8 best Scrum articles of 2019 I’ve read
I’ve read hundreds of articles about Scrum this year. I thought it would be nice to reflect and share my personal 8 best Scrum articles for 2019. They are not in a particular order.
These are my personal favorites. It is not based on popularity or reads. This is also why I put a picture of a nice espresso machine, just because I like them and I can :-). The espresso machine is there to reflect that this article is subjective and you might not necessarily agree with my choices.
8. 6 facts about Scrum you need to know before you consider adopting it
Andre Remati did a great job explaining the essence of Scrum and what you need to aware of before you consider adopting it.
7. The Anti-Scrum Guide
Sjoerd Nijland’s Anti-Scrum guide will make you laugh. It will also scare you, the moment you realize this is actually how some Scrum Teams operate in reality.
6. Combine Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Agile? Beware of Waterfall in disguise!
Update: article unfortunately removed from Medium.
Marty de Jonge shows how combining Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Agile may lead to Waterfall in disguise. He offers an alternative way by applying Scrum as a framework to deliver value.
5. Here’s what’s wrong with maturity models
Christiaan Verwijs makes a compelling argument to stop putting so much importance on maturity models. Reality is more messy than what you can capture with any maturity model.
Maturity models may also result in organisational parenting — where teams are labelled as immature and flagged as being in need of guidance. When you are trying to grow self-organizing teams this is not helpful at all.
4. The Evolution of the Scrum Guide
Paddy Corry took the time to put the evolution of the Scrum Guide in perspective. It also shows why it’s important to stay up to date on the Scrum Guide, as it continues to evolve. Plus it illuminates the direction Scrum is evolving in, which is very interesting to see.
3. A Daily Scrum in the Cave
Max Heiliger’s article shows how it’s the job of the Scrum Master to help people leave their cave. Stepping out of the cave is difficult, but if you do your job as a Scrum Master well you can help them to get there. Do keep in mind that you are in your own cave as well.
2. The Lie of the Iron Triangle
Engaging story by Dan Ray makes crystal clear why Scope isn’t fixed when you use Scrum. Great read that will certainly increase your Scrum understanding. I use the triangle example in this article regularly to help explain Scrum better to people.
1. ‘Scrum is an awful project management methodology’
I regularly encounter discussions and articles on the topic ‘What’s the difference between a product manager and a project manager?’. Willem-Jan Ageling found a way to clearly explain the difference by telling a great story from his personal experience. I hope less articles on this topic will be necessary next year, as this one explains it so well.