Simplification Officers

To be fast or not to be fast… that’s the question 😉 #StopStarting #StartFinishing

There is nothing worse than making no decisions (or being extremely slow at them)… Following this advice, fast decision makers learn faster how to make the right ones 🤔 #DecisionMaking

How are your Developers bringing and supporting Transparency? Note: Transparency is way more than bringing “visibility”. It is about reaching ”a common understanding”. Each of the Scrum Roles exist to bring transparency to the other Scrum Team members and the stakeholders. If you feel that there is a lack of transparency for any aspect of your initiative, check who is best placed to bring clarity. So what about the Developers? Bring common understanding about what? What are the completed Product Backlog Items? “Done” means what with regard to the quality level? What process improvement will we address during this Sprint? What is work remaining for the Done Increment and the Sprint goal? And what is the likelihood of achieving this goal by the end of the Sprint? Bring common understanding to whom? To the entire Scrum Team and the stakeholders Summary: Does your Development Team bring a common understanding about the current state of the Increment? Prompt to discuss with your team: What does Transparency mean to you? How can your Developers bring even more transparency to all stakeholders? Interested in more? Watch out for upcoming posts. Don't want to miss any of these posts? You can have them weekly in your mailbox via https://lnkd.in/dmyDEqm I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to take contact. #Scrum #Simplification #BoostYourScrum

I experimented going into Agile adoptions not having formal Scrum Masters and Product Owners, check out how things turned out so far: https://lnkd.in/eRUJm8Sc

Bureaucracy was (possibly) great once, but today it leads nowhere. Built for past problems, it resists change, adding layers instead of solutions. The future requires agility, not a maze of red tape. Let’s break free from outdated systems and design organizations for the dynamic world ahead. #FridayQuotes #SimplificationOfficers

There is no simple way to navigate your way through a complex world. #SystemsThinking #CourageFirst

Ever feel like product frameworks are pieces of a puzzle that don’t quite fit together? Let me simplify one for you: Impact Mapping. It’s a strategy tool for ensuring your team’s efforts align with business goals and customer needs. But how does it connect to other approaches? Here’s how Impact Mapping shines: 🌟 Impact Mapping + North Star Metric The North Star metric defines the “WHY”, a guiding light for long-term product success. Impact Mapping takes this WHY and adds actionable options to influence it. It’s like a compass that not only shows the direction but also maps the paths to get there. 📊 Impact Mapping + OKRs Strategic OKRs (1–3 years) feed the WHY level, while tactical OKRs (1–3 months) sync with the WHO/HOW level. Impact Mapping acts as the bridge, informing OKRs for the next quarter, ensuring every initiative aligns with both purpose and progress. 🎯 Impact Mapping + Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) JTBD explores what users want to accomplish. Impact Mapping ensures team execution aligns with those predictions. Insights from JTBD fuel actionable Impact Maps, creating a seamless flow from understanding user needs to delivering value. The bottom line: Impact Mapping doesn’t replace other tools, it integrates with them, enhancing their power. Know the WHY, map the WHO, HOW, and WHAT, and watch your strategies align like never before. #ImpactMapping #ProductStrategy #FrameworkAlignment

This image highlights the essence of prototyping, it’s messy, experimental, and designed to teach us something. It stands in stark contrast to how POCs and MVPs are often abused in organizations. Instead of being treated solely as learning tools, over time they get polished to look final and “sellable,” defeating their purpose. The consequence: Businesses expects close to perfection in prototypes, POCs, or MVPs, paralyzing innovation. If it doesn’t fail, teach, or evolve, it’s not an MVP, it’s a half-baked product mislabeled to avoid accountability. Message: Stop worshiping “sellable” in early stages. A prototype’s purpose is to fail fast and fail forward, not fake success to please stakeholders. If your “MVP” is close to indistinguishable from a real release, you’re doing it wrong and wasting everyone’s time. Prototypes are meant to be vertically classified, discarded. An MVP isn’t your baby. It’s your guinea pig. Don’t let fear of failure turn it into a porcelain trophy. #ProductDevelopment #POCs #MVP

How is your Product Owner supporting Transparency? Each of the Scrum Roles exist to also raise transparency to the other Scrum Team members and the stakeholders. If you feel that there is a lack of transparency for any aspect of your initiative, check who is best placed to bring clarity. Note: transparency is way more than bringing “visibility”. It is about reaching ”a common understanding”. Bring common understanding about what? What is the current state of the product? What value does it bring? What capabilities does it have? What is the user feedback? How is the product used? What is our market share? What is still needed in the product? What is expected to reach a specific goal? What is work remaining for this goal? What is the likelihood of achieving this goal? As these questions are all Product related, I expect the Product Owner to be able to answer this type of questions. Answering or orally, or having this information readily available even if he/she isn’t available. And for details he/she could forward the requestor to other people who can be part of the Scrum Team, or maybe even outside the Scrum Team. Yet your Product Owner knows where to go for an answer. Bring common understanding to whom? To the entire Scrum Team and the stakeholders Summary: Any Product Owner is expected to bring a common understanding about the current and future state of the product (near and long term), and as such raise transparency. Prompt: With your entire team, have a conversation about what additional transparency would help you to improve. And see where the Product Owner can support this. Interested in more? Watch out for upcoming posts. Don't want to miss any of these posts? You can have them weekly in your mailbox via https://lnkd.in/dmyDEqm I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to take contact. #Scrum #Simplification #BoostYourScrum

We're opening registration for our Brussels class in partnership with Jürgen De Smet 💥 and his Boost Your Scrum brand. Join us in July for this class. Or also earlier in Munich, Amsterdam, and Stockholm.