Workshop: Team Level-Up

Here is a newer slide deck we use to explain the workshop: Team Level Up v25

Two purposes:

(a) get the team on the same page about what agile-scrum is (aka level set), and

(b) help the team Level Up, or raise the level of their play measurably.

Problem: As suggested, we are trying to address two problems that are closely related.

(a) It is typical that people in the Teams were not trained together.  That they have forgotten a lot of the training.  That some had no training. That some were trained quite differently.  That they selectively remember different parts of the training or coaching.

(b) Teams can get better and should get better.  And need some help in getting better.  And they typically can become a LOT better.

(c) A Team will improve more and faster if they agree on the improvements they want to make.  So, we use words like invitation and volunteering.

(d) The Workshop leader puts out a lot of ideas that might influence them, and they also influence each other.  So, more change can happen faster.

Attendees: We are expecting whole teams or most of the whole team.  Including the PO and maybe including the business stakeholders.  We can have part of a team.  We can include individuals who are outside the Team, but work with a Team or Teams a lot.  Tell us if you have questions in this area.

We encourage managers to attend.

Length: 2 days plus an Agile Release Planning workshop.  With Covid, think of this as 24 workshop hours over 3-5 calendar days.

Style: Both in-person and online.

Format: Very practical.  Exercises and building real things that the team will use.  Example: an agreed practical definition of “what agile is” for this team or group.

For example, agile-scrum is defined at a low level of 50+ items on stickies.

Because we take the Team where it is, the exact content of each session will vary.  We have a lot of exercises we might cover, and which ones we use will depend on your situation.

Agile Release Planning:  This is unique and included.  To us, Agile Release Planning is a whole approach to planning (and re-planning). And, it also includes a whole set of basic skill sets that are well-known in agile, such as user stories and story points.  As a “team” (usually of 5 people at a “table”), we use real work to then do all the activities of agile release planning.  Very effective to see what they do and start to correct or improve it.

Results: We expect each team to get significantly improved results.  Results that are measurable.  Measures such as: higher BV, higher Velocity, higher quality, faster Time-To-Market, higher happiness, more sustainable pace, more reliability (of delivering the stories “promised” in the Sprint Planning Meeting), etc.

We typically expec them to work fewer hours (usually they over-work).  But, by working smarter, not harder, actually more results get produced.

We discuss the metrics and how to measure them.  They must be your metrics (you all agree on them).

We expect the results to be significant over the following year if you keep the team together.  We think +50% will be on the low side typically.

Comments: We want to repeat again that this is very practical.  Yes, if you talk about things that are counter to Scrum, we will say so.  And we will take some time (how much depends on where the attendees are) level-setting on what Scrum is. But the Team (or the company) gets to agree on their rules of play, and their style of play.

The point is to take your team from where you are, and hopefully help them to agree to rise to a higher level of play.  Quickly.

In-House: This is an in-house course, or we arrange it specifically for each organization.  Please contact us to set one up.  If you have a Team, and would like to do it publicly, we can discuss that option.