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How to measure technical debt

In my years as a software engineer I was always drawn to the shiny new things. But time and time again I got confronted with code ridden with technical debt. If you are working in tech you probably heard of technical debt.

For product managers it is the sword of Damocles alluding delayed projects and rejected feature requests. For engineers it can be a tremendous source of frustration and reason to quit jobs and move on. Why is technical debt so widespread and why is it so hard to beat?

Common product owner anti-patterns

Product owners need a diverse skill set to be successful. Your past experience, your current organisation and the specific industry make the requirements to your job unique. Nevertheless there are some common pitfalls and anti-patterns which many product owners unwillingly fall into. This short list of product owner anti-patterns hopefully helps you to avoid these common errors.

Collaborative product ownership meets reality – Part 3 of 3

A sure way to improve your product is to involve the whole team in product ownership. This third and final part focuses on practical steps you can take to accomplish shared ownership in your daily work life.

My TILs of the week 14/20

This is a summary of my “Today I Learned” moments of the calendar week 13 and 14. Topics are product inceptions, the DIBB framework and audio editing.

Kanban as an evolution of Scrum

In agile teams the use of both Scrum and Kanban is widespread. What is the difference between Scrum and Kanban? At what point does it make sense to use Kanban over Scrum?

This article helps you identify the limitations of Scrum and when it is time to break with the rules. It outlines how Kanban can be a natural evolution for Scrum teams.

My TILs of the week 12/20

This is a summary of my “Today I Learned” moments of the calendar week 12. Topics are working remotely, maturity models and a quick summary of the book Radical Focus.

Benefits of collaborative product ownership – Part 2 of 3

The product owner role is overburdened with too many responsibilities. Therefore a product owner can become a bottle neck and knowledge silo. Both of these traits lead to a cascade of issues.

This second part focusses on the benefits of a more collaborative but unfortunately less common approach to product ownership. It will highlight the principles, advantages and risks of collaborative product ownership.

My TILs of the week 11/20

This is a summary of my “Today I Learned” moments of the calendar week 11. Topics are innovation games, schemaless databases and measuring output.

My TILs of the week 10/20

This is a summary of my “Today I Learned” moments of the calendar week 10. Topics are user interviews, technical debt and getting ready for being a podcast guest.

What’s wrong with traditional product ownership – Part 1 of 3

The product owner is a crucial role in every Scrum team. They are the interface between stakeholders and the development team. They stay in close contact with customers and listen to their wishes and needs. They organise the product backlog

Unfortunately this role is doomed to fail. Here is why and how we can fix it.

My TILs of the week 9/20

This is a summary of my “Today I Learned” moments of the calendar week 9. From chess to excel and pair programming.

Write better user stories with INVEST

Unclear stories make unpredictable, inefficient sprints. They demotivate the developers. It spawns an environment of “them versus us” thinking.

You want to ensure that you document your user stories, have meaningful discussions around them and confirm that everyone has the same understanding. Easier said than done. How can we achieve this?

Becoming a conference speaker

Conference talks are a great way to expand your knowledge and get fresh ideas. The agile community has come up with some great events. They are a great way to meet like minded people and connect with the community.

But how do you get from a conference attendee to becoming an active speaker?

5 steps to craft a vision for an established team

Usually we talk about a vision for a team, company or product at the beginning of its life. This makes perfect sense. The very first thing you want to set straight is what the ultimate goal is. Without it you might wander directionless into your journey.

So if your vision is so important what do you do when your journey has already started but you don’t have one?

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