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Agile Coaches' Corner shares practical concepts in an approachable way. It is for agile practitioners and business leaders seeking expert advice on improving the way they work to achieve their desired outcomes. If you have a topic you'd like discussed, email it to podcast@agilethought.com, or tweet it with #agilethoughtpodcast.

Apr 26, 2019

In today’s episode, Dan Neumann is joined by Sam Falco once again! Sam is Dan’s colleague at AgileThought and is an Agile Coach and Certified Scrum Professional with an extensive background leading Agile development teams.

 

In a previous episode, Sam and Dan discussed games and why Scrum works for people from a gaming-standpoint and helps drive engagement. In this episode, they’re discussing empirical process control and how it makes Scrum work from a getting-things-done standpoint!

 

Sam shares some of the lessons he has learned as a Scrum master (both early and later in his career) and gives examples from his work. He also explains the benefits of empirical process control; how transparency is built; how Scrum events support transparency, inspection, and adaptation; and how to inspect and adapt in meaningful, healthy ways.

 

Key Takeaways

What is empirical process control?

A principle that emphasizes the core philosophy of Scrum based on the three main ideas of transparency, inspection, and adaptation

The benefits of empirical process control:

Provides thorough data to help make good decisions

Without it, you’re relying on assumptions

Gives you the ability to inspect each increment of the product every sprint and adapt the product backlog based on the feedback

It builds trust between the Scrum team and stakeholders

Gives transparency in the process

Creates a feedback loop

How transparency is built:

Hold sprint review meetings and daily Scrum meetings

Disclose defects of the state of the product so you can make good decisions about releasing it (or not releasing it)

Create transparency around the technical debt

Be honest about the issues around the product and around the work in the sprint

Where one team has a dependency on another do more effective planning, scaling, and collaboration

Minimize team dependencies when possible (by inspecting, adapting, and understanding/adjusting where the work is flowing)

Clear communication during sprints and be transparent even with “bad news” and issues

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Sam Falco (LinkedIn)

Empirical Process Control

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 21: “Why Are Games Important to Agile? With Sam Falco”

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 22: “The Role of Managers in Agile Organizations with Esther Derby”

The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.

Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community, by Jeff Thompson

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 20: “Dr. Jeff Thompson on Values-Based Leadership”

Gundersen Health System

 

Sam Falco’s Book Pick:

User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product, by Jeff Patton

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to Podcast@AgileThought.com or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!