I want to organise a local Scrum User Group that meets regularly to discuss Scrum and share experiences. This week I attended the Wessex Scrum User Group near Southampton to get an idea of what might be involved. Since training with Nigel Baker of Agile Bear in February I haven’t spoken to other ScrumMasters so this was a really useful opportunity. I picked up a lot of useful tips and also felt reassured about my understanding and implementation of Scrum.
I’ve started to make a few contacts in the area to find other Scrum users and if possible run a meeting in late November. I am also wondering if it’s better to have a wider focus covering XP and agile development in general? At the moment the attendees are myself and a colleague, my first thought for a location is the Raven. If we get some interest (at least one other person!) I’ll set a date for the first meeting.
I’ve created a LinkedIn group so if you are interested please join or leave a comment on this post.
OK, first things first. I scored 70%. Not bad, but I have an excuse ready. I didn’t notice the timer when I started the test so I had to rush the second half and missed the last 4 questions. The test was really useful to me because a number of questions relate to the responsibilities of each Scrum role. It also touched upon the idea that if you are going to modify Scrum or can’t implement it as designed you won’t realise all the benefits.
It will be interesting to see how scrum.org develops in the near future.
Just before learning about Scrum.org I came across Ken’s Google TechTalk from 2006 – Scrum et al.
The talk helped me to gain a better understanding of what a high performing Scrum team should feel like and how each role can contribute to this. If you are thinking of starting Scrum I would recommend that your team watch this together.
After using Scrum for the last year and seeing many benefits I am really keen to bring together other Scrum teams, ScrumMasters and Product Owners in my local area to share our experiences. Living in a rugby city it’s clear that I am not going to find these people by searching for ‘Scrum Bath’. If you’re interested or know someone who might be please get in touch.
