As much as it might sound odd, I actually find a connection between Agile (Specifically Scrum Framework) & Professional Development:
I always treat Personal / Professional Development as a continuous product that is divided into phases where each phase has its own achievements “Increments“.
It’s always healthy to run your own personal “Sprint Review“ to inspect your achievement “Releasable Increment”, compare it to both your original plan and “Definition of Done” then adapt as necessary. It is also a good approach to self-reflect and evaluate what you can do better “Sprint Retrospective”.
If your progress is going on as planned, then you carry on with your next goal “Sprint”. If not, then you re-add what was not achieved to your plan “Product Backlog”, re-order your priorities in terms of professional development then plan your next sprint “Sprint Planning”.
The only difference is with the scrum team itself because in this case, its not a team but instead, you are the whole Self-Organizing & Cross-Functional team taking the role of Scrum Master, Product Owner & Development Team:
- You are the Product Owner who maximizes the value of their professional development by checking what best serves their career, where the market is trending and what employers look for.
- You are the Scrum Master who ensures that you are conducting your recaps as necessary and in timely manner.
- You are the Development Team who works hard on studying to achieve the goal as planned.
Scrum On Everyone !
