• Agile & Scrum Basics

Bluff your way through an Agile conversation at the table with 4 tips

Do you recognize this situation? Dinner night with friends. Good Rioja on the table. Dishes from Mediterranean cuisine. Conversations about work. And then suddenly the person next to you says: “This Agile working, nice and fast changes with the market, it works really fantastic for us. Since the process with the Agile Coach we have a really fast ROI and time-to-market. Strong Okr’s, you know. Really we’re going like a train. I take it you guys as Scale Up are also working Agile?” Your tablemates’ eyes prickle and you think: how on earth am I going to bluff my way through this?

The person next to you (let’s call her Alice) – who is admired by this entire company – taps you, in such a way that now she really does expect an answer from you. You chew longer than average and think, all the while pretending to sling out an Agile up-to-date answer at any moment. To save face. To satisfy? At least to bluff your way through that uncomfortable conversation about Agile working. See, exactly for that situation, we just give you four simple tips.

Tip 1: Give an Agile answer to the question

It’s important to show that you know what you’re talking about. How? Well, by incorporating Agile working into the answer. The effect: a we-sit-on-1-line-yes nod at the Alice and her admirers.

“Look, finally someone starts talking about Agile working. Where the world is always in motion. Although I wouldn’t directly call myself an Agile Coach, but indeed I have been ‘sprinting’ with my teams for a good year as well. In my opinion, the trick is to constantly recalibrate Agile working and zoom in on the now when repeatedly. After all, Agile working is iterative working.”
So, that one sits.

Tip 2: Ask a question that demonstrates your understanding

Whoever says A…, also says gile. Now that you’ve started a conversation about Agile working, it’s time to move on. Next step. Next tip. We’ll turn the tables nicely; ask a sharp-sounding question. The question that subtly shows that you are secretly an Agile and Scrum expert after all.

“But while we’re on the subject of Agile working, I’m actually curious about what you think about data-driven working without getting in the way of Psychological Safety in the team. In your view, is that valuable or just a settlement model?”

Tip 3: Highlight current developments

In all these years of using Agile working, things have naturally changed. Optimized, changed along with the market and current situations. Whereas Agile working was first mainly appropriated by IT professionals, it is now the standard for many more branches of sport. So let it be known that you have knowledge of the current state of affairs and even dare to make Agile predictions. In this article, you get 3 readily deployable trends for that. You could summarize it roughly like this:

“I read an interesting little article from Scrum Academy the other day. It shows that in the World Economic Forum report, Jobs of Tomorrow Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy, which maps the future labor market and jobs, the Product Owner is number one in the Product Development cluster.”

Tip 4: Involve others in the conversation

Before it all really goes too “high over,” it’s a good plan to briefly engage your Agile knowledge with your tablemates. To just knock some weighty phrases and difficult words down flat. How to do that while pouring the third glass of Rioja?

“Look, in Agile working you obviously have 3 roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner and Developers. John cooked tonight, so he sees to it that it all happens according to a certain vision, that makes John the Product Owner. Now I saw that Alice has set the table, making sure that all obstacles to a nice dinner are removed, that’s what the Scrum Master does. And we are Developers, working together, in sprints of a starter, main, and dessert, to create delicious evening.”

Taste for more? Here is an article about all the Scrum roles in Agile working.

Just like that. An unexpected free tip 5

Do. Because with the previous 4 tips, you’ve bluffed your way nicely through the Agile dinner party. Even before the main course is on the table, Alice and her fans at the table are completely convinced. Maybe a great job will come out of that? Well, and then. Then you really have to start proving the value of Agile working.

The Agile language may sound like quick and hip jargon, but it is triggering. Because you too can make even more impact. Deliver more and faster value. Curious about the applicability of Agile working in your team or organization? What opportunities exist in your market? What is your next step? Give yourself an Agile boost!

Above all, contact me sometime. Then we’ll discuss all your questions, with a good Rioja if desired.

PS Try the above tips on your friends next weekend. We are curious to hear their reaction.