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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #15 - Leadership is Essential

September 27, 2024
The final episode of "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive" emphasizes the essential shift in leadership from command-and-control to coaching and supporting teams. Effective Scrum leaders focus on setting meaningful goals, creating environments for success, and using evidence-based management to guide decisions. This mindset shift enables self-managing teams to thrive, delivering real value rather than just busywork.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #14 - Conflict Not Fights

September 26, 2024
Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley explore the role of conflict in Scrum teams, emphasizing that healthy conflict under pressure can drive focus and innovation. They discuss the importance of recognizing when disagreements shift from problem-solving to personal fights and stress the need for team members to maintain a commitment to constructive conflict.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #13 - Self-Managing Teams Rock

September 25, 2024
Todd and Ryan discuss the power of self-managing teams, emphasizing that teams thrive when they have autonomy and direct access to customers, leading to higher productivity and better solutions. They caution that self-management is a skill that requires nurturing through coaching and support, rather than simply expecting teams to excel without guidance.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #11 - Scrum is Harder than Waterfall

September 23, 2024
In their latest episode, Todd and Ryan explain why Scrum is often harder than waterfall development, emphasizing that iterative processes require constant adjustments to engineering practices and architectural decisions. They highlight that Scrum forces teams to move away from over-planning and focus more on building and testing, which demands a disciplined and adaptive approach.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #10 - Leave Scrum Alone

September 20, 2024
The video emphasizes that Scrum is a simple, adaptable framework that doesn’t need enhancement, unlike complex methodologies. Instead of altering Scrum, teams should focus on adding context-specific practices and addressing organizational impediments that hinder progress. The key message is to improve the environment in which Scrum operates, not the framework itself.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #9 - Scrum is Change Management

September 19, 2024
In the latest episode of "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive," Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley discuss how Scrum is not just a process to be implemented but a powerful tool to drive change within organizations. They emphasize that many companies misuse Scrum by treating it as another procedural rollout, failing to embrace its disruptive nature meant to challenge old business habits.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #8 - Old Habits Die Hard

September 18, 2024
Todd and Ryan discuss the ongoing struggle of Scrum teams against ingrained Waterfall habits and predictive thinking that undermine Agile principles. Despite shifts in workforce generations and management styles, many teams still sacrifice quality to meet deadlines and rigid plans.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #7 - Change is Required!

September 17, 2024
Scrum adoption requires top-down leadership but thrives with a “middle-out” approach that engages middle management to drive organizational change. Sustained effort and healthy conflict resolution are crucial, as the journey is ongoing and filled with challenges. To succeed, organizations must embed Scrum principles deeply enough that change continues effectively beyond the influence of any single individual.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #6 - The Point of Scrum is DONE!

September 16, 2024
This blog post explores how Scrum's intentional pressure on both engineering and product management teams drives continuous improvement and excellence. It emphasizes the importance of the "Definition of Done" and the need to close the "Effectiveness Gap" between current and target practices. Ultimately, the stress Scrum creates is a positive force that helps teams achieve better outcomes with each sprint.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #5 - I'm All In

September 13, 2024
Partial implementations of Scrum often obscure critical dysfunctions in product development, preventing teams from fully benefiting from the framework's potential. Scrum Masters are vital in identifying and addressing these issues, requiring experience and leadership to drive real change.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #4 - Look in the Mirror

September 12, 2024
Scrum is more than a project management tool; it’s a competitive advantage that exposes organizational weaknesses and drives continuous improvement. Todd and Ryan emphasize that while Scrum highlights inefficiencies, true success requires adapting and addressing these issues rather than ignoring them.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #3 - If It Ain't Broke

July 26, 2024
In a recent episode of "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive," Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley discuss the provocative idea from Ken Schwaber's 2006 white paper that if the Waterfall methodology effectively meets a team's needs, it should be continued. The ultimate goal is to prioritize effectiveness and customer satisfaction, advocating for flexibility in delivery practices.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #2 - Complexity and Risk

July 3, 2024
In their discussion titled "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive #2 - Complexity and Risk," Todd and Ryan explore how Scrum optimizes product management by emphasizing high-value delivery. They emphasize that while Scrum is designed for high-risk, complex projects, its success hinges on consistent product releases and iterative feedback loops to manage risks effectively.
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Scrum is Hard and Disruptive - A Dive into Ken Schwaber's Timeless Insights

June 26, 2024
In this video, Todd and Ryan explore Ken Schwaber's 2006 white paper, which discusses why Scrum is hard and disruptive. They use cross-functional, self-managing teams to emphasize Scrum's foundation in iterative and incremental development. Lean thinking and empirical process control are core principles, ensuring continuous improvement through frequent inspection and adaptation. The hosts draw parallels to real-life scenarios, like youth football coaching, to illustrate the effectiveness of self-managing teams.
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Your Next Scrum Master Should Be Your Manager

November 20, 2023
In a significant shift from their previous stance, Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, hosts of "Your Daily Scrum," now advocate for integrating the role of Scrum Master with delivery managers and directors, countering their earlier advice to avoid this practice.