The Mountain Goat Software Blog

Two characters from The Princess Bride battle with swords. Next to them is a twist on a Princess Bride quote: "Agile is difficult. Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something"
Working on an Agile Team: 9 Lessons from The Princess Bride

We can learn so much from books and movies! Enjoy these 9 takeaways about working on agile teams from The Princess Bride.

Mike Cohn answers three frequently asked questions about Scrum Masters so that everyone can get on the same page, including who Scrum Masters report to, how to prove your value as a Scrum Master, and how to introduce new practices to reluctant teams
Short Answers to Your Big Questions about Scrum Masters

Mike answers three common questions about Scrum Masters, including who Scrum Masters report to.

Article artwork for Can the Product Owner and the Scrum Master Be the Same Person?
Can the Product Owner and the Scrum Master Be the Same Person?

Discover what pirates have to teach us about why the ScrumMaster and product owner require different skills, and different people.

Article artwork for Lost in Translation: When Clear Writing Isn't Clearly Understood.
Lost in Translation: When Clear Writing Isn't Clearly Understood

When writing falls short of communicating a message: Two stories that prove the point.

Article artwork for #1 Reason Your Projects Are Late.
#1 Reason Your Projects Are Late

Ever wonder why your projects always seem to be late? The reason might surprise you.

Mike Cohn answers team questions about acceptance criteria, so-that clauses, and requirements vs user stories.
Short Answers to Your Big Questions about User Stories

Is your team a bit confused about user stories? Get answers to common questions about acceptance criteria, so-that clauses, and user stories vs requirements.

A good decisions is a bet you'd make again, regardless of the outcome. Bets could be made for a single die landing on 1 or landing on 2-6. Most people bet correctly on the choice with the best odds (2-6) but the die lands on 1.
Agile Decision Making: Good Decisions & Agile Plans

While it's true that agile teams value " responding to change over following a plan," high-performing…

Want to encourage innovation? Get back inside the box. Next to this quote, an arm pokes up out of the top of an acme box somewhere in the American Southwest. The hand is holding a sign that says "Innovating" with an arrow pointing down the box.
Boost Creativity by Embracing Scrum Framework Constraints

Before you break the rules of Scrum, consider how Scrum’s constraints enhance creativity and boost innovation.

Article artwork for 7 Ways to Get the Best Estimates of Story Size.
7 Ways to Get the Best Estimates of Story Size

Agile teams often struggle to estimate product backlog items. Here are 7 ways to make solid improvements.

Fear of the unknown keeps us from trying new things, including agile and Scrum. Mike Cohn is sky diving and looks to the side at a Mountain Goat floating down on a parachute nearby. Both are able to embrace change because they've been well trained.
How to Overcome Resistance to Change

Moving to a Scrum or an agile way of working is beneficial but can be disruptive. Discover what you can do to help people to embrace new ideas, rather than resist and fear them.

An accurate sprint velocity depends on the team only taking credit for backlog items they finished. The only credit for being close is if you are playing horseshoes.
Do Agile Teams Include Semi-Finished Work in Velocity?

Should teams receive partial credit on nearly finished stories when calculating their sprint velocity? Find out in this video blog from Mike Cohn.

Goldilocks smiles as she holds a picture with 4 bears. On the wall is a picture of 2 bears, labeled "too small," and one with a crowd of bears labeled "too big." Whether it's porridge or team size, Goldilocks knows how important it is to get it just right
The Just Right Size for Agile Teams

Teams get things done far more quickly than one person could. But as team size grows, so does overhead. So what is the optimal team size for agile projects? It's much smaller than you might think.