Weekly Scrum readings follow up - CW01/2013 (Agile Atlas, Team traps, Agile Guide as a subway plan, management secret)

Background

The first week in 2013 passed with interesting input regarding agile management. Through exploring I found a cool agile practice subway and stumbled upon an good talk about team traps by Esther Derby.

Readings Overview

• Agile Atlas (Scrum Guide)
• Guide to Agile Practice (cool subway plan by agilealliance)
• The Best-Kept Management Secret On The Planet: Agile (A series of posts by Steve Denning)
• Surprising science behind agile leadership (Slides by Jonathan Rasmusson)
• Team Traps (Nice talk by Esther Derby)
• Refreshed Agile - Scrum's foundation - between becoming an endangered mainstream buzzword and it's evolution to THE management driver (check out my previous post about agile)

More detailed information

Agile Atlas

Sources: Agile Atlas (Scrum Guide)

In addition to the must read Scrum Guide (by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland) this Agile Atlas provides a fast entry and overview about Scrum. 

"If an organization will let Scrum do its work, they will discover the benefits from Scrum and will begin to understand why these values are both needed by Scrum, and engendered by Scrum."

Guide to Agile Practice

Sources: Guide to Agile Practice (cool subway plan by agilealliance)

With this great idea to create a subway plan for various aspects of Agile software development you find an easy entry point to the underlaying agile guide provided by the Agile Alliance 

The best kept management secret on the planet - Agile

Sources: The Best-Kept Management Secret On The Planet: Agile (A series of posts by Steve Denning)

A must read article series by Steve Denning regarding Agiles world changing impacts.

"Yet, just over a decade ago, a set of major management breakthroughs occurred. These breakthroughs enabled software development teams to systematically achieve both disciplined execution and continuous innovation, something that was impossible to accomplish with traditional management methods. Over the last decade, these management practices, under various labels such as Agile, Scrum, Kanban and Lean, have been field-tested and proven in thousands of organizations around the world. (cited from Steve Denning)"

Don't miss the follow up readings:

• Why Can't The C-Suite Grasp Agile Management?
• The Case Against Agile: Ten Perennial Management Objections

Surprising science behind agile leadership

Sources: Surprising science behind agile leadership (Slides by Jonathan Rasmusson)

Jonathan Rasmusson (Autor of The Agile Samurai) provides a picture rich overview about the work today and why Agile is the better way of working today.

Mastery

Purpose

Autonomy

matter

Team traps

Sources: Team Traps (Nice talk by Esther Derby)

An inspiring 1h talk by Esther Derby with her smart style of presenting this challenging topic. I especially liked her hand made graphics on the slides.

Content e.g. Sources of conflict

• most common - structure in the organization
• missing common definitions
• missung use of visualization (make it clear what we're talking about)
• discussion is dereferenced from real problem - bring them back by asking what happens if try another option
• different values (what is right/true and how things should be)
• peoples preferences (space, ownership)
• with holding information
• destroys level of trust
• often not on purpose
• open the information
• I'm confused
• I feel dismissed/devalued
• Share private information
• get others into your life - enables being part of the social fabric

More traps presented:

• pattern blindness
• ignoring the role of trust
• lost in the process churn
• lack of or not to handle amount if ideas
• wrong team structure
• leaderless or leader dominated

What were your first readings about Scrum, Agile, Teams this year? What would you recommend as a next reading?