Author: Gerry Kirk

Social Media @ Scrum Gathering by the numbers

Posted on by in Social Media

Scrumming forward - open space banner @ Scrum Gathering

Last week I attended my first ever Scrum Gathering in Orlando. A big part of my voluntary duties was to enhance the experience through use of social media.

Just for fun, I tabulated some numbers on social media throughput by myself and conference goers:

The Twitter fountain was a big hit. We set it up in the conference hallway one day and inside the open space ballroom the next. People enjoyed seeing tweets and photos appear live on screen.

In a follow-up post, I’ll explain more about the why and how of social media at the conference, what worked in my mind and what didn’t, and what I would do next time.

Secret map unearthed for Dialogue Room at the Scrum Gathering in…

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Secret map unearthed for Dialogue Room at the Scrum Gathering in Orlando, FL in March. If you can’t have fun here, you’re doin’ it wrong. 🙂

The Dialogue Room is the heart beat of the Scrum Gathering. Come experience a lightly structured, free flowing environment where impromptu and spontaneous conversations and activities can take place. It is intended to be a space for those who want to explore Scrum beyond the formal sessions. Anything goes; no formal workshops or talks here. The Dialogue Room coordinators will provide craft materials and games — that will spur the creation of new structure. Explore and contribute to a gallery of questions and other artifacts. Peruse the live Twitter / Flickr wall.

Got a Scrum ailment that needs diagnosis? Come visit the Scrum Clinic at the Dialogue Room. Sign up for a 20 minute session of private 1-on-1 coaching. Doctors wanted.

Are you going to the Scrum Gathering? What do you think of the Dialogue Room? What would you do differently?

Polls Suggest Somebody Did Something Stupid

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Polls Suggest Somebody Did Something Stupid:

Classic Rick Mercer: “See this is what I love about Canada. Yes, we are apathetic. But the minute anyone tries to use our apathy against us suddenly we start to care big time.”

Let’s keep the momentum going, beyond protest and towards building a better future by re-connecting with each other. That’s why I am a part of the Changecamp movement.

What does being a team really mean?

Posted on by in Agile

Yves Hanoulle is asking a question each day for people to think about, through his @Retroflection Twitter account. Each day someone is invited to respond, and today I have been asked to answer:

What does being a team really mean (as opposed to the way the word is often misapplied)

To “be a team” in my experience, means to:

  • Share goal(s), to have a common purpose for working together
  • Commit collectively to getting work done, in a spirit of collaboration
  • Respect each other’s differences
  • Trust that each person is competent, will raise issues and follow through on commitments
  • Have the courage to remove obstacles in the team’s path, including resolving conflicts within the team

Those familiar with Scrum will notice my team attributes are based on the 5 core Scrum values.

These attributes are not easy to attain. It takes time to become a team, and a lot of hard work. Just ask my wife.

Now it is your turn to answer: what does being a team mean to you?