce the "Big Agile Questions" survey and review some of the questions that you've already submitted! Thank you all who did! You can find the submission form here. Submit your questions, as we will be reviewing these in future episodes! To join 25,341 other Agilists on our Newsletter (˜1 post/week), visit this page, and join. The Power of Asking Better Questions At every major turning point in history, from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, progress has begun with asking better questions. The Agile movement itself started with the authors of the Agile Manifesto questioning traditional software development methods. Now, in 2025, with significant changes in the industry including PMI's acquisition of the Agile Alliance, the community faces a crucial moment to shape its future direction through thoughtful inquiry and reflection. "Throughout history, the biggest leaps forward have come from people willing to ask difficult, sometimes even quite challenging, questions." The Future Beyond Agile

BONUS: A Coaching Masterclass - How Our Language Affects Our Leadership Style, And The Culture We Create, With Michelle Pauk and Victor Pena In this BONUS episode, Victor Pena and Michelle Pauk dive deep into the power of language in shaping our work as leaders, Agile Coaches, and Scrum Masters. Together, we explore how the words we use influence relationships, decisions, and the success of Agile practices. From navigating the ambiguity of language to fostering effective communication, this episode provides actionable insights to help you thrive in a constantly changing workplace. Language as a Culture Carrier “Language is how we carry culture, but without clarity, it can lead to misalignment and conflict.” Victor and Michelle discuss how language reflects and shapes workplace culture. Misaligned terminology—like “servant leader”—can create tension between teams and executives. They highlight the importance of achieving shared understanding and the role of language in fostering trust and collaboration. “Start by asking what others mean by key words—it's the first step toward alignment.” Feedforward vs. Feedback “Feedback gets us stuck in the past, while feedforward builds a path to a better future.” Drawing inspiration from Marshall Goldsmith, we discuss how focusing on future-oriented improvement (feedforward) avoids the blame game and builds positive momentum. As Agile practitioners, shifting from root cause analysis to solution-focused coaching allows teams to move forward effectively. “Ask yourself, what can we do better tomorrow instead of dwelling on what went wrong yesterday?” The Ambiguity of Language in Collaboration “Words mean different things to different people—be curious about how others see the world.” Victor and Michelle unpack how language ambiguity impacts communication and decision-making. They emphasize the need to explore the assumptions behind others' words and how Agile principles like #NoEstimates challenge traditional views on planning and work management. “When you encounter a term that seems obvious, ask: What does this mean to you?” Semiotics and the Language of Work “Symbols are the silent drivers of collaboration.” Semiotics, the study of symbols, plays a vital role in Agile practices like visual management. From story cards to team boards, symbols help teams communicate and navigate their work. The duo discusses how the language of Agile evolves through symbols and how to introduce these effectively in organizations. “Create visual symbols that align with your team's values—they'll anchor your collaboration.” Beyond the “Agile is Dead” Debate, Raising The Bar Of Our Shared Conversation “What's trying to come forward in the evolution of Agile?” While some criticize Agile as outdated, Victor and Michelle argue that its core principles—delivering value faster and improving quality—remain timeless. They explore how Agile can evolve to meet current challenges while retaining its essence. “Instead of asking if Agile is dead, ask what the next evolution looks like.” About Victor Pena and Michelle Pauk Victor Pena is an Agile Coach dedicated to helping organizations achieve business agility. With a focus on innovation, collaboration, and delivering great customer value, Victor transforms practices to ensure long-term success in a dynamic environment. You can link with Victor Pena on LinkedIn and connect with him via email at victor@vpena.com. Michelle Pauk is the founder of Streamside Coaching, helping leaders and organizations thrive through change. With over 15 years of experience in Agile environments and certifications from the International Coaching Federation, Michelle specializes in leadership development and organizational growth. You can link with Michelle Pauk on LinkedIn and connect with her at StreamsideCoaching.com.

BONUS: Unlocking the Secrets to Thriving Workplaces and Agile Leadership with Vasco Duarte In this insightful BONUS episode, Vasco Duarte is interviewed by Bill Fox for an episode on the Forward Thinking Workplaces Podcast. Vasco is a visionary leader in agile and lean software development. Vasco shares his revolutionary approach to fostering innovation, creating dynamic workplaces, and leading teams to success. His strategies are designed for leaders looking to elevate their organizations by focusing on people, purpose, and efficient work processes. Tune in for practical advice on how to unlock your team's full potential and thrive in today's fast-paced work environment. Creating Environments for Natural Innovation “Innovation is a natural human quality; it flourishes when you don't make an effort to prevent it.” Vasco emphasizes that innovation isn't something leaders need to force. Instead, it happens organically when the right environment is in place. He encourages leaders to shift away from rigid structures and towards creating motivating spaces where creativity can thrive. By doing this, teams naturally become more innovative and solutions-driven. “The only way innovation does not happen naturally is if we make an effort to prevent it from happening.” Motivated Individuals: The Key to Project Success “Build your projects around motivated individuals and trust them to deliver their best.” Vasco highlights the importance of centering projects around motivated individuals, giving them the trust and support they need to succeed. According to him, leaders should focus on empowering people, unleashing their full potential. When teams feel trusted and valued, they bring more energy and creativity to their work. “If you trust people and give them the space to perform, they will achieve things you didn't expect.” The Power of Community and Purpose “Aligning purpose with autonomy and mastery leads to engaged and high-performing teams.” Drawing from Dan Pink's model of autonomy, mastery, and purpose, Vasco stresses the role of community and clear purpose in building engaged teams. He explains how people are naturally motivated when they understand the purpose of their work and have the freedom to master their skills. This alignment creates a strong sense of belonging and shared goals within the team. “When people have a sense of community and purpose, they bring their best selves to work.” Defining Boundaries to Foster Innovation “Clear boundaries create a flexible framework where innovation can thrive.” Vasco believes that well-defined boundaries are essential to encouraging innovation. Far from being restrictive, these boundaries offer a structured yet flexible framework that helps teams feel secure while exploring new ideas. When teams know the limits but also have room to experiment, they perform better and innovate faster. “Boundaries are not barriers; they provide the structure that allows innovation to flow freely.” Streamlining Processes with "#NoEstimates" “Focus on delivering value efficiently by reducing waste in your processes.” One of Vasco's most transformative ideas is his “No Estimates” approach to software development, which encourages focusing on value and reducing waste. This method ensures that teams spend their time wisely, enhancing productivity without the guesswork of traditional estimations. It's all about respecting everyone's time and effort while delivering maximum value. “Stop wasting time on estimates and start focusing on delivering real value to your customers.” Leadership Aligned with Employee Purpose “Leaders must understand and align with the purposes of their employees to drive team success.” Vasco shares valuable leadership advice, urging leaders to connect with their team members on a deeper level. By understanding employees' individual purposes and goals, leaders can foster more meaningful and productive collaborations. Open communication is key to building cohesive, high-performing teams that are aligned with the organization's vision. “When leaders align with their team's personal goals, they unlock higher levels of performance and engagement.” Real-World Insights from Industry Practitioners “Learning from practitioners in the field brings fresh, actionable insights.” Through his podcast, Vasco shares real-world insights from a wide range of industry practitioners. These stories highlight different approaches and solutions that have been successfully applied in various sectors, providing listeners with diverse perspectives on innovation and agile leadership. “Every practitioner I speak with offers a unique lens on solving the challenges of modern work environments.” About Vasco Duarte Vasco Duarte is an agile thought leader, podcast host, and one of the pioneers behind the “#NoEstimates” movement. With years of experience in lean and agile software development, Vasco helps teams and organizations improve productivity, efficiency, and innovation through dynamic leadership and strategic processes. He is also the host of the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast, where he shares insights from industry practitioners on agile leadership, team dynamics, and efficient workflows. You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn.

In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we are excited to have Dave Copeland share his experiences in the world of agile development, focusing on the critical nuances behind well-known principles such as SRP (Single Responsibility Principle), YAGNI (You Aren't Gonna Need It), DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), and the often-debated #NoEstimates approach. Drawing from his journey transitioning from government waterfall projects to agile methodologies at a startup, Dave kicks off a discussion with invaluable lessons on how teams can avoid misunderstanding and misapplying agile aphorisms, or avoid the pitfalls of following agile aphorisms too woodenly. ### The Dangers of Following the Literal Words of Agile Aphorisms? Have you ever seen a team stuck arguing over what SRP or SOLID (Single Responsibility, Open-Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, Dependency Inversion) truly means? Dave explains how teams can misinterpret these catchy phrases, leading to confusion, low cohesion, improper coupling, and poor decision-making. We dive into real-world examples from Dave's experience, discussing when it's okay to duplicate code and when it's not, the delicate balance between over-engineering and under-engineering, and the importance of nuance in agile practices. ### "Just Sharing" vs. Universal Recommendations Is it wise to blindly follow every "recommendation" from an agile coach, or is there room for discussion, experimentation, and adaptation? With Dave we tackle the common issue of semantic diffusion. We explore how teams can navigate complex situations and adapt agile and lean principles to their unique contexts. ### Organizational Change and Safe Learning Environments We bring in the “Reading Rainbow” analogy and other examples to illustrate how organizational change needs to be gradual, allowing for nuanced learning. We also emphasize the importance of creating an environment where team members can safely fail while being guided by experienced developers in real-world contexts. Whether you're scaling a team or trying to stack the deck with the right mix of skills, actionable strategies for fostering growth are discussed.  ### Estimates, #NoEstimates, and Dealing with Uncertainty The conversation gets even more interesting as we delve into the jarring #NoEstimates and its sometimes misunderstood implications. Dave brings up valid situations with real deadlines (e.g., seasonal deliveries, regulations) and we weigh-in on ways to handle them with or without estimates that are less likely to lead to self-sabotage. We also discuss the impact of automation on estimates, and what terms like "estimate" really mean. Continuous Delivery (CD) also takes center stage as we discuss examples of how it and the practice of "don't sell what you don't already have built" fosters trust and reduces uncertainty. We touch on the various unknowns that can arise in development, how CD can help mitigate them, and whether teams can benefit from an "#OptionalEstimates" mindset. Throughout, Dave provides practical advice on aligning practices with business goals and managing risks effectively. ### Coaching, Coding, and Higher-Level Roles Finally, we explore Dave's thoughts on balancing hands-on coding with coaching responsibilities, especially in higher-level roles. How do you set expectations for coaches, and how can team composition shape the effectiveness of good practices? Whether you're actively writing code or stepping back to guide others, Dave shares examples for making both approaches work. Don't miss this episode packed with deep dives into agile practices, team dynamics, and nuanced leadership. Be sure to subscribe to the Mob Mentality Show on your favorite platform to catch this episode and others like it! Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/IPFYe_oOFtI  

Keir Lumsden: The Importance of Transparency in Assessing an Agile Team's Progress Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. As a Scrum Master, your investment in your team can sometimes cloud your vision. Keir shares a story where his team, working with a new technology, struggled to make progress toward a deadline. Despite their best efforts, they realized they were focused on the wrong areas. Keir reflects on the importance of transparency and the dangers of not seeing the big picture. How do you ensure your focus is set correctly? Keir offers tips on recognizing weak signals, asking the right questions, and using a pre-mortem to explore risks before they derail your project.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Keir Lumsden Keir Lumsden joins us from the UK. A former developer, Keir has been fully immersed in Agile practices for the past 10 years. With a mind that constantly seeks lessons beyond the realm of software development, he enjoys writing and speaking about these insights. You can link with Keir Lumsden on LinkedIn.

Jaques Smit: Sprint Goals Gone Wrong, Leadership Lessons from a Game Development Team Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Jaques shares an experience with a game development team struggling to meet their goals. Despite his efforts to implement sprint goals and keep the team accountable, he faced resistance. Apparently lost with the process of setting goals, the Product Owner (PO) stepped back, pushing Jaques to take ownership and set the goals, which further re-enforced the team's attitude of not taking ownership. Jaques reflects on the importance of coaching with an open mind and the challenges of directive leadership. He shares insights on enabling constraints and the Cynefin framework. In this episode we also refer to Clinton Keith's work as well as the #NoEstimates book.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Jaques Smit Jaques is a seasoned Agile coach and Scrum Master with extensive experience in leading and transforming teams in the game development industry. His expertise lies in fostering team collaboration, resolving conflicts, and facilitating effective retrospectives. Jaques is passionate about continuous learning and empowering teams to achieve their full potential.   You can link with Jaques Smit on LinkedIn and connect with Jaques Smit through his website.

From pair programming to NoEstimates, the industry brims with creative minds proposing new ideas and methodologies to tackle longstanding challenges. The issue, however, isn't the scarcity of innovative concepts, but rather the failure to implement them, often dismissed with the notion "it won't work" ... or, in other words, "it's impossible." In this episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio delve into the psychology behind the significant hesitation to consider provocative yet potentially beneficial new ideas. To illustrate this resistance in a practical context, they discuss two longstanding processes that, despite their potential, are seldom utilized. They dissect the mental barriers that lead us to deem things "impossible" and offer practical strategies to overcome these obstacles, in their ongoing quest to create more modern and impactful development organizations. References: Pair programming Git git commands Staff liquidity Tragedy of the commons --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tactics-tech-leadership/message

How To Learn From a Disagreement About Agile - Mike Cohn A reply I got recently to one of these weekly email tips began with, “Mike, you're wrong.” The reply then went on to summarize that person's experience and how it led to his conclusion that I'm wrong.But I wasn't wrong. And neither was he.Whenever I disagree with someone, I try to begin from the perspective that we are both right. (Except in the case of whether Han shot first. He did.)If you and I disagree and begin with the assumption that we are both right, we're going to have a better conversation. Instead of each trying to persuade the other that we're right, we instead try to figure out why we view something differently.Putting this in an agile context, our different opinions have been formed by the projects and teams we've worked with. Since our experiences were different, the conclusions we draw and opinions we form can be different.As an example, suppose two people are arguing about how much upfront design should be done on agile projects. Their different opinions could arise from one having experience building very simple websites and the other having experience developing large systems in highly regulated domains.As another example, I have a different opinion than those advocating “No Estimates.” But rather than thinking they're wrong, I want to understand how their and my experiences could have led us to different opinions.Maybe we've worked on projects of different sizes. Or we worked with companies with different cultures and attitudes toward planning. Or we were required to make more or fewer commitments to customers, marketing, or external stakeholders such as public or private investors.When people disagree, I don't find it very useful to engage in a bare-knuckle brawl to determine who is right. That's often fruitless, frustrating, and just leads to more entrenched thinking on both sides.Figuring out why we may disagree is much more productive, and a surer way to succeed with agile. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

What do you think about today's podcast?Neil Killick, a trailblazing Agile Coach, trainer, and Consultant with a knack for challenging the status quo. Neil brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise, and today, we're diving headfirst into the fascinating realm of the NoEstimates movement.Where to find Neil:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkillick/Email: neil2killick@gmail.comtwitter: @neil_killickSubscribe to his blog here: https://www.neilkillick.com/blogGet ready to buckle up for a rollercoaster ride of insights, revelations, and thought-provoking discussions as we explore the implications of NoEstimates in the Agile space. From breaking free of traditional estimation practices to unlocking the true potential of Agile delivery, Neil is here to shake things up and ignite your passion for innovation.Support the Show.Support the show via Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/TheAgileMatrixPodcastExplore our website to discover our comprehensive course and training schedule.https://www.agilematrix.orgInterested in Agile themed Shirts? Check out our store:https://www.etsy.com/shop/TemmieDesigns?ref=search_shop_redirect

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, we explore the story of a team that started to question the way they did estimates. The PO would use the estimations provided by the team to make a certain number of assumptions and reports that just did not correspond to reality. In the quest to solve that problem, the team started to experiment with different approaches, and naturally evolved to a #NoEstimates approach. Carsten explains the steps the team went through as well as the insights at each step. A self-organized change story on adopting #NoEstimates! In this episode, we refer to the #NoEstimates book.  About Carsten Lützen Carsten is an Agile Coach at the LEGO Group. Before that a Scrum Master for different teams. He has a deep love of graphical facilitation and professional coaching. Besides his full-time job, he shares weekly tips on YouTube and LinkedIn on Agile, Facilitation, and Coaching. You can link with Carsten Lützen on LinkedIn and connect with Carsten Lützen on Twitter.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. We explore a real-life project that Marcus was part of, and how the #NoEstimates methods he used helped him make predictions, even if did not estimate the work to be done. About Dan Vacanti and Marcus Hammarberg Daniel Vacanti is a 20+ year software industry veteran who has spent most of the last years focusing on Lean and Agile practices. In 2007, he helped to develop the Kanban Method for knowledge work. He also co-founded ActionableAgile which provides industry leading predictive analytics tools and services to any Lean-Agile process. Dan co-founded ProKanban.org a community focused initiative to help people learn about Kanban. You can link with Dan Vacanti on LinkedIn and connect with Dan Vacanti on Twitter.  Marcus Hammarberg is the author of Salvation: The Bungsu Story (available on Amazon), an inspiring and actionable story about how simple tools can help transform the productivity and impact of an organization. The real-life stories in The Bungsu can help you transform the productivity of your team. Marcus is also a renowned author in the Kanban community, he authored the book Kanban in Action with Joakim Sundén. Head of Curriculum School of applied technology.  You can link with Marcus Hammarberg on LinkedIn and connect with Marcus Hammarberg on Twitter.

Maryse Meinen: Value Over Velocity, A Product Owner's Journey to Value-Driven Development, NoEstimates Unplugged Week This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams.  To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here. Introduction to #NoEstimates Maryse Meinen shares her journey into agile and lean methodologies, highlighting a pivotal moment at her first international conference where she attended a workshop on #NoEstimates led by Seb Rose. The workshop's quiz on estimating the distance from Earth to the moon led her to an epiphany about the common tendency to provide estimates even when uncertain, driven by peer pressure—an insight that spurred her to experiment with the #NoEstimates approach.   A Real-World Example of Success Maryse describes her experience with a new team tasked with developing an infrastructure solution without relying on traditional estimates. By focusing on conversations, card confirmations (the 3 C's of User Stories), and refining story points to either 1 or 0 based on whether a story was refined, the team managed to prioritize work more effectively. The practice of making items as small as possible and focusing on delivering value in various forms proved to be beneficial. Challenges in Implementation The biggest challenge in implementing #NoEstimates was not from management or stakeholders, but rather from inexperienced scrum masters resistant to deviating from traditional estimation techniques. Maryse found success by allowing the team space to operate independently and focusing on outcomes rather than estimates. Impact on Planning and Prioritization Shifting the focus from estimates to value delivered led to a significant change in how Maryse's team approached planning and prioritization. By setting sprint goals around solving real problems for real people, the team moved away from a task-centric to a value-centric approach. One of the core tenants of the #NoEstimates approach. Measuring Progress Without Estimates Maryse's team measured progress by the problems they solve, framing sprint goals around these problems and communicating achievements in terms of value delivered to stakeholders, rather than in traditional estimation-driven progress metrics, like tasks completed - which would not necessarily deliver any value to end-users and customers. Advice and Resources for #NoEstimates Maryse encourages teams to start experimenting with #NoEstimates and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. She recommends engaging with the #NoEstimates community on Twitter and exploring resources by Allan Kelly and Seb Rose, as well as the NoEstimates book.   About Maryse Meinen Maryse is an Product Owner dedicated to fostering experimentation, agility, and empathy within organizations. She builds and facilitates great teams, coaches leaders, and believes in simplicity and human-centric methodologies. With expertise in Lean/agile development and a passion for teaching, she shapes adaptive and learning-focused cultures. You can link with Maryse Meinen on LinkedIn.

Luis Garcia: Forecast Over Estimation, How To Transform Your Approach To Project Management, NoEstimates Unplugged Week This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams.  To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here. Introduction to #NoEstimates Luis Garcia, transitioning from estimation discomfort to a #NoEstimates approach as a product owner, discovered its benefits after attending a workshop by Woody Zuill. Faced with the challenges of hard commitments in government projects, he sought to shift focus from when to what and why in project discussions. A Transformative Project Example  Implementing #NoEstimates in a kanban team, Luis emphasized work breakdown and comfortable task sizing. This method facilitated stakeholder communication, improved expectation management, and enabled precise progress measurement through metrics like cycle time and using techniques like Monte Carlo forecasting. Overcoming Implementation Challenges  When Luis tried to introduce #NoEstimates, he originally faced skepticism, misconceptions about planning, and stakeholder resistance. In those cases, Luis advises focusing on forecasting based on available data, ensuring team stability, and managing expectations effectively. And focusing on progress transparency, instead of trying to change people's minds. Strategic Stakeholder Management  Successfully integrating #NoEstimates involved fostering team accountability and ownership over the refinement process, thereby enhancing stakeholder dialogue and planning efficiency. For example, Luis shares that #NoEstimates shifted the team's focus to identifying and preparing the most valuable tasks, leveraging data for all planning and prioritization decisions. This focus helped to keep stakeholders informed, and improved transparency. Measuring Success and Communicating Progress  Without traditional estimates, Luis's team adopted a probabilistic approach to measure and communicate progress, supported by insights from the book "Thinking in Bets" by Annie Duke. When it came to adopting a different way to measure and communicate progress, practicality was key; even simple tools like Excel were effective for data management in the #NoEstimates process, emphasizing simplicity and scalability. Advice for #NoEstimates Adopters  Luis recommends low-change experimentation with #NoEstimates to experience its benefits firsthand and stresses the importance of informative discussions over rigid planning. Resource Recommendation  For those considering #NoEstimates, Luis suggests starting with the "NoEstimates" book and following thought leaders like Vasco Duarte, Woody Zuill, and Allen Holub on social media. About Luis Garcia Luis is a Program Manager at Formula.Monks, specializes in developing impactful digital products. Luis has over 10 years of experience and several Agile certifications, he adeptly applies Agile frameworks to meet client needs. His background includes a Master's in Computer Engineering and an Executive MBA. He is also fluent in English, Spanish, and French, he values diverse work environments and continuous learning. You can link with Luis Garcia on LinkedIn.

Lee Beckett: Using NoEstimates to Help Agile Teams Focus On Value, And Create Transparency - NoEstimates Unplugged Week   This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams.  To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here.   Exploring #NoEstimates Lee Beckett shares his journey from coder to Product Owner (PO), and how his diverse experience led him to question the effectiveness of traditional estimation techniques in agile environments. He discusses the adoption of a #NoEstimates approach, highlighting its benefits in simplifying processes and focusing on delivering value. Lee illustrates how abandoning estimates, except for significant items, streamlined project workflows and improved team dynamics. This approach fostered a culture of trust and transparency, crucial for managing stakeholder expectations and focusing on product delivery. Challenges and Solutions Implementing #NoEstimates was surprisingly straightforward for Lee's team, emphasizing the importance of establishing trust and transparency with stakeholders from the outset. Lee stresses honesty in forecasting and advises giving stakeholders meaningful insights rather than fixed dates to help manage expectations effectively. After adopting #NoEstimates, the team's planning focused on work discussion rather than assigning numerical values, allowing for more flexible and goal-oriented sprint planning. Measuring Success Without traditional estimates, the team measures progress through product delivery and stakeholder feedback, ensuring a focus on value creation. Lee advises teams to ensure open communication and clear prioritization with stakeholders before moving to #NoEstimates, ensuring a foundation for success. Recommended Resource For those interested in exploring #NoEstimates further, Lee recommends the "Agile for Humans" podcast, particularly the interview with Josh Anderson and Ryan Ripley. About Lee Beckett Lee Beckett, has over 17 years of experience in digital product development, and is a certified Product Owner and Lean Practitioner. Skilled in setting product goals and managing backlogs, Lee excels in guiding teams through the product lifecycle and fostering a culture of empiricism and learning in agile environments. You can link with Lee Beckett on LinkedIn.

Drew Craig: Unravelling an Agile Team's Struggle with Overcommitment, And The Inevitable Consequences Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Drew delves into the common pitfall of teams overloading their backlog, leading to failed sprints and destroyed team morale. The challenge lies in helping teams realize the importance of realistic commitments. Drew suggests analyzing data, considering historical averages, and aligning discussions with product goals and roadmaps. Addressing the fear of reducing commitments due to leadership pressure, he emphasizes the need to collaborate with leadership and focus on data-driven decision-making.  Featured Book Of The Week: Multipliers, by Liz Wiseman In this episode, Drew shares pivotal books shaping his career as a Scrum Master. "Drive" by Dan Pink offers clarity with easy-to-understand insights about motivation, grounding practitioners in their roles. Drew appreciates its ability to simplify complex concepts. "Multipliers" by Liz Wiseman provides insights on strengthening teams and shifting from doing to enabling. Drew's takeaway involves pondering, "How can I be a multiplier?"    [IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM's that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!     About Drew Craig Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems. You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

¿Has escuchado hablar sobre NoEstimates? NoEstimates es un movimiento, no es una herramienta específica sino una manera de pensar en torno a las estimaciones y previsiones en desarrollo de Software. La idea es animar a construir pequeñas piezas de software de manera iterativa e incremental que te lleven tan pronto como sea posible a tener un producto entregable, sin dedicar miles de horas a predecir el futuro. En este episodio hablamos con Luis Mizutani, Lead Business Analyst Consultant sobre este movimiento y en qué se basa. Hablamos también de qué es lo interesante de estimar y cómo pronosticar con NoEstimates.

BONUS: Mastering the Art of Forecasting, Prioritization Paradigms and Flow Metrics with Troy Lightfoot Agile Planning Insights From The Gambler's Ruin Thought Experiment Troy, in this Agile Uprising podcast episode, delves into his intriguing journey in the realm of forecasting and estimation for software development. Inspired by that episode, we discuss the concept of Gambler's Ruin, a mathematical problem turned into a game. Troy shares the main insights from Gambler's Ruin and mentions Prateek Singh of ProKanban.org who has used this concept to demonstrate that even a slight skill advantage can lead to success when focusing product development on what Troy calls “Small Bets”  Small bets and impact on prioritization Small bets relate to the implications of spending money on a product idea. It's not just an expense; it's an investment with an anticipated return on investment (ROI). The crucial question arises: how do we strategically place these bets in product development? Here, Troy exposes the fallacy of assuming we can determine value upfront. We also discuss the concept of anti-fragility and highlight how many processes are inadvertently designed to be fragile. In this context, the size of the bet correlates with cycle time, and "time" itself becomes the bet's magnitude. As Annie Duke advocates in her book "Thinking in Bets," small bets bolster resilience, while large bets can lead to vulnerability. Essential flow metrics and their significance How do we know we are making small bets? Troy sheds light on the pivotal flow metrics that software development teams should diligently track. He explains the relationship between Work In Progress (WIP) and cycle time, referring to Little's law formula. And he introduces work item age as a metric that can help predict WIP and Cycle time, which gives teams a tangible representation of their current investment. This metric aids in decision-making and fosters a more effective approach to forecasting. Rethinking traditional prioritization techniques In the podcast, Troy advocates for a paradigm shift in prioritization practices. He highlights that the more time spent prioritizing work, the larger the bet size (planning time directly affects bet size). Drawing from the wisdom of Don Reinertsen and the principles outlined in the book "Principles of Product Development Flow," he stresses the intrinsic cost associated with all work undertaken. Aligning individuals and teams on priorities is essential, yet the priority itself may hold uncertainty. To aid teams in this endeavor, Troy discusses the Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) framework, and how it offers a pragmatic approach to prioritize tasks based on contributing factors. However, prioritization is directly affected by dependencies, which means that eliminating dependencies becomes a critical step towards making smaller, more manageable bets. For example, by segregating dependencies, teams can significantly reduce bet sizes and enhance predictability. In this episode, Troy elucidates how conventional prioritization techniques can inadvertently hinder forecasting and predictability. He provides insights into alternative approaches that foster adaptability and more accurate forecasts. Resource recommendation For those eager to dive deeper into the world of Agile metrics and predictability, Troy recommends Dan Vacanti's book, "Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability," as an invaluable resource. About Troy Lightfoot Troy is a Lean Product Development Coach and trainer for ProKanban.Org. He coaches and trains Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe and other Agile Scaling approaches. Troy transitioned from computer science to full-time Agile coaching, specializing in Lean Portfolio and Program Management. He is also a co-founder of the Agile Uprising Podcast, and an active blogger. For further insights into Troy's work and methodologies, visit ProKanbanTraining.com and explore the Agile Uprising podcast. Additionally, you can delve deeper into Troy's teachings at ProKanban.org.

Rohit Ratan Mani: Motivating Teams With a Proactive and Inspirational Product Owner Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: The Power of a Proactive and Inspirational Product Owner In this episode, Rohit shares his experience working with a highly enthusiastic Product Owner (PO) who joined from the business side. This PO actively sought knowledge by attending training sessions and conferences, generously sharing their learnings with Rohit. They introduced the concept of NoEstimates and encouraged experimentation. Despite initially being unfamiliar with NoEstimates, Rohit appreciated the PO's drive for innovation. He emphasizes that Product Owners like this create a safe environment for the team to explore, challenge, and improve. The episode highlights the importance of a proactive and knowledgeable PO in fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth. The Bad Product Owner: Collaboratively Establishing Clarity in Scrum Master and Product Owner Roles In this episode, Rohit recounts his experience with a problematic Product Owner (PO) and how he addressed the situation. Initially, the PO relied heavily on Rohit to build and write the backlog, causing him to become a substitute PO. Realizing the negative impact of this pattern, Rohit initiated a conversation with the PO to clarify his need to prioritize the team's focus. He emphasizes the importance of setting clear boundaries and saying "no" to taking on others' responsibilities. The episode underscores the significance of establishing accountability and ensuring a healthy balance between the Scrum Master and Product Owner roles.   [IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We've put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO's collaborate.   About Rohit Ratan Mani Rohit is an Enterprise Agile Coach, helping Leaders, individuals and teams to develop a growth mindset to be top achievers in their respective work area and  in personal life. You can link with Rohit Ratan Mani on LinkedIn and connect with Rohit Ratan Mani on Twitter. 

Andrew Mitchell: Lessons in Change Management from Story Points to Flow Metrics in a Scrum Team Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Andrew discusses his change process of transitioning from traditional story point refinement to flow-based metrics and #NoEstimates. He faced resistance at the team and organizational levels. Andrew conducted an experiment using two years' worth of data, showing that story points were not superior to throughput. He presented the results to leadership and the teams, emphasizing the importance of holistic metrics and their impact on predictability and team dynamics. Andrew introduced t-shirt sizing for simpler estimation conversations and highlighted that counting stories was more predictive than relying solely on story points. The episode emphasizes lessons in change management, including metric selection and fostering collaboration and predictability. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Andrew Mitchell Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals. He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated. You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.

Andrew Mitchell: Shared Accountability and Problem-Solving, A Practical Way To Help Scrum Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Andrew discusses a team that struggled with excessive time spent on refining stories and engaging in arguments during daily scrums. The organization was in the early stages of its agile transformation, and the team had difficulty transitioning from detailed requirements. Engineers felt judged by bugs, leading to a fear of making mistakes. To address these issues, Andrew introduced the concept of shared accountability, shifted the team's focus to problem-solving, and encouraged smaller work slices. He also emphasized the importance of prioritizing helping people over solely delivering software. These changes aimed to foster collaboration and a supportive team environment. In this episode, we refer to the book NoEstimates, and the method it describes that served as inspiration for Andrew's work. Featured Book of the Week: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek In this segment, Andrew recommends the book "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek as required reading for Scrum Masters. The principle of the book originates from the US Marines, where leaders eat their meals after the soldiers. Andrew highlights the key tip of "They would do it for me," emphasizing the importance of leaders who prioritize the well-being and needs of their team members. He describes the book as wonderful, implying that it offers valuable insights and lessons for Scrum Masters.   [IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM's that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!     About Andrew Mitchell Andrew prioritizes people when building products, aiming for happy and engaged employees who create great products and serve customers well. He emphasizes trust, psychological safety, servant leadership, and believes Scrum is the best framework to achieve these goals. He was also a host of the Product Owner Summit 2023, where we collaborated. You can link with Andrew Mitchell on LinkedIn.

Are you eager to assemble a lean and effective XP team? In this action-packed episode of Mob Mentality, we sit down with Jim Speaker to unravel the secrets of crafting agility within your organization. Join us as we delve into the art of creating a small XP team that's agile, proficient, and ready to craft code. Episode Highlights:

Chuck Durfee: What Makes a Great Scrum Master, a Development Manager's Perspective Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Scrum Master: Facilitating Productive Conversations, How a Great Scrum Master Drives Team Engagement In this segment, Chuck discusses the qualities of a great scrum master who maximizes time and talent within the team. He shares an example of a scrum master who displayed exceptional empathy and understanding of team dynamics, even in remote meetings. This scrum master skillfully selected retrospective formats that facilitated discussions on crucial topics. Additionally, the scrum master played a valuable role in helping Chuck understand his own responsibilities as a development manager. Chuck provides tips on the importance of addressing resistance to change and the scrum master's responsibility in communicating with stakeholders. Overall, a great scrum master possesses empathy, effective communication skills, and the ability to facilitate meaningful discussions within the team. The Bad Scrum Master: Conflict Resolution in Agile Teams, Addressing the Challenges of Inflexible Scrum Masters In this segment, Chuck addresses the issue of scrum masters becoming overly rigid in their adherence to the process, which can lead to conflict within the team. He highlights that successful agile practitioners understand the need to adapt Scrum to fit their specific context. Chuck shares an example of a novice scrum master who insisted on a particular story pointing process, causing frustration among senior developers. He advises providing feedback to the scrum master and encourages self-reflection on whether one is imposing processes on the team. In this segment, we mention the book "NoEstimates" as a resource for further exploration of this topic. The segment emphasizes the importance of flexibility and considering individual team dynamics in Scrum implementation.   [IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We've put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO's collaborate.   About Charles “Chuck” Durfee Chuck Durfee is an Engineering Manager in the Denver area. He leads teams to deliver quality software on-time and within budget. With expertise as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, he uses relationships, teamwork, and a pragmatic approach to solve complex business problems. In this episode, we explore his perspective as an engineering leader, and learn what makes a great Scrum Master from the perspective of the leaders they work with. You can link with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on LinkedIn and connect with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on Twitter.

Johannes Lindman: Introducing Mob Programming, and how to overcome resistance to new ways of working in Agile teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   In this episode, Johannes talks about how he introduced mob programming to his teams as a new way of working and sharing competencies. One of the teams team tried it for a few minutes and gave up. Surprisingly, another team started at 9am and continued throughout the day, and eventually noted it was too draining. Johannes suggests limiting the time for mob programming and being adaptable in trying different tools. He also warns against falling in love with one tool and introduces the concepts of Shu-Ha-Ri and NoEstimates. Johannes emphasizes the importance of measuring progress and visualizing metrics to ensure that teams are driving towards their goals. Ultimately, Johannes achieved his goals with this new way of working, even with some resistant individuals who initially said "no" to the idea.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Johannes Lindman Despite many years of experience Johannes still learns new things every day in order to stay relevant. This aligns with his curiosity on life and people.  You can link with Johannes Lindman on LinkedIn

Daniel Westermayr: Trusting Your Team, The Foundation of Great Product Ownership Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Trusting Your Team, The Foundation of Great Product Ownership In this segment, Daniel discusses the importance of the "leap of faith" that great POs take by letting go of control and trusting their team to deliver. By believing in their team, great POs are able to motivate and focus their team's efforts. Daniel also mentions the NoEstimates movement and the idea that a forecast is a range rather than a single number. Great POs do not second guess their team or the data, and are willing to accept the team's delivery even if they don't fully understand it. The Bad Product Owner: How to Help Your Product Owner Succeed by Saying “No” When Necessary In this segment, Daniel discusses the tendency Product Owners have to say "yes" to everything in order to appease or please others, even if it means not properly prioritizing tasks. Daniel emphasizes the importance of understanding the PO's perspective and using forecasting to help the PO say "no" when necessary. He also highlights the crucial role of Scrum Masters in helping the PO prioritize and say "no." The ability for organizations to hear and accept "no" is also a key factor in mitigating this anti-pattern. Daniel encourages POs to say "no" when necessary and reassures them that it is possible to change their mind later.   [IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We've put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO's collaborate.   About Daniel Westermayr Daniel is a Kanban Trainer with a knack for all things Lean and Theory of Constraints. He wants to help teams achieve and measure their continuous improvements. You can link with Daniel Westermayr on LinkedIn. 

Daniel Westermayr: Moving Beyond Roadmaps, and Using Data to Drive Decision Making for Agile Product Development Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Daniel emphasizes the importance of collecting data from day one in product development. He discusses how data can help assess the capability of the system in place and create forecasts to assess delivery dates. He mentions the NoEstimates movement and suggests counting the product backlog items that can be finalized in one sprint as a useful metric. Daniel also provides tips for helping teams accept the data, and continuously updating forecasts. He emphasizes the need to work in hypotheses rather than requirements, as it allows for acceptance that they may be wrong. Finally, he notes that data gives us information on how to act and change over time.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Daniel Westermayr Daniel is a Kanban Trainer with a knack for all things Lean and Theory of Constraints. He wants to help teams achieve and measure their continuous improvements. You can link with Daniel Westermayr on LinkedIn. 

BONUS: How to answer commonly asked Scrum Master interview questions, with Jeff Campbell and Vasco Duarte Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   About Jeff Campbell and Vasco Duarte Jeff is an Agile Coach who considers the discovery of Agile and Lean to be one of the most defining moments of his life, and considers helping others to improve their working life not to simply be a job, but a social responsibility. As an Agile Coach, he has worked with driving Agile transformations in organizations both small and large and has published a book on the subject: bit.ly/aatbook. You can link with Jeff Campbell on LinkedIn.    Vasco is a leading voice in the agile community, known for his contributions to the development of agile methodologies and practices. He is the co-founder of Agile Finland and the host of Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, the most popular Agile podcast in the world, which has more than 8 000 000 unique downloads. He is also the author of "NoEstimates: A novel look at how Agile can transform software development, making it both more sustainable, as well as incredibly profitable." Vasco is a keynote speaker at many conferences and events, sharing his knowledge and experience with the agile community. With his passion and expertise in agile, Vasco has made a significant impact on the way software development is done today, helping organizations to become more efficient, flexible, and responsive to changing requirements. You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Twitter. 

Game development is defined by creative work, and for leaders, sometimes that means ditching the old framework and coming up with nuanced approaches to common issues. This is especially true when it comes to estimations.   During this episode, we'll answer these key questions on this topic: How do you explain estimation to your team, and give them confidence that it's actually useful? How do you know which estimation tools to use in different circumstances? What can you do as a leader when someone misuses your team's estimates?   We go over guiding principles that will help you build trust with your team, communicate with stakeholders, and know what data is needed before making an estimation. You'll know how to find the value in estimations, and be able to discern when estimation becomes a hindrance instead of a tool.   By the end of this episode, you'll have a better understanding of estimation behaviors and how they drive a culture at your company. Tune in now!   Topics discussed in this episode: Effective vs. ineffective estimation systems Dealing with uncertainty Estimation based on past performance How successful developers estimate Issues leaders need to address Ben's project estimation story  Consequences of poor estimation   If you've enjoyed this episode and wonder if we could help your studio or company out, email us at info@valarinconsulting.com to set up a free 90-minute call!   For more episodes head to the Building Better Games Podlink.   Connect with us: TikTok Instagram LinkedIn   This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique http://podcastboutique.com/

This week we read Things They Didn't Teach You About Software Engineering by Vadim Kravcenko. Along the way we mention the #NoEstimates movement and this talk by Allen Holoub. Joe talks about games that make him sick, Evan talks about GraphQL, and Good Gripes goes WAY off the rails. Books we mention this episode: • Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke • System Design Interview: An Insider's Guide by Alex Xu • So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport Music by Hina and Kevin MacLeod

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. When it comes to Scrum Master success, Peter explains why the success metrics for a Scrum Master are similar to those of a CEO. He focuses on the need for learning about the team's surroundings, and to think about the outcomes (what we want to achieve, not what want to do) in a way that he describes as “outside - in”. In this segment, we also explore the idea of “convergence”, a critical thinking approach that Peter describes as serving CEO's and Scrum Masters alike!  In this segment, we refer to the NoEstimates approach for software development. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: The Happiness Door Agile Retrospective Peter's advice is to build retrospectives into the day-to-day work with the teams, and try not to need a specific time for a retrospective. For example, he suggests: “have mini retrospectives every hour.” However, when that's not (yet) the case, he prefers to use The Happiness Door retrospective, and explains his approach to that format. Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he's learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!  About Peter Janssens Peter built a long career in agile coaching and training, and worked in leadership positions leading a PO team, and recently became CTO in a SAAS product company. Peter loves all conversations on effectiveness of team decisions, but he quickly realized that being responsible is different from being a coach. As a leader there is the challenge of sticking to the same foundations when dealing with delivery pressure. You can link with Peter Janssens on LinkedIn.

In this BONUS episode, Vasco reflects on what is the gift the Agile community needs the most and why. The gift Vasco refers to is something that many would think is an obvious part of any Agile adoption process. Some might even say it is a core aspect of any Agile adoption. Yet, it is often missing as Vasco shares in this episode. What is that gift? Listen in to know more! In this episode, Vasco refer to his #NoEstimates blog posts, as well as to the Podcast slack. If you are interested in joining our Slack, just drop us an email at: podcast@oiksofy.com! What did you think about this episode? Leave as a comment below, or send us your thoughts at podcast@oikosofy.com!   About Vasco Duarte Author of http://NoEstimatesBook.com, and daily podcast host at https://scrum-master-toolbox.org/. I try to give back to the community every single day in an effort to improve the IT and product industry all over the world. Product Manager, Scrum Master, Project Manager, Director, Agile Coach are only some of the roles that I've taken in software development organizations. Having worked in the software industry since 1997, and Agile practitioner since 2004. I've worked in small, medium and large software organizations as an Agile Coach or leader in agile adoption at those organizations.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Ali's focus, as a Scrum Master, is to get the team to be autonomous, and run their own Sprints. In Ali's opinion, a good team can self organize and self manage, and he uses that as his own success measure. In this segment, we refer to #NoEstimates. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Simple formats to help drive conversations Although Ali uses many different retrospective formats, he likes the simpler formats like Mad/Sad/Glad or the Good/Bad/Ugly movie retrospective. He likes the simplicity of the 3 categories, which helps him focus on asking probing questions. In this segment, we refer to the Prime Directive of Agile Retrospectives.  Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM's that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!   About Ali Asl Ali is an experienced and accomplished Independent Agile Coach, Trainer and Scrum Master focused on supporting organizations and teams in the application of Agile values and principles to deliver quality and value. You can link with Ali Asl on LinkedIn.

Nowadays, Agile methodologies are applied and well-known all over the software development industry. But are they actually implemented as they should? According to Software Architect and author Allen Holub, while Agile is the way to go, it does not mix well with other practices just as widespread in the industry—chiefly, estimates and project-based development.Allen Holub discusses with us his idea of #NoEstimates and shares his views on what software development should look like.Listen to the full episode or read the transcript at https://semaphoreci.com/blog/allen-holub-no-estimates Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on the podcast player of your choice and share it with your friends.

Brian and Mike talk about why and how to use Story Points in estimating. Overview To estimate or not to estimate. There are many different views on the matter. It’s important then to start with why. Why would we spend time estimating in the first place? What is the benefit of that effort? Do all Agile teams need to estimate? Join Brian Milner and Mike Cohn as they discuss estimating using Story Points in order to plan for things such as releases. Listen now to discover: 1:51 - Mike talks about the 3 reasons why would we estimate in the first place? 4:30 - Brian asks about the #NoEstimates movement 8:00 - Brian talks about the marketing aspect of his conference talk this year 9:42 - Mike defines what a Story Point is 14:30 - Mike talks about using Story Points as a performance metric 21:20 - Mike talks about consistency in point scales across teams 25:58 - Mike talks about working with contractual constraints when using Story Points Listen next time when we’ll be discussing… Join us as we dive into Kanban with Kert Peterson. We’ll talk about this close relative to Scrum and discuss how these two can coexists in today’s Agile world. References and resources mentioned in the show Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn Agile Estimating and Planning online ecourse by Mike Cohn Woody Zuill of the #noestimates movement (and Mob Programming) Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. ● Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. ● Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Mike Cohn is co-founder of the Scrum Alliance, and founder of Mountain Goat Software. He’s a veteran of applying Scrum and agile principles and practices to help organizations build better products, and ship them on time. Show edited by Rhett Gill

Brian and Mike talk about why and how to use Story Points in estimating. Overview To estimate or not to estimate. There are many different views on the matter. It’s important then to start with why. Why would we spend time estimating in the first place? What is the benefit of that effort? Do all Agile teams need to estimate? Join Brian Milner and Mike Cohn as they discuss estimating using Story Points in order to plan for things such as releases. Listen now to discover: 1:51 - Mike talks about the 3 reasons why would we estimate in the first place? 4:30 - Brian asks about the #NoEstimates movement 8:00 - Brian talks about the marketing aspect of his conference talk this year 9:42 - Mike defines what a Story Point is 14:30 - Mike talks about using Story Points as a performance metric 21:20 - Mike talks about consistency in point scales across teams 25:58 - Mike talks about working with contractual constraints when using Story Points Listen next time when we’ll be discussing… Join us as we dive into Kanban with Kert Peterson. We’ll talk about this close relative to Scrum and discuss how these two can coexists in today’s Agile world. References and resources mentioned in the show Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn Agile Estimating and Planning online ecourse by Mike Cohn Woody Zuill of the #noestimates movement (and Mob Programming) Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. ● Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. ● Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Mike Cohn is co-founder of the Scrum Alliance, and founder of Mountain Goat Software. He’s a veteran of applying Scrum and agile principles and practices to help organizations build better products, and ship them on time. Show edited by Rhett Gill

Since leaving the Royal Navy about 7 years ago, Jac Hughes has found himself drawn to the world of Scrum and agile software development. He now runs Everyday Agile, an agile coaching and training business based in the UK.In this episode How Jac got into Agile and Scrum Learning from a wide variety of organizations, from simple to complex What does "Agile" mean to you, and how is it different from "agility"? What is the relationship between Scrum and agility? Picking and choosing the elements of Scrum, SAFe, LeSS, and other approaches, that work best for the context. When is Scrum the right or wrong fit? Top-down vs bottom-up agile adoption How agility permeates the business, not just development, from client contracts to recruiting and onboarding, and everything else How to decide on an agile approach, whether Scrum or something else Does Scrum work when cross-functional teams aren't possible? Biggest misconceptions about Scrum How to start adopting Scrum Does Scrum make sense for a platform, operations, or DevOps team? Thoughts on story points, estimates, and #NoEstimates How important is official Scrum training or certifications? When and how should a team find external help when implementing Scrum? ResourcesBook: When Will It Be Done? by Daniel S. VacantiBlog series: Story Pointless (Part 1 of 3) by Nick BrownPodcast: Scrum Master ToolboxGuestJac HughesLinkedIn: jac-hughesEveryday AgileYouTube channel: Everyday AgileWatch this episode on YouTube.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. We explore a real-life project that Marcus was part of, and how the #NoEstimates methods he used helped him make predictions, even if did not estimate the work to be done. About Dan Vacanti and Marcus Hammarberg Daniel Vacanti is a 20+ year software industry veteran who has spent most of the last years focusing on Lean and Agile practices. In 2007, he helped to develop the Kanban Method for knowledge work. He also co-founded ActionableAgile which provides industry leading predictive analytics tools and services to any Lean-Agile process. Dan co-founded ProKanban.org a community focused initiative to help people learn about Kanban. You can link with Dan Vacanti on LinkedIn and connect with Dan Vacanti on Twitter.  Marcus Hammarberg is the author of Salvation: The Bungsu Story (available on Amazon), an inspiring and actionable story about how simple tools can help transform the productivity and impact of an organization. The real-life stories in The Bungsu can help you transform the productivity of your team. Marcus is also a renowned author in the Kanban community, he authored the book Kanban in Action with Joakim Sundén. Head of Curriculum School of applied technology.  You can link with Marcus Hammarberg on LinkedIn and connect with Marcus Hammarberg on Twitter.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. We explore a real-life project that Marcus was part of, and how the #NoEstimates methods he used helped him make predictions, even if did not estimate the work to be done. About Dan Vacanti and Marcus Hammarberg Daniel Vacanti is a 20+ year software industry veteran who has spent most of the last years focusing on Lean and Agile practices. In 2007, he helped to develop the Kanban Method for knowledge work. He also co-founded ActionableAgile which provides industry leading predictive analytics tools and services to any Lean-Agile process. Dan co-founded ProKanban.org a community focused initiative to help people learn about Kanban. You can link with Dan Vacanti on LinkedIn and connect with Dan Vacanti on Twitter.  Marcus Hammarberg is the author of Salvation: The Bungsu Story (available on Amazon), an inspiring and actionable story about how simple tools can help transform the productivity and impact of an organization. The real-life stories in The Bungsu can help you transform the productivity of your team. Marcus is also a renowned author in the Kanban community, he authored the book Kanban in Action with Joakim Sundén. Head of Curriculum School of applied technology.  You can link with Marcus Hammarberg on LinkedIn and connect with Marcus Hammarberg on Twitter.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The pop history version of St. Patrick's Day tells us we are celebrating him driving the snakes out of Ireland. If you could, what would you have someone come drive out of your agile process or your agile adoption? Would you drive out someone forcing you to standardize things that don't need to be standardized? I once worked in an organization that had mandated all daily scrums for all teams had to happen between 9:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. A popular book says all daily scrums must be conducted left to right. Or would you drive out daily scrums altogether? A lot of people don't like the idea of meeting daily. “It hurts productivity,” they'll tell me. Indeed, for probably 10 minutes a day, people are getting less done. But for the rest of the day, hopefully, people feel energized having heard what their colleagues are doing. Or they've avoided a mistake that could have been made if everyone didn't talk once a day as a full group. Or each person feels a small, nice amount of peer pressure to not show up at tomorrow's daily scrum without some progress to report, even if minimal some days. Maybe you'd get rid of iterations or sprints and go for more of a Kanban approach. Or maybe you want to get rid of estimates and go #NoEstimates. Is There a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow? Because St. Patrick was Irish, it's impossible for me to think of his day without also thinking about leprechauns. I know leprechauns aren't real. But neither are Nessie, Big Foot, mermaids, and nonfat, delicious cheesecake. But that doesn't stop a small part of me from wishing that they were. Who wouldn't love to follow a leprechaun to the end of a rainbow where the leprechaun would be forced to give you his pot of gold. A pot of gold is great, but what is even better to find at the end of a rainbow would be all the benefits a thriving agile adoption can bring an organization. Projects in agile organizations are more likely to be delivered successfully. They'll deliver more value at a lower cost with greater predictability and lower risk. Users and customers are therefore happier. Team members are more productive and happier. These are other benefits of agile are reported in the 13th Annual State of Agile Report. What Do You Think? I'd love to know two things this St. Patrick's Day: What benefits have you experienced with agile? You probably don't need to drive snakes out of your agile approach. But what would you like to drive out of it? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below and have a happy St. Patrick's Day. https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/why-scrum-is-better-than-anything-youll-find-at-the-end-of-a-rainbow

Kui LHV Panga tarkvaraarenduse juht Rainer Tikk meil esimest korda saates käis, jäi salvestuse ajal jutt, et kindlasti peaks millalgi rääkima teemast nimega NoEstimates. Nüüd on Rainer tagasi ning täpselt seda me teemegi, õigemini proovime teha, sest ka selle saate lõpus jääb kõlama tõdemus, et millalgi peaks rääkima teemast nimega NoEstimates. Aga algus on tehtud ning Tiit ja Sergei proovivad selgust saada, mismoodi ikkagi täpselt selle rakendamine tarkvaraarenduse protsessis peaks käima ja millised on Raineri kogemused. Saadet veavad Tiit Paananen Veriffist ja Sergei Anikin Pipedrive'ist.

In this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel discuss the dreaded topic of estimation in agile software development. We discuss the pros and cons of each type of estimation, starting with time/hours-based estimates, then moving to story points and finally flow (or #noestimates). 0:00 Intro0:18 Topic Intro1:28 Why Estimate?3:15 Real Deadlines... Sometimes...5:13 Why Estimate? A Product Viewpoint7:49 Estimation or Guess10:59 Guesses, Demands, & Tricks13:36 "Pick a Date" Behavior15:44 Methods of Estimation: Hours (or Time)22:44 If You Have to Estimate in Hours...24:24 Other Games with Time Estimates27:59 The Evils of Individual Time Metrics32:26 Relative Estimation: Story Points36:23 Forgetting About Risk & Complexity41:19 Doing Story Points Right42:58 Flow-Based Estimation (aka. #NoEstimates)46:39 Breaking Stories - the Secret to Success in Flow50:23 Flow in Kanban53:52 Delivery of Business Value59:45 Future Business Value Podcast1:02:40 Wrap-Up1:02:53 Blooper Reel= = = = = = = = = = = =Available on YouTube:https://youtu.be/Hugv72aFYcIPlease Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8XUSoJPxGPI8EtuUAHOb6g?sub_confirmation=1= = = = = = = = = = = = Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzgxMzE5LnJzcwSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Amazon Music:https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-PodcastStitcher:https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2= = = = = = = = = = = =AP50 - Estimation (Hours vs. Story Points vs. Flow)

What is #NoEstimates and Can It Help Scrum Teams? Let's explore the options this situation presents. All of this and more are discussed in today's episode of Your Daily Scrum with Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley. What do you think? Let us know in the comments! Take a Professional Scrum with Kanban Course with Todd, Ryan, and Daniel Vacanti!https://www.eventbrite.com/e/professional-scrum-with-kanban-psk-online-certification-class-psk-i-tickets-167900832911 Buy Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems - https://amzn.to/3fMpH5a Join Ryan and Todd in a Professional Scrum Master course: https://www.scrum.org/agile-humans And make sure you subscribe to the channel! DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge for you! Thank you for supporting the channel so we can continue to provide you with free content each week! FTC DISCLAIMER: This video is not sponsored by anyone. Sharing Scrum knowledge to help you grow as a Scrum Practitioner and to solve complex problems. #scrum #agile #scrummasterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Episode 41 of the Enterprise Excellence Podcast. It is such a pleasure to have Mr Vasco Duarte on the show with us today. Vasco helps companies generate customer-centric products and get their processes to a level of performance they thought was impossible. Vasco does this by focusing product development teams on the end-to-end life-cycle of their products. From Concept to Cash and Back!Vasco is the Author of the book "No Estimates" and daily podcast host at the Scrum Master Toolbox. Vaso gives back to the community every day to improve the IT and product industry worldwide. Proudly brought to you in association with S A Partners, a world-leading business transformation consultancy.Product owners can get better outcomes by engaging with sales. Vasco is training product owners to start with their customer's vision for the product, rather than their own or their company's vision. One of the advantages that product owners get from engaging with sales teams is hearing their customers language. The wrong type of interaction - sales led development without the whyVasco talks about interactions between salespeople and product owners. The wrong type of interaction is when a salesperson says, "Here's the list of features you need to develop for my customers".  The right type of interaction - collaboration and engagementThe salesperson could be a great source of insight for the product owner.  Great product owners will engage the salesperson to understand the context around that list of features: why are they being requested?Salespeople have an incredible mindset in intuitively understanding the customer's business model. Vasco believes that when a product owner can tap into this mindset, they can amplify the customer's business model. But, unfortunately, the majority of the products out there are a burden on customers. They impose tasks or models on the customer rather than help them succeed. Key TakeawaysFocus on how we can serve - Focus on serving other teams in our business as well as external customers, establishing a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation.Minimal viable experiment - provides a simple, fast way to test our theories on how we can improve and learn from this. The MVE concept is about developing the minimal viable approach to product development or improvement to share with a customer and gain their thoughts and feedback. Quotes16:05min There's only one phrase in your customer's mind. And that phrase is there all the time. And the phrase goes like this. What have you done for me lately? And they ask that question from your product every single time they interact with your product. And your product needs to shout that answer all the time. What have you done for me lately? Right? And, of course, it has to be designed with that question in mind, right? We don't add features to a product. We solve problems for a customer.LinksBrad - Brad is proud to support many Australian businesses. You can find him on LinkedIn here. If you'd like to speak to him about how he can help your business, call him on 0402 448 445, or email bjeavons@iqi.com.au. Our website is www.bradjeavons.comVasco - LinkedIn and the Scrum Master Toolbox.SA Partners

For the holidays, three veteran podcasters came together to talk about the state of agile, and where to focus on the road ahead!  Thanks to Ryan Ripley, host of "Agile For Humans" and co-author of "Fixing Your Scrum", Vasco Duarte of the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast and author of "No Estimates", and Laurens Bonnema for bringing us all together! Ryan Ripley at Agile For Humans (www.agileforhumans.com): Vasco Duarte at Scrum Master Toolbox - (https://scrum-master-toolbox.org): My most sincere thanks to these gentlemen for bringing their world-famous insights to the Badass Agile podcast.  Much thanks and respect for all you do. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort. Sign up for more info here: https://badassagile.com/the-forge/****** Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews! https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/ We're also on YouTube!  Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g ****** Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game. Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.

For the holidays, three veteran podcasters came together to talk about the state of agile, and where to focus on the road ahead!  Thanks to Ryan Ripley, host of "Agile For Humans" and co-author of "Fixing Your Scrum", Vasco Duarte of the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast and author of "No Estimates", and Laurens Bonnema for bringing us all together! Ryan Ripley at Agile For Humans (www.agileforhumans.com): Vasco Duarte at Scrum Master Toolbox - (https://scrum-master-toolbox.org): My most sincere thanks to these gentlemen for bringing their world-famous insights to the Badass Agile podcast.  Much thanks and respect for all you do. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort. Sign up for more info here: https://badassagile.com/the-forge/****** Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews! https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/ We're also on YouTube!  Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g ****** Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game. Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.

Vasco Duarte is the host of The Scrum Master Toolbox which is the largest podcast on Scrum Master topics. Both Jeffs had the opportunity to be guests on his show in their career and it was finally time to bring him on. Find all the show notes and links at https://www.theagilewire.com

We're diving right into the first episode of 2020 with a hot button topic in the Agile community: No Estimates. Agile Coaches and Scrum teams are starting to adopt a "No Estimates" mentality when it comes to planning and building out their backlog. How does it work? How will it impact the organization? We tackle these questions and give our guidance as well to this controversial topic.

Joe Krebs speaks with Woody Zuill, who coined the term “Mob Programming” and which he pioneered in from of blogging, conferences and speaking engagements. Today Mob Programming is a standard practice in agile teams around the world. In this episode he also shares insights into the “No Estimates” movement he created and why he applies this thinking to complex knowledge work in particular.

This week I bring #NoEstimates to Cory Bryan’s agile podcast – The Deliver It Cast. [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]Ryan Ripley Presenting #NoEstimates [/featured-image] For the past ten years, Ryan Ripley has worked on agile teams in development, ScrumMaster, and management roles. He's worked at various Fortune 500 companies in the medical device, wholesale, and financial services industries. Ryan is great at taking tests and earned the PMI-ACP, PSM I, PSM II, PSE, PSPO I, PSD I, CSM, CSPO, CSP, and CAL 1 agile certifications. He lives in Indiana with his wife Kristin and three children. Ryan blogs at ryanripley.com, hosts the Agile for Humans podcast available on iTunes, and is on Twitter @ryanripley. In this episode you'll discover: What is #NoEstimates How #NoEstimates impacts the work of Product Owners Why data (not guesses) help teams make better decisions and deliver value sooner The very awesome agile podcast:  The Deliver It Cast Links from this weeks episode: Deliver It Cast EP58 – No Estimates with Ryan Ripley Agile for Humans EP20 – #NoEstimates with Vasco Duarte The #NoEstimates Movement with Ryan Ripley Barry Overeem – The #NoEstimates Movement Matt Heusser – Why You Execs Don’t Get Agile and What You Can Do About It Book of the week: [callout]Most start-ups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business. Click here to purchase on Amazon.[/callout] [reminder]What are your thoughts about this episode? Please leave them in the comments section below.[/reminder] Want to hear a podcast about the getting started with speaking at technical conferences? — Listen to my conversation with Don Gray, Tim Ottinger, Amitai Schleier, and Jason Tice on episode 32. We discuss how to write a compelling abstract, what track reviewers are looking for in a submission, and how to give yourself the best change of getting selected. One tiny favor.  — Please take 30 seconds now and leave a review on iTunes. This helps others learn about the show and grows our audience. It will help the show tremendously, including my ability to bring on more great guests for all of us to learn from. Thanks! This podcast is brought to you by Audible. I have used Audible for years, and I love audio books. I have three to recommend: Agile and Lean Program Management by Johanna Rothman The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Rolling Rocks Downhill: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Entertaining Way to Learn Agile and Lean by Clark Ching All you need to do to get your free 30-day Audible trial is go to Audibletrial.com/agile. Choose one of the above books, or choose among more than 180,000 audio programs. It's that easy. Go to Audibletrial.com/agile and get started today. Enjoy! The post AFH 073: #NoEstimates on The Deliver It Cast appeared first on Ryan Ripley.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woody Zuill (@WoodyZuill), Tim Ottinger (@tottinge), Zach Bonaker (@ZachBonaker) and Amitai Schleier (@schmonz) joined me (@RyanRipley) to discuss a wide range of agile topics and principles. [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]Zach Bonaker Presenting ‘The Deception of Training' at Scrum Day San Diego 2016[/featured-image] Woody has been programming for over 35 years with 20 of those years as an Extreme Programmer (XP) and more than 15 of those years as an Agile Coach. He takes the “inspect and adapt” mantra to heart and through this type of inquiry has developed advanced agile concepts such as #NoEstimates and #MobProgramming. Woody is passionate about helping teams reinvent their workplace to make it possible for everyone to excel in their work and life. He published the Mob Programming book on Leanpub and provides his thoughts about many agile topics on his blog. Tim is committed to understanding and improving the art of software from the angle of “thinking for a living.” He is a programmer, author, trainer and globally recognized coach with over 35 years of real software development experience. His style is practical and hands-on, steeped in both Agile and classic traditions. Tim rapidly communicates concepts and practices, and is recognized for his compassionate and patient approach to working with individuals and has a sincere interest in helping people reach their goals. Zach is a self-described “benevolent trouble-maker” and seeks to foster servant leadership that cultivates growth, learning, and discovery. He is a systems thinker who shares his thoughts on his blog – Agile Out Loud. Zach is great at pushing agile thinking forward and has authored many popular posts on next generation agile theories and practices. Amitai is a software development coach, speaker, legacy code wrestler, non-award-winning musician, award winning bad poet, and the creator of the Agile in 3 Minutes podcast. He blogs at schmonz.com and is a frequent guest on Agile for Humans. Amitai has published many of his agile observations and musings in his new book – Agile in 3 Minutes on Lean Pub. In this episode you'll discover: How principles drive agile practices How turning up the good improves your team and your life Why principles trump practices Links from the show: Modern Agile Woody Zuill’s Blog Tim Ottinger’s Blog Amitai’s Blog [callout]This comprehensive set of cards is an indispensable resource for agile teams. The deck of Agile in a Flash cards teaches leadership, teamwork, clean programming, agile approaches to problem solving, and tips for coaching agile teams. Team members can use the cards as reference material, ice breakers for conversations, reminders (taped to a wall or monitor), and sources of useful tips and hard-won wisdom. Click here to purchase on Amazon.[/callout] [reminder]Which topic resonated with you? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.[/reminder] Want to hear another podcast about the life of an agile coach? — Listen to my conversation with Zach Bonaker, Diane Zajac-Woodie, and Amitai Schlair on episode 39. We discuss growing an agile practice and how coaches help create the environments where agile ideas can flourish. One tiny favor.  — Please take 30 seconds now and leave a review on iTunes. This helps others learn about the show and grows our audience. It will help the show tremendously, including my ability to bring on more great guests for all of us to learn from. Thanks! This podcast episode is brought to you by Techwell's Agile Dev West Conference. Techwell's Agile Dev West is *the* premier event that covers the latest advances in the agile community. Agile for Humans listeners can use the code AGILEDEV to receive $200 off their conference registration fee. Check out the entire program at adcwest.techwell.com. You'll notice that I'm speaking there this year. Attendees will have a chance to see my The #NoEstimates Movement presentation, along with my half day session on advanced scrum topics called Scrum: Answering the Tough Questions. I hope to see many Agile for Humans listeners in Las Vegas – June 4–9th, for this great event. The post AFH 065: Agile Open Forum with Woody Zuill, Tim Ottinger, Amitai Schleier, and Zach Bonaker [PODCAST] appeared first on Ryan Ripley.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.