#159. Should you use a traditional, waterfall approach to build Power Platform apps?

In this episode, I break down six situations when you might be tempted to use a waterfall method and share my thoughts on whether that's really the best approach.

00:11 Everyone should try waterfall at least once.

02:18 When to adopt a waterfall approach

02:53 #1 Predictable and well-defined requirements

04:19 #2 Regulated industries

05:49 #3 Fixed-price contracts

06:59 #4 Small or simple projects

08:02 #5 No agile experience

08:59 #6 Lots of dependencies

10:09 Recap `

• Estimating Agile Business Apps: learn how to quickly, accurately and confidently estimate how long it'll take and how much it'll cost to build your Power Platform or Dynamics 365 app.
• Cynefin Model: learn how to approach different problems from simple to complex.
• Successful Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps: learn the Scrum framework, prepare for certification and discover my proven practices for successfully applying Scrum for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.
• Team Topologies: Matthew Skelton discusses how different team topologies can reduce the impact of dependencies across an organisation.

Mentioned in this episode:

My 50th Birthday Special Offer

Scrum turns 30 in 2025, but more importantly, I turn 50 this January! To celebrate, I'm offering my Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps course for just $50 for the Learning Plan (usually $399) and $250 for the Certification Plan (usually $499). All you have to do is be on my mailing list when the promotion launches later this month. Visit https://customery.com/neils-50th-birthday-party and I'll let you know as soon as the promotion goes live.

#158. It's 2025, and I still meet Power Platform and Dynamics 365 professionals that don't know what Scrum is or have an incomplete understanding of what Scrum is. Especially in job interviews!

In this short episode, you'll learn:

• What Scrum really is
• Why it's a framework and not a methodology
• A simple hack for remembering the 18 components of Scrum

🚀 Agile Foundations for Microsoft Business Apps: Learn the basics and benefits about adopting agile approach to building business applications. https://customery.com/foundations

Mentioned in this episode:

My 50th Birthday Special Offer

Scrum turns 30 in 2025, but more importantly, I turn 50 this January! To celebrate, I'm offering my Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps course for just $50 for the Learning Plan (usually $399) and $250 for the Certification Plan (usually $499). All you have to do is be on my mailing list when the promotion launches later this month. Visit https://customery.com/neils-50th-birthday-party and I'll let you know as soon as the promotion goes live.

#157. Rethink the role of the scrum master. Two recent events—a thought-provoking article by agile coach Maarten Dalmijn and a leave of absence by Matthew, a beloved scrum master in my team—prompted me to question if scrum masters might be overrated.

Comparing scrum teams to sports teams like Ultimate Frisbee, where players self-regulate without referees. Imagine a world where your scrum team operates the same way, holding each other accountable and mastering the game without a dedicated scrum master.

You'll learn about Maarten's controversial stance: in startups and scale-ups with fewer organizational impediments, having a scrum master might be unnecessary overhead. Instead, Martin suggests that with a deep understanding of scrum, your team could self-manage effectively.

I share my own team's bold experiment—replacing a traditional scrum master with a hybrid scrum master-developer. Spearheaded by Sapan, who has extensive experience in both development and scrum, this experiment offers surprising results.

It's not a one-size-fits-all solution for all Power Platform teams. But it does highlight the importance of being open to new practices and continuous experimentation in agile development.

Keep experimenting 🧪

-Neil

RESOURCES

• Maarten Dalmijn on LinkedIn
• Maarten Dalmijn, 'Are Scrum Masters Too Much Overhead?'