Getting Your First Scrum Master Job with Richard Cheng

So you’ve made the decision that you want to get a job as a Scrum Master. Maybe you’re working on an agile team and want to switch roles, or maybe you’re moving from a field where agile has no presence. If you don’t already have experience working in an environment that has adopted Scrum, then the big question is… how do you land the gig.

In this episode of the podcast my good friend Richard Cheng joins me to talk about how to get started working as a Scrum Master - even when you don't have any experience working in Agile.

You can find the podcast here.

What do you do after certification? w Jeff Howey

Jeff Howey joins me to talk about what to do after you get CSM or CSPO Certification? How do you get started using what you learned? This can be especially challenging when you don't have an opportunity at work to test out the things covered in your Scrum Training class. 

During this interview, we cover that and more!

You can find the interview here.

Agile Practices in the Org and Home with Lee Lis

Despite the fact that Agile practices have been applied to just about every type of work you can imagine, there is still a pervasive assumption that it is just for software. In the CSM and CSPO classes I teach, people often ask for “real life examples” of how people not working directly on software teams are able to use agile and to what end.

In this episode Lee Lis, Chief of Staff at OnPay, joins me to discuss ways she has applied agile practices in her role at OnPay to create an environment that fosters an agile mindset and self-managing teams that are empowered to take ownership of their work and how she has applied in at home parenting small humans who may not fully grok the idea of self-managing yet.

You can find the podcast here.

Growth Mindset: Success of Others w/ Mary Kaufmann

Mary Kaufmann joins me for the fifth podcast in our series on the Carol Dweck book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. This is the fifth episode in this series on the stages defined in Mindset. (There are links to the other four episodes in the podcast show notes.)

You can find the podcast here.

Personal Kanban - Beyond the To Do (Workshop)

Register Here-> https://bit.ly/PKBTD_11-14-22

Do you need help getting more of the right things done? Are you struggling to decide which things you should drop so you can prioritize the work that is truly valuable?

If you have more to do than you can manage, if you can't figure out what is the next most important thing

for you to do, or if you are just plain overwhelmed with all that you have on your plate, this 1 hour workshop on Personal Kanban can help.

Personal Kanban is a framework that leverages practices from Kanban so that you can apply them in your own life, managing the work you do day to day.

If Kanban is all about optimizing the flow of work through a system. Personal Kanban is all about optimizing the system that is you AND your work.

Monday, November 14, 2022 at 5 PM Eastern

Register Here-> https://bit.ly/PKBTD_11-14-22 

Leading Teams In Crisis with Zach Stone

What’s it like to be a remote Scrum Master for a team in Ukraine whose town is being attacked by Russia? Zach Stone shares stories about serving as a Scrum Master for teams in crisis as well as stories about how the pandemic led him to completely rethink his approach to how to best serve his team as a Scrum Master. 

You can find the interview here.

The Rise of the Technical Program Manager

 Jeff Howey joins me to discuss why there has been a recent increase in demand for Technical Program Manager, the common requirements for this job, whether they can actually be met, and how you can remain competitive in this volatile job market.

You can find the podcast interview here: https://bit.ly/3VoRH1J

Obeyas and Agile in Film Making with Dan Eberle

Dan Eberle is back! This time in the podcast Dan is here to talk about his work as a filmmaker. The interview focuses on the Obeya he and his team use during production and how his work as an agile coach influences his work making films. 

If the term "Obeya" seems unfamiliar...

"Conceptually akin to traditional “war rooms,” an Obeya will contain visually engaging charts and graphs depicting such information as program timing, milestones and progress-to-date and countermeasures to existing technical or scheduling issues."
(Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obeya)

The podcast was recorded in video because Dan shows examples of his work. You can find the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3SeTmEY

If you'd prefer an audio-only version, that lives here: https://bit.ly/3dGoZIJ

And if you'd like to check out a slide show with pictures of his Obeya and some of the other ways he and his crew visualize their work, you can find that here: https://bit.ly/InsurgentObeya

An Abundance of Opportunity with Chris Li

A student wrote in asking about how to deal with: 

• PO can’t or won’t prioritize the backlog

• Team members are always taking on special side projects in the company

• The team is 35 people spread across several time zones - both on and off-shore

• Everyone is working on new products and also supporting up to 30 applications

• Everyone is expected to be at 100% utilization at all times.

• The Sprints are 4-5 weeks long (the size varies depending on the work to be done)

• One hour is allocated for Sprint Planning

This is a lot to address here so I asked my good friend (and fellow CST) Chris Li to join me to talk through these challenges.

 The video version of the interview can be found here: https://bit.ly/3SgK2jL

An audio version of the podcast can be found here: https://bit.ly/3xwfWkg

Using Agile to Develop Hardware with Michael Grill

This interview with Michael Grill is all about how to use agile to develop hardware. Michael is the Product Owner for the Agile Practice at Knorr-Bremse and he is also the Product Owner for the Development of brake magnets. During our conversation he shares what led his team to want to try agile, some of the experiences they have had, and things they learned in adopting agile practices for their work developing brake magnets. 

If you are trying to find your way with implementing Scrum on a team that focuses on hardware, this is an episode you’ll definitely want to check out

You can find the interview here.

Remote Pairing On The Path To Certified Scrum Trainer

Malene Jacobsen and Mario Melo both became Certified Scrum Trainers during the 2022 Scrum Gathering in Denver this past spring. The story of how they became Certified Scrum Trainers is the focus of our conversation. During the interview, you’ll hear how they worked together and supported one another while preparing for their in-person TAC panels. They were also part of a larger team of people who committed to work together until each of them had become a Certified Scrum Trainer. Their teamwork demonstrates how being separated by multiple time zones does not have to be a hindrance. 

The original video version is here: https://bit.ly/3p8YDB8

An audio-only version is here: https://bit.ly/3BQtZnH

PODCAST TEAM UP! A Couple of Coaches and DrunkenPM on Metrics

Christine Converse and Ross Beurmann, the hosts of the podcast A Couple of Coaches and I teamed up for some interviews.

I interviewed them on Agile Metrics. During the podcast, we discuss what metrics help create clarity for the team on how well they are performing and what metrics help highlight areas that could be improved. We weigh the pros and cons of standard Scrum metrics, Kanban metrics, and share the ones we each find most valuable.  

It was a great conversation and if you are looking for a deeper understanding of what metrics to focus on, there is a lot of good stuff in the podcast.

You can find that interview here.

And they interviewed me for their A Couple of Coaches podcast on what it is like to be part of the Scrum Alliance TAC and what it takes to become a Certified Scrum Trainer. You can find that interview here. I rarely get a chance to be the interviewee and it was a lot of fun. I highly recommend their podcast. They offer some great insights and listening to them banter back and forth is a lot of fun.

Managing Multiple Projects with Elizabeth Harrin

In Elizabeth Harrin’s latest book Managing Multiple Projects: How project managers can balance priorities, manage expectations and increase productivity, she draws on her 20+ years providing training, education, and mentoring in the project management field to take on a problem all of us face. When you have too many projects on your plate, and all of them are high priority, how do you find you get the most important work done without losing yourself in the process? While the book is project management-centric, the tools and skills Harrin offers are applicable not just for career project managers, but anyone who finds themself juggling more projects (work or otherwise) than the hours in the day will accommodate.

You can find the interview here.

Creating Outcome Focused User Stories with Scott Sehlhorst

Scott Sehlhorst joins me for this interview that builds on his recent blog post “How to Make Your Product Special” (https://bit.ly/3AciBBK). We dig into product positioning, why understanding the desired outcome the product is supposed to provide is often the thing fail to understand, and how to start creating User Stories that are focused on those outcomes instead of the output-driven stories most people write.

You can find the interview here: https://bit.ly/3ODw3D1

Kanban Metrics with Troy Lightfoot

Troy Lightfoot joins me to discuss basic differences between Scrum and Kanban, Kanban Metrics and his upcoming classes. The metrics we cover are: WIP, Throughput, Work Item Age, and Cycle Time. We also talk about his upcoming Professional Kanban 1 Certification and Applying Metrics for Predictability classes. 

You can find the interview here:  https://bit.ly/3Qjlczo

Troy’s Upcoming Classes

• Professional Kanban 1 (PK1) Certification June 23-24, 2022 https://bit.ly/3HmV1Ug
• Applying Metrics for Predictability (AMP) Certification July 21-22, 2022 https://bit.ly/3zxZOk2

Distributed Teams and the Five Lenses with Mark Kilby

Distributed Teams are always tough - even for seasoned pros. In this episode of the podcast, Mark Kilby joins me to utilize the Five Lenses of Humane Management to explore some of the wins and challenges from working on a distributed team we are both a part of. 

You can find the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3x7xvY8

The Five Lenses of Humane Management with Jim Benson

Jim Benson is back to explain The Five Lenses of Humane Management and how to use them to understand and design cultures and systems that support human collaboration.

I asked Jim to join me for this podcast because I’ve been studying the lenses and incorporating them into my work for about a year now. They have had a deep impact on me, the way I engage with teams, and the way I show up to collaborate with others. If you are interested in understanding how and why the groups you are working with are high-performing (or perhaps the opposite), you will find valuable insights in this interview.

You can find the interview here.

Agile Physics and the Math of Flow w Troy Magennis

When people talk about Agile you’ll hear them talk about certain ideas, topics, or “laws” that are just mentioned as if they were universally known truths, almost like gravity. In “Agile Physics - the Math of Flow”, a new FREE course offered by Troy Magennis, you can start to learn the math behind some of these truths.  In this interview, Troy joins me to explain why he developed the course, how it works, and the tools he provides to add clarity on why Agilists consider certain things to be as true as gravity.

You can find the interview here.

The Collaboration Equation with Jim Benson

Jim Benson joins the podcast to talk about his upcoming book The Collaboration Equation, why collaboration is part of everything we do, and what you need to make it work.

You can find the video version of the interview here.

You can find an audio version of the interview here.

The Agile Coaching Income Report with Jessica Katz

 

Jessica Katz has been hard at work collecting data for the new version of The Agile Coaching Income Report. She joins me to talk about some key insights from the 2021 report, what she's learned so far from the new data she has collected, and how people are using it to negotiate for better compensation.

You can find the interview here: https://bit.ly/3xcPSv5

Developing an Internal Agile Certification Program with Dan Eberle

Dan Eberle is the Agile Coach at the New York Times where he's been hard at work developing an Agile Certification program. During this episode of the podcast, Dan explains why he developed the program, the different areas it focuses on, and how employees of the New York Times will evolve through the different levels of certification. 

You can find the interview here.

To sign up for Dave's in-person CSM/CSPO classes in Atlanta:

• CSM (April 5-6, 2022) https://bit.ly/APR5CSMATL
• CSPO (April 7-8, 2022) https://bit.ly/APR7CSPOATL

* Use the discount code DPM10 to get a 10% discount off the list price

Career Refactoring - Find the Gig that Sparks Joy w/ Luis Garcia

The pandemic has caused many of us to reassess how we spend our days. After years of climbing to the top of the ladder from his start as a Project Manager, Luis Garcia realized he was missing the thing about work that he loved most - working with teams to build products that impact the lives of others. This interview is about how Luis chose to return to the gig that brings him the most joy.

You can find the interview here.

The Journey to Enterprise Agility w/ Daryl Kulak and Hong Li

 

In their book The Journey to Enterprise Agility - Systems Thinking and Organizational Legacy, Daryl Kulak and Hong Li share stories about their experiences working with organizations that are on the journey towards agility and explain how this shift in approach works, why so many organizations fail at adopting agile, and how the changes they recommend impacts the way we think and work with people at all levels of the enterprise.

You can find the interview here.

Product Goal Resources

In the 2020 Scrum Guide, information on the Product Goal is contained in the Product Backlog section: https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#product-backlog

DrunkenPM Interviews on Product Goal

• The Product Goal with Ryan Ripley 
• The Product Goal with Dave West 
• Understanding the Product Goal with Don McGreal 
• Scrum Guide 2020: Scrum Artifacts w Chris Li 
• Scrum Guide's Product Goal  (Lancer Kind interviews me about Product Goal)

Product Goal Articles and Blog Posts 

• Scrum Guide 2020 Update - Introducing the Product Goal  (Dave West)
• Product Goal & Sprint Goals – A Simple Example (Simon Kneafsey)
• PRODUCT GOALS IN SCRUM (Roman Pichler)
• How to Craft a Product Goal (Sjoerd Nijland)
• What is Good Product Strategy? (Melissa Perri) - For use with the Product Strategy Canvas below 

Links to Helpful Videos on Product Goal

• Product Goals In Scrum (Roman Pichler) 
• Go Product Roadmap Introduction (Roman Pichler) - For use with Go Product Roadmap below
• Scrum Guide 2020 - Product Goal (Ralph Jocham) 
• Product Goal Canvas  (Ralph Jocham)  - For use with Product Goal Canvas below
• The Product Goal of Scrum (Jeff Sutherland) 

Helpful Tools 

• THE GO PRODUCT ROADMAP (Roman Pichler)  - The "GOAL" section could be used to define a Product Goal
• Product Strategy Canvas (Melissa Perri)  - The "CHALLENGE" section could be used to define a Product Goal
• Product Goal Canvas (Ralph Jocham)

Using Data to Drive Enterprise Adoption of Agile w/ Mike McCalla

Mike McCalla, President, and Founder of Lean Agile Intelligence joins me in this episode to discuss why taking an Object-Oriented Data-Driven approach to change is critical to your enterprise-wide agile transformation.

You can find the podcast here.

If you are curious about how Lean Agile Intelligence can help you and your organization continually assess how you are progressing in your transformation journey and what next steps are likely to help the most. 

https://leanagileintelligence.com

How to Run a Lean Coffee with Derek Huether

What is a LeanCoffee? How do they work? How will this agendaless meeting format save you from the desperate time suck of those endless soul-sucking meetings you've been languishing in? You can find all about it here: https://bit.ly/3q7twar

PLUS! Special tips for Jira users at the end of the interview to help you find resources to amp up your Jira skills.