Consistency vs. Accuracy – Certified ScrumMaster Training
In Certified Scrum Master Training (CSM), participants learn consistent and frequent delivery of value is an outcome when Agile Scrum is used as directed. Accuracy is not the goal, consistency is. Seeking accuracy is the same as trying to be ‘perfect’.
In Certified Scrum Master Training (CSM), participants learn that consistent and frequent delivery of value is an outcome when Agile or Scrum is used as directed. Accuracy is not the goal, consistency is. Seeking accuracy is not the same as trying to be ‘perfect’.
“It is better to be vaguely right than exactly wrong.”
~Carveth Read (1848-1931) Logic Deductive and Inductive
Perfection is unobtainable and creates undo pressure. Consistency is obtainable, allows predictability, and better planning. The best status report is to hand the customer a product. When customers consistently see progress and receive value, conversations focus on the product and what the right thing to do is. Not the politics of where we are and how we get there.
Agile and Scrum teams allow the Scrum framework to work for them and produce their consistency. Teams trying to force consistency in how they use the Scrum framework are trying to be perfect at the cost of delivering value.
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Author: Collaborative Leadership Team. Learn more about our coaches and offerings here.
How do you Hire the Best Scrum & Agile Trainer
equal! It seems that everyone is offering “Agile” or “Scrum” training these days. In the rush for businesses and professionals to cash in on this new way to do work, it is you the learner that is at risk.
How do you hire the best Scrum & Agile Trainer? Not all Agile and Scrum Trainers are created equal!
It seems that everyone is offering “Agile” or “Scrum” training these days. In the rush for businesses and professionals to cash in on this new way to do work, it is you the learner that is at risk.
You run the risk of spending money on a training class that does not teach you the intended Agile values, principles and frameworks. You may spend money for a Certification that is not accredited with a reputable organization. And you may wind up with a “trainer” who is reading off of some prepared slides but who has never lead people at all levels of an organization through an Agile Transformation, a Scrum Transformation or any kind of change of this magnitude.
Here are 2 suggestions to use in making your selection:
1. Contact the trainer:
Call or email the trainer to ask if you may speak with them for a few minutes. Ask questions about their background, credentials and experience.
- Are they actively helping companies adopting Agile or Scrum?
- Or was that something they did 5, 10, 15 years ago, if ever?
- Are they just holding “training classes” as fast as they can?
2. Find out about the course approach:
Contact either the trainer or training provider to learn about the course content or the learning approach.
- Will the class be all theory or are real world customer examples and case studies used in the course?
- Does the course material adhere to the Scrum Guide, the core Scrum reference guide, or other credible Agile organization’s guidelines?
- Is the course interactive?
The Scrum Alliance also offers additional recommendations to determine if you are selecting a “certification” course that is best for you.
Want to learn more about how the Collaborative Leadership Team is transforming the world of work with our clients every day?
Click here to view our upcoming classes and register for our next CSM, A-CSM or CSPO course.
Author: Collaborative Leadership Team. Learn more about our coaches and offerings here.
Avoiding "CAP" with Scrum Training
One of the most common questions, we at Collaborative Leadership Team (a Certified Agile Consultancy in Minneapolis, MN ) receive when coaching or training clients on Scrum is, “What does Scrum say about that?” or “How can going through Scrum Training help that?” In this case, “that” refers to any number of topics including, but not limited to, job titles, compensation, organizational structures and reporting relationships.
One of the most common questions, we at Collaborative Leadership Team (a Certified Agile Consultancy in Minneapolis, MN ) receive when coaching or training clients on Scrum is, “What does Scrum say about that?” or “How can going through Scrum Training help that?” In this case, “that” refers to any number of topics including, but not limited to, job titles, compensation, organizational structures and reporting relationships.
Scrum, much like Waterfall-based product development methods, does not specify an approach to these topics. While some use this lack of specificity to reject Scrum, I believe they are missing one of the key benefits of Scrum. Scrum doesn’t tell you how to run your company. Scrum doesn’t prescribe how you organize your company. Scrum doesn’t tell you what titles people should have or how they should be compensated.
Instead, Scrum training provides a simple framework allowing you to regularly develop working product meetings or, hopefully, exceed the needs of your users. What you choose to add to the framework is based on your unique situation. This freedom is a manifestation of the Simplicity principle supporting Agile methods – “maximize the amount of work not done”.
This principle, and the freedom that comes with it, scares those that reject Scrum. They are afraid the many activities they have been engaging in – things like developing long, detailed requirements documents, testing only at the end of the development process and waiting 12+ months to deploy software – aren’t valuable. When they are confronted with the simplicity of Scrum and singular goal of developing working software, they realize they have been engaged in “CAP”, they have been “Confusing Activity with Progress”.
The Scrum framework peels away activities, processes and tools causing teams and organizations to engage in “CAP”. Once a Team has stripped away of all these items and starts with the foundation provided by the framework, it can add back those items that truly add value, leading to working software people want to use via a series of experiments.
People shouldn’t fear Scrum or its simplicity – both allow them to maximize value while managing and minimizing CAP.
If you’d like to learn more about Scrum and attend Scrum Training to learn how it can help your organization avoid CAP check out our class options here.
Author: Collaborative Leadership Team. Learn more about our coaches and offerings here.