{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Team That Decided Sprint Goals Were Optional | Alf Dobbert-Baums","description":" Alf Dobbert-Baums: The Team That Decided Sprint Goals Were Optional Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http:\/\/bit.ly\/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "Everything was a golden route. It was kind of like a little feature factory." - Alf Dobbert-Baums   Alf coached three teams. None of them cared about THE sprint goal. Most sprints had five or six "goals" \u2014 which is to say, none. The Product Owner was a proxy PO, no authority to say no, so anything that landed in the inbox got pulled into the sprint. The team had several applications to support on top of feature work. Missing a sprint goal had no consequences, so the question stopped being asked. When Alf pushed for a single, focused goal \u2014 concrete or abstract, didn't matter \u2014 the team would shrug and add three more stories to the cluster. Asked which item mattered most, they answered: "all of them." Alf names the dynamic precisely: short-term personal urgency replaced the team goal, and "all of them" became the death of focus. The cost wasn't just the missed goals \u2014 it was the missed collaboration. With a sprint goal, the team works together on one thing. Without one, they cooperate on parallel tracks and call it a sprint. There's a difference. Sprint goals create focus, predictability, and the rare feeling of finishing something together.   In this segment, we talk about the difference between cooperation and collaboration and why sprint goals are the lever that turns one into the other.   Self-reflection Question: If you asked your team this sprint "what's the most important thing we'll finish?" \u2014 and they answered "all of them" \u2014 what would you do next? Featured Book of the Week: Humble Consulting by Edgar Schein and Don't Just Do Something, Stand There by Marvin R. Weisbord Alf gives two recommendations. The first is Humble Consulting by Edgar Schein \u2014 "It teaches you that you don't know anything, and even if you ask, you still will not fully understand what the other person is in\u2026 But the good thing is that when you ask questions, it might help the other person to get on a different track." The second is Don't Just Do Something, Stand There by Marvin R. Weisbord. Alf tells a story to explain why it matters: he prepared a polished 90-minute workshop. Within 5 minutes of starting, the team's real topic surfaced \u2014 and it had nothing to do with his agenda. His head screamed "no, my workshop!" but the book gave him permission to ditch the plan, name what he was seeing, and let the team choose. They chose the new topic. He moderated. It became one of the most important sessions he ever ran. The lesson: don't just do something \u2014 stand there, and let what's really happening become visible.   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] \ud83d\udd25In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn't just about innovation\u2014it's about coaching!\ud83d\udd25 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she's caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn't just about the product\u2014it's about the people.   \ud83d\udea8 Will Angela's coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People\u2014the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.   Buy Now on Amazon   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]   About Alf Dobbert-Baums   Alf lives in Berlin. He studied Theater\/Religion at the Freie University Berlin. He is a Systemic Organizational Consultant, a Scrum Master and Agile Coach. He has also been a freelancer for Usability and Requirements Engineering for car manufacturers. At "Verti" he led the agile transformation.   You can link with Alf Dobbert-Baums on LinkedIn. ","author_name":"Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches","author_url":"http:\/\/www.scrum-master-toolbox.org\/","html":"