News

There were a few essential things that we needed before starting our own podcast, Two Scrums Up. If you’re thinking of starting one, here are some things to keep in mind.

Alley’s core company values of quality, transparency and accountability closely align with the values of Scrum and, more broadly, the principles of agile software development. However, recent events have led us to consider how the practice of Scrum also supports our community values – radical candor, psychological safety, asynchronous communication, diversity, and inclusion.

One of the easiest ways to answer the question of productivity is relatively simple: Make work visible. How? Try a manual burndown chart. Here’s how.

As more and more companies go remote, it will become increasingly more common to provide code samples with résumés. How should you select your code samples? What should you do to prepare them? Here are five things I look for when reviewing code samples.

For all of us to play the same song, everyone needs to have a good understanding of Scrum. Scrum certification is the way to ensure that that happens.

Working remotely means we’ve had to be intentional about ensuring designers canconnect, talk shop, and spur each other on creatively. Here’s how.

At Alley, we’ve built a culture of collaboration where designers and developers see each other as true partners instead of adversaries.

The myths of web design must be changed along with developments in bridging the designer/developer divide, new tools, and more.

Being a scrum master, I often worry if velocity looms too large for me. From project forecasting to sprint planning to team retrospectives, velocity metrics are up in my grill more than bratwurst at a Green Bay Packers tailgate. Even from a “book learnin’” standpoint, velocity is front and center: “The Scrum Master is accountable for the Velocity … of the Team.” That big V Velocity is really intimidating! But does velocity warrant such verbal (and mental) emphasis?

John Ragozzine, Director of Agile Process, and Agile Process Leader Ken Medley launched a new podcast Two Scrums Up this month, available for download and subscribing in all the places you’d expect, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify!

In this piece you’ll read research on the specific ways in which institutional barriers to psychological safety manifest for minorities in the workplace. And, as promised in part one, you’ll learn 10 practical, research-based strategies we’re using at Alley for creating inclusive, psychologically safe workplaces while honoring the intersection of overlapping identities that each team member holds.