To our readers and writers
Ever since we started our journey we have created articles that regularly are top reads under the tags ‘Scrum’ and ‘Agile’. We definitely have a reader base for Serious Scrum! This means that people that look for Scrum or Agile related articles will find valuable information instead of articles that are founded on a misunderstanding of Scrum.
John and Paddy
We are very happy with the regular contributions of John Clopton and Paddy Corry. They bring a refreshing view on Scrum and Agile and their articles are very enjoyable. We asked John and Paddy to introduce themselves:
Paddy
Hello world! I’m Paddy, a scrum master in Dublin, Ireland, and despite working in software development teams since 2001, still believe I’m relatively sane. Go figure! I’ve been interested in ways of working and how to make things better since I studied Deming in university way back in… actually the year isn’t that important for this story. As a student, I also spent a summer working in an Audi factory in Ingolstadt, Germany, and was fascinated with Kanban cards and how production systems worked. That’s an unusual kind of nerd I guess. I also love the psychology surrounding the world of work, so agile approaches and scrum mastery are a rich vein of inspiration and motivation for me. In terms of the real world, I try to write as a means to better understanding. If I can articulate an idea, then perhaps I can understand it a little better. I’m always interested in the conversations that can start through wonderful sites like this, and I believe that collaborating on serious scrum articles is helping me to become a better scrum master. Really looking forward to the next iteration, and seeing where it can take us all. Onwards and upwards!
John
What’s up, fam? I’m a recovering Front End Developer turned Scrum Master. I’m not a player, I just Scrum a lot. In the mid 90s, I fell into software development by accident. After spending over a decade in a large, corporate IT shop, I fell into Agile the same way. Now, as a Scrum Master, I spend my days tryna spread the word, and convert the Waterfall faithful toward the ways of Agile, kinda like Yoda did for Luke. I’m looking forward to contributing to Serious Scrum, sharing experiences, growing and learning with y’all.
Do you also want to write for Serious Scrum? You’re welcome!
We welcome all of you to connect with us at Slack and join our #writingchannel if you are interested in publishing in Serious Scrum. Or if you wish to discuss anything Scrum related.
Our Definitions of Done for Serious Scrum articles
Our Slack community agreed upon the following Definition of Done for articles to be published under ‘Serious Scrum’. If you wish to publish for ‘Serious Scrum’, then these are the criteria:
It’s about Scrum.
It’s not in conflict with the Scrum Guide.
It’s not trying to discredit Scrum or its practitioners.
It may include someone’s personal experiences, as long as it is mentioned as such.
Opinions about Scrum are not presented as facts or rules.
It’s serious, but not boring.
The author is an experienced practitioner of Scrum.
Practices not core to Scrum may be referred to as complementary practices.
It’s in line with Scrum’s values.
No commercial intent or commercial promotions. References to helpful material/books may be okay if approved by reviewer.
It’s not a ‘spaghetti’ of references to other practices/articles.
The aim is too for the author to get feedback, inspect, adapt through the writings.
The author is actively engaging in the Serious Scrum community.
English. Doesn’t have to be perfect, but at least decent/professional.
Contains the tag: Serious Scrum.
It helps people improve their understanding of Scrum.
It helps people improve their play.
It is reviewed by at least one other Serious Scrum editor.
Highlights
These are are few highlights from our latest iteration (since our last letter):
Scrum wears us down, we don’t get any respite — which raised a lot of eyebrows
5 ways scrum masters can help make scrum values part of a teams culture — which was read a lot and shared by many Agile thought leaders
The Product Owner — Another high quality post from Sjoerd’s series ‘Road to PSMIII’.
Scrum Rinse Repeat — One of the refreshing articles from John in his unique style.
Thank you for taking your time to read seriously.
All the very best,
Sjoerd Nijland and Willem-Jan Ageling
Do you want to publish in Serious Scrum? Connect with us to make it happen!
We run a Serious Scrum channel on Slack. You’re all invited. Feel free to reach out and connect with us on Slack to share your thoughts.