How we continue to expand and grow beyond Scrum and even Agile. — In the last few years, I’ve been building a self-diagnostic tool called “Scrum Team Survey” with Barry Overeem. Our mission is to make it easier for teams to improve continuously based on evidence, shared sense-making, and scientific research. We have poured our experience with and as part of many Agile/Scrum…

Four important insights from scientific studies of pair programming versus solo programming — Pair programming is a common practice in Agile teams. Although it has been around for a long time (Coplien, 2015), it was popularized by Kent Beck as part of Extreme Programming (XP) (Beck & Andres, 2004). But the practice remains controversial. The notion of letting two developers pair on one…

In our workshops and classes, participants often lament how difficult it is to get “management to do their part”. And my experience in this area has also been one of many struggles. Some managers totally get Agile and Scrum. …

A surprising exploration of scientific evidence and data from real Scrum teams to learn if size matters or not — A common belief among Agile practitioners, including myself, is that Scrum works best in smaller organizations. This belief is also often expressed by people who work in large organizations themselves, and just don’t see it work. Together with Barry Overeem, I’ve been fortunate to teach, mentor, and coach Scrum teams…

Why does Scrum so often feel like organized religion? And how can we make things better? — Have you ever noticed the many parallels between organized religion and Scrum? Or with Agile methodologies more broadly? It's been a recurring joke between Barry Overeem and me as we attend conferences, interact with critics and advocates of Scrum and follow the comings and goings in our profession. Some of…

The role of personality, task complexity, experience, and communication skills on the effectiveness of pair programming — Pair programming is a common practice in Agile teams. Although it has been around for a long time (Coplien, 1995), it was popularized by Kent Beck as part of Extreme Programming (XP) (Beck & Andres, 2004). In its formal form, two developers work together at a single workstation on a…

An exploration of scientific evidence and data from Scrum teams to identify their optimal size, and practical guidelines — How many members did the best Scrum teams you worked with have? It’s an age-old question amongst practitioners who are new to Agile methodologies: “What is the optimal number of members in a team?”. The Scrum Guide suggests that a team “should be small enough to remain nimble and large…

Why Skills And Ingredients Are Far More Important Than Recipes — I love cooking. Italian food in particular is a favorite because it generally uses simple recipes and a few ingredients to generate incredibly tasty meals. A good Pasta Napoletana requires onions, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and tagliatelle. However, its simplicity is also deceptive. The first time I made it, it was…

A sobering investigation of scientific evidence on scaling frameworks, particularly SAFe®. — How do you feel about the Scale Agility Framework (SAFe®)? I don’t know about you, but I’m skeptical of SAFe and I’m very skeptical of scaling in general. I’m not alone in this. My sense is that the professional community doesn’t like SAFe®. It is easy to find scathing opinion…