The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Hello Reader, today I want to talk about Scrum. But before we dive in, here are some articles you might have missed in the past weeks: How to motivate people The Boss Worker Game (I'm actually creating a collection of agile games; if you're interested, sign up here) Why your Sprint Retrospectives fail Is Scrum Anti-Agile Because It Can’t Be Changed? No! In fact, the opposite is true—Scrum is a very agile framework, but there are a lot of common...
10 days ago • 3 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Hello Reader, is your Product Owner detached from the team? Writing lots of user stories? Fulfilling a DoR? We'll talk about why that's not helpful in today's article.Before we start: Here are a few past articles about Product Owners you might have missed: How long is your backlog? 90% done user stories Sprint Plannings without a Sprint Goal User stories are not about writing Finalizing the plan How to demo the backend Don't ignore the preconditions of Scrum...
16 days ago • 6 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Nice guys finish last – or do they? Discover how kindness and empathetic leadership led to the rapid construction of the Empire State Building—and why putting people first can be the key to winning at work. Hello Reader, today we will talk about people again. Because leadership and agility are more about people than about processes, organizations or frameworks.Here are a few other articles that also focus on the human aspect: How to overcome resistance to...
23 days ago • 5 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Agile Spikes Discover how agile spikes empower teams to navigate uncertainty and accelerate innovation in product development. Hi Reader, before we dive into today's topic of the agile spike, here is what you might have missed in the last few weeks: How to give feedback that works Story point abuse: Stop it! Coaching: Slow down to speed up Unlock agile velocity The truth about user stories And now let's talk about the mythical "spike". Have you heard of it?...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler How to Give Feedback That Actually Transforms People! Curious how to give feedback that truly inspires change and growth? Let’s dive into a simple method that makes all the difference. Hello Reader, it has been a very busy week for me. I had the honor to co-facilitate an amazing 5-day workshop for global leaders from all over the world. It's awesome to see people change so dramatically in just a few days. This leadership program is in its 22nd year now and it...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Story Point Abuse: Stop It! Are you ready to put an end to the chaos of story point abuse that’s wreaking havoc on your agile team? Hello Reader, let's talk story point estimations today – and it's common abuses. But before we start, here are some related articles you might have missed: Unlock agile velocity The truth about user stories Mastering deadlines with agile methods Story Point Abuse: Stop It! Alright, we need to talk about something that’s been...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Slow Down to Speed Up: Why Observation is the Secret Weapon of Successful Agile Coaching Rushing into change can feel like progress, but what if it’s actually setting you up for failure? Discover why the most effective agile coaches know that slowing down, observing, and understanding are the keys to driving meaningful, lasting transformation. Hello Reader, last week we talked about velocity. In the past we covered many other agile concepts from XP and Scrum:...
about 2 months ago • 15 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Understanding and Mastering Agile Velocity Curious about how to use velocity to boost your team’s delivery without burning them out? Dive into this guide to discover how velocity can be your secret weapon for sustainable, predictable progress in agile—while avoiding the common pitfalls that trip up even seasoned pros! Hello Reader, in the last three weeks we went through various agile topics: How to motivate people The Boss-Worker Game (for premium...
about 2 months ago • 18 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler What is a User Story, Really? User stories aren’t just about writing down requirements—they’re about sparking conversations that keep the focus on the user’s needs and empower teams to find the best solutions. Discover the true essence of user stories this week. Hello Reader, in the last couple of weeks you already learned about a few agile games I play with companies around the globe: The Boss-Worker game: A must-try for agile coaches and leaders Real...
2 months ago • 7 min read