Coach-Ram

What  i s   Product Backlog Refinement? Product backlog refinement—in the past was called backlog grooming since it includes keeping the product backlog clean and orderly.  Great refinement helps your team: Avoid surprises during sprint planning Reduce rework due to misunderstood stories Deliver value faster, with fewer blockers Refinement is when a team and its product owner look at the top items on the product backlog to make sure each is sufficiently well understood and small enough to be brought into the next sprint. That means breaking down large items, adding detail, estimating effort, and generally getting your stories “ready” for the team to work on. I like to hold the product backlog refinement meetings at the start of the current sprint to iron out any issues in the Sprint backlog and again about three days before the end of the current sprint. This gives the Product Owner   sufficient time to prioritize the backlog for the next Sprint.  Why Refin...

The essence of Scrum are the 5 values. A Scrum-Agile project will not be successful unless these values are demonstrated in every event, while preparing every artefact and while performing any role. In fact, these values can be demonstrated in any environment to reap benefits. Here are 10 practical instances for each Scrum value that any team can demonstrate: COMMITMENT Team members dedicate themselves to achieving the team's goals and doing their best work. They commit to the sprint goals and support each other in meeting those commitments. Team commits to delivering specific user stories in the sprint backlog, even when facing technical challenges or scope creep requests from stakeholders. Team members commit to rotating on-call duties to ensure continuous support for critical production systems across different time zones. When a legacy system needs modernization, team members commit to learning new frameworks or cloud technologies requ...

The deadline for a deliverable is near. Your team is facing a technical challenge. While you are the Senior Delivery Manager, you have been solving technical issues for a large part of your career. What would you do now? - Schedule a team meeting and TELL them what to do - Schedule a team meeting and ASK them what can be done If you would choose option 1 and are always solving your team's problems, you're not helping, you’re holding them back. It’s tempting as a leader to swoop in and save the day. But real leadership isn’t about doing. It’s about developing. The best leaders don’t create dependency.  They build capability. As a Leader, here are three principles to remember: 1. Don’t outsource all of the critical thinking and problem  solving to yourself. It’s easy to fall into the trap of being the one with all the answers. Well, you were providing the answers not so long ago as an individual performer. However, you have a different responsibility now. You need...

Are these challenges familiar? "How do we stand out in a crowded market?" "Why do clients choose cheaper alternatives?" "How can we move beyond project-by-project work?" For an engineering services firm, technical excellence alone doesn't guarantee business success. The key isn't just delivering great engineering solutions—it's attracting clients who value comprehensive engineering partnership. Here's the truth: Success in engineering services isn't about technical capabilities alone—it's about demonstrating measurable business impact. Here are some recommendations to transform your approach: 1. Stop selling technical specs. Start selling business outcomes. Clients don't just buy engineering services—they buy solutions to business challenges.  Real Example: An industrial automation firm stopped marketing themselves as "automated systems experts" and started saying, "We help manufacturers reduce operational c...

Conflict on teams is inevitable. But here’s the real question: does it need to be resolved? Not always. In fact, the type of conflict matters just as much as how you address it. Some conflicts demand immediate resolution, while others can be channelled into creativity and progress. Knowing the difference is critical to leading a team effectively. At its core, conflict on teams falls into two categories: personal conflict and task-focused conflict. Personal conflict is what most of us think of first—tensions that get personal, unkind remarks, or behaviours that erode respect. Left unaddressed, this type of conflict undermines trust and productivity. Task-focused conflict, however, is entirely different. This is the natural tension that arises from diverse ideas and perspectives. It’s not a problem to be solved; it’s a tool to be harnessed. Handled well, task-focused conflict can propel a team forward. Let’s look at both in depth—how to resolve personal conflict and how to channel ...

There are many skills identified as essential for Leaders.  For example, coaching is an essential leadership skill because it’s easy to measure the impact of coaching and the number one-on-ones. It’s easy to draw a connection between the number of difficult conversations and accountability. However, there are some leadership skills which are underrated maybe because the direct correlation to business results is often a gray area.  When you specifically ask individuals about the impact of these skills on their work, the response is likely to be very positive but it’s challenging to point to them as the exact reason a team is successful. So, what are these underrated leadership skills? 1. Culture eats strategy for breakfast Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”  Drucker’s point was that no matter how advanced a company’s strategy is, its success ultimately depends on the culture. You can think of it like a game of cricket.  The coach and c...

 I came across these statistics recently: SHRM reported 30% of employees feel that their managers provide sufficient feedback and encouragement. Gallup found that only about 21% of employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. Mistakes and failures are inherent to every job. How a manager responds to it determines his/her effectiveness.  What is your typical response when your team member commits a mistake? A - Do you provide appropriate feedback and encourage the team member to learn from the situation and move forward? Or B - Do you form a perception about the team member and avoid giving him/her important work? Or C - Do you step in and rectify the situation for the team member? After all, you want the issue to get resolved since you are responsible for the results. If your answer is A, well done. You are an effective Leader. If your answer is B, you are part of the majority who get influenced by unconsciou...