#ScrumMaster
The 14 Most Valuable IT Certifications
04 June 2022
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Click here to download this article as a PDF.
In Technology, there's no substitute for experience. However, certifications remain a valuable tool for advancing one's career. Employers want candidates (and employees) with up-to-date knowledge and skills, and certifications demonstrate a person’s mastery of the respective subject. The author reviewed data from multiple sources — including BMC, CIO, Clearance Jobs, Indeed, and Robert Half — to determine the consensus on the most valuable Technology related certifications. Fourteen emerged. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
If you're interested in learning about the project management related certifications, visit the Scrum Alliance for the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and the Project Management Institute for the Project Management Professional (PMP).
Many employers prefer to hire certified professionals, especially those who also have college degrees and successful work experience. Those who invest in professional credentials typically enjoy larger salaries.
Sources:
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
This article by Scott M. Graffius on the most valuable IT certifications was published in 2022. Graffius periodically refreshes his work. The most current (2024) edition of his report is here.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi award-winning author, and international speaker. He has generated over $1.75 billion of business value in aggregate for the organizations he has served. Graffius is the founder, CEO, and principal consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. Content from his books (Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions and Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change), workshops, speaking engagements, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities including Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Deloitte, EY, Project Management Institute, IEEE, SANS Institute, U.S. Soccer Federation, English Institute of Sport, Ford, Qantas, Atlassian, Wrike, Bayer, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, United States Army, United States National Park Service, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Tufts University, Texas A&M University, Warsaw University of Technology, University of Waterloo, National University of Ireland Galway, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and others. Graffius delivers dynamic and engaging talks and workshops at public and private/corporate events. His engagements total 78 in-person and online conferences and other events around the world, including Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. Graffius delights audiences with sessions on technology leadership and project, program, portfolio, and PMO management inclusive of agile, waterfall, and hybrid approaches. He uses everyday language and vibrant custom visuals to make complex topics clear, and he provides audiences with practical information they can use.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
The short link for this article is: bit.ly/14-certs
© Copyright 2022 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Click here to download this article as a PDF.
In Technology, there's no substitute for experience. However, certifications remain a valuable tool for advancing one's career. Employers want candidates (and employees) with up-to-date knowledge and skills, and certifications demonstrate a person’s mastery of the respective subject. The author reviewed data from multiple sources — including BMC, CIO, Clearance Jobs, Indeed, and Robert Half — to determine the consensus on the most valuable Technology related certifications. Fourteen emerged. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
- Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE)
- Certified Data Professional (CDP)
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
- CompTIA (A+, Cloud+, Security+)
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- Oracle MySQL Database Administration
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer
If you're interested in learning about the project management related certifications, visit the Scrum Alliance for the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and the Project Management Institute for the Project Management Professional (PMP).
Many employers prefer to hire certified professionals, especially those who also have college degrees and successful work experience. Those who invest in professional credentials typically enjoy larger salaries.
Sources:
- Hamilton, Jillian (2021, July 9). Top 10 IT Certifications Held by Cleared Professionals. Clearance Jobs. Accessed at https://news.clearancejobs.com/2021/07/09/top-10-it-certifications-held-by-cleared-professionals-2/.
- Miller, Austin (2021, June 25). Top Paying IT Certifications in 2022. BMC Software, Inc. Accessed at https://www.bmc.com/blogs/top-paying-it-certifications/.
- Robert Half (2021, September 9). The 29 Most Valuable IT Certifications. Robert Half. Accessed at https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/salaries-and-skills/which-it-certifications-are-most-valuable.
- Vallee, Megan (2022, March 4). 21 IT Certifications in Demand for 2022. Indeed. Accessed at https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/top-it-certifications.
- White, Sarah K. (2022, January 14). Top 15 IT Certifications in Demand for 2022. CIO. Accessed at https://www.cio.com/article/193586/top-15-it-certifications-in-demand-for-2021.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
This article by Scott M. Graffius on the most valuable IT certifications was published in 2022. Graffius periodically refreshes his work. The most current (2024) edition of his report is here.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi award-winning author, and international speaker. He has generated over $1.75 billion of business value in aggregate for the organizations he has served. Graffius is the founder, CEO, and principal consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. Content from his books (Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions and Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change), workshops, speaking engagements, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities including Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Deloitte, EY, Project Management Institute, IEEE, SANS Institute, U.S. Soccer Federation, English Institute of Sport, Ford, Qantas, Atlassian, Wrike, Bayer, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, United States Army, United States National Park Service, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Tufts University, Texas A&M University, Warsaw University of Technology, University of Waterloo, National University of Ireland Galway, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and others. Graffius delivers dynamic and engaging talks and workshops at public and private/corporate events. His engagements total 78 in-person and online conferences and other events around the world, including Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. Graffius delights audiences with sessions on technology leadership and project, program, portfolio, and PMO management inclusive of agile, waterfall, and hybrid approaches. He uses everyday language and vibrant custom visuals to make complex topics clear, and he provides audiences with practical information they can use.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
The short link for this article is: bit.ly/14-certs
© Copyright 2022 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
The Future of Agile: Trends and Challenges
10 April 2023
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Click here to download this article as a PDF.
A Brief Overview of Agile
Organizations are increasingly adopting Agile approaches — such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and others — to develop products and services. Some of the top reasons are:
The Future of Agile
As technology advances and business environments become more complex, Agile remains a powerful approach for organizations to stay competitive and deliver value to their customers. This article explores trends shaping the future of Agile and the key factors that contribute to its success.
Scaling Agile
One of the key trends shaping the future of Agile is scaling. Many organizations are looking for ways to scale Agile across teams, departments, and even the entire organization. Doing so involves adopting frameworks like the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), Disciplined Agile (DA), and others to coordinate and align multiple Agile teams to achieve common goals. Scaling Agile is essential to ensure that Agile practices are consistent across the organization, and that teams are working towards the same objectives.
Agile and DevOps
DevOps is another trend shaping the future of Agile. DevOps is a natural extension of Agile principles and values. DevOps aims to integrate development and operations teams to improve collaboration, streamline processes, and accelerate software delivery. As organizations increasingly embrace DevOps, Agile teams will need to incorporate DevOps practices into their workflow. This means that Agile teams will need to work more closely with operations teams and adopt new tools and practices to manage infrastructure and deployment.
Agile for Non-Tech Projects
Agile approaches were initially developed for software development projects. However, Agile principles and values can be applied to non-tech projects as well, such as marketing, HR, and finance. As organizations look for ways to improve their processes and adapt to change quickly, Agile will continue to gain traction in non-tech areas.
Agile with AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way businesses operate. Agile teams can leverage AI tools and techniques to improve software quality, automate testing, and optimize project management. As AI continues to evolve, Agile teams will need to adapt their processes and practices to best incorporate AI. Agile teams will need to work closely with data scientists and machine learning experts to identify opportunities to use AI in their projects.
Agile for Remote Teams
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend of remote work. Agile teams need to adapt their processes to work effectively in a remote environment. This includes adopting new collaboration tools, establishing clear communication channels, and adapting Agile events (previously referred to as ceremonies) to work in a virtual setting.
Conclusion
The future of Agile is bright. Organizations are increasingly adopting Agile approaches to the development of products and services. By embracing trends — such as Scaling Agile, Agile and DevOps, Agile for non-tech, Agile with AI, and Agile for remote teams — and advances in technology, organizations can improve their Agile implementations and competitive advantage.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi award-winning author, and highly sought-after international keynote speaker. He has generated over $1.75 billion of business value in aggregate for the organizations he has served. Graffius is the CEO and Principal Consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. Content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Select examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, U.S. Soccer Federation, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Park Service, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Warsaw University of Technology, and others. Graffius has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology leadership at 82 conferences and other events across 24 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow instructions, the multi award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book by Scott M. Graffius (Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, Technical Editors) helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/agile-future
© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Click here to download this article as a PDF.
A Brief Overview of Agile
Organizations are increasingly adopting Agile approaches — such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and others — to develop products and services. Some of the top reasons are:
- Flexibility: Agile approaches prioritize flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing requirements and circumstances easily. That’s advantageous in today's fast-paced business environment.
- Faster Time-to-Market: Agile approaches emphasize quick delivery of working products or services, which enables businesses to rapidly respond to market demands and gain a competitive edge.
- Customer-centric: Agile approaches focus on delivering value to customers, which helps businesses to better understand their needs and deliver products or services that meet those needs.
- Collaboration: Agile approaches encourage collaboration and communication between team members, which helps to create a more cohesive and productive team.
- Continuous improvement: Agile approaches prioritize continuous improvement, allowing teams to reflect on their performance and adjust their approach as needed to improve productivity and efficiency.
The Future of Agile
As technology advances and business environments become more complex, Agile remains a powerful approach for organizations to stay competitive and deliver value to their customers. This article explores trends shaping the future of Agile and the key factors that contribute to its success.
Scaling Agile
One of the key trends shaping the future of Agile is scaling. Many organizations are looking for ways to scale Agile across teams, departments, and even the entire organization. Doing so involves adopting frameworks like the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), Disciplined Agile (DA), and others to coordinate and align multiple Agile teams to achieve common goals. Scaling Agile is essential to ensure that Agile practices are consistent across the organization, and that teams are working towards the same objectives.
Agile and DevOps
DevOps is another trend shaping the future of Agile. DevOps is a natural extension of Agile principles and values. DevOps aims to integrate development and operations teams to improve collaboration, streamline processes, and accelerate software delivery. As organizations increasingly embrace DevOps, Agile teams will need to incorporate DevOps practices into their workflow. This means that Agile teams will need to work more closely with operations teams and adopt new tools and practices to manage infrastructure and deployment.
Agile for Non-Tech Projects
Agile approaches were initially developed for software development projects. However, Agile principles and values can be applied to non-tech projects as well, such as marketing, HR, and finance. As organizations look for ways to improve their processes and adapt to change quickly, Agile will continue to gain traction in non-tech areas.
Agile with AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way businesses operate. Agile teams can leverage AI tools and techniques to improve software quality, automate testing, and optimize project management. As AI continues to evolve, Agile teams will need to adapt their processes and practices to best incorporate AI. Agile teams will need to work closely with data scientists and machine learning experts to identify opportunities to use AI in their projects.
Agile for Remote Teams
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend of remote work. Agile teams need to adapt their processes to work effectively in a remote environment. This includes adopting new collaboration tools, establishing clear communication channels, and adapting Agile events (previously referred to as ceremonies) to work in a virtual setting.
Conclusion
The future of Agile is bright. Organizations are increasingly adopting Agile approaches to the development of products and services. By embracing trends — such as Scaling Agile, Agile and DevOps, Agile for non-tech, Agile with AI, and Agile for remote teams — and advances in technology, organizations can improve their Agile implementations and competitive advantage.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi award-winning author, and highly sought-after international keynote speaker. He has generated over $1.75 billion of business value in aggregate for the organizations he has served. Graffius is the CEO and Principal Consultant at Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. Content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Select examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, U.S. Soccer Federation, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Park Service, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Warsaw University of Technology, and others. Graffius has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology leadership at 82 conferences and other events across 24 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow instructions, the multi award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book by Scott M. Graffius (Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, Technical Editors) helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/agile-future
© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences Features Scott M. Graffius' Content
26 April 2023
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Select here to download this article as a PDF.
Businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities have used and featured Scott M. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more. Examples of organizations include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Tufts University, and many others.
This month, Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz (Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences) was added to the list of organizations. Dr. Ingo Cassack, Professor at the university, incorporated Graffius' Phases of Team Development work into Dr. Cassack's material on project management. Two excerpts follow.
To learn more about Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development, visit here.
Oksana Makovoz wrote about the presentation which included Graffius' work, among other details. She posted on:
About Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz
Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz (Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences) is a non-profit public higher-education institution located in Zittau — in the border triangle between Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland . The institution also has a branch campus in Görlitz, Saxon, Germany. Officially recognized by the Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts), Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz is a top tier coeducational German higher education institution with no tuition fees, state-of-the-art equipment, and intensive support. Visit https://www.hszg.de to learn more.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi-award-winning author, and international keynote speaker. He is the Founder of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. He has generated over $1.9 billion of business value in aggregate for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Tufts University, and others. He has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology leadership at 85 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow instructions, the multi award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book by Scott M. Graffius (Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, Technical Editors) helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/hszg-2023
© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Select here to download this article as a PDF.
Businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities have used and featured Scott M. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more. Examples of organizations include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Tufts University, and many others.
This month, Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz (Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences) was added to the list of organizations. Dr. Ingo Cassack, Professor at the university, incorporated Graffius' Phases of Team Development work into Dr. Cassack's material on project management. Two excerpts follow.
To learn more about Scott M. Graffius' Phases of Team Development, visit here.
Oksana Makovoz wrote about the presentation which included Graffius' work, among other details. She posted on:
About Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz
Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz (Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences) is a non-profit public higher-education institution located in Zittau — in the border triangle between Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland . The institution also has a branch campus in Görlitz, Saxon, Germany. Officially recognized by the Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts), Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz is a top tier coeducational German higher education institution with no tuition fees, state-of-the-art equipment, and intensive support. Visit https://www.hszg.de to learn more.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi-award-winning author, and international keynote speaker. He is the Founder of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. He has generated over $1.9 billion of business value in aggregate for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Tufts University, and others. He has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology leadership at 85 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow instructions, the multi award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book by Scott M. Graffius (Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, Technical Editors) helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/hszg-2023
© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Leverage the Power of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
15 May 2023
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Select here to download this article as a PDF.
Minimum viable products (MVPs)—coined by Frank Robinson in 2001, and subsequently popularized by Steve Blank and Eric Ries—can be advantageous tools for the development of products and services. This article is informed by Graffius' first-hand experience with MVPs as well as research and coverage from the Harvard Business Review, IEEE, MIT Sloan Management Review, Product Development and Management Association, Product School, Project Management Institute, Scaled Agile, and others (all listed in the bibliography section of this article).
Introduction
Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) can be game changers. They can be used by businesses to validate ideas, reduce time to market, and minimize risks associated with building fully featured products from the outset. This article provides those involved or interested in Agile, Lean, Product Management, Product Development, Project Management, and entrepreneurship with information on the significance of MVPs and how to leverage them.
Defining MVPs
First, it's paramount to understand what constitutes an MVP and why it matters. A Minimum Viable Product is a version of a product (or service) that incorporates just the essential features to address core customer needs and validate the viability of the concept. By employing an MVP, companies can gather valuable user feedback early on, allowing them to iterate, refine, and pivot their offering—if needed—based on market demand. This process saves time and resources, and it advances the chances of building a successful and customer-centric offering.
Here's a succinct definition of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP):
"The MVP has just those features considered sufficient for it to be of value to customers and allow for it to be shipped or sold to early adopters. Customer feedback will inform future development of the product." — Scott M. Graffius, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Next, examples of seven successful MVPs—Zappos, Spotify, Airbnb, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, and Groupon—will illustrate the power of MVPs.
MVP Success Stories
Key Principles and Best Practices for MVPs
Building a successful MVP requires adhering to key principles and best practices. It involves thoughtfully determining the relatively few features and limited scope to address core customer needs. Collecting and analyzing user feedback plays a pivotal role in making informed decisions and prioritizing enhancements. By embracing an iterative mindset and focusing on the most valuable aspects of the product, businesses can create an MVP that resonates with their target audience.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Challenges with MVPs
While MVPs offer significant advantages, they are not without challenges. Over-engineering the product, prematurely scaling, and failing to validate crucial assumptions are common pitfalls that can hinder success. It’s vital to strike a balance between building a viable product and avoiding unnecessary complexity. By remaining adaptable and open to change, businesses can navigate these challenges and increase the chances of achieving their goals.
Validating and Iterating via Lean and Agile Approaches
The MVP is particularly well-suited for Lean and Agile approaches and environments. Lean principles emphasize continuous learning, eliminating waste, and rapid experimentation. Agile (such as Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe) involve iterative development, frequent feedback loops, and continuous improvement. Utilizing Lean/Agile can help maximize the value of MVPs and increase chances of success.
Beyond the MVP
Once an MVP proves its viability, the focus shifts to scaling and launching the product. This stage requires a broad and deep understanding of the target market, competition, and customer preferences. It involves adapting the product based on user feedback, exploring different marketing strategies, and leveraging data-driven insights. Staying agile, continuously learning, and adapting to market dynamics are crucial for sustained growth and long-term success.
Conclusion
MVPs are powerful tools for innovation and the successful development of products/services. The examples of Zappos, Spotify, Airbnb, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, and Groupon highlight the transformative impact of MVPs across diverse industries. By embracing the core principles, avoiding common pitfalls, and leveraging Lean and Agile approaches, businesses can unlock the full potential of their MVPs and pave the way for sustained growth, customer satisfaction, and market leadership with their offerings. Which makes MVPs game changers.
Bibliography
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 15). Leverage the Power of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/mvp2023.html. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.24064.20486. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24064.20486.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi-award-winning author, and international keynote speaker. He is the Founder of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. He has generated over $1.9 billion of business value in aggregate for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Tufts University, and others. He has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology (including AI) leadership at 86 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow instructions, the multi award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book by Scott M. Graffius (Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, Technical Editors) helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/mvp-7
© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Select here to download this article as a PDF.
Minimum viable products (MVPs)—coined by Frank Robinson in 2001, and subsequently popularized by Steve Blank and Eric Ries—can be advantageous tools for the development of products and services. This article is informed by Graffius' first-hand experience with MVPs as well as research and coverage from the Harvard Business Review, IEEE, MIT Sloan Management Review, Product Development and Management Association, Product School, Project Management Institute, Scaled Agile, and others (all listed in the bibliography section of this article).
Introduction
Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) can be game changers. They can be used by businesses to validate ideas, reduce time to market, and minimize risks associated with building fully featured products from the outset. This article provides those involved or interested in Agile, Lean, Product Management, Product Development, Project Management, and entrepreneurship with information on the significance of MVPs and how to leverage them.
Defining MVPs
First, it's paramount to understand what constitutes an MVP and why it matters. A Minimum Viable Product is a version of a product (or service) that incorporates just the essential features to address core customer needs and validate the viability of the concept. By employing an MVP, companies can gather valuable user feedback early on, allowing them to iterate, refine, and pivot their offering—if needed—based on market demand. This process saves time and resources, and it advances the chances of building a successful and customer-centric offering.
Here's a succinct definition of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP):
"The MVP has just those features considered sufficient for it to be of value to customers and allow for it to be shipped or sold to early adopters. Customer feedback will inform future development of the product." — Scott M. Graffius, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Next, examples of seven successful MVPs—Zappos, Spotify, Airbnb, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, and Groupon—will illustrate the power of MVPs.
MVP Success Stories
- Zappos: Zappos revolutionized the online shoe market by focusing on customer-centricity and rapid experimentation. Their MVP allowed them to validate their hypothesis, gather customer feedback, and iterate their offering to create a seamless and personalized shopping experience. Zappos is a prime example of the power of MVPs.
- Spotify: Global music streaming platform Spotify started as a simple streaming service MVP and they and continuously improved and expanded it based on customer feedback. By iterating their product, Spotify became a household name. Their MVP-driven approach ensured a product-market fit and helped them stay ahead in a competitive industry.
- Airbnb: Airbnb's success story speaks to the effectiveness of MVPs in validating an idea and subsequently scaling it to a global marketplace. Airbnb's founders started by testing their marketplace concept using an MVP strategy. By leveraging existing resources and validating demand through early adopters, they gained critical insights that shaped their platform's evolution. Today, Airbnb is a household name, offering unique accommodations worldwide.
- Facebook: Facebook's journey from a simple MVP to the world's largest social network demonstrates the power of incremental growth and user feedback. Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes initially created a minimal profile-based social networking MVP (initially called "Thefacebook"), focusing on connecting people at Harvard. Through continuous iterations and the addition of features based on user needs and feedback, Facebook reshaped the social media landscape, connecting billions of people globally.
- Amazon: E-commerce giant Amazon is renowned for its relentless focus on customer experience. They started with an MVP approach, catering to customers' fundamental needs related to books, and subsequently expanded into new product categories incrementally. By prioritizing customer satisfaction, Amazon established itself as a trusted and innovative marketplace, continuously raising the bar for online shopping.
- Dropbox: Dropbox, a prominent player in the cloud storage market, kick-started its journey with a basic file-syncing MVP. By offering a simple yet essential solution to the problem of file synchronization across devices, Dropbox gained traction and valuable user insights. They leveraged this feedback to iterate and improve their product, eventually becoming a leader in the highly competitive cloud storage industry.
- Groupon: Popular online deals platform Groupon employed an MVP approach by testing deal offerings on a WordPress blog. That allowed them to validate market interest and adjust their strategy based on customer responses. By embracing the importance of market validation and adaptability, Groupon transformed into a global leader, providing users with discounted offers across various categories.
Key Principles and Best Practices for MVPs
Building a successful MVP requires adhering to key principles and best practices. It involves thoughtfully determining the relatively few features and limited scope to address core customer needs. Collecting and analyzing user feedback plays a pivotal role in making informed decisions and prioritizing enhancements. By embracing an iterative mindset and focusing on the most valuable aspects of the product, businesses can create an MVP that resonates with their target audience.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Challenges with MVPs
While MVPs offer significant advantages, they are not without challenges. Over-engineering the product, prematurely scaling, and failing to validate crucial assumptions are common pitfalls that can hinder success. It’s vital to strike a balance between building a viable product and avoiding unnecessary complexity. By remaining adaptable and open to change, businesses can navigate these challenges and increase the chances of achieving their goals.
Validating and Iterating via Lean and Agile Approaches
The MVP is particularly well-suited for Lean and Agile approaches and environments. Lean principles emphasize continuous learning, eliminating waste, and rapid experimentation. Agile (such as Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe) involve iterative development, frequent feedback loops, and continuous improvement. Utilizing Lean/Agile can help maximize the value of MVPs and increase chances of success.
Beyond the MVP
Once an MVP proves its viability, the focus shifts to scaling and launching the product. This stage requires a broad and deep understanding of the target market, competition, and customer preferences. It involves adapting the product based on user feedback, exploring different marketing strategies, and leveraging data-driven insights. Staying agile, continuously learning, and adapting to market dynamics are crucial for sustained growth and long-term success.
Conclusion
MVPs are powerful tools for innovation and the successful development of products/services. The examples of Zappos, Spotify, Airbnb, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, and Groupon highlight the transformative impact of MVPs across diverse industries. By embracing the core principles, avoiding common pitfalls, and leveraging Lean and Agile approaches, businesses can unlock the full potential of their MVPs and pave the way for sustained growth, customer satisfaction, and market leadership with their offerings. Which makes MVPs game changers.
Bibliography
- Airbnb (n.d.). About Airbnb. Available at: https://news.airbnb.com/about-us.
- Blank, Steve (2020). The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
- Cagan, Marty (2012, March 7). Viable Product vs. Minimal Product. Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG). Available at: https://www.svpg.com/viable-product-vs-minimal-product.
- CB Insights (2021, August 3). The Top 12 Reasons Startups Fail. CB Insights Research. Available at: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/startup-failure-reasons-top.
- Davenport, Thomas H., & Seseri, Rudina (2020, December 15). What is a Minimum Viable AI Product? MIT Sloan Management Review. Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/what-is-a-minimum-viable-ai-product.
- Dropbox (n.d.). About the Company. Available at: https://www.dropbox.com/about.
- Furr, Nathan, & Dyer, Jeff (2014). The Innovator's Method: Bringing the Lean Start-up into Your Organization. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2016). Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2018, October 4). Agile Scrum Helps Innovators, Disruptors, and Entrepreneurs Develop and Deliver Products at Astounding Speed Which Drives Competitive Advantage [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of startups and others in the entrepreneurial community at the Techstars Startup Week Conference at The Box Theater, Riverside, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.25009.12647. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25009.12647.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, February 27). Are You Realizing All the Benefits from Agile? [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience involved or interested in Technology at the Scottish Summit 2021 Technology Conference based from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.17273.90728. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17273.90728.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 1). Fueling the Development of Innovative and Life-Changing AI Solutions [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of Technology professionals (including Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, AI Researchers, Project Managers, Business Analysts, UX Designers, Software Developers, Cloud Architects, Data Privacy and Security Specialists, and others involved or interested in AI) at a private event in Mountain View, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601.
- Groupon (2013, July 30). The History of Groupon. Available at: https://www.groupon.com/merchant/working-with-groupon/groupon-news/the-history-of-groupon.
- Harvard Business School (2021). MVP Development. Available at: https://entrepreneurship.hbs.edu/Documents/Session%20Summary/HBSRockMVPDevelopment.pdf.
- Krishnamurthy, Rajeshwari (2021, January 29). Why is Agile Product Development Process So Popular? Product Development & Management Association (PDMA). Available at: https://community.pdma.org/knowledgehub/bok/product-innovation-process/why-is-agile-product-development-process-so-popular.
- Lenarduzzi, Valentina, & Taibi, Davide (2016, August). MVP Explained: A Systematic Mapping Study on the Definitions of Minimal Viable Product. Proceedings from the 2016 42nd Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA): 112–119.
- Merryweather, Ellen (2023, January 9). Product-Led Growth Strategy for Product Managers. Product School. Available at: https://productschool.com/blog/product-strategy/product-led-growth-strategy.
- Meta (n.d.). About Meta. Available at: https://about.meta.com/company-info.
- Miski, A. (2014). Development of a Mobile Application Using the Lean Startup Methodology. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 5 (1): 1743-1748.
- Moogk, Dobrila R. (2012, March). Minimum Viable Product and the Importance of Experimentation in Technology Startups. Technology Innovation and Management Review. Available at: https://timreview.ca/article/535.
- Olsen, Dan (2015). The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
- Osterwalder, Alexander, & Pigneur, Yves (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
- Project Management Institute (n.d.). Minimum Business Increments (MBIs). Available at: https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/da-flex-toc/minimum-business-increments.
- Putten, Alexander B. van, & MacMillan, Ian (2004, December). Making Real Options Really Work. Harvard Business Review, 82 (12): 134-141, 150.
- Ries, Eric (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. New York, New York: Penguin Random House.
- Scaled Agile (n.d.). Applied Innovation Accounting in SAFe. Available at: https://scaledagileframework.com/guidance-applied-innovation-accounting-in-safe.
- Spotify (n.d.). About Spotify. Available at: https://newsroom.spotify.com/company-info.
- Templeton, Chuck (2014, December 9). 10 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Learn. Fortune. Available at: https://fortune.com/2014/12/09/10-lessons-every-entrepreneur-should-learn.
- Thomsen, Dave (2013, December 20). Why Human-Centered Design Matters. Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/12/human-centered-design-matters.
- Umbreen, J., Mirza, Muhammad Z., Ahmad, Yasir, & Naseem, Afshan. (2022, December). Assessing the Role of Minimum Viable Products in Digital Startups. Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM): 1073-1077.
- Wikipedia (n.d.). History of Amazon. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Amazon.
- Zappos (n.d.). About Zappos. Available at: https://www.zappos.com/marty/c/about-zappos.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 15). Leverage the Power of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/mvp2023.html. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.24064.20486. DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24064.20486.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, SFE, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, multi-award-winning author, and international keynote speaker. He is the Founder of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™. He has generated over $1.9 billion of business value in aggregate for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities. Examples include Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, United States Department of Energy, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Yale University, Tufts University, and others. He has delighted audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile, project management, and technology (including AI) leadership at 86 conferences and other events across 25 countries.
His full bio is available here.
Connect with Scott on:
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow instructions, the multi award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book by Scott M. Graffius (Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, Technical Editors) helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
The short URL for this article is: https://bit.ly/mvp-7
© Copyright 2023 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Johns Hopkins University Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius
01 August 2024
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Johns Hopkins University features Scott M. Graffius’ work!
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning — inclusive of a graph showing how performance varies by phase, as well as the characteristics and strategies for each phase. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Leaders of teams can apply Graffius' information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
Graffius' copyrighted 'Phases of Team Development' work is used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world. Select examples include:
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) was added to the list. JHU Carey Business School features Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP in its Business Communications (BU 120.601) course, taught by Steven D. Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Excerpts from a related presentation follow.
The title page of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Page 2 of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Page 3 of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Current Edition of Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP
Graffius initially developed his respective material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. Information on the current (2024) edition of his 'Phases of Team Development' IP is available at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html.
About Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.
Visit https://www.jhu.edu/ to learn more.
About Business Communication (BU 120.601)
The JHU Business Communication (BU 120.601) course refines students’ skills in business writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication. Through analyses and practice of communication strategies adopted by successful business professionals, students learn to write clearly and concisely, deliver compelling presentations, and construct effective arguments. See JHU’s course catalog at https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/course-descriptions/management/ to learn more.
About Steven D. Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Steven D. Cohen is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He is well known for helping leaders communicate with confidence, influence, and authority. Dr. Cohen has been quoted in media outlets such as the Financial Times, Forbes, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and NBC News. To learn more about Professor Cohen, visit https://carey.jhu.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/steven-d-cohen-phd.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, creator, award-winning author (Agile Scrum and Agile Transformation), and international public speaker. Founder and CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, he has generated over $1.9 billion for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Adobe, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, EU's European Commission, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Boston University, U.S. National Park Service, Bayer, Ford, London South Bank University, Warsaw University of Technology, U.S. Tennis Association, Hasso Plattner Institute, American Management Association, Virginia Tech, University of Galway Ireland, UC San Diego, Yale University, and others. He delights audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile project management, AI, video game development, strategic alignment, the science of high performance teams, and more. To date, he's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries. His full bio is available here.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, August 1). Johns Hopkins University Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/jhu-cbs.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.35998.34889.
A PDF of this article is here
The short link for this article is https://bit.ly/jhu-cbs
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Johns Hopkins University features Scott M. Graffius’ work!
Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development — Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning — inclusive of a graph showing how performance varies by phase, as well as the characteristics and strategies for each phase. Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Leaders of teams can apply Graffius' information to help handle challenges or issues experienced by teams. By doing so, they’ll advance the teams’ (and their own) happiness, productivity, and success.
Graffius' copyrighted 'Phases of Team Development' work is used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world. Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- Ford Motor Company,
- Hasso Plattner Institute (Germany),
- IEEE,
- London South Bank University,
- Microsoft,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle
- Torrens University Australia,
- UC San Diego,
- TBS Switzerland,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway Ireland,
- U.S. National Park Service,
- U.S. Tennis Association,
- Virginia Tech,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) was added to the list. JHU Carey Business School features Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP in its Business Communications (BU 120.601) course, taught by Steven D. Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Excerpts from a related presentation follow.
The title page of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Page 2 of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Page 3 of the JHU presentation is shown above.
Current Edition of Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ IP
Graffius initially developed his respective material in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. Information on the current (2024) edition of his 'Phases of Team Development' IP is available at https://www.scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html.
About Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.
- The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is the graduate business school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It was established in 2007 and offers full-time and part-time programs leading to the Master of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees.
- The School of Advanced International Studies’ interdisciplinary curriculum—delivered at locations on three continents and grounded in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies—prepares students to address the multifaceted challenges facing the world today.
- Krieger School of Arts and Sciences—comprised of 22 departments and 33 centers, programs, and institutes—is home to students interested in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
- The School of Education prepares educators to make a difference in the lives of children and adults.
- The Whiting School of Engineering, a global leader in innovation and research, teaches students to think creatively while drawing upon mathematics and scientific principles to tackle difficult, real-world problems.
- The School of Medicine has revolutionized the education of physicians, the practice of medicine, and medical research nationally and internationally.
- The School of Nursing aims to improve health locally and globally through leadership and excellence in nursing education, research, practice, and service.
- Founded in 1857 as America’s first academy of music, the Peabody Institute trains musicians and dancers of every age and at every level through its degree-granting Conservatory and its community-based Preparatory.
- The Bloomberg School of Public Health educates scientists and public health professionals committed to the improvement of health and prevention of disease and disability around the world.
Visit https://www.jhu.edu/ to learn more.
About Business Communication (BU 120.601)
The JHU Business Communication (BU 120.601) course refines students’ skills in business writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication. Through analyses and practice of communication strategies adopted by successful business professionals, students learn to write clearly and concisely, deliver compelling presentations, and construct effective arguments. See JHU’s course catalog at https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/course-descriptions/management/ to learn more.
About Steven D. Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Steven D. Cohen is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He is well known for helping leaders communicate with confidence, influence, and authority. Dr. Cohen has been quoted in media outlets such as the Financial Times, Forbes, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and NBC News. To learn more about Professor Cohen, visit https://carey.jhu.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/steven-d-cohen-phd.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an agile project management practitioner, consultant, creator, award-winning author (Agile Scrum and Agile Transformation), and international public speaker. Founder and CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ and subsidiary Exceptional Agility™, he has generated over $1.9 billion for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he has served. Graffius and content from his books, talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by Microsoft, Oracle, Broadcom, Cisco, Adobe, Gartner, Project Management Institute, IEEE, Qantas, National Academy of Sciences, EU's European Commission, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Boston University, U.S. National Park Service, Bayer, Ford, London South Bank University, Warsaw University of Technology, U.S. Tennis Association, Hasso Plattner Institute, American Management Association, Virginia Tech, University of Galway Ireland, UC San Diego, Yale University, and others. He delights audiences with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops on agile project management, AI, video game development, strategic alignment, the science of high performance teams, and more. To date, he's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries. His full bio is available here.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, August 1). Johns Hopkins University Features the Work of Scott M. Graffius. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/jhu-cbs.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.35998.34889.
A PDF of this article is here
The short link for this article is https://bit.ly/jhu-cbs
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Agile Project Management: Insights from Scott M. Graffius in ‘Managing Information Technology’ Book
02 September 2024
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Insights from Scott M. Graffius in New Book on Technology Management
Scott M. Graffius' award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book is featured on AgileScrumGuide.com, which also provides news, tips, and resources on Agile and Scrum.
The Agile Project Management chapter in the new book, Managing Information Technology (Second Edition), draws on Scott M. Graffius’ insights published on AgileScrumGuide.com regarding the potentially shippable product increment (PSPI) and the minimum viable product (MVP) approach.
As shown, Graffius is listed in the references section of Managing Information Technology (Second Edition).
About Managing Information Technology (Second Edition)
The following is a synopsis of the 2024 book based on information on Amazon.
Taking the fundamental principles of IT service management and best practices in project management (including agile), Managing Information Technology (Second Edition) offers a single, seamless reference for IT managers and others involved or interested in the profession. Authors Francisco Castillo and Korina Monoso leveraged their considerable industry experience in informing readers how to apply the information conveyed in the book into the workplace.
The book is available in digital and print formats.
Visit the publisher’s website to learn more.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book, and content on AgileScrumGuide.com, are copyright © Scott M. Graffius. Managing Information Technology (Second Edition) cover image and content are the property of Springer, the editors, or the authors.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an Agile project management expert practitioner, consultant, creator, multi-award-winning author, and international public speaker.
He's generated over $1.9 billion of business value in aggregate for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he's served. Businesses and industries range from consumer products to advanced technology (including AI and R&D), e-commerce, music, streaming/OTT video, television, film, video games, financial services, government, and more.
Graffius and content from his books (Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions and Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change), talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities around the world. Examples include Adobe, American Management Association, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Boston University, Broadcom, Cisco, Deimos Aerospace, DevOps Institute, EU's European Commission, Ford Motor Company, Hasso Plattner Institute Germany, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, London South Bank University, Microsoft, National Academy of Sciences, New Zealand Government, Oracle, Project Management Institute, Torrens University Australia, UC San Diego, TBS Switzerland, UK Sports Institute, University of Galway Ireland, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Tennis Association, Virginia Tech, Warsaw University of Technology, Yale University, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and many others.
He delights audiences around the world with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops. He's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries. Visit here to learn more and here to ask Scott to speak at your event.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, September 2). Agile Project Management: Insights from Scott M. Graffius in ‘Managing Information Technology’ Book. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/mit2.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
A PDF of this article is (coming soon)
The short link for this article is (coming soon)
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Insights from Scott M. Graffius in New Book on Technology Management
Scott M. Graffius' award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book is featured on AgileScrumGuide.com, which also provides news, tips, and resources on Agile and Scrum.
The Agile Project Management chapter in the new book, Managing Information Technology (Second Edition), draws on Scott M. Graffius’ insights published on AgileScrumGuide.com regarding the potentially shippable product increment (PSPI) and the minimum viable product (MVP) approach.
As shown, Graffius is listed in the references section of Managing Information Technology (Second Edition).
About Managing Information Technology (Second Edition)
The following is a synopsis of the 2024 book based on information on Amazon.
Taking the fundamental principles of IT service management and best practices in project management (including agile), Managing Information Technology (Second Edition) offers a single, seamless reference for IT managers and others involved or interested in the profession. Authors Francisco Castillo and Korina Monoso leveraged their considerable industry experience in informing readers how to apply the information conveyed in the book into the workplace.
The book is available in digital and print formats.
Visit the publisher’s website to learn more.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions book, and content on AgileScrumGuide.com, are copyright © Scott M. Graffius. Managing Information Technology (Second Edition) cover image and content are the property of Springer, the editors, or the authors.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius, PMP, SA, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is an Agile project management expert practitioner, consultant, creator, multi-award-winning author, and international public speaker.
He's generated over $1.9 billion of business value in aggregate for Global Fortune 500 businesses and other organizations he's served. Businesses and industries range from consumer products to advanced technology (including AI and R&D), e-commerce, music, streaming/OTT video, television, film, video games, financial services, government, and more.
Graffius and content from his books (Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions and Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change), talks, workshops, and more have been featured and used by businesses, professional associations, governments, and universities around the world. Examples include Adobe, American Management Association, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Boston University, Broadcom, Cisco, Deimos Aerospace, DevOps Institute, EU's European Commission, Ford Motor Company, Hasso Plattner Institute Germany, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University, London South Bank University, Microsoft, National Academy of Sciences, New Zealand Government, Oracle, Project Management Institute, Torrens University Australia, UC San Diego, TBS Switzerland, UK Sports Institute, University of Galway Ireland, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Tennis Association, Virginia Tech, Warsaw University of Technology, Yale University, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and many others.
He delights audiences around the world with dynamic and engaging talks and workshops. He's presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries. Visit here to learn more and here to ask Scott to speak at your event.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, September 2). Agile Project Management: Insights from Scott M. Graffius in ‘Managing Information Technology’ Book. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/mit2.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
A PDF of this article is (coming soon)
The short link for this article is (coming soon)
© Copyright 2024 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property
12 November 2024
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
With authorization/license from Scott M. Graffius, his ‘Phases of Team Development’ property is featured and used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities worldwide. Among the organizations, scientific and medical-related ones include the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Johns Hopkins University, Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network (LTEN), Royal Australasian College of Physicians, TBS Switzerland, and others. Naso Sano—a medical education and research organization based in Italy—was added to the list.
On 6 November 2024, Naso Sano published a presentation on strategies for medical success which featured Graffius’ work. Puya Dehgani-Mobaraki, MD (Naso Sano, Italy) hosted the session and Professor Saad Alsaleh (King Said University, Saudi Arabia) delivered the talk. The presentation was recorded, and the video is available on YouTube here.
A screen shot is below.
The current (2024) edition of Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is here.
Read on to learn:
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 23). Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/nso.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Content Acknowledgements
This article uses limited excerpts from Naso Sano, attributed to Naso Sano and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.
Naso Sano name and mark are the property of Naso Sano.
King Saud University name and mark are the property of King Saud University.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
With authorization/license from Scott M. Graffius, his ‘Phases of Team Development’ property is featured and used by businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities worldwide. Among the organizations, scientific and medical-related ones include the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Bayer, Johns Hopkins University, Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network (LTEN), Royal Australasian College of Physicians, TBS Switzerland, and others. Naso Sano—a medical education and research organization based in Italy—was added to the list.
On 6 November 2024, Naso Sano published a presentation on strategies for medical success which featured Graffius’ work. Puya Dehgani-Mobaraki, MD (Naso Sano, Italy) hosted the session and Professor Saad Alsaleh (King Said University, Saudi Arabia) delivered the talk. The presentation was recorded, and the video is available on YouTube here.
A screen shot is below.
The current (2024) edition of Graffius' 'Phases of Team Development' is here.
Read on to learn:
- About Scott M. Graffius,
- How to Cite This Article,
- and more.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 23). Strategies for Medical Team Success Featured Scott M. Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ Intellectual Property. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/nso.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
DOI link: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.28413.78562.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Content Acknowledgements
This article uses limited excerpts from Naso Sano, attributed to Naso Sano and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.
Naso Sano name and mark are the property of Naso Sano.
King Saud University name and mark are the property of King Saud University.
Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Side-by-Side Comparison of Retrospectives and Hot Washes
18 November 2024
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Scott M. Graffius delivers talks and workshops at conferences and other events around the world. Participants have frequently inquired about the distinctions between retrospectives and hot washes. Based on that, Graffius decided to develop this concise article.
Retrospectives (including post-project reviews) and hot washes are valuable practices for distilling actionable insights and enhancing future performance. But they serve distinct purposes and contexts including differences in timing and intent. Retrospectives are usually conducted at the end of an agile sprint or project, where the team reflects on what went well, what didn’t go well, and any changes to be implemented as improvements going forward. Hot washes happen immediately after a high-stakes event or operation to address real-time challenges and inform swift adjustments or decisions.
The visual shown at the top of this article provides a side-by-side comparison of retrospectives and hot washes including the typical characteristics and strategies unique to each. See the Permission Request Information section of this article if you'd like to request use of the copyrighted visual. If your request is approved, Graffius will give you an authorization/license and, if applicable, high-resolution files of the visual.
Here's the text from the visual:
Retrospectives
Hot Washes
Read on to see and learn:
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
References/Sources
Permission Request Information
To request permission to use the visual shown at the top of this article, email Scott M. Graffius. If your request is approved, Graffius will give you an authorization/license and, if applicable, high-resolution files of the visual.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, November 18). Side-by-Side Comparison of Retrospectives and Hot Washes. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/retrospectives-and-hot-washes.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Update on 20 January 2025
The first paragraph appeared as this: "Participants at conferences and other events where Scott M. Graffius has delivered talks and workshops have sought clarity on the distinctions between retrospectives and hot washes. Particularly by those possibly in intelligence or military communities, the question has been asked with increasing frequency. Based on that, Graffius decided to develop this concise article."
It was revised to this: "Scott M. Graffius delivers talks and workshops at conferences and other events around the world. Participants have frequently inquired about the distinctions between retrospectives and hot washes. Based on that, Graffius decided to develop this concise article."
Short Link for Article
The short link for this article is https://bit.ly/retro-hot
JPG | PNG
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Scott M. Graffius delivers talks and workshops at conferences and other events around the world. Participants have frequently inquired about the distinctions between retrospectives and hot washes. Based on that, Graffius decided to develop this concise article.
Retrospectives (including post-project reviews) and hot washes are valuable practices for distilling actionable insights and enhancing future performance. But they serve distinct purposes and contexts including differences in timing and intent. Retrospectives are usually conducted at the end of an agile sprint or project, where the team reflects on what went well, what didn’t go well, and any changes to be implemented as improvements going forward. Hot washes happen immediately after a high-stakes event or operation to address real-time challenges and inform swift adjustments or decisions.
The visual shown at the top of this article provides a side-by-side comparison of retrospectives and hot washes including the typical characteristics and strategies unique to each. See the Permission Request Information section of this article if you'd like to request use of the copyrighted visual. If your request is approved, Graffius will give you an authorization/license and, if applicable, high-resolution files of the visual.
Here's the text from the visual:
Retrospectives
- Also Known as: Post-project review, lessons learned meeting, post-mortem, sprint retrospective, project debriefing, project review
- Intent: Provide actionable insights for future projects or iterations
- Context: Project management (agile or otherwise) in technology or business
- Examples of Use Cases: Evaluating a sprint, project completion, or a product launch
- Participants: Scrum team or project team; sometimes others participate as well
- Scheduling: Scheduled in advance
- Timing: End of a sprint, project phase, or entire project
- Duration: 30-90 minutes
- Focus: Identifying successes, challenges, and changes to be made for future work
- Goal: Drive continuous improvement
- Strategy: Structured and reflective, use prompts (see Questions to Ask)
- Questions to Ask: What worked well? What didn’t? What should we change going forward?
- Facilitator Role: Scrum Master, project manager, or team leader
- Methods Employed: Retrospective frameworks, whiteboards, sticky notes, collaborative applications like Miro or Trello
- Documentation: Usually formal (written), with a report documenting findings and recommendations
- Emotional Tone: Fostering openness, introspection, and learning in a collaborative setting
Hot Washes
- Also Known as: Hot debrief, mission debrief, operational debrief, rapid debrief, tactical debrief, after-action review, immediate action review, post-event analysis
- Intent: Capture lessons while fresh and inform immediate adjustments or decisions
- Context: High-stakes operational settings such as intelligence, military, or emergency response
- Examples of Use Cases: Assessing a high-stakes intelligence operation or an emergency response
- Participants: Individuals involved in the immediate event or operation
- Scheduling: Not scheduled in advance; occurs as needed
- Timing: Immediately after an event, incident, mission, or exercise
- Duration: 15–30 minutes, focused on speed and efficiency
- Focus: Assessing immediate challenges and corrective actions required now
- Goal: Implement real-time changes as needed
- Strategy: Rapid, real-time, and conversational—focused on urgent issues
- Questions to Ask: What went wrong? What needs immediate attention? What actions should we take now?
- Facilitator Role: Team leader, mission commander, or operational lead
- Methods Employed: Quick debriefs, oral discussions, brief note-taking
- Documentation: Often informal (verbal), with key points summarized quickly for immediate use; there may or may not be a written report
- Emotional Tone: Urgent, action-oriented, and often high-energy
Read on to see and learn:
- About Scott M. Graffius,
- References/Sources,
- Permission Request Information,
- How to Cite This Article,
- and more.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.
See his bio to learn more.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.
There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.
With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions, Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
Winner of 17 first place awards.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇱 Israel
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 UAE
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
About Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change
Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.
Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.
The award-winning book by Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇷 Greece
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇺🇸 United States
References/Sources
- Abel-Hamid, T.K., & Madnick, S.E. (1990, Fall). The Elusive Silver Lining: How We Fail to Learn from Software Development Failures. Sloan Management Review, Fall 1990: 39-48.
- Agile Alliance (n.d.). Heartbeat Retrospective. Available at: https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/heartbeat-retrospective.
- AgileScrumGuide.com (2017, August 21). Side-by-Side Comparisons of Agile Scrum and Waterfall Models: A Quick Look at Integration Management. Available at: https://agilescrumguide.com/blog/files/Side-by-Side-Comparisons-of-Agile-Scrum-and-Waterfall-Models-A-Quick-Look-at-Integration-Management.html.
- AgileScrumGuide.com (2017, August 24). Side-by-Side Comparisons of Agile Scrum and Waterfall Models: A Quick Look at Communications Management. Available at: https://agilescrumguide.com/blog/files/Side-by-Side-Comparisons-of-Agile-Scrum-and-Waterfall-Models-A-Quick-Look-at-Communications-Management.html.
- AgileScrumGuide.com (2017, August 7). Side-by-Side Comparisons of Agile Scrum and Waterfall Models: A Quick Look at Quality Management. Available at: https://agilescrumguide.com/blog/files/Side-by-Side-Comparisons-of-Agile-Scrum-and-Waterfall-Models-A-Quick-Look-at-Quality-Management.html.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute (2021). APH Quality Handbook. Amsterdam: Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute.
- Bellet, C., De Neve, J., & Ward, G. (2019 October 14). Does Employee Happiness Have an Impact on Productivity? Saïd Business School WP 2019-13. Oxford, UK: Oxford University.
- Bennett, M., Gadlin, H., & Marchand, C. (2018). Collaboration Team Science: Field Guide. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health.
- Boddie, J. (1989, December 7). The Project Postmortem. Computerworld.
- Carn-Bennett, Erin (2024, June 19). Using the Army’s Hot Wash Debrief Technique in Civilian Healthcare Simulation. Available at: https://www.healthysimulation.com/healthcare-simulation-hot-wash-debrief/.
- Cassell, Greg (2024, September 20). IAFC Releases New “Hot Wash” For Major Incidents and Training Exercises. Available at: https://www.iafc.org/blogs/blog/iafc/2024/09/23/iafc-releases-new-hot-wash-for-major-incidents-and-training-exercises.
- Coleman, Stan (2009. November 25). Hot Wash—A Tool For Feedback. Available at: https://www.dobbins.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/171803/hot-wash-a-tool-for-feedback/.
- Collier, B, DeMarco, T., & Fearey, P. (1996, July), A Defined Process for Project Post Mortem Review. IEEE Software, 13 (4): 65-72.
- Creately (2024, August 23). After Action Review: What is it and How to Use it to Improve Team Performance. Available at: https://creately.com/guides/after-action-review/.
- DevOps Institute (2021). 2021 Upskilling Enterprise DevOps Skills Report. Boca Raton, FL: DevOps Institute.
- Exceptional Agility (2023, January 1). Making Teams More Agile: Strategies and Benefits. Available at: https://exceptionalagility.com/blog/files/teams.html.
- Farr, J. V., & Brazil, D. M. (2012, September 5). Leadership Skills Development for Engineers. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 40 (3): 13-22.
- Fletcher, Angus; Cline, Preston B.; & Hoffman, Matthew (2023, January 12). A Better Approach to After-Action Reviews. Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2023/01/a-better-approach-to-after-action-reviews.
- GitLab (2019, December 13). Strengthen Your Agile Teams with Tuckman's Stages of Group Development. At: about.gitlab.com. San Francisco, CA: GitLab, Inc.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2016, January 21). 2014 NSDM Publication on Leadership by National Security Affairs Professor Mary Raum Featured the 2008 Edition of Scott M. Graffius’ Work on Team Development. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/nsdm-leadership.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22276.33920.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2016). Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2018, August 25). Retrospectives and Continuous Improvement in the Agile Scrum Framework [Workshop]. Session at private event in Las Vegas, NV. 10.13140/RG.2.2.16620.51843
- Graffius, Scott M. (2018, October 18). Agile Scrum Helps Innovators, Disruptors, and Entrepreneurs Develop and Deliver Products at Astounding Speed Which Drives Competitive Advantage [Presentation]. Talk delivered at Techstars Startup Week Conference. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25009.12647.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2019). Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change. Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, February 20). But First, the Team! [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the Brno, Czech Republic DevConf.CZ 2021 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.29016.72964.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, June 21). DevOps and Team Leadership [Workshop]. Session at private event in Las Vegas, NV. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15380.22401.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, May 13). But First, the Team! [Presentation]. Lecture delivered at DevOps Pro Europe 2021 Conference. Based and simulcast live from Vilnius, Lithuania. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30524.36481.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 10). An Error Was Introduced Into the Seventh Edition of 'A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).’ Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 8). Bruce Tuckman’s Model (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning) is Highly Relevant and Beneficial, But It Doesn’t Please Everyone. Los Angeles, CA: Scott M. Graffius.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2021, October 5). Navigate the Phases of Team Development with Speed and Agility for Happier and More Productive Teams [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Day 2021 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.20055.19365.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2022, February 4). Team Development Tradecraft: A Source of Competitive Advantage [Workshop]. Session at private event in Adelaide, Australia. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14092.80002.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2022, May 13). Want Happier and More Productive DevOps Teams? [Presentation]. Talk delivered at DevOpsDays Geneva, Switzerland 2022 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.22252.85127.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, April 26). The Science of High-Performance Teams [Presentation]. Talk delivered at the DevOps Institute’s SKILup Day 2023 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.15888.28169.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, July 15). Successful Video Game Development Teams Leverage an Extensive Range of Hard Skills and Soft Skills. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/gamedev.html.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, June 29). What Successful AI Teams Have in Common [Presentation]. Talk delivered at Conf42 Quantum Computing 2023 Conference. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.29382.45120.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2023, May 1). Fueling the Development of Innovative and Life-Changing AI Solutions [Presentation]. Talk delivered to an audience of Technology professionals (including Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, AI Researchers, Project Managers, Business Analysts, UX Designers, Software Developers, Cloud Architects, Data Privacy and Security Specialists, and others involved or interested in AI) at a private event in Mountain View, California, United States. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.13140/RG.2.2.27956.73601.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2024, January 8). Scott M. Graffius’ Phases of Team Development: 2024 Update. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/teams-2024.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28629.40168.
- Graffius, Scott M. (2024, July 16). Consider Asking and Answering These Questions at Your Next Retrospective, Post Project Review or Debrief Meeting (But Not a "Hot Wash"). Available at: https://x.com/ScottGraffius/status/1813233611212222578.
- Helgesen, Sally (2022, June 8). How Wash, Cold Wash. Available at: https://allrise.substack.com/p/hot-wash-cold-wash.
- Jovanovic, M., Mesquida, A., Radaković, N., & Mas, A. (2016). Agile Retrospective Games for Different Team Development Phases. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 22: 1489-1508.
- Kerzner, Harold (2022). Innovation Project Management: Methods, Case Studies, and Tools for Managing Innovation Projects (Second Edition). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
- Luckner, M. (2020, November 18). Data Science Workshop (Version 1.1). Warsaw, Poland: Warsaw University of Technology.
- Microsoft (2019, June 15). Is the Latest Technology the Key to Your Team’s Success, or is There Something Else? Microsoft Developer Support. Accessed at: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/premier-developer/is-the-latest-technology-the-key-to-your-teams-success-or-is-there-something-else. Redmond, WA: Microsoft.
- Project Management Institute (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Seventh Edition. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- Raum, Mary (2014, April 10). Leader Theory Explanations and Original Texts. Newport, RI Naval War College. NSDM.
- Rowley, D., & Lange, M. (2007). Forming to Performing: The Evolution of an Agile Team. IEEE Computer Society Proceedings. Agile 2007, 1: 408-414.
- Salas, E., Grossman, R., Hughes, A.M., and Coultas, C.W. (2015), Measuring Team Cohesion: Observations from the Science. Human Factors, 57 (3): 365–374.
- Scaled Agile, Inc. (2023, March 14). Working Successfully in Agile with Remote Team Members. Available at: https://scaledagileframework.com/working-successfully-in-agile-with-remote-team-members/.
- Scrum Alliance (2020). Learning Objectives Examples. Denver, CO: Scrum Alliance.
- Scrum Alliance (n.d.). The Sprint Retrospective. Available at: https://resources.scrumalliance.org/Article/sprint-retrospective.
- Sutherland, Rory (2019). Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, an imprint of HarperCollins.
- Tuckman, Bruce W. (1965). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63: 384-399.
- Tuckman, Bruce W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. Group and Organizational Studies, 2 (4): 419-427.
- United States Army (2015). Innovative Learning: A Key to National Security. Washington, DC: United States Army.
- United States General Services Administration, Office of the CTO (2021). GSA Tech Guides: Establishing an Agile Team Working Agreement. Washington, D.C.: United States General Services Administration.
- University of Waterloo (2021). SE Capstone Design Project Handbook. Edited by Derek Rayside. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: University of Waterloo.
- Williams, T., Eden, C., Ackermann, F., Howick, S., Bergamini, V., Daley, A., & Gill, K. (2001, November). The Use of Project Post-Mortems. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, Nashville, TN. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- Yahoo News (2021, August 17). National Security Adviser Calls for a 'Hot Wash' to Review U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan. Available at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/national-security-adviser-calls-hot-191627245.html.
- Yu, Shuo; Bedru, Hayat Dino; Lee, Ivan Lee; and Xia, Feng (2019, February). Science of Scientific Team Science. Computer Science Review, 31: 72-83. DOI: 10.1016/j.cosrev.2018.12.001.
Permission Request Information
To request permission to use the visual shown at the top of this article, email Scott M. Graffius. If your request is approved, Graffius will give you an authorization/license and, if applicable, high-resolution files of the visual.
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2024, November 18). Side-by-Side Comparison of Retrospectives and Hot Washes. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/retrospectives-and-hot-washes.html.
Post-Publication Notes
If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.
Update on 20 January 2025
The first paragraph appeared as this: "Participants at conferences and other events where Scott M. Graffius has delivered talks and workshops have sought clarity on the distinctions between retrospectives and hot washes. Particularly by those possibly in intelligence or military communities, the question has been asked with increasing frequency. Based on that, Graffius decided to develop this concise article."
It was revised to this: "Scott M. Graffius delivers talks and workshops at conferences and other events around the world. Participants have frequently inquired about the distinctions between retrospectives and hot washes. Based on that, Graffius decided to develop this concise article."
Short Link for Article
The short link for this article is https://bit.ly/retro-hot
JPG | PNG
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
RGPV University Adds Scott M. Graffius’ "Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions" to Its Syllabus
31 March 2025
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Introduction
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), a leading state university in India, updated its curriculum. Recognized for its strong emphasis on technology and applied sciences, RGPV oversees over 400 colleges and institutes nationwide. As part of its commitment to equipping students with cutting-edge knowledge, the university has added Scott M. Graffius’ award-winning book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, to its syllabus. A visual follows.
This inclusion underscores RGPV’s dedication to preparing students for the fast-paced world of software development and project management.
Advancing Agile Knowledge
Scott M. Graffius is a highly regarded Agile practitioner, researcher, thought leader, author, and speaker. His book Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions has become a go-to resource for beginners and seasoned professionals. With its practical, hands-on approach, the book breaks down Agile Scrum’s core principles and practices into an easy-to-follow format, ensuring readers can quickly grasp and apply the information.
By incorporating this book into its curriculum, RGPV aims to provide students with actionable insights and real-world skills that are highly sought after in today’s evolving technology landscape. Agile methodologies continue to gain traction globally, and this initiative positions RGPV students at the forefront of industry trends. The book’s inclusion reinforces the university’s reputation as an institution that prioritizes practical, career-ready education.
Why This Book Matters
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions has been widely praised by industry professionals and educators for its clarity and effectiveness in teaching Agile concepts. The book caters to a broad audience, including those new to Scrum, as well as experienced professionals such as Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Development Team members (business analysts, architects, designers, developers, testers, etc.). It also serves as a valuable reference for Agile coaches, executives, managers, customers, and other stakeholders.
For students pursuing careers in software development, project management, and related fields, this book offers a solid foundation in Agile Scrum—an approach that continues to shape how modern teams operate and innovate.
Conclusion
The addition of Graffius' award-winning book to RGPV’s syllabus marks a notable advancement in the university’s academic offerings. It reflects RGPV’s dedication to providing an education that aligns with industry demands, ensuring graduates are well-equipped for the challenges of today’s workforce. With access to this invaluable resource, students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in Agile environments.
Credit to Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, the technical editors of the award-winning book.
Order your copy of Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions today!
Read on for:
About Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) University
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), also known as Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, is a state university located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Established in 1998, RGPV serves as a multi-campus affiliating institution, offering a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across disciplines such as engineering, technology, pharmacy, management, architecture, design, and applied sciences. The university is accredited with an 'A' grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Its expansive campus covers approximately 247 acres. RGPV affiliates numerous institutions, including 200 engineering colleges, 98 pharmacy colleges, 95 MCA colleges, and 4 architecture colleges. For more information, visit their website at: https://www.rgpv.ac.in.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius sparks breakthroughs in AI, agile, and project management/PMO leadership as a globally recognized practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and international public speaker.
Graffius has generated more than USD $1.9 billion in business value for organizations served, including Fortune 500 companies. Businesses and industries range from technology (including R&D and AI) to entertainment, financial services, and healthcare, government, social media, and more.
Graffius leads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded talent, and consulting services to public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™. Graffius is a former vice president of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more. He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.
He is the author of two award-winning books.
Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have featured Graffius and his work including content from his books, talks, workshops, and more. Select examples include:
Graffius has been actively involved with the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the development of professional standards. He was a member of the team which produced the Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition. Graffius was a contributor and reviewer of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition, The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition, and The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition. He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.
Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:
He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
He divides his time between Los Angeles and Paris, France.
Thought Leader | Public Speaker | Agile Scrum Book | Agile Transformation Book | Blog | Photo | X | LinkedIn | Email
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2025, March 31). RGPV University Adds Scott M. Graffius’ "Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions" to Its Syllabus. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/rgpv-adds-scott-m-graffius-agile-scrum-your-quick-start-guide-with-step-by-step-instructions-book-to-its-syllabus.html.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: (coming soon)
Content Acknowledgements
This article includes brief excerpts from RGPV, attributed and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) name and mark are the property of RGPV Bhopal.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Post-Publication Notes
If there's an update after this article is published, the information will appear here.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Introduction
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), a leading state university in India, updated its curriculum. Recognized for its strong emphasis on technology and applied sciences, RGPV oversees over 400 colleges and institutes nationwide. As part of its commitment to equipping students with cutting-edge knowledge, the university has added Scott M. Graffius’ award-winning book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, to its syllabus. A visual follows.
This inclusion underscores RGPV’s dedication to preparing students for the fast-paced world of software development and project management.
Advancing Agile Knowledge
Scott M. Graffius is a highly regarded Agile practitioner, researcher, thought leader, author, and speaker. His book Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions has become a go-to resource for beginners and seasoned professionals. With its practical, hands-on approach, the book breaks down Agile Scrum’s core principles and practices into an easy-to-follow format, ensuring readers can quickly grasp and apply the information.
By incorporating this book into its curriculum, RGPV aims to provide students with actionable insights and real-world skills that are highly sought after in today’s evolving technology landscape. Agile methodologies continue to gain traction globally, and this initiative positions RGPV students at the forefront of industry trends. The book’s inclusion reinforces the university’s reputation as an institution that prioritizes practical, career-ready education.
Why This Book Matters
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions has been widely praised by industry professionals and educators for its clarity and effectiveness in teaching Agile concepts. The book caters to a broad audience, including those new to Scrum, as well as experienced professionals such as Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Development Team members (business analysts, architects, designers, developers, testers, etc.). It also serves as a valuable reference for Agile coaches, executives, managers, customers, and other stakeholders.
For students pursuing careers in software development, project management, and related fields, this book offers a solid foundation in Agile Scrum—an approach that continues to shape how modern teams operate and innovate.
Conclusion
The addition of Graffius' award-winning book to RGPV’s syllabus marks a notable advancement in the university’s academic offerings. It reflects RGPV’s dedication to providing an education that aligns with industry demands, ensuring graduates are well-equipped for the challenges of today’s workforce. With access to this invaluable resource, students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in Agile environments.
Credit to Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, the technical editors of the award-winning book.
Order your copy of Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions today!
Read on for:
- About Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) University,
- About Scott M. Graffius,
- How to Cite This Article,
- and more.
About Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) University
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), also known as Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, is a state university located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Established in 1998, RGPV serves as a multi-campus affiliating institution, offering a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across disciplines such as engineering, technology, pharmacy, management, architecture, design, and applied sciences. The university is accredited with an 'A' grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Its expansive campus covers approximately 247 acres. RGPV affiliates numerous institutions, including 200 engineering colleges, 98 pharmacy colleges, 95 MCA colleges, and 4 architecture colleges. For more information, visit their website at: https://www.rgpv.ac.in.
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius sparks breakthroughs in AI, agile, and project management/PMO leadership as a globally recognized practitioner, researcher, thought leader, award-winning author, and international public speaker.
Graffius has generated more than USD $1.9 billion in business value for organizations served, including Fortune 500 companies. Businesses and industries range from technology (including R&D and AI) to entertainment, financial services, and healthcare, government, social media, and more.
Graffius leads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded talent, and consulting services to public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™. Graffius is a former vice president of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more. He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.
He is the author of two award-winning books.
- His first book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions (ISBN-13: 9781533370242), received 17 awards.
- His second book is Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change (ISBN-13: 9781072447962). BookAuthority named it one of the best Scrum books of all time.
Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have featured Graffius and his work including content from his books, talks, workshops, and more. Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- BMC Software,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts Germany,
- Computer Weekly,
- Constructor University Germany,
- Data Governance Success,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- EU's European Commission,
- Ford Motor Company,
- GoDaddy,
- Harvard Medical School,
- Hasso Plattner Institute Germany,
- IEEE,
- Innovation Project Management,
- Johns Hopkins University,
- Journal of Neurosurgery,
- Lam Research (Semiconductors),
- Leadership Worthy,
- Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
- London South Bank University,
- Microsoft,
- NASSCOM,
- National Academy of Sciences,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle,
- Pinterest Inc.,
- Project Management Institute,
- SANS Institute,
- SBG Neumark Germany,
- Singapore Institute of Technology,
- Torrens University Australia,
- TBS Switzerland,
- Tufts University,
- UC San Diego,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway Ireland,
- US Department of Energy,
- US National Park Service,
- US Tennis Association,
- Veleučilište u Rijeci Croatia,
- Verizon,
- Virginia Tech,
- Warsaw University of Technology,
- Wrike,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Graffius has been actively involved with the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the development of professional standards. He was a member of the team which produced the Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition. Graffius was a contributor and reviewer of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition, The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition, and The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition. He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.
Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:
- Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
- Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
- Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
- Project Management Professional (PMP),
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
- IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).
He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
He divides his time between Los Angeles and Paris, France.
Thought Leader | Public Speaker | Agile Scrum Book | Agile Transformation Book | Blog | Photo | X | LinkedIn | Email
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2025, March 31). RGPV University Adds Scott M. Graffius’ "Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions" to Its Syllabus. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/rgpv-adds-scott-m-graffius-agile-scrum-your-quick-start-guide-with-step-by-step-instructions-book-to-its-syllabus.html.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: (coming soon)
Content Acknowledgements
This article includes brief excerpts from RGPV, attributed and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) name and mark are the property of RGPV Bhopal.
Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Post-Publication Notes
If there's an update after this article is published, the information will appear here.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Waterfall vs. Agile: What’s Fixed, What’s Flexible, and Why It Matters
14 May 2025
BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com
Introduction
Not all project management approaches are created equal. This article explores how Waterfall and Agile differ in their treatment of scope, time, and resources—and examines the implications of those differences for project success.
This visual that heads up this article uses an apple and an orange to contrast Waterfall and Agile. It’s a simple yet powerful reminder that how a project is structured fundamentally shapes how it unfolds.
Read on for a closer look at how each approach handles the constraints and why the differences matter.
The Triple Constraint Triangle, Simplified
At the core of project management is the triple constraint:
Every project involves these elements, but how they’re prioritized depends on the approach.
Waterfall: Fixed Scope, Estimated (Flexible) Time and Resources
With Waterfall, the scope is locked in upfront. Teams then estimate how long it will take and what resources will be required to get it done. This structured, plan-driven approach assumes that what you're building is well understood from the start.
Waterfall works best when:
🔑 Key point: Waterfall fixes scope and adjusts time and resources to meet it. It offers predictability but limited flexibility.
Agile: Fixed Time and Resources, Estimated (Flexible) Scope
In contrast, Agile fixes time (e.g., sprint length) and team composition. The scope, however, is treated as adaptable, evolving based on feedback, priorities, and progress.
Agile excels when:
🔑 Key point: Agile adapts scope within a fixed delivery rhythm. It emphasizes responsiveness and collaboration over rigid planning.
Why This Distinction Matters
Understanding which variables are fixed versus flexible isn’t just a planning detail—it directly shapes how a project unfolds. Misaligning the approach with the nature of the work can lead to missed deadlines, wasted resources, and frustrated stakeholders. But when teams intentionally align their approach—fixing the right things and flexing the rest—they set clear expectations, reduce risk, and dramatically improve the odds of success. That’s why it matters.
Conclusion
Whether building a rocket or reimagining a product, understanding how the approach manages constraints is crucial. The right fit can mean the difference between momentum and mayhem. Projects can be complex. But understanding key differences between Waterfall and Agile can be as simple as comparing an apple to an orange (as depicted in Graffius' visual above).
More on Agile
Even More
Read on for…
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is an AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leader, researcher, author, and speaker. Along the way, he spearheaded initiatives that have generated over $2.3 billion in impact for organizations across tech, entertainment, finance, healthcare, and beyond. The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.
Experience
Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.
Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.
He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.
Award-Winning Author
Graffius has authored three books.
International Public Speaker
Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. To date, Graffius has conducted 93 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.
With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.
The speaker engagement request form is here.
Thought Leadership and Influence
Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:
Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:
Additional details are here.
He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.
Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft
Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.
The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.
Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms
Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.
The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.
Education and Professional Certifications
Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:
He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management
Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.
Thought Leader | Public Speaker | Agile Protocol Book | Agile Scrum Book | Agile Transformation Book | Blog | Photo | X | LinkedIn | Email
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2025, May 14). Waterfall vs. Agile: What’s Fixed, What’s Flexible, and Why It Matters. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/waterfall-vs-agile-what-is-fixed-and-what-is-flexible-and-why-it-matters.html.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: (coming soon)
Content Acknowledgements
Names and marks are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.
Introduction
Not all project management approaches are created equal. This article explores how Waterfall and Agile differ in their treatment of scope, time, and resources—and examines the implications of those differences for project success.
This visual that heads up this article uses an apple and an orange to contrast Waterfall and Agile. It’s a simple yet powerful reminder that how a project is structured fundamentally shapes how it unfolds.
Read on for a closer look at how each approach handles the constraints and why the differences matter.
The Triple Constraint Triangle, Simplified
At the core of project management is the triple constraint:
- Scope – What are the project's objectives and deliverables?
- Time – What is the timeline for completion?
- Resources – What people/budget are allocated?
Every project involves these elements, but how they’re prioritized depends on the approach.
Waterfall: Fixed Scope, Estimated (Flexible) Time and Resources
With Waterfall, the scope is locked in upfront. Teams then estimate how long it will take and what resources will be required to get it done. This structured, plan-driven approach assumes that what you're building is well understood from the start.
Waterfall works best when:
- Requirements are stable and clearly defined.
- Upfront detailed planning is required (such as in construction or regulated industries).
- Changes later in the process are costly or risky.
🔑 Key point: Waterfall fixes scope and adjusts time and resources to meet it. It offers predictability but limited flexibility.
Agile: Fixed Time and Resources, Estimated (Flexible) Scope
In contrast, Agile fixes time (e.g., sprint length) and team composition. The scope, however, is treated as adaptable, evolving based on feedback, priorities, and progress.
Agile excels when:
- Requirements are unclear or are likely to change.
- Iteration and experimentation are critical.
- Value delivery needs to happen quickly and often.
🔑 Key point: Agile adapts scope within a fixed delivery rhythm. It emphasizes responsiveness and collaboration over rigid planning.
Why This Distinction Matters
Understanding which variables are fixed versus flexible isn’t just a planning detail—it directly shapes how a project unfolds. Misaligning the approach with the nature of the work can lead to missed deadlines, wasted resources, and frustrated stakeholders. But when teams intentionally align their approach—fixing the right things and flexing the rest—they set clear expectations, reduce risk, and dramatically improve the odds of success. That’s why it matters.
Conclusion
Whether building a rocket or reimagining a product, understanding how the approach manages constraints is crucial. The right fit can mean the difference between momentum and mayhem. Projects can be complex. But understanding key differences between Waterfall and Agile can be as simple as comparing an apple to an orange (as depicted in Graffius' visual above).
More on Agile
- The Agile's Journey Through the Decades article traces Agile’s fascinating evolution.
- The award-winning book Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps readers implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum; deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
- Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits. Based on actual events, Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change book provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful Agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media conglomerate.
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum is an action-packed, darkly funny adventure that roasts Agile gone wrong—while also showing you how to get it right. This new book is the first Agile satire that blends hilarious corporate parody with actionable Agile insights!
Even More
Read on for…
- About Scott M. Graffius
- How to Cite This Article
- And more
About Scott M. Graffius
Scott M. Graffius is an AI, Agile, and Project Management/PMO leader, researcher, author, and speaker. Along the way, he spearheaded initiatives that have generated over $2.3 billion in impact for organizations across tech, entertainment, finance, healthcare, and beyond. The following sections provide additional information on his experience, contributions, and influence.
Experience
Graffius heads the professional services firm Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, along with its subsidiary Exceptional Agility. These consultancies offer strategic and tactical advisory, training, embedded expertise, and consulting services to the public, private, and government sectors. They help organizations enhance their capabilities and results in agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership, supporting innovation and driving competitive advantage. The consultancies confidently back services with a Delighted Client Guarantee™.
Graffius is a former VP of project management with a publicly traded provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet. Before that, he ran and supervised the delivery of projects and programs in public and private organizations with businesses ranging from e-commerce to advanced technology products and services, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and more.
He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets.
Award-Winning Author
Graffius has authored three books.
- Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions, his first book, earned 17 awards.
- Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change, his second book, was named one of the best Scrum books of all time by BookAuthority.
- Agile Protocol: The Transformation Ultimatum, his third book and his first work of fiction, was released in April 2025. The book trailer is on YouTube.
International Public Speaker
Organizations worldwide engage Graffius to present on tech (including AI), Agile, project management, program management, portfolio management, and PMO leadership. He crafts and delivers unique and compelling talks and workshops. To date, Graffius has conducted 93 sessions across 25 countries. Select examples of events include Agile Trends Gov, BSides (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Conf42 Quantum Computing, DevDays Europe, DevOps Institute, DevOpsDays (Geneva), Frug’Agile, IEEE, Microsoft, Scottish Summit, Scrum Alliance RSG (Nepal), Techstars, and W Love Games International Video Game Development Conference (Helsinki), and more.
With an average rating of 4.81 (on a scale of 1-5), sessions are highly valued.
The speaker engagement request form is here.
Thought Leadership and Influence
Prominent businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities have showcased Graffius and his contributions—spanning his books, talks, workshops, and beyond. Select examples include:
- Adobe,
- American Management Association,
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
- Bayer,
- BMC Software,
- Boston University,
- Broadcom,
- Cisco,
- Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Germany,
- Computer Weekly,
- Constructor University - Germany,
- Data Governance Success,
- Deimos Aerospace,
- DevOps Institute,
- Dropbox,
- EU's European Commission,
- Ford Motor Company,
- Gartner,
- GoDaddy,
- Harvard Medical School,
- Hasso Plattner Institute - Germany,
- IEEE,
- Innovation Project Management,
- Johns Hopkins University,
- Journal of Neurosurgery,
- Lam Research (Semiconductors),
- Leadership Worthy,
- Life Sciences Trainers and Educators Network,
- London South Bank University,
- Microsoft,
- NASSCOM,
- National Academy of Sciences,
- New Zealand Government,
- Oracle,
- Pinterest Inc.,
- Project Management Institute,
- Mary Raum (Professor of National Security Affairs, United States Naval War College),
- SANS Institute,
- SBG Neumark - Germany,
- Singapore Institute of Technology,
- Torrens University - Australia,
- TBS Switzerland,
- Tufts University,
- UC San Diego,
- UK Sports Institute,
- University of Galway - Ireland,
- US Department of Energy,
- US National Park Service,
- US Soccer,
- US Tennis Association,
- Verizon,
- Wrike,
- Yale University,
- and many others.
Graffius has played a key role in the Project Management Institute (PMI) in developing professional standards. He was a member of multiple teams that authored, reviewed, and produced:
- Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition.
- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge—Sixth Edition.
- The Standard for Program Management—Fourth Edition.
- The Practice Standard for Project Estimating—Second Edition.
Additional details are here.
He was also a subject matter expert reviewer of content for the PMI’s Congress. Beyond the PMI, Graffius also served as a member of the review team for two of the Scrum Alliance’s Global Scrum Gatherings.
Acclaimed Authority on Teamwork Tradecraft
Graffius is a renowned authority on teamwork tradecraft. Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Graffius' first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his 'Phases of Team Development' as a unique perspective and visual conveying the five phases of team development. First introduced in 2008 and periodically updated, his work provides a diagnostic and strategic guide for navigating team dynamics. It provides actionable insights for leaders across industries to develop high-performance teams. Its adoption by esteemed organizations such as Yale University, IEEE, Cisco, Microsoft, Ford, Oracle, Broadcom, the U.S. National Park Service, and the Journal of Neurosurgery, among others, highlights its utility and value, solidifying its status as an indispensable resource for elevating team performance and driving organizational excellence.
The 2025 edition of Graffius' "Phases of Team Development" intellectual property is here.
Expert on Temporal Dynamics on Social Media Platforms
Graffius is also an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms. His 'Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts' research—first published in 2018 and updated annually—delivers a precise quantitative analysis of post longevity across digital platforms, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to determine mean half-life with precision. It establishes a solid empirical base, effectively highlighting the ephemeral nature of content within social media ecosystems. Referenced and applied by leading entities such as the Center for Direct Marketing, Fast Company, GoDaddy, Pinterest Inc., and PNAS, among others, his research exemplifies methodological rigor and sustained significance in the field of digital informatics.
The 2025 edition of Graffius "Lifespan (Half-Life) of Social Media Posts" research is here.
Education and Professional Certifications
Graffius has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in Human Factors. He holds eight professional certifications:
- Certified SAFe 6 Agilist (SA),
- Certified Scrum Professional - ScrumMaster (CSP-SM),
- Certified Scrum Professional - Product Owner (CSP-PO),
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM),
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO),
- Project Management Professional (PMP),
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB), and
- IT Service Management Foundation (ITIL).
He is an active member of the Scrum Alliance, the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Advancing AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management
Scott M. Graffius continues to advance the fields of AI, Agile, and Project/PMO Management through his leadership, research, writing, and real-world impact. Businesses and other organizations leverage Graffius’ insights to drive their success.
Thought Leader | Public Speaker | Agile Protocol Book | Agile Scrum Book | Agile Transformation Book | Blog | Photo | X | LinkedIn | Email
How to Cite This Article
Graffius, Scott M. (2025, May 14). Waterfall vs. Agile: What’s Fixed, What’s Flexible, and Why It Matters. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/waterfall-vs-agile-what-is-fixed-and-what-is-flexible-and-why-it-matters.html.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOI: (coming soon)
Content Acknowledgements
Names and marks are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright
Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.
Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.