Something strikes me; many companies hire experienced product professionals in the hope of scaling up their products. However, what happens in practice is frightening; such product professionals become powerless because they are not the ones calling the shots. Top management believes in knowing best what to do and expecting product…

Scrum Teams will never reach their highest potential without solid Product Management practices. — Why do companies hire highly qualified professionals? The answer should be straightforward, but what happens, in reality, is complex. I’ve observed many talented people trapped in the business world from doing what they are capable of. The reasons are endless, but some common ones are: Unskilled managers limit talents by…

The market is shifting in a new direction, can Scrum still find its space? — It’s impossible to ignore how well known Scrum is. For years, Scrum was the first choice among Agile frameworks for most companies worldwide; only a few would challenge it. But recently, something changed, organizations are losing trust in Scrum. After failing to get meaningful results, many places are replacing Scrum…

Setting the stage for an engaging and valuable exchange. — Originally published in GoRetro In my first job at a start-up, I despised our retrospectives. I was not the only one, as I could feel the low energy in the room. Then, one day, one of our most experienced team members, a UX Designer, took a stand and said, “Today…

Perceiving Scrum as a delivery framework will ensure mediocre results. — Originally published in GoRetro You read it right. Not every Sprint must end in features. How do you perceive Scrum? Do you see it as delivery or an agile framework? A flawed understanding traps teams and limits their potential. The faulty perception that Scrum is a delivery framework will ultimately ensure the team won’t go beyond watered-down results.

Don’t focus on a framework but on what you need to change — Originally published in GoRetro During my journey, I’ve seen many Scrum implementations stall or die. Yet, I wouldn’t be able to name a specific reason for that, but I realized that an extensive focus on the framework tends to lead to pointless discussions and distractions from what matters most: creating…

Wearing a Scrum Master’s hat doesn’t mean getting the job done — Originally published in GoRetro I must be honest. It took me years to understand the importance of Scrum Master. I used to think most teams wouldn’t need someone to facilitate sessions and schedule meetings. Well, I obviously missed the point. Good Scrum Masters can help teams get comfortable with the…

Misunderstanding the Scrum Master's accountability will set a tragic fate for Scrum Teams — Originally published in GoRetro Networking is powerful and inspiring. Every week I exchange with people from all over the world. It fascinates me to learn from different perspectives. A couple of days ago, I received a message from a hiring manager struggling to find Scrum Master candidates and asked for…

Originally published in GoRetro I started my career as a software developer, and my dream was to become a software architect. The digital world has always fascinated me, and I enjoyed my job a lot; creating solutions put me on fire. But at some point, I realized my work wasn’t…