Scrum is an agile software development methodology, based on sprints – intensely focused periods of teamwork, each resulting in a product increment. Scrum is a proven effective, productive, and efficient approach to creating quality digital products – no wonder that we’re big Scrum users at Boldare! However, Scrum is not a magic bullet; it doesn’t guarantee great results. Like any tool, it’s all in how you use it, and there are many ways in which Scrum can be used… let’s say less than effectively. Welcome to Scrum ‘anti-patterns’, practices that can lead to poor results if left unchecked. Read on for a sample selection of anti-patterns relating to all elements of the Scrum framework.

Agile is versatile, and Scrum’s application isn’t one-size-fits-all. For smaller projects, prone to abrupt changes in priorities or direction, Scrum can be adapted to a more nimble, hummingbird-like approach, as advocated by consultant and Agile/Scrum specialist, Maarten Dalmijn. Continue reading to discover more…

In Scrum, everything revolves around the sprint, a clearly-defined, intensely productive period of time in which the team tackles priorities from the product backlog. But how does the Scrum team (including the product owner) know when those priorities are ready to be addressed? How do you know when it’s time to sprint? This is where the process of backlog refinement, filtered through what’s known as the Definition of Ready (DoR), plays an essential role. Clearly, the Definition of Ready and the refinement process are interdependent. Refinement results in product backlog items that are ready for development, and the Definition of Ready is the criteria by which we can say that refinement has been successful – if a Definition of Ready is at all unclear, you need to revisit the refinement process!

There is more than one type of goal that your product teams typically work on. In 2020, the Scrum Guide started mentioning product goals on top of the well-known sprint goals. Why is it so important to distinguish between the two? Read on to find out.

If you’ve ever come into contact with Agile ways of working or using the Scrum framework to develop a digital product, you’ve heard the term ‘burndown chart’. Although it is not an essential tool during your day to day Agile work, it very often helps team members keep track of the scope of the work (and project too!). If you’ve ever wondered, just what is a burndown chart, you’re in the right place. Read on for a definition together with the benefits a burndown chart can bring to your product development, plus some tips on use.

You could say that the basic unit of the Scrum framework is the sprint – a defined period of time in which the Scrum team undertakes to achieve specific progress toward the overall product goal. But how can you ensure the necessary level of focus? That’s what the sprint goal is for. Read on to find out what sprint goals are, how they benefit the Scrum process, and some top tips for setting tightly-focused goals that will make your sprint a success.

As a product owner, you are bound to work with Scrum teams that communicate with each other in their own “language” and their own subject matter. Have you ever wondered how Scrum masters keep their team members transparent, informed, and up-to-date with everything that is happening? In this article, we’re going to talk about communication in Scrum. You will learn about six proven and tested communication rules that Boldare’s Scrum teams follow.

The burndown chart is one of the most popular metrics used by most Scrum teams working on digital products. Read on our case study to learn what it is.

Iteration reviews are an essential practice that can improve how your development teams work. Do you need a better way to establish goals, time frames and even budgets, with a focus on well-managed processes that produce high quality results every time? If the answer to at least one of these questions is “yes”, then you should read on to find out what iteration reviews can provide.

Developing a digital product is a good thing but it comes with a drawback. Multiple teams working independently can be difficult to coordinate. At the same time, you can discover your organization has technical gaps, perhaps skills that weren’t needed before. Our new service - the advisory board - was designed to answer those issues. Read on to find out how.

The product owner (PO) is make-or-break for a digital product. In this series so far, we’ve talked about what meetings PO can attend and how they can be more effective in their job. In this article, we will take a step back and look into what it really means to be a product owner. Read on to find out what responsibilities this title carries and why Boldare’s product owners are people from the client's side.

Team metrics are a set of metrics that help the product team track progress and subsequently adjust the product development strategy. Use them to measure team growth and make sure that product increments are delivered on time with the highest possible quality.

The basic unit in Scrum is the sprint – the period of time in which a team works on an agreed element of a digital product. But how long should a sprint be? This article takes a look at the key factors that influence sprint length, including who has the final decision and how they should reach it.

The role of a product owner can be challenging. Especially if this is your first time being one, or even working in Scrum at all. At Boldare, we have a system in place for just this occasion. Read on to find out what we do to prepare our clients for the role of product owner.

Some clients ask us if product owners can attend our daily Scrum meetings. And while their care for their digital products is commendable, the answer to that question is not a simple matter of a yes or no. In this article, I asked our scrum masters for their thoughts on this idea - read on to find out what they had to say.

We all intuitively know what team efficiency is about. When it comes to specifics, though, things get complicated. The bigger the team, the more difficult it is to make it efficient. Read on to discover nine proven ways to increase team efficiency. You will find these suggestions especially useful when working on a new digital product.

Who wouldn’t want their product to be successful, valuable and recognizable? If you’re responsible for delivering the best possible product to your clients, then this an article for you!

What is a Scrum Master Certification? How to get it? Do I need one to be a good Scrum Master? Check out our article and learn more about it!

What is a scrum master? Is it manager of some kind, like project manager? In this article, we will explain the role of the scrum master, and differences between that role and more traditional managerial jobs.

Scaling a digital product – further developing it to cope with a larger market or environment – is one thing, but what do you do when you need to scale up the development process itself. What happens when you’re juggling multiple connected projects? How do you ensure that the benefits of scrum – fast, focused, flexible product development that balances user and business needs – still apply? This article is an introduction to the Nexus framework, which does exactly that.

Product development itself is a process focused on solving business problems using technology. In a sense, the whole concept of agile management (and specifically, the scrum framework) is an approach to solving problems. And while, everyone involved in a scrum-driven project is a potential problem-solver, the role of scrum master is key to the process, especially in relation to the support they can give to problem-solving workshops. Read on to see how and using which tools Scrum Master can solve various, product development problems.

When we created theSprint Retrospective Tool, we were thinking mainly about a tool that could help us conduct remote scrum retrospective meetings with dispersed teams. But life is full of surprises, and our tool has many more use cases than we thought at the beginning. Now we’d like to share some ideas with you, as the efficiency of remote working is suddenly more important than ever. Scroll down to see how you could use our free Sprint Retrospective Tool with your remote teams.

If you work with the scrum framework (and if you don’t yet, you should still read on!), you already know that the sprint review meeting is an essential step for software development. It’s a chance for the whole team to take a look at what they’ve produced – the latest product iteration – and ensure that the project is on track, as planned or… if it isn’t. It’s an opportunity to discuss and agree what needs to happen by way of course correction. This article offers a guide to setting up and structuring your sprint review meetings for success.

To stand out in the marketplace, quality apps that are user favorites can make all the difference. While there’s no recipe for final success, there are some tools that can help you with it. For us, the main tool is the scrum framework and its role in software development. Scrum development offers an approach that brings all the key players and skills together to produce digital products in a series of rapid and highly efficient instalments.

The sprint retrospective is a great opportunity to improve the work of the scrum team through an inspection-based discussion. There are many online tools, which can be helpful for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches who carry out this kind of meeting. I have prepared for you a list of the best solutions, which I hope you find beneficial.

The sprint retrospective is a critical part of the scrum agile methodology for software and digital development. A supportive, facilitated environment – either face to face or online – allows everyone involved to constructively review and consider feedback, resulting in specific action steps for improvement signed up to by the whole team. This article contains guidance on structuring your sprint retrospective meetings, including a number of suggested approaches and tools.

The sprint retrospective is a meeting organized after the sprint review. It aims to improve the work of the scrum team during the subsequent sprints. I have prepared for you an overview of the best methods that you – as the Scrum Master or Agile Coach - can use to carry out this meeting.