Age of Product - Change Is Coming to Hands-on Agile

For years, I have supported the Agile community with a wealth of free resources and opportunities for growth. From the Food for Agile Thought newsletter to the Scrum Master Salary Report to tools like the Scrum Master Job GPT, and from ebooks like the Scrum Master Interview Questions Guide to the Hands-on Agile Slack and Meetup groups, I’ve consistently provided value without asking for anything in return than your support and participation. As for all communities, there is a simple rule: the more, the merrier; the benefit of being a member increases with the size of the community and those who contribute themselves. Giving back to the community is a win-win proposition. (Read online.)

However, the landscape is changing. The recent economic downturn and a noticeable backlash against Scrum have presented new challenges. As a result, the business model that has sustained these efforts—financing by subsidies through my Professional Scrum classes—has become increasingly unsustainable. Consequently, my approach to continuing to support this incredible community will need to evolve, too.

🎓 Launch on October 23: Learn How to Master the Most Important Artifact in the Advanced Product Backlog Management Course!

👉 Please note:

• The course includes membership in the brand-new Hands-on Agile community of my professional students.
• The course will only be available for sign-up until October 31, 2024!

What’s Next for Hands-on Agile?

A New Community Platform

One of the most exciting developments is the creation of a new, dedicated community platform to launch in late August 2024. Hosted on Kajabi, this platform will be a safe, professional space where Agile practitioners can connect, share experiences, and address challenges collaboratively.

This new community isn’t just another online forum; it’s a place where members can engage in meaningful discussions free from distractions and negativity. I will personally invest more time into this space, offering regular office hours and weekly knowledge sessions exclusive to members, ensuring it becomes the go-to place for those serious about honing their craft.

I will kickstart this community by inviting all students of my previous classes and (paid) events, such as the Agile Camp Berlin open spaces I ran from 2019 to 2021. (I will invite all my future students to the community automatically.) Contrary to the existing free Slack-based community, the new one will require a membership fee, adjusted based on members' locations, to ensure it's accessible to anyone with a genuine professional interest in Agile.

Launching the Hands-on Agile Conference Series

Additionally, I will relaunch my old BarCamp-style conferences, the Agile Camp Berlin from 2019-2021, as the Hands-on Agile series of Open Spaces, starting in November 2024 with a virtual one, which will be free to attend for everyone to support starting the community.

Expanding Educational Offerings

I’m also excited to announce that the first online course—Advanced Product Backlog Management—will be available by the end of October 2024. This course has been delayed as I wrestled with my imposter syndrome and perfectionism, but I’m committed to delivering something truly valuable.

More courses are in the pipeline, including one on Agile Metrics. These courses will go beyond the Scrum.org portfolio; I’m expanding into areas that address critical skills and qualifications for Agile practitioners, reflecting the community’s needs and interests.

🎓 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Advanced Product Backlog Management Cohort Class of August 29-September 26, 2024

Discover the Product Owner success principles in this guaranteed engaging Product Backlog Management cohort class and accelerate your professional growth and career perspective with tried & tested, hands-on practices:

• Excel at delivering value regularly — your #1 career success factor.
• Learn to distinguish between valuable and useless ideas.
• Abandon the feature factory. Instead, learn to contribute to customer and organizational success.
• Gain actionable insights, learn supportive tools, and practice everything in a safe community of like-minded peers.
• Learn to say no and build trust and rapport with stakeholders while focusing on creating value.
• Create engaging feedback loops.

Additional bonuses:

1. You will join an exclusive community of product professionals comprising participants from all my classes since 2019.
2. You will have free access to the corresponding online course; revisit all cohort topics at your convenience.

Quote: “If you are looking to move beyond merely delivering features and want to start consistently delivering outcomes and valuable deliverables to your customers, this course is essential. Stefan provides the focus and tools necessary to embark on a journey toward excellent product management. With a curriculum that includes vision, strategy, roadmap, product discovery, continuous delivery, idea management, hypothesis management, and backlog management, this course promises less than it delivers—a truly transformative experience.” (Hector Feliciano.)

Enjoy the benefits of an immersive cohort class and its community with like-minded agile peers on August 29, September 12, and September 26, 2024, from 3-6 pm CEST. The class will be offered in English.

👉 Join now: 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Product Backlog Management Class of August 29-September 26, 2024.

The Challenges Ahead

The following 12 months will be pivotal. Personally, I’m balancing the demands of fixing up my new home—a task I underestimated in terms of time and effort completely—with the need to set up and kickstart this new community. Professionally, critical tasks include organizing the Hands-on Agile Conference in November 2024 and reimagining how I create online courses to adapt to the current economic climate. (I would not want to relive the Advanced Product Backlog Management course creation experience. #rofl)

Yet, as any Agile practitioner knows, challenges are opportunities in disguise. I’m adapting, inspecting, and ready to reinvent myself where an opportunity arises. This is how we ensure that Hands-on Agile remains a beacon of support and learning in the Agile world.

Conclusion

As we move forward, I want to thank everyone who has been part of this journey—from former students and Agile Camp Berlin participants to the thousands of you who have engaged with the Hands-on Agile Slack group, Meetup group, and newsletter. Your support and engagement have made all of this possible, and I’m excited about the next chapter. Together, we’ll continue to build a thriving, resilient Agile community.

Hands-on Agile Resources from the Article

83 Scrum Master Interview Questions to Identify Suitable Candidates.

Check out the free Scrum Master JobGPT to analyze job offerings!

The Scrum Master Salary Report 2024

Download the Agile Metrics Survey 2021

👆 Stefan Wolpers: The Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide (Amazon advertisement.)

📅 Training Classes, Meetups & Events

Upcoming classes and events:

• 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Aug 20-21 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master - Advanced Training (PSM II; English)
• 🖥 🇩🇪 Aug 27-28 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM I; German)
• 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Aug 29-Sep 26 — Live Virtual Cohort: Advanced Product Backlog Management Cohort (English)
• 🖥 💯 🇩🇪 Sep 3-6 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German)
• 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Sep 5 — Live Virtual Meetup: Hands-on Agile 64: Mastering Work Intake: The Key to Sustainability and Flow (English)
• 🖥 🇩🇪 Oct 1-2 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German)
• 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Oct 9 — Live Virtual Meetup: Hands-on Agile 65: The Lean Tech Manifesto with Fabrice Bernhard (English)
• 🖥 🇬🇧 Oct 15-16 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master - Advanced Training (PSM II; English)

See all upcoming classes here.

If you have friends or colleagues who might be interested in this article as well, please forward this email—it would mean the world to me!

Have a great day!

Best,