For years we have heard the phrase “content is king.” Today, I think it's fair to say that context is king.

Scrum uses what I like to call a “just in time” approach to meetings.

Do they prefer Kanban? Let them use Kanban. Do they prefer Scrum? Let them eat cake (I mean, let them use Scrum.) Scrum with Kanban? Well, that's the best of both worlds—let them do it.

A dependency exists when a Scrum Team needs work from another team before they can complete their own work. For example, a development team may be waiting on the SQL team to make a database change. Or Human Resources may need software changes before updating the onboarding process. In short, dependencies are those times when one team is waiting on another. Dependencies are the number one problem when you start to scale Agile beyond just one team. So what can we do about it?

Scrum is not an end unto itself. It's a great tool for helping a team focus on value, but the goal isn’t to “do Scrum.” The goal is to maximize value for the customer.

Scrum training isn’t (just) about certification or even "learning the rules". It’s about alignment. When teams train together, they don’t just learn Scrum—they learn how to work together. And that shared understanding is often the difference between a group that simply does the work and a team that truly performs.

In the Applying Professional Scrum class, which is like Scrum 101 for those who have never had formal training, one of our 'warm-up' questions in the class is to ask, "What is the value of working as a team?"

Limiting work in progress makes everything better.

Rebel Scrum is the host of the annual Scrum Day conference. This year's schedule has been announced.

Scrum is designed for complex work. That kind of work can’t be reduced to checklists, scripts, or rigid instructions. It requires people who can think, experiment, apply their experience, and adapt when reality doesn’t match the plan. In other words, Scrum requires people with agency.

The world isn’t slowing down. Technology is evolving faster than most organizations can keep up and we all know requirements are constantly changing. But we don’t need a better plan - we need better ways to learn, and we need to keep our options open. That’s why we need Scrum now more than ever. Here are five reasons Scrum is not outdated, irrelevant, or “too simple”. It’s a force multiplier. 1) A Learning Organization Scrum is designed to turn organizations into learning s

If you don’t track your work with a ticket, did it really happen?

During my recent Professional Scrum Product Owner - Advanced  classes, one of the class participants - Anna Rosine - made the comment that "Band-aids last forever."  We were talking about technical debt and the tendency for organizations to do a quick fix, but then not come back around and, well, fix it. Band-aids are supposed to be temporary. You put one on, it does its job, and then you take it off. But in many organizations, band-aids have a funny way of sticking around fa

In my practice, I get the chance to talk to a lot of different individuals from many organizations. Here are some of the things that really stood out to me about 2025. 1) The Product Model One of the brightest spots of 2025 is that organizations really are beginning to adopt the Product Model — and this is where they are getting the most value. For too long, organizations have been adopting Agile but keeping a Waterfall mindset. In the misguided name of “efficiency,” they sep

At Rebel Scrum, we love discussing ideas and learning what works for our readers. Here ’s our list of the 10 most popular Rebel Scrum articles, by traffic, in 2025. Is there something that you would like to hear about next year? Contact us  to share your article ideas. Video: Characteristics of a Great Product Owner Article: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing for Agile teams Article: How the 12 Principles in the Agile Manifesto Work in Real Life Article: How to cr

New Years is a time to pause and reflect - and that applies to Scrum teams as well. So why not plan a New Years-themed Retrospective this year?

If we dictate too much up front, we rob Developers of the chance to improve the idea. We also rob ourselves of the opportunity to get a better outcome.

One of the most powerful tools Agile leaders have is also one of the simplest: asking great questions.

One of the most powerful — and least discussed — benefits of Agile is that it exposes the problems that have been holding us back all along.

Scrum is built on empiricism —the idea that we learn by inspecting results and adapting based on what we discover. Each Scrum event is an opportunity for learning something - did they use the feature we delivered, or not? Did the technology work the way we expected? If not, why not? The Sprint Review is the moment when the Scrum Team and stakeholders come together to inspect the Increment and discuss what to do next. So, what happens when you skip it? You Lose a Critical F