Food for Agile Thought #378: Top 1% Product Managers, Is Scrum Process-Heavy? Could ChatGPT Do My Job?

Welcome to the 378th edition of the ‘Food for Agile Thought’ newsletter, shared with 36,661 peers. My name is Stefan Wolpers.

This week, we reflect on the (product management) industry’s obsession with the top one percent, given the ambiguity about what product managers do. Also, we analyze why Lean Startup is an excellent blueprint for Scrum teams seeking to extend their knowledge of the problem and solution space, while we break down Scrum into components and composite elements, asking: Is Scrum process-heavy? Moreover, we enjoy Jason Yip’s approach to becoming a leadership whisperer.

Then, ProductPlan released the latest edition of its ‘data-backed exploration of how product teams support the entire product lifecycle, from idea to launch and beyond,’ and we learn from a 17th-century naval disaster how not to pursue product design. Speaking of which: We are thirty years into ‘Agile,’ and Jeff Gothelf asks why so few companies incentivize learning and experimentation.

Finally, we list seven estimation anti-patterns, from pretending certainty to effort tampering to story point inflation, and reflect on the increasing popularity of tracking velocity across teams, according to data from the Annual State of Agile reports. Moreover, Sally Goble shares proven practices to get your codebase back into shape, and we advocate that forcing change is often fruitless; why not persuade them with science?

PS: 🗞 Did you miss past issues? No worries, here we go: 376, 377.

PPS: 🎓 📅 See all upcoming events and classes here.

🏆 Tip of the Week

John Cutler reflects on the industry’s obsession with the top one percent, given the ambiguity about what product managers do: "Top 1% Product Managers."

➿ Agile & Scrum

• Scrum.org: Dave West analyzes why Lean Startup is an excellent blueprint for Scrum teams seeking to extend their knowledge of the problem and solution space: "Lean Startup and Scrum."

• Medium: Maciej Jarosz breaks Scrum into components and composite elements: "Is Scrum as a process heavy and dependent on too many factors?"
  
  

• Medium: Jason Yip shares his approach to becoming a leadership whisperer: "My typical tactics for influencing leaders at different levels."

🎓 🖥 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class — March 23, 2023

The Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills (PSFS) training by Berlin Product People is a one-day official Scrum.org class for advanced Scrum practitioners and agile coaches, including the industry-acknowledged PSFS certification. This PSFS training class is in English.

Enjoy the benefits of a live-virtual immersive class with like-minded agile peers from 09:00 – 17:30 o’clock CET.

👉 New in 2023: Refresher Classes: Attend a free refresher class as a former student upon arrangement and availability.

Learn More: 🖥 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class — March 23, 2023.

👉 From time to time, we can offer last-minute seats for training classes at cost to individuals who do not have access to a corporate training budget. If you like to be notified about these opportunities, please register here.

🎯 Product

• 📈 ProductPlan released the latest edition of its ‘data-backed exploration of how product teams support the entire product lifecycle, from idea to launch and beyond:’ "The 2023 State of Product Management Annual Report."

• UX Collective: Pleasing the maritime history buffs among us, Slava Polonski recalls the tragedy of the Vasa and lessons learned for product design: "UX lessons from a 17th-century warship disaster."
  
  

• Thirty years into ‘Agile,’ Jeff Gothelf asks why so few companies incentivize learning and experimentation: "Why aren't learning and experimentation corporate values?"

🛠 Concepts, Tools & Measuring

• Mario Moreira lists seven estimation anti-patterns, from pretending certainty to effort tampering to story point inflation: "Breaking Bad Story Point Anti-Patterns."
  
  

• AgileConnection: Joe Schofield reflects on the increasing popularity of tracking velocity across teams, according to data from the Annual State of Agile reports: "The Veracity about Velocity."

• 📺 Agile On The Beach: In this talk from Agile on the Beach, Sally Goble shares proven practices to get your codebase back into shape: "How to get out of (technical) debt."

🎶 Encore

• First Round Capital: Jonah Berger advocates that forcing change is often fruitless; why not persuade them with science? "Pull, Don’t Push: How to Drive Product Adoption Like a Catalyst."

• MIT Technology Review: We thought that AI might start automizing simple office tasks. However, Melissa Heikkilä asks whether it may begin at the top of the food chain: "Could ChatGPT do my job?"

📅 Training Classes, Meetups & Events

Upcoming classes and events:

• 🖥 🇬🇧 Feb 7-10 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM I; English)
• 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Feb 28-Mar 3 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German)
• 🖥 🇩🇪 Mar 14-15 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM II; German)
• 🖥 🇩🇪 Mar 20-21 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Agile Leadership Essentials Class (PAL I; German)
• 🖥 🇬🇧 Mar 23 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class (PSFS; English)
• 🖥 🇬🇧 Mar 28-29 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM II; English)
• 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 May 11 — Live Virtual Meetup: Hands-on Agile EXTRA: Joe Justice on Elon Musk (English)

See all upcoming classes here.

📺 Youtube Channel

• Itamar Gilad: How much Product Discovery Is enough? The Confidence Meter — HoA #47.

Your Opinion Matters

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Best,