Stefan Wolpers

CORE

Agile Coach at Berlin Product People GmbH

Berlin, DE

Joined Oct 2015

https://age-of-product.com

About

Professional Scrum Trainer with Scrum.org, agile coach, and Scrum Master based in Berlin. Stefan also curates the weekly ”Food for Agile Thought” newsletter on best posts on agile practices, product management, and innovation—with 35,000-plus subscribers. (See @AgeOfProduct.) Also, he hosts the Hands-on Agile Slack community with more than 12,000 peers.

Stats

Reputation:	7893
Pageviews:	1.6M
Articles:	118
Comments:	15

Expertise

Agile

Methodologies

Articles
Comments

Articles

From Backlog Manager to Product Manager [Video]

This interview with David Pereira discusses the challenges of being a product manager and how to move from managing the Product Backlog to driving value.

July 4, 2024

· 1,848 Views · 1 Like

Scrum Master Interview 2024

Learn how to prove your indispensable value in driving organizational success as you prepare for your Scrum Master job interview.

June 26, 2024

· 2,482 Views · 2 Likes

Scrum Master JobGPT

Scrum Master JobGPT: Your New Tool for Thriving in the Current Job Market. Get help when you search for or select new Scrum Master Jobs.

June 18, 2024

· 2,290 Views · 3 Likes

The Meta-Retrospective

The Meta-Retrospective fosters collaboration and creates a shared understanding of the big picture between teams and stakeholders.

June 11, 2024

· 3,818 Views · 3 Likes

Rookie Mistakes Scrum Masters Make

Discover actionable insights and practical exercises to help you grow from a beginner into an effective and respected Scrum Master.

June 4, 2024

· 3,049 Views · 2 Likes

Product Owner and Scrum Master Combined in One Individual?

Product Owner and Scrum Master combined into one: Is it always a detrimental choice, or could there be situations where this is temporarily beneficial?

May 28, 2024

· 3,313 Views · 2 Likes

Toyota Kata Coaching

Read about Toyota Kata Coaching for Agile Teams and Transformations with Fortune Buchholtz at the 61st Hands-on Agile Meetup.

May 20, 2024

· 1,124 Views · 1 Like

The Technical Product Owner

The Technical Product Owner: Uncover when their technical acumen is a game-changer, a nice-to-have, or probably detrimental.

May 6, 2024

· 1,760 Views · 1 Like

System-Level Scrum Stakeholder Anti-Patterns

This article covers the perils of a lack of transparency limited to non-existing leadership support and why penny-pinching is the wrong approach.

May 1, 2024

· 1,329 Views · 1 Like

Creating Value With Scrum

Explore this guide of Scrum Master interview questions to identify suitable candidates as you gain insight to create value with Scrum.

April 17, 2024

· 1,710 Views · 2 Likes

Marty Cagan on the Product Operating Model and Scrum’s Future

In this interview with Marty Cagan, author of the book "Transformed," explore insights on revolutionizing product management and embracing empowered teams.

April 9, 2024

· 2,394 Views · 1 Like

“Agile” Does Not Work for You?

How to tackle fake agility with Johanna Rothman, from understanding (product and project) lifecycles to mitigating risk.

April 2, 2024

· 1,686 Views · 2 Likes

How Scrum Teams Fail Stakeholders

In this article, we uncover typical ways in which Scrum teams fail stakeholders, from overpromising results to poor risk communication to neglecting feedback.

March 26, 2024

· 1,719 Views · 4 Likes

Continuous Improvement as a Team

The top ten continuous improvement actions for teams, from scrum values to stakeholder inclusion to continuous learning.

March 19, 2024

· 4,397 Views · 6 Likes

Sprint Anti-Patterns

This article covers the three Scrum accountabilities (formerly roles) and addresses interferences of stakeholders and IT/line management with this crucial Scrum event.

March 12, 2024

· 3,840 Views · 3 Likes

Navigating the Agile Job Crisis

This article outlines actionable strategies for thriving in challenging times, emphasizing that growth and success are achievable.

March 7, 2024

· 2,923 Views · 2 Likes

Scrum Anti-Patterns GPT

Scrum Anti-Patterns GPT: Find out how an early draft of the Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide book performs as a custom-made GPT.

February 26, 2024

· 2,208 Views · 2 Likes

Dysfunction Mapping

Discover the concept of dysfunction mapping, a tool developed over years of trial and error aimed at a way to find, theme, and solve organizational dysfunction.

February 13, 2024

· 2,729 Views · 1 Like

Getting Hired as a Scrum Master or Agile Coach

In this article, discover four simple steps of proactive research to avoid disappointment as you consider a new Scrum Master or Agile Coach job.

February 7, 2024

· 5,037 Views · 2 Likes

Could a Scrum GPT Challenge Scrum Masters?

This article answers if Scrum Masters change from essential practitioners to a niche role.

January 24, 2024

· 2,147 Views · 1 Like

Sunsetting Scrum Masters

In this article, discover the signs that a Scrum Master's journey is coming to a close and learn how to detect them.

January 16, 2024

· 2,643 Views · 5 Likes

Humble Planning: Maarten Dalmijn at the 57th Hands-On Agile Meetup

Maarten introduces the concept of humble planning and why it’s crucial for succeeding with an Agile way of working and building products of exceptional value.

January 8, 2024

· 2,417 Views · 2 Likes

Successful Scrum Masters

Do you match the seven success criteria?

December 11, 2023

· 2,934 Views · 2 Likes

A Guide to Missing Sprint Goals

Why succeed when you can fail?

December 4, 2023

· 4,001 Views · 7 Likes

The Scrum Trap

In this article, take a look at what practices and tools for collaboration and team building are not helpful when used with Scrum.

November 27, 2023

· 2,270 Views · 4 Likes

Escaping the Feature Factory

Refocusing from output to income. The feature factory fate is not inevitable; there is hope to avoid becoming a mere cog in the machinery. Learn how!

November 21, 2023

· 2,120 Views · 2 Likes

Overcoming Product Backlog Management Traps

During the 54th Hands-on Agile meetup, David Pereira shared tried and tested practices to avoid the feature factory fate.

November 13, 2023

· 2,011 Views · 1 Like

The Illusion of Velocity

In this article, I explore the pitfalls of ‘The Illusion of Velocity’ in Agile contexts, peeling back the layers of traditional metrics as leadership tools.

November 6, 2023

· 3,454 Views · 1 Like

Scrum Team Failure

This is the third of three articles analyzing the 183 anti-patterns from the upcoming Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide book. Let's dive in!

October 30, 2023

· 3,345 Views · 3 Likes

Saying No as a Product Owner or Product Manager

In this post, learn how to maintain a harmonious balance between driving Product Goals and nurturing professional relationships with your stakeholders.

October 23, 2023

· 2,337 Views · 3 Likes

Comments

The Uncomfortable Truth of Scaling ‘Agile’

Jul 08, 2023 · Stefan Wolpers

Thanks for the Kudos! Best, Stefan

The Three Daily Scrum Questions Won’t Die

Mar 08, 2023 · Stefan Wolpers

I agree, Alan. As so often, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

A ChatGPT Job Interview for a Scrum Master Position

Jan 10, 2023 · Stefan Wolpers

I would like to train a support chatbot to help with everyday questions when no other support, for example, from the community is available. Also, I would be interested in a sparring partner to get a better understanding about a specific topic or thought.

20 Sprint Planning Anti-patterns

Apr 27, 2022 · Stefan Wolpers

Explain what?

How to Sabotage a Scrum Master

Dec 16, 2021 · Stefan Wolpers

https://age-of-product.com/scrum-anti-patterns/

Scrum: 16 Stand-up Anti-Patterns

Aug 18, 2020 · Stefan Wolpers

"Valet" — I like the coining!

Scrum: 16 Stand-up Anti-Patterns

Aug 17, 2020 · Stefan Wolpers

I was referring to the moment when people wait in-line to share with others. The newer version of the article can be found here: https://age-of-product.com/stand-up-anti-patterns/

27 Sprint Anti-Patterns Holding Back Scrum Teams

Jun 05, 2017 · Stefan Wolpers

Thanks for the kudos! You might be interested in downloading the Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide (free PDF) as well. Next post in the coming week is the sprint retrospective.

Scrum: 16 Stand-up Anti-Patterns

Apr 13, 2017 · Stefan Wolpers

What makes you believe that? Could you be more elaborate?

Agile Metrics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Jan 08, 2017 · Stefan Wolpers

I disagree, your opinion contradicts my experience as shared in the post.

Agile Metrics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Jan 07, 2017 · Stefan Wolpers

And how is that helping the team to get better?

Agile Metrics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Jan 06, 2017 · Stefan Wolpers

You're referring to these “72% accomplished” metric?

10 Proven Stakeholder Communication Tactics During an Agile Transition

Aug 04, 2016 · Stefan Wolpers

Totally agree, particularly on sprint review part. On some projects, they feel more like an extended version of the daily reporting routine — aka daily scrum –. And I am as well still searching for the golden key… :)

10 Proven Stakeholder Communication Tactics During an Agile Transition

Aug 03, 2016 · Stefan Wolpers

Tobias, I agree. Anything that you would add?

How to Run User Tests Successfully: The ‘Why’ Question

May 10, 2016 · Stefan Wolpers

Ouch! Thanks for pointing at it! #fixed