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!

Using Slack as a synchronous communication tool like Instant Messenger has plenty of downsides. Slack can be a source of constant interruption and context switching. How do you mitigate this?

At Alley, we make it a priority to take care of ourselves and each other. Here are some tips from the Alley team on how to recharge and take care of yourself.

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.

Earlier this year, Alley teammates attended SRCCON:PRODUCT in Philadelphia along with 150 product thinkers from publishing organizations—including reporters, strategists, editors, entrepreneurs, and others—at Temple University’s campus for the first conference by, for, and about product and news. SRCCON is an events series produced by OpenNews that “connects a network of developers, designers, journalists, aned editors

Being #suddenlyremote can mean no more in-person happy hours—at least for a while. That doesn’t mean the party’s over.