Extended Mind And the Scrum Pathway
Posted by Doug Shimp in Feedback on April 22nd, 2009
This was not your typical scrummaster training course. We raised the bar by bringing the Scrum Framework home in applied context to the classroom and helping each other understand it better through simulations that encouraged participation and responses from each of us. It focused on the truely adaptive nature of great teams and how the class over the course of 2 days stared to jel and move faster. Each person became a member of a close knit team and helped each other extend our ability to think about more complex and challenging issues of Scrum. This would be the same pattern of thought for teams building product.
Simple Rules For Emerging Collaborative Behavior Focused On Complex Demanding Business Drivers
- No heads work alone
- Let the product lead
- One bite at a time
- Make it visible
- Avoid and eliminate confusion
- Start with the end in mind
What an awesome course. Each attendee recieved a free identity boost with the course and we will work to build a community to grow from. The community will be focused on Collaborative Skills for and will help each open more doors by improving our connectedness through applied effort the driven by our passion. Coaching others is a reward and a skill we all need to polish.
We will be running this course again in San Mateo and creating another extended mind.
Brillant and Informative 
Read the hand written evaluations
and see if you agree!!
Agile Architecture Pilot Class Evaluations
Posted by david.bernstein in Feedback on April 16th, 2009
The pilot Agile Architecture class by David Bernstein at Techniques of Design was held on January 27-28 for a client in Boston. There were seven students in the class, all senior architects, and they loved it. Read the evaluations.
Learning Via Experience in Chicago
Posted by derek.wade in Feedback, Workshop on April 7th, 2009
Our session in Chicago focused on experiential learning.
The class elected to do 2 sprints on our “build a brochure” activity and learned by doing on each. The general consensus was that it’s all very well to ask and answer questions, but when you try to put theory into practice is when you really discover the challenges you will face with Agile.
Just to make things harder, the second sprint included some real-life waterfall challenges like budget-tracking and advance commitments. The discussion afterward focused on how these forces can easily drive us away from collaborative, visible behavior… even if “all” we are doing is building a brochure in class!
Scrum Workshop for Busy Teams - Effective Agile Development
The Scrum Workshop for Busy Teams Workshop is a jumpstart for teams or individuals in Scrum and Agile software development.
The main exercise is a team project where the teams work together to create at game to teach Scrum. This team developed a board game similar to “Candy Land” called Scrumopoly.
This course was the equivlent of a 2-day coruse delivered in four evenings. The goal was to help teams wanting to learn about scrum without impacting their schedule. Two guys actually flew up from California to Seattle to take this course. They were able to attend meetings by phone in the day and do the workshop in the evenings.
All of the students in this course had a strong background in the waterfall process on large teams. We had great discussions about how to move an orginization to be more agile. The student’s concsnsus was that the role of Product Owner is critical. I agree 100%. Without a strong and effective Product Owner to create the vision and separate the required from the incidental, teams will build the wrong thing or bild the most important thing too late.
See evals and comments from students.
1st Prize in Art for Certified Scrum Product Owner
Posted by Doug Shimp in Workshop on March 31st, 2009
This course took the cake for a 1st prize in art. Below are the images from the class and clearly this was one of the best dogie day care pictures done using sharpie pens. Wow!
This course was a Certified Scrum Product Owner as recognized by the Scrum Alliance and sponsored by 3Back LLC, VersionOne and Normandale College.
The challenges of a Product Owner is to recognize the sustainably rate of development that a team can maintain and then to use that predictable core to determine what can be successfully delivered to market. Successful Product Owners are empowered by their organizations to find a way to maximize delivery on ROI by realizing a product in complex adaptive market situations. Great Product Owners see the team as an extension of themselves and augment their ability to think creatively by leveraging that greater social intelligence to solve complex problems.
This was our 3rd time running this course and it was a successful outcome for students. Please leave comments or thoughts on our Certified Scrum Product Owner training event. If you are interested in a private or public course just contact us.
You can follow Doug’s daily thoughts as a Scrum Coach at twitter or read deeper thoughts at Advanced Topics in Scrum.
“Agile / Scrum is not about memorization of explicit knowledge but, rather the application of that knowledge to an in-flight challenging problem.” - Doug Shimp Daily Twitter Thought
Honolulu ScrumMaster Training - A Hui Hou
Posted by Doug Shimp in Feedback, Workshop on March 26th, 2009
Traveling too Hawaii was a long trip but, once you there you don’t want to leave. Of course the thought of returning home to the thawing Midwest was not that bad since we are moving into the spring season. Being in Hawaii and hearing the local view of cold weather being less than 75 degrees brought a smile my face. If only I could see it from their side. As someone pointed out you have to be there a couple of years for your blood to thin and then you will understand.
Learning Agile / Scrum is not about memorization of explicit knowledge but, rather the application of that a mind set to an in-flight challenging problem. It is a learning process of using the scrum framework to move as a team to understand. Learning Scrum / Agile can be setup as such a challenge and the group present rose to the occasion to create their own learning experience as a team.
This trip was a real exposure to the varied and subtle tastes of Hawaiian culture. No where in the country have I seen “East meets West” be as pronounced as in Hawaii and that makes it all the more beautiful.
Coffee Question:
- Do you like your Kona blended or pure?
A Hui Hou
- Doug
Orlando Scrum Training and Scrum Gathering
Posted by Doug Shimp in Feedback, Workshop on March 25th, 2009
We spent a week down in Orlando this past month for two reason. One was the Orlando Certified ScrumMaster(CSM) training course we ran and the other was for the Scrum Gathering.
Both events were a blast and did much to continue raising awareness of Agile / Scrum in the community.
The Certified ScrumMaster course was run by Michele Sliger and Douglas Shimp. The event was delivered on a Saturday and Sunday just before the Gathering and was a success for the students.
Feedback on the Scrum training class was great.
- read the hand written evals to see what our students had to say
- Watch the Scrum Ideas Developed During Class
Evaluations from Scrum Training Workshop In Twin Cities
Posted by in Uncategorized on March 9th, 2009
certified-scrum-product-owner-chicagoCertified ScrumMaster workshop in Minneapolis held in conjuction with Normandale College and 3Back - Scrum Alliance member was another major success. We have a total o 14 participants from numerous companies and great success is delivery and setup.
The subject matter for this course became one of advanced scurm tuning issues relatetd to a Scrum Implemenation. The participantes were focused on culutural issues surrounding the implementation. Although, technical issues came up the bulk of the energy centered on how to better stimulate a well formed team doing Scrum and how to really involve senior leadership.
Please read the hand written evaluations for insights about this course and judge for your self.
- Doug
“Applied Scrum where rubber meets the road.
Chicago Prepares for Certified Product Owner and Agile 2009
Posted by in Workshop on March 9th, 2009
We just finished our 1st major Certified Scrum Prouduct Owner in the windy city of Chicago. Agile 2009 will be coming to town and our next round of training will be covering Agile Distributed Teams.
The product owner course was a small size class with 4 participants. These size classes are great and always become the most valuable and interactive for the participants.
Video About the Course Certified Scrum Product Owner Overview Chicago
Read the hand written evaluations from the course .
You Can’t Help But, Smile In My City - Scrum in Kansas City
Posted by in Uncategorized on November 12th, 2008
This was my first trip to Kansas City. I have flown over the city many times on my way to the west coast but, never had the pleasure of stopping to visit.
We ran our 1st Certified ScrumMaster training course in Kansas City and it was phenominal. The class participants got a ton out of it and when the class goes extremely well so do I.
During this class we delivered a pre-beta-beta scrum exam.
It just brings a smile
Hand Written Insights and Evaluations from the class
