Category Archives: Protocol

FAST v SMART Goals: A Primer for Agile Teams

As an Agile Scrum Master, you know that goal-setting is a cornerstone of effective team performance. For years, many of us relied on SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. But recently, I’ve switched to FAST goals, and the results have been transformative. If you’re looking to improve how your teams set and achieve goals, let me explain the difference between SMART and FAST goals, when to use each, and how to apply FAST goals in your Agile environment.

Protocol for Daily Stand-Up Meetings

During lockdown, I’ve looked at different ways to refine how I work. When I began to forensically track my performance, it became clear that I was ‘leaking’ time in ways I hadn’t taken into account. Two of the major influences came from the surgeon Atul Gawande’s book The Checklist Manifesto and Andrew Huberman’s protocols. Here’s a rough draft of a protocol for my daily stand-up meetings.