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Medium

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The Most Useful Workshops for Agile Teams (That Actually Work!)

Agile teams can benefit from structured workshops for collaboration and improvement.
Value Stream Mapping workshop helps identify and resolve bottlenecks in the workflow.
Retrospectives workshop encourages teams to reflect and make improvements for better collaboration.
User Story Mapping workshop aids in visualizing and prioritizing user requirements.

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Medium

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The Ultimate Guide to Agile Master Scrum, Kanban, XP & More!

In February 2001, a group of leading experts met in Snowbird, Utah, to discuss common ground between their approaches in the quickly developing world of agile.
The Agile Manifesto, that came as a result, still acts as a rallying call for the whole software industry.
Agile is a mindset that emphasizes individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration and responding to change over following a plan.
Agile methodologies include Requirements Gathering, Design, Implementation, Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance.
Waterfall is a linear, sequential approach that may lead to rigidness, late-stage testing errors and difficulties in making changes.
Scrum is a versatile and efficient approach that requires disciplined teams and can be overwhelming for beginners.
Kanban is focused on reducing wasted effort, is easy to implement, but may lack structured planning and isn't ideal for complex projects.
XP focuses on precision and quality from the start but may require cultural shifts and investment in automation tools.
The Lean approach has a few similarities to XP, except it often requires automation tools for the process to work effectively.
DevOps requires automation and essential for scalability. Several tech giants use agile approaches based on their team or project needs.

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Medium

Agile Didn’t Kill Project Management—It Transformed It

Agile didn't eliminate the need for project management, but it transformed it
Agile shifted the focus from managing tasks and schedules to managing flow, outcomes, and learning
The role of a project manager in Agile is distributed across different roles
Agile teams still require elements of traditional project management like risk management, budgeting, stakeholder alignment, quality assurance, and delivery accountability

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Scrum-Master-Toolbox

BONUS: Beyond Process, How Psychology is Reshaping Modern Leadership with Ari-Pekka Skarp

The journey of Agile adoption over the past 16 years has been marked by two significant developments: technological advancement and increasing social complexity.
Where leaders were once expected to be commanders, today’s leaders must embody the qualities of a therapist – demonstrating empathy, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of their team members’ well-being.
As organizations become more networked and complex, the need for humanistic leadership approaches becomes evident.
Looking ahead, organizational mental health culture and the psychological aspects of work are becoming critical competitive advantages.

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Medium

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How to Write Effective Test Scripts: A Guide for Business Analysts

A well-written test script specifies the steps to verify whether a system functions as expected.
End-to-end (E2E) test scripts validate workflows from start to finish for system integration and process continuity.
A well-structured test script should follow a standardized format for consistency and repeatability.
By creating clear, structured, and traceable test cases, test scripts help ensure successful project outcomes.

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Medium

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Food for Agile Thought #479: Deep Research, Deleting Your Backlog, Product OS Competencies, Is…

OpenAI's Deep Research, an AI-driven research agent, is analyzed by Zvi Mowshowitz and Ethan Mollick, raising concerns about cost and safety.
Andrej Karpathy provides a deep dive into Large Language Models.
The EU AI Act's first enforcement deadline, banning high-risk AI applications, is unpacked by Kyle Wiggers.
Rich Mironov critiques the role of ROI in product decisions and suggests strategic framing and cost trade-offs instead.

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Scrum

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The Region Beta Paradox: Why Some Scrum Teams Never Improve

The Region Beta Paradox is a psychological phenomenon where severe pain leads to faster recovery than mild discomfort.
Scrum teams that are just getting by with tolerable discomfort often stay stuck without making significant improvements.
To break out of this stagnation, Scrum Masters can raise awareness of the cost of staying in the comfort zone.
They can also create healthy discomfort, use experiments to break inertia, and shift the mindset from 'not bad' to 'how good could this be?'

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Alvinashcraft

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Dew Drop – February 7, 2025 (#4357)

Microsoft has released Windows App SDK Version 1.7 Experimental, which introduced the ability to use on-device AI with Windows Copilot Runtime APIs.
Microsoft has announced the release of Windows App SDK 1.7.0 Experimental 3, which introduces an updated version of the Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK NuGet package.
GitHub has unveiled a new AI-powered tool called GitHub Copilot, designed to facilitate developers with suggestions related to coding languages.
Microsoft has improved the networking functionality in .NET 9, which the company claims will provide enhanced TCP/IP stack usage, more scalable asynchronous I/O, and high-performance sockets.
Phi Silica is a new feature in Windows App SDK which has been implemented to enhance the performance in UWP apps.
Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS) has been a preferred choice among startups for deploying apps and hosting services. The service provides a platform to manage clusters of virtual machines, which can run containers atop them.
There has been a data breach in PowerSchool, wherein the data of up to 16,000 students from the UK was lost.
Microsoft has released the 1.24 version of Go with some security changes. This release includes support for FIPS 140-2 Level 1.
OpenAI o1, o1-mini, and o3-mini models are now available in JetBrains AI Assistant. The initiative will facilitate the use of their models while developing AI applications.
Mistral has released an AI assistant on iOS and Android that can help users organize their daily routine and make their lives easier by suggesting helpful tips.

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Dev

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Agile Traceability: Connecting the Dots Without Slowing Down – Part 2

The Agile traceability matrix is a crucial tool for keeping development aligned with user needs and business objectives in an Agile project. Agile traceability involves creating lean, flexible systems that facilitate software development without slowing down the project team with unnecessary documentation. Agile requires traceability to the essentials, such as user stories, requirements, code, and test cases. Prioritizing high-value items like risk management, compliance, and core functionality can provide visibility without overburdening the team. Integration into existing workflows and iterative and incremental traceability approaches can minimize overhead and maximize value. Remember, building traceability is a by-product of following good engineering practices.
One of the primary purposes of traceability is to ensure efficient communication and transparency among different team members with different types of needs and goals.
Agile traceability should be lean and flexible, focusing on the essentials without burdening the team with too much documentation. The goal is to have visibility into the key relationships without creating bottlenecks in the development process.
Agile traceability matrix should be simple to capture the core relationships.
Digital maintenance can be of great help and modern project management tools like JIRA, Azure DevOps, or Trello allow customizable features to support traceability without requiring separate documentation systems.
Priority can be given to high-risk components, compliance-driven projects, and critical functionality to ensure that critical requirements don’t get missed in the development process.
Iterative and incremental traceability can be more helpful than trying to get complete traceability in one go. Start with a minimal framework that covers the most important parts of the project.
The key to getting people to adapt is answering the simple question -” what is in it for me (or our team)”. Focus on education, communication, integration, starting small, scaling iteratively, and using intuitive tools.
The final stage is measuring and proving traceability’s value. Identify your metrics, gather, and analyze data. Connect improvements to business objectives and celebrate your team’s wins.
Agile isn’t about going back to the waterfall or drowning in documentation. It’s about creating a lean, flexible system that enables your team to deliver high-quality software fast. With tools like LambdaTest, agile traceability becomes more accessible, helping your team stay on track while maintaining their productivity.

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Scrum-Master-Toolbox

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Chrissy Fleming: The Pressure Conduit, aka The Tornado Product Owner

A great Product Owner brings customer insights directly to the team and shares access to customers, fostering deeper understanding of user needs.
The Bad Product Owner, known as The Pressure Conduit or The Tornado, simply transmits leadership's pressure to the team and acts as an order taker without questioning the 'why' behind requests.
Chrissy Fleming has transitioned from Product Management to Scrum-Mastering and emphasizes the importance of teamwork and collaboration.
Chrissy Fleming is an Associate Principal in Business Agility with Turnberry Solutions, and also runs her own company where she coaches and helps businesses and technologists with their development.

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Medium

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Trello for Agile Teams: Kanban Simplicity at Its Best?

Trello is a simpler, more visual alternative to tools like Jira for Agile project management.
Trello supports Agile teams by aligning with Kanban principles and providing simple and intuitive Kanban boards.
The drag-and-drop feature and clear visibility into work-in-progress make task management easy in Trello.
Trello is perfect for teams new to Agile and looking for a tool with a low learning curve.

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Medium

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“Why is our new tool not being used?”

Many studios face a common issue: the problem of too many handoffs and a lack of direct communication between customer and engineers. This can lead to tools that do not meet user requirements - feedback is heard third or fourth hand. This issue is common to most companies and has been for a long time, and contributes to a lot of frustration and unhappiness.
However, a simple solution exists - get the customer and the engineer to sit together and talk through what needs to be delivered from the beginning. Otherwise, too many hand-offs occur and precious engineering time is wasted creating tools the customer does not want or need. A tool designer can help facilitate this process, owning the design of the workflow and ensuring everyone understands the problem, as well as researching and documenting how the workflow works.
Once all is agreed, and the engineer has created an early version, the customer can try it out and provide feedback. This iterative process repeats until the customer is happy and advocates for the tool. At this point, engineers can return to the regular production process, and the art producer can take the tool to the customer confidently.
The benefits of this solution work on several levels: precious engineering time is saved, tools meet customer requirements and everyone understands the workflow. The primary takeaway is building tools should always include the direct feedback of users, and hands-off workflows should be avoided whenever possible.
Handoffs have been a problem for a very long time and not just for tools. Level designers working with the art team have experienced similar issues with the constant passing back and forth of a level to make it playable and to look really good.
The process of getting customer and engineer together to build things is simple and effective. Once a ticket has gone through and work is agreed upon, at that point engineer and the artist need to be singled out. Get them together, sit them together if possible and get feedback.
Feedback gathered from the user needs to be a core aspect of building new tools. Too many hand-offs and not enough communication between those building the tool, and the user, will frequently result in a sub-standard tool. In such situations, the users are restricted in their ability to provide meaningful feedback on what they would like - engineers should work alongside the users to ensure the offered product meets their requirements.
Direct communication without too many handoffs can help engineers to create tools that actually meet customer requirements. Offering the imperative for teams to work jointly towards product fulfilment, this method seeks to encourage regular feedback throughout the development process.
Lack of direct communication can lead to tools that do not meet user requirements -this highlights an ongoing issue many studios face. To resolve, get the customer and engineer to sit together and talk, ensuring the tool designs meet user requirements and that feedback can be given and acted upon in a real-time, iterative way.
Handoffs can stifle workflow productivity, and are often at the route of product development issues. Creating a process that allows for greater communication between tools designers and the relevant stakeholders can facilitate a much more effective solution and increase the chances of client satisfaction.
A lack of communication between designers and customers causes a lot of frustration and unhappiness, and too many handoffs can waste precious engineering time. To solve these problems, the engineer and the customer need to sit together and build things, while a tool designer can help facilitate the process, owning the design of the workflow and ensuring everyone understands the problem.

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Medium

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The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC): A Deep Dive with Agile Methodology

The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) is a systematic approach to building software that ensures projects are completed efficiently, on time, and with minimal errors.
The SDLC consists of several distinct phases, including planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
Agile methodology enhances the SDLC process by incorporating iterative development, continuous collaboration, and continuous testing.
The usage of Program Increment (PI) and Quarterly Execution Plan (QEP) in the SDLC alignment with organizational goals and ensure adaptability and scalability.

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Scrum

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Scrum Masters as Change Agents: 6 characteristics

Scrum Masters as change agents must deal with the challenges of becoming efficient in their accountability. However, the role of the Scrum Master as a change agent is crucial and can profoundly impact the Scrum Team and Organisation.
The article outlines six characteristics of a Scrum Master as a change agent that can aid in navigating various circumstances during change agents' activities.
The six key characteristics are a Clear Vision, Patient yet Persistent approach, Asks tough questions, Knowledgeable leads by example, Strong relationships built on trust, and Evolve experimentally.
The Scrum Masters' responsibility is to establish Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. The Scrum Master must serve and enable the Scrum Team to improve its practices, within the Scrum framework.
Asking tough questions that force thinking deeply about beliefs and actions is probably one of the most powerful coaching skills that a Scrum Master can use as a catalyst, enabler, and support for change.
Successful Scrum Masters and Agile Leaders are persistent; they maintain a long-term perspective and understand that success takes time.
Establishing a trustworthy environment can be beneficial not only for the Scrum team but the organisation as well, which is why strong relationships built on trust are crucial.
The Kaizen approach fosters an environment where we can safely conduct experiments. Even if the results are different from our expectations, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to reverse the changes made.
A Scrum Master as a Change Agent is a valuable resource for Agile leaders (Scrum Masters, Delivery Managers, Agile Coaches) aiming to embrace their role as an agent of change.
To enhance a Scrum Master's effectiveness, investing in the skill set can greatly benefit Scrum Masters and Agile leaders. Organizations should seek individuals with these competencies to foster continuous improvement and drive success.

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Kanbanzone

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How Collaborative Forecasting Streamlines Project Planning

Collaborative forecasting is the process of making predictions based on data and insights from multiple stakeholders and partners.
It incorporates real-time information for more accurate predictions and faster responses to changes. It also involves a continuous feedback loop for ongoing learning and improvement.
Collaborative forecasting is often used in manufacturing and supply chain management, but it brings benefits for project planning in particular.
Benefits include improved accuracy and reliability of the models and scenarios used in the forecasting process and better flexibility and adaptability.
Collaborating with others encourages a culture of open communication and transparency. It also increases buy-in, commitment, and accountability.
Collaborative forecasting needs a clear and consistent framework since you’re working with multiple entities.
The first step is to define the objectives of your collaborative forecasting process and make them clear to everyone involved.
Collaborative forecasting requires a high level of trust among stakeholders, so it’s vital that you get the balance right within your team.
Software tools and platforms can make the collaborative forecasting process much more efficient and help you produce reliable predictions.
Collaborative forecasting presents challenges, such as coordinating multiple stakeholders, accurate data, and conflicts among stakeholders on how to proceed.

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