Easy Agile

🚩 Agile is meant to help teams work better together, adapt to change, and deliver value faster. But sometimes, in the push to "be Agile," we end up missing the point. Here are some red flags to watch out for that signal when Agile is becoming more about checking boxes than truly empowering teams: 📌 Using Story Points to Compare Teams Story points are for estimating, not measuring team performance. If they're being used to rank teams, it's time to rethink how we're tracking progress. 📌 Skipping Retrospectives "We don't have time for a retro" often means we're missing out on learning and improvement. Retros are crucial – they help us learn what's working, what's not, and how we can improve as a team. 📌 Calling People "Resources" Words matter. Referring to team members as "resources" can make the work feel impersonal and mechanical. Agile works best when we put people first. 📌 Leaving Technical Debt Out of Scope If we're constantly pushing tech debt to "some other time," it's going to catch up with us. Tackling it head-on is what keeps the product strong and sustainable. 📌 "Everything is a Priority" When everything's a priority, nothing truly is. Prioritization is key to making real progress and helping the team focus on what matters most. 📌 Rigidly Following Agile Agile isn't one-size-fits-all, and it's not about rigid rules. Every team is different, and Agile should be adapted to fit the team – not the other way around. 📌 Piling Up Backlogs and Roadmaps If there are 36 backlogs and year-long roadmaps, we might be missing the point. Agile is about flexibility and responding to change, not being weighed down by endless plans. Keep an eye out for these red flags so your teams stay true to Agile principles and work in ways that actually help them grow and succeed. Agile is about people, growth, and adaptability – let's make sure we don't lose sight of that. 📸 Image credit: 🪓🎯 Chris Stone 🎯🪓 (Virtually Agile) #AgileTeams #AgileTransformation #ProjectManagement #ContinuousImprovement

🕯 Gather ’round, if you dare… it’s time for Agile Horror Stories! 🎃 Even the most adaptable teams aren’t safe from the lurking dangers of Agile gone wrong. In the spirit of Halloween, let’s relive some spine-chilling experiences. But be warned… they may hit a little too close to home. 🧟♂️ The Backlog That Wouldn’t Stay Buried “𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 40 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 50 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, ‘𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺.’” 👻 The Haunting of Scope Creep Hill “𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 ‘𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦,’ 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩—𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 47 ‘𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴’ 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘔𝘝𝘗 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴… 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴.” 🦇 The Stakeholder Who Vanished Without a Trace “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭-𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘧𝘧: 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘜𝘈𝘛 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, ‘𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?’” 👹 The Stand-Up from the Depths “‘𝘍𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴,’ 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯, 𝘸𝘦’𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥.” 💀 The Curse of the Undead Task “𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 ‘𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦,’ 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬—𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘥é𝘫à 𝘷𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦.” Stay spooky, and Happy Halloween from all of us at Easy Agile! 🎃 #halloween #beware

🏆 Honored to be recognized on The Australian's Top 100 Innovators list for 2024 - for the second consecutive year! It's humbling to stand alongside so many incredible Australian innovators who are changing the game in their industries. Every day, we're driven by a simple goal: to make work better for teams everywhere. Building tools that bring people together, make collaboration easier, and help great ideas come to life - that's what gets us excited to show up. To our amazing customers, team members, and supporters: thank you for being part of this journey. You make the magic happen! ✨

Are you a driven leader with a passion for partnerships? At Easy Agile, we’re building something special in the partnership space, and we’re looking for someone to take it to the next level. This role is all about strategy, collaboration, and growth — empowering our Atlassian ecosystem partners while shaping the future of Easy Agile. If you're ready to make a real impact and become our Head of Partnerships, watch this vid! Join Caitlin Mackie Mat Lawrence Teagan Harbridge Nicholas Muldoon and me (plus heaps of others 😆) on this journey 🚀 Check out the job 👉 http://bit.ly/3Yeyceq

We are hiring for a Head of Partnerships at Easy Agile. Over the past nine months, we have been revolutionising the Partnerships landscape, redefining what Partnerships mean for us. The potential ahead is immense, and with every step we take in this direction, our confidence in this new approach grows. Here's where we stand and what we are seeking: What's working well: - Our team has cultivated strong relationships with ecosystem partners over the years, laying a robust foundation. - We enjoy solid cross-functional alignment with Marketing and CX, collaborating on success plans that are gaining significant traction. - Guidance from Bryan Williams at Hockey Stick Advisory has been instrumental in shaping our strategy and exploring new approaches. Lessons learned: - Partner strategy is multi-layered, requiring tailored tactics for each situation to drive mutual success. - While we have a playbook in progress, continuous toolkit enhancement is vital. - Proactive value demonstration to partners is key in fostering effective collaboration patterns. What's next? - We are in search of a player/coach to lead, teach, and elevate our team's capabilities. - The ideal candidate will be a builder, elevating our existing foundations and expanding team growth strategically. - Commercial acumen and executive negotiation skills are essential for steering the partnership strategy towards mutual success. A special acknowledgment to Hayley Rodd, Caitlin Mackie, Teagan Harbridge, and Nicholas Muldoon for their outstanding contributions to this journey so far.

When powerful visual planning meets detailed reporting, great things happen. 🎯 Our friends at eazyBI recently shared how integrating their reporting tool with Easy Agile Programs helps Agile teams visualize and manage their SAFe journeys, making Program Increment progress more transparent and actionable. By combining visual planning with robust reporting, Agile teams can stay on top of their goals while keeping everything clear and aligned. Big thanks to eazyBI for the feature! If you're interested in streamlining your SAFe processes, check out the blog here: https://lnkd.in/gwd6ihNa #AgileTeams #SAFe #Collaboration

🤨 If writing user stories feels like just another task, it’s time to rethink the process. When done well, user stories can give your team laser-sharp focus and ensure you’re building exactly what your customers need. It’s all about getting back to the basics of simplicity and purpose. At Easy Agile, we see user stories as the core of what makes agile teams thrive. They’re not just tasks—they’re a tool to help us keep delivering real value, fast. 🚀 In her blog post, Teagan Harbridge, our Customer Experience Manager, has shared a quick checklist to help your team write better stories. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the process, it’s always worth reflecting—are your user stories as user-focused as they should be? If you're interested in learning more, find the link to the full blog post in the comments. 👇 #AgileDevelopment #UserStories #TeamCollaboration

“Cutting Waterfall into sprints”? We’ve all seen it. It’s *almost* Agile... but not quite. 😬 We get it—changing the way we work isn’t easy. It’s tempting to just tweak old processes and call it ✨ Agile ✨ . But real agility goes beyond sprints and ceremonies. It’s about creating a culture where teams actually thrive—where we *want* to collaborate, where flexibility isn’t just a buzzword, and reflecting and learning from what works (and what doesn't) becomes second nature. Agile isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Experiment. Fail. Grow. The key is to stay focused on delivering real value to customers and continuously improving as a team. Big thanks to Jack R. for sparking this conversation! 👏 #BeingAgile #AgileMindset #ContinuousImprovement

Planning Poker just got a whole lot easier for our DC customers! 🃏✨ We're thrilled to bring Planning Poker right into your Jira Issue View. No more context switching or juggling multiple apps - now you can estimate story points without ever leaving Jira. What's cool about it? ♠ Vote in real-time or async - whatever works for your team ♣ Watch votes magically sort from low to high (it's oddly satisfying!) ♦ One-click updates to story points (because who doesn't love efficiency?) The best part? ♥ It's all about bringing your team together. Whether you're huddled around a screen or scattered across time zones, Planning Poker helps build that shared understanding we're all after. We'd love to hear from you! Have you tried Planning Poker in Easy Agile TeamRhythm yet? What's your team's go-to method for estimating work? Let's chat! #Agile #PlanningPoker #Jira #Scrum

🤔 We’ve all been there—sitting in a meeting, wondering if what we’re doing really matters, or walking away from a chat with a colleague, wishing we’d been on the same page. At Easy Agile, these moments got us thinking. And that led us to create the Five-Steps Collaboration Poster, thoughtfully crafted by Fernanda Sassiotto and beautifully brought to life by Matt de Feudis. ✨ This simple activity does two important things: 🔍 Self-Discovery & Appreciation: It helps you step back and reflect on how you’re adding value to your organization and the people you serve. 🤝 Better Collaboration: It helps you figure out what others need from you—and what you need from them—to break down those invisible barriers and work together more smoothly. It’s sparked some eye-opening conversations within our team, and while self-reflection isn’t always the easiest thing, it’s helped us feel more connected and made our work that much more meaningful. ❤️ We’re sharing it because we think it’ll do the same for your team. Give it a try—download the poster below and see where it takes you! We’d love to hear how it went too. Did anything surprise you? What did you learn? Let’s chat! #collaboration #teamwork #workbettertogether