Success Through Simple Principles and Clear Goals

In my experience, the most effective teams don't rigidly follow a particular framework. They may have used frameworks in the past and learned valuable lessons, but they don't follow the rules by the book. Instead, they rely on a few key principles that simplify processes and focus on what really matters-personal interactions and delivering customer value. They keep the customer at the center of everything they do. For example, I worked with a team that operated with just one guiding element: a sprint goal. That was it. Everyone on the team had a deep understanding of that goal, and we spent a lot of time making sure it was worth pursuing. Once the goal was clear, the team collaborated seamlessly to achieve it.

We had a few stories to start with, but created many more as we progressed. Instead of adding up the story points, we estimated what we could realistically accomplish in the sprint. Our commitment was to deliver outcomes, not just complete features. This approach made the team a high-performing team.

On the other hand, I've seen other teams become overly focused on following process to the letter - whether it's estimation, ceremonies, or other practices. In doing so, they sometimes lose sight of the ultimate goal and the value they are trying to deliver.

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