Team Performance: Optimising Flow and Collaboration for Sustainable Delivery

Explains why dependencies are a sign of poor system design and outlines steps to eliminate them by aligning teams, clarifying ownership, and …

Explores why real leadership means designing systems that enable team autonomy, flow, and accountability—rather than relying on command-and-control …

High work in progress (WIP) causes delays and unpredictability; improving estimates won’t help. Limiting WIP and focusing on flow is key to reliable …

Tracking estimation accuracy in software delivery leads to mistrust, fear, and distorted behaviours. Focus on customer value, flow, and outcomes—not …

Measuring the time from work initiation to customer delivery, helping teams monitor workflow efficiency and improve value delivery.

Discover why “done” means live in production—not just code complete. Learn to deliver real value, close feedback loops, and drive outcomes that …

Explains why promoting code through multiple branches slows delivery, increases risk, and suggests GitHub Flow or Release Flow as simpler, safer …

Tracking individual cycle time can harm team performance by encouraging task cherry-picking, reduced collaboration, and lower quality, without …

Throughput is a delivery metric used to inspect how much work is completed per unit of time, enabling analysis of flow efficiency and system …

A weekly one-hour mentorship for engineering teams to improve code quality, delivery predictability, and team culture through practical, …

Explains how integrating Kanban with Scrum boosts transparency, limits work in progress, and improves workflow, helping teams identify bottlenecks and …

Limiting work in progress in Kanban helps teams focus, spot bottlenecks, maintain quality, and deliver value efficiently by ensuring a sustainable, …

NKD Agility helped SLB unify build and release processes across 90 teams in 13 countries, boosting team ownership, efficiency, and engineering …

Explores when to use a single Azure DevOps project versus multiple projects, detailing impacts on flow, visibility, governance, and team collaboration …

Explains how Scrum teams can strategically allow unfinished work to flow across Sprint boundaries, enhancing throughput, responsiveness, and …

Learn the three core Kanban principles—visualising workflow, actively managing tasks, and continuous improvement—to boost team efficiency, …

Compares “flow of value” and “flow of work” in Kanban, explaining why only validated outcomes count as value and stressing the need for evidence, …

A cross-border product team overcame misalignment and role confusion through immersive mentorship, boosting collaboration, engineering engagement, and …

Getting Started with the Definition of Done (DoD). Every team should define what is required, what criteria must be met, for a product increment to be …

AI exposes that coding was never the main bottleneck in software delivery; real constraints are in system flow, team practices, and organisational …

Unlock your team's true potential—discover why a powerful definition of done drives real business impact, customer value, and lasting competitive …

The Scrum Master is an accountability in Scrum, responsible for enabling the effectiveness of the Scrum Team and fostering continuous improvement …

Excessive handoffs in software development create delays, reduce quality, and harm team morale. Learn how eliminating handoffs boosts agility, flow, …

Explains how the Scrum Master is accountable for enabling effective product delivery, fostering team success, and ensuring each sprint produces a …

Tracking the time taken to complete a unit of work from start to finish.

Explains how the Definition of Done evolves in Scrum, aligning team practices with organisational standards to ensure consistent quality, compliance, …

Stop guessing—start making data-driven decisions in Azure DevOps. Discover tools, tips, and insights to make your work visible and your delivery …

Explains how Kanban visualises workflows, tracks metrics, and supports continuous improvement, helping teams identify bottlenecks and enhance …

Explores Agile as a disciplined system of delivery, emphasizing engineering excellence, CI/CD, observability, and system design over mindset or …

Enhance forecasting in Agile and Scrum. Use empirical data to predict delivery timelines, manage risk, and optimise value delivery.

Frequent changes to the Definition of Done reduce team quality and predictability. Consistent, enforced standards are key to reliable delivery and …

Unreleased features create hidden costs and risks. Regular software delivery reduces failure rates, rework, and missed opportunities, ensuring real …

Martin is in EST for 6 months and available for hands-on consulting in North America. This month’s spotlight: How tracking estimation accuracy is …

Explains why true Scrum requires real team agency, not just self-management in name, and how lacking agency leads to ineffective, ritualistic Agile …

Struggling with inconsistent delivery? Discover why a shared definition of done is key to predictable, high-quality results your teams—and …

Explains how technical leaders can break down organisational silos and enforce better branching, team structures, and architecture to improve software …

Delaying software releases increases failure risk. Frequent, small releases improve success rates, adaptability, and recovery, as shown by CHAOS …

Optimising how often software is deployed to enhance feedback loops and value delivery.

Visualising workflows to identify inefficiencies and optimise value delivery.

Optimising the throughput of work across the value stream to improve speed and reduce bottlenecks.

Using hypothesis-driven approaches to test ideas and validate assumptions in agile workflows.

Using data, metrics, and feedback to drive continuous improvement in teams and processes.

Stop paying the hidden costs of weak delivery. Discover how a strong, shared definition of done builds trust, quality, and real agility in your team.

Argues that the Scrum Master role requires proven mastery and real-world experience, not entry-level skills or certifications, and should be earned …

Scrum Masters are most effective when they combine leadership skills with technical, business, and organisational mastery to support teams, Product …

Stop testing quality in—start building it in. Learn how shifting left, automation, and fast feedback loops drive engineering excellence in modern …

Applying software engineering principles to ensure scalable and reliable systems.

A **Shift-Left Strategy** brings testing, security, and compliance earlier in development, reducing defects, accelerating feedback, and improving …

Explains why staggered iterations harm software delivery, increasing technical debt, and recommends cross-functional teams, test-first, and working …

Professional Scrum Teams prioritise software quality, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring each release is reliable, defect-free, and …

Ensure software quality and reliability with Automated Testing. Detect issues early, reduce manual effort, and accelerate delivery.

Explores how empowering and engaging diverse software teams boosts motivation, collaboration, and product quality through trust, feedback, skills …

Learn how to use Kanban flow metrics in Scrum to improve value delivery, track progress, identify bottlenecks, and drive continuous improvement in …

Measuring individual cycle time overlooks team performance and system bottlenecks. Focus on lead time, throughput, and process efficiency to improve …

Scrum Masters with deep knowledge and competence enable teams to deliver better products, drive business outcomes, and foster real improvement in …

Explains how Kaizen’s continuous improvement principles enhance Scrum and Agile teams, with practical tips for retrospectives, workflow optimisation, …

Explains why Scrum Masters should not direct teams, emphasising self-organisation, shared responsibility, and the importance of team autonomy in Scrum …

Learn three key Agile strategies: define clear completion criteria, avoid overcommitting in Sprints, and prioritise backlog refinement for better team …

Explores how practical, real-world Scrum training at Great Calm improved team collaboration, alignment, and continuous improvement across the …

Incompetent Scrum Masters reduce team performance and ROI by lacking key skills. Learn how to measure their impact using innovation, usage, and …