The key to increase agility is to unlock the learning capabilities of the people within the organization and to acknowledge that your current organization structure is limiting your ability to quickly adapt to changing needs.
I can help you grow a culture where people are willing to embrace the values and principles that are needed to realize your agile ambitions. And at the same time, develop the professionalism that is required to be successful with Scrum and the Kanban Method.
Premium training courses on behalf
of Scrum.org and Kanban University
Highly interactive and practical 2.5 hour sessions
that focus on specific agile practices
On-the-job workshops designed to overcome a specific challenge your team needs help with
Advisory on business agility on all
different levels of the organization
Many teams and organizations struggle to get the most out of Scrum. In a previous post “Don’t blame “agile” for existing problems” I shared my analysis why agile or Scrum itself often gets the blame. Read more…
What are the most common mistakes with Scrum that lead to dysfunctional Scrum? This time we take the perspective of the Scrum Development Team.
I've learned and experienced that most symptoms can be traced back to not adhering to the Scrum Roles. Let's start with the Product Owner role.
Fighting organizational impediments as a Product Owner? Combine powers and utilize the Product Owner and Scrum Master symbiosis. And create more focus at the same time.
I will make a case why the Sprint Goal should take center stage in any Sprint. If it seems difficult, it is an opportunity to improve.
The role of Scrum Master is often completely new for many organizations, and often misunderstood. So what are the responsibilities of the Scrum Master?
Including two attempts at the Scrum.org certification assessment and many more benefits
"A few years ago I have joined a PSMI course given by Matthijs. The course was given in an extremely professional way both on the material that was taught, the way it was taught and time management. All Scrum principles were explained in a very clear way using multiple examples from the daily routine of a Scrum Master. Matthijs was very knowledgeable in the agile world in general and in the Scrum world in particular and although I already practiced Scrum for a few years as a Scrum Master, the amount of knowledge I gained in those few days is priceless. Furthermore, Matthijs is a great person who teaches the material in a very positive and friendly environment which gave me as a student lots of motivation to explore more in the agile world."
"Matthijs was engaged to provide Scrum Master and Product Owner training for Dutch Central Bank where my role was Senior Agile Coach. Matthijs demonstrated a high level of flexibility and creativity and was able to engage the attendees by running the training like an agile project. A lot of very colourful posters were giving the training a distinct “Matthijs” flavour. Matthijs has a lot of real-life experience and knows in depth where the real challenges in agile adoption exist. Matthijs provided excellent demonstrations and cases for the training. We were solving real problems and dealing with day-to-day issues. That made the training really “stick” with the audience."
"I've had many trainers during my professional career, but Matthijs was refreshing! In 2018 I followed the Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I) course. The training itself was setup as a Scrum Sprint, all topics were handled as Product Backlog Items, the training schedule was the roadmap, and so on. Not your everyday Powerpoint slide training, there was even no Powerpoint at all. Great! And on top of that, Matthijs is an experienced Product Owner so he knows what he's talking about. Learn Scrum from the best, learn from Matthijs."
"I participated in Professional Scrum Product Owner Training which was facilitated by Matthijs. This was the best content and facilitated training that I have ever had. Matthijs balanced the complexity of the material with the need to handle questions from the delegates in a flexible and enjoyable way. Far from the normal “dry” training that I have had in the past."
"Matthijs is without a doubt one of the best trainers. He not only has mastered all the theory behind Scrum, but he has vast experience in applying that knowledge in the enterprise world. In his training courses he doesn't just spout the agile platitudes at you, but deals with the real-life messy business of applying agile ideals to the day to day work. Matthijs' trainings are invaluable if you are planning to actually be agile instead of just learning about Scrum."
My mission: inspiring others to discover new ways of working.
I have provided 100+ training courses and workshops in the fields of Scrum, Agile Product Development, and Kanban. Over the years, I have advised and coached 15+ different organizations within various industries from banking to healthcare. Before becoming an external consultant, trainer, and coach, I have been 5+ years part of different Scrum Teams. During that time I have been a Development Team member, Product Owner, and Scrum Master.
As an official Scrum.org licensed Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) and Accredited Kanban Trainer (AKT), I am trusted by the creators of Scrum and the Kanban Method to create the best possible foundation you can build on in practice.
Read more
I have been working over a decade as a software developer with Microsoft technologies. After that, I worked several years as a project manager with classic waterfall methodologies until I discovered agile as my new favourite approach. I ran my first agile project in 2005 and started using Scrum in 2008.
In 2010 I joined Scrum.org and became a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST). Since then, I’ve helped numerous individuals and companies with introducing or improving Scrum. My current passion is DevOps which brings great benefits for organizations by gaining the ability to deliver software in shorter release cycles.
I am practically my whole career working with Microsoft technologies, with a focus on Microsoft Visual Studio and Azure DevOps. Since 2007 I have been continuously awarded with the Microsoft MVP award.
