Florian Gamper

How to teach managers to manage agile teams? I love to play the Boss-Worker Game in workshops: https://lnkd.in/e6NyxU9v #agile #leadership #management

6

"Story points are crap! Stakeholders want hours, days and dates!" Do you hear that sometimes when you propose estimating in story points or t-shirt sizes? Some managers misunderstand story point (SP) estimates as a simple kinda esoteric layer to disguise real person hour estimates. This often ends in them establishing a fixed "exchange rate" between SP and person hours. But that completely misses the point of story points and relative estimation! Yet, stakeholders are right to demand specific date ranges instead of abstract SP. They need something to plan with. And the bridge between abstract story points and specific date ranges is the concept of 👉 VELOCITY Understanding velocity lets agile teams make pretty precise predictions of when stakeholders can expect to get certain features. I explain the concept and quirks of velocity in this article in the Agile Compass: https://lnkd.in/ekzHibJQ #agile #velocity #productmanagement

8

4 Kommentare

summary of the session "new agile ideas" at the #auzh with Urs Enzler and many more. columns are "standards" , current trends, future trends. what do you think?

9

1 Kommentar

When it comes to dependencies, most teams and managers immediately ask, “How do we manage these dependencies?” But are we asking the right question? #agile #dependencies

10

3 Kommentare

From: CEO, To: CPTO Subject: Headcount Freeze... Your mind races as you consider how you are going to hit targets. A sense of panic sets in. What about my open VP Engineering (VPE) vacancy? That one can't be frozen. Surely not... You call your CEO. → 𝗖𝗣𝗧𝗢: Hi Charlotte, Just got your message. I intend to progress with the VPE hire as agreed last week. → 𝗖𝗘𝗢: I'm glad you called. I wanted to discuss that role in person. The VPE is included in the freeze. -- 😱 You are speechless You are from a product background A small "t" CPTO You 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 a VPE to help mature engineering and ensure technology is having as much 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 as possible. You have enough challenges to deal with in product. This was acknowledged and agreed with the board You are not sure how much longer you can cope without a VPE -- → 𝗖𝗘𝗢: Can the Engineering Managers help? → 𝗖𝗣𝗧𝗢: I don't think so. We did not expand this layer as our team grew. We should have but we didn't get budget approval. This has left Engineering Managers with large remits and workloads are becoming unmanageable. Furthermore, Tech Leads are now expected to line manage, many of them doing this for the first time. Engineering Managers are spending the vast majority of time supporting first time managers. They are operational I need strategic. Hence the VPE. → 𝗖𝗘𝗢: Do you have any other suggestions? → 𝗖𝗣𝗧𝗢: I'll have a think and get back to you. -- 🌟 Hi CPtO 👋 I'm Ryan, The Product Minded CTO and I am going to take your pain away. Budgets are tight. I get it. What if I told you that access to 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 engineering 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 can be achieved for a 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 of your proposed perm VPE? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 → 𝗖𝗣𝗧𝗢 How does it work? I'll come into your organisation several times a week and lead engineering for you. • I'll seek to understand your business goals and assess current state of engineering • Work with the engineering managers to create an engineering strategy that unlocks your desired outcomes • Train your Tech Leads how to be great people managers and team leaders 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲… → 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 are inspired, aligned and performing to a high standard → 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 right sized enabling you to work effectively at scale → 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 an asset rather than a liability. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻... • Innovation driving top line growth • Costs actively managed • Risk within appetite. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 • Flexible (I'll stay as long as you are getting value) • Affordable (No bonus, equity, benefits) • No long term headcount commitment • Outcome focussed • Can start tomorrow! 𝗗𝗠 "𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣" to continue the conversation

9

In search of Agile Management https://ow.ly/SVc750RhLfr #PersonalAgility #TimeManagement #Productivity #Agile #Scrum #Business #AgileManagement

2

Writing articles for agile practitioners in the Biergarten 🍻 My Agile Compass has helped many agile practitioners to improve their daily work. I’m proud that my writing has an impact. Today I’m writing in a Biergarten in Munich. If you’re not receiving the Agile Compass yet, you can start here: https://lnkd.in/ePnQUGMv Prost! #agile #agilecoach #scrummaster

14

2 Kommentare

RSVP - May 10: https://lnkd.in/eUhuQQAM Not So Extreme Programming, with Amitai Schleier Summary: Where " #agile " sounds pleasant and inclusive, " #extremeprogramming "... doesn't. But it's a differentiator: teams practicing #xp are seen to move with uncommon agility. The name has other problems, too. For one, XP is about much more than programming. For another, when compared with other ways software still gets developed, XP is much *less* extreme. This talk -- for anyone involved with Agile in any role, at any scale -- will take you through where Extreme Programming came from, where it's going, what it requires, why it remains as relevant as ever, and how to take advantage. NB: For additional agile engineering references, please visit this page: https://lnkd.in/eSN4gaEK RSVP: https://lnkd.in/eUhuQQAM #morewithless Bastiaan van Hamersveld Frans Meuwissen

22

Who has not played the Ball Point game yet? Despite its omnipresence and its simplicity, I love how much learning this game packs into a short amount of time! Getting teams started on fundamental Scrum and general agile concepts is fun and easy that way. Within a few minutes they not only learn, but really grasp important Scrum and agile concepts: 🎾 Scrum sprints with plannings and retrospectives 🎾 Estimating 🎾 Continuous improvement 🎾 Time-boxing 🎾 Sustainable pace Let alone enjoying team work, failure culture and fun! When have you last played the Ball Point Game with a team? #scrum #agile #games

4

4 Kommentare

Did you know: Employees do not always go for the best solution? …and that‘s not because they‘d be stupid, lazy or mean, but it‘s because of company culture. How you can change this is what I describe in this article in the Agile Compass: https://lnkd.in/e-_jvin3 #agile #productivity #leadership

4

2 Kommentare

🌐 What’s Going On in the Product Management Job Market? 🌐 At a conference in Munich last week, I came across a job board that really made me stop and think. It had two sections: "Looking for a job?" and "Hiring?"—and the results were eye-opening. The job seekers’ side had all the sticky notes, and the hiring side was completely empty (check out the picture below). It left me wondering: Is this the reality right now for product managers? I’ve been hearing from both full-time job seekers and freelancers, and the feedback is pretty similar: times are tough. 🔹 Full-time roles seem harder to come by, with companies being incredibly selective. Many are only looking for highly specialized PMs—those with skills in AI, data, or deep tech. 🔹 Freelancers, on the other hand, are telling me that things have slowed down significantly. Budgets are tighter, and finding steady work has become a real challenge. So, I want to hear from my network: Freelancers: What are you experiencing right now? Full-time job seekers: How are you navigating the current market? Hiring managers: Are you still searching for talent, or has hiring slowed down? I’m genuinely curious—what’s the vibe in your corner of the job market? #ProductManagement #Freelancers #JobSearch #HiringTrends #CareerInsights

26

4 Kommentare

Are you still managing dependencies? Maybe it’s time to think about a different and more agile approach. I write about it in the Agile Compass: https://lnkd.in/gZBYnrSt #agile #projectmanagement #dependencies

3

2 Kommentare

2 more days until my next online talk. Lern about how to get new inspiration for your agile journey or private challenges. Looking forward to it and see many of you in the session!

12

1 Kommentar

You know, I'm firmly convinced that every product & team experience would be vastly improved from the get-go if everyone would simply crown Johanna Rothman 👑 Queen & follow her advice to eliminate your long & aging product backlogs. This "nuclear option" may seem radical. But it's truly the most rational way to gain clarity on where your product needs to be now to deliver the value your customer wants today: 'Delete everything and start new. Archive everything and start new. (Use a parking lot and don't look at it again.) Starting new means: Limit the new ideas on the backlog to just the number of items the team can finish in the next few weeks. That allows you to do one-month rolling-wave planning. If you really think you need more candidate ideas, reduce the team's cycle time by splitting stories and asking “how little” can we do to get good information. That will allow the team to finish more items so you can generate more ideas and replan more often. Are you worried about losing good ideas? Don't worry. They come around again.' https://lnkd.in/d3J72Cpk #productmanagement #productowners #backlogmanagement #betterproducts #customervalue #productmanagers #rollingwaveplanning #businessagility #agile #leanagile #flowmetrics #agileleadership #agilemanagement

13

4 Kommentare

Final seats remaining for next week's agile leadership training in Basel - with Management 3.0. Join us, rare opportunity to practice and to connect in person: https://lnkd.in/denkFXSM #transparency #selfmanagement #agile #decisionmaking #motivation #leadership #organisationaldevelopment #hr #changemanagement

19

2 Kommentare

Did you know: User Stories are NOT about writing 😲 Many people think of user stories as a different format in which to write requirements. But that totally misses the point. I wrote a little article about what User Stories are, really: https://lnkd.in/evUeBPZ5 #userstories #agile #productmanagement

5

Oh, the often misunderstood story of velocity in agile 😫 👉 No, velocity of an agile team does not always go up! 👉 Yes, a drop in velocity can actually be a good sign! Read more about velocity in the Agile Compass: https://lnkd.in/ekzHibJQ #agile #extremeprogramming

9