The Mountain Goat Software Blog

On a desk, a copy of The Scrum Guide sits beside an open tablet, calendar, and notebook. As teams progress with Scrum, they can experiment with changes to their approach (even if it conflicts with Scrum Guide) but not at first.

Start Scrum by the Book: Don't Finish There

As teams progress with Scrum, they can (and should) experiment with changes to their approach. But not at first. Learn more.

A team is gathered around a table looking together at a large blueprint and a product backlog. Each developer is adding their own insights and ideas to the sprint plan.

How to Stop Struggling with Sprint Planning

What are the danger signs that sprint planning is a struggle for your teams? And how can you turn it around? Find out in this video blog.

Becoming a product owner is a big decision. Have you considered becoming a product owner? Maybe you should.

Should You Become a Product Owner?

Explore the skills, paths, and tradeoffs to consider before stepping into the product owner role.

A man in a white lab coat and a woman work together to find space for experiments inside a sprint. To be innovative and agile, teams need to experiment early and often.

When Do Agile Teams Make Time for Innovation?

Make space for innovation inside short sprint cycles.

Effective Scrum Masters need three key concessions from their organization. They have three rights, shown left to right in a circle: access to stakeholders, freedom to experiment, and the ability to openly address issues.

Three Rights of Effective Scrum Masters

To be effective, a Scrum Master has a right to expect at least three things from their company culture. Find out what those are.

Article artwork for Top 7 Ways to Engage Stakeholders in Sprint Reviews.

Top 7 Ways to Engage Stakeholders in Sprint Reviews

Poorly attended sprint reviews cause real problems. Fortunately there are easy fixes.

A man and woman discuss the sprint goal inside open elevator doors. The caption reads, A sprint goal is a one-sentence summary of the focus of a team's sprint. The idea is to be able to relay what the team is working on in the length of an elevator ride.

The Sprint Goal: What It Is and How It Can Help

Sprint goals are something every Scrum team should try to create. Learn what sprint goals are and what a good sprint goal looks like.

Article artwork for Why Sustainable Pace Is So Important to Agile Teams.

Why Sustainable Pace Is So Important to Agile Teams

It isn’t just people who benefit when teams work at a sustainable pace. Overall velocity is higher and defect counts are lower. Find out why.

A definition of ready can be like a bouncer standing in front of a club. It blocks stories from entering the sprint and is a dangerous step towards a stage-gate process.

Definition of Ready: What It Is and Why Its Dangerous

This post explains how to use a Definition of Ready successfully and avoid it becoming a first step back toward a waterfall process.

Article artwork for What Product Owners Do & 7 Mistakes to Avoid.

What Product Owners Do & 7 Mistakes to Avoid

Use seven common product owner mistakes to spot where ownership, prioritization, or collaboration may be breaking down.

Article artwork for User Story Template: What It Is and Why It Works So Well.

User Story Template: What It Is and Why It Works So Well

Understand why the three-part user story template works and where it falls short.

Article artwork for Agile Teams: Concurrent Engineering & Overlapping Work.

Agile Teams: Concurrent Engineering & Overlapping Work

Help teams overlap work without losing alignment or quality.