Agile Clips Podcast

In this episode, we delve into the practicalities of Agile methodologies beyond the buzzwords and theory. We explore how flexibility and adaptation are not just parts of the Agile manifesto but are crucial practices for navigating the complexities of real-world projects. We need to be Agile in applying Agile - be flexible and ready to change and adapt to deliver the best business outcome. We share insights and stories about leaders who have understood and benefited from the core Agile principles. We also talk about how some people get hung up with practices that are not core to Agile and, in some situations, actually get in the way.

In this episode, we have a discussion with ChatGPT 4, chatting about some common challenges faced by teams. The responses from ChatGPT are real and in its own voice, using OpenAI's mobile app. The only editing that was done was to shorten by a couple of seconds the time it took to respond to our questions. You may be surprised by the outcome.

In this episode, Santosh recounts some of the most impactful presentations he attended at the Agile Alliance Agile2023 conference in Orlando, Florida.

In this episode we talk about Business Agility and the role of Agile Coaches, after attending training endorsed by ICAgile. We touch on various aspects of Agile Transformations, including culture, technology, operating models, system level thinking and many more.

In this episode we talk about job hunting, resumes and interviewing for Agile roles, following the 2023 tech layoffs. We share our firsthand experiences, advice we received and what worked for us.

In this episode we talk about people that bring Agile practices to teams and, due to limited knowledge or the wrong motivation, make things worse. We discuss how to identify these people and remedy the situation, which leads to a discussion about agility and how to recognize when a team is truly agile.

Welcome to Agile Clips. In this episode our guest is Linda Rising - she is a speaker, author, and recipient of the 2020 World Agility Forum Lifetime Achievement Award.  Today's topic is “change”. We start the conversation with misconceptions about our ability to help others and organizations change and go on to techniques for achieving long lasting changes. Although the focus is Agile, the discussion is wide ranging and applicable to some of the biggest and toughest challenges we face in the world today. You can contact Linda at https://lindarising.org. The following book by Linda and Mary Lynn Manns is mentioned in the podcast: https://fearlesschangepatterns.com.

In this episode we discuss the so-called hybrid work model, where some team members are working remotely and some from a traditional office environment. As people return to offices following working from home, most organizations will have to work this way. The model presents both challenges and opportunities for more effective collaboration. We talk about this trend, some of the tools available and offer some tips on how to adapt to this new working model.

There is a misconception that in Agile development you can plan as you go along. In fact, you still need to plan ahead. What is different compared with waterfall development is that we respond to change over following a plan created when we knew less than we do now. In this episode, we discuss several techniques for understanding what the desired business outcome is so that we can plan how to achieve the outcome more than, for example, the detailed features that, in any case, we may want to adjust as we start to gather user feedback. We also talk about understanding dependencies and risks so that those can be planned for, rather than being surprised by them late in the development cycle.

In this episode we discuss the vast number of collaboration tools available, some of our experiences with specific tools and various aspects of collaboration with and without electronic tools.   The listing of tools mentioned in the episode can be found at https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/tools.

Who is a Leader? What does it take to be a Leader? In this episode we are joined by James Saliba, author of “Reviving the Work Environment: Taking Your Position as a Leader” to discuss how leaders can find themselves "stuck" and how they can get “unstuck” by taking time to assess themselves, assessing overall performance, and then taking the appropriate actions. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamessaliba/ https://jamessaliba.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Reviving-Work-Environment-Taking-Position/dp/1734906103

We are excited to announce that Andrew Webster has joined us as a co-host of the Agile Clips podcast. In this episode Steve, Santosh and Andrew have a conversation about negative views of Agile, what can cause people to have these negative views and how to overcome them to help teams reap the benefits of the Agile values and principles.

In this episode we discuss the pluses and minuses of Scrum and Kanban, which is the most appropriate in specific situations and how they can be used together to achieve the best of both worlds.

In this episode we discuss the role of manager in an Agile setting and how it compares to the role of manager in a waterfall organization. We also talk about the difference between being a manager and being a leader. The following books are referenced in the podcast.   Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness by Frederic Laloux https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Organizations-Frederic-Laloux/dp/2960133501   Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders by L. David Marquet https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Ship-Around-Turning-Followers/dp/1591846404

In this episode we speak with Dr. David A. Bishop about the role of Agile methods in the development of complex systems comprising hardware, firmware and software. Often these systems are developed using a hybrid methodology with some teams using Agile and others using waterfall techniques. David can be contacted via https://agile-worx.com/. You can read about his book, “Metagility: Managing Agile Development for Competitive Advantage” at https://agile-worx.com/product/.

In this episode, Scrum trainer, podcaster and author Ryan Ripley talks about some of the challenges Scrum teams face and offers practical advice on how to resolve them. We loved his view on how to work with engineering managers who are questioning their role in Scrum! Ryan can be contacted via https://ryanripley.com/. You can read about his new book, “Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems” at https://ryanripley.com/fixing-your-scrum/.

In this episode we talk about Agile First Responders - people brought in to deal with "Agile disasters". How do you know when you need help with your agile transformation, and what do first responders do to identify and fix the root causes of problems and to then stabilize the situation. Mike Cottmeyer’s work referenced in the podcast can be found at https://www.leadingagile.com/whitepaper/.

Welcome to Agile Clips where we break down Agile into manageable pieces. In this episode we discuss why interest in agility has grown beyond product and engineering groups to the agility of entire organizations. In the podcast we refer to the following interesting resource about Agile Culture Development from the Agile Business Consortium. https://www.agilebusiness.org/resource/resmgr/documents/templates/agile-consortium-culture-dna.pdf This is just one of many useful resources on the same web site.

In this episode we discuss why well prioritized and ordered backlogs are so important, how items should be added to them and by whom, and some techniques to manage them so that they are consumable by the delivery team.

In this show we discuss documentation. Teams new to Agile sometimes mistakenly abandon good documentation practices, thinking that the Agile Manifesto relieves them of the need for it. We talk about what kinds of documentation are still needed and why, and provide some tips for ensuring that there is just the right amount of it, that it provides value and is not too much of a burden to write.

In this show, your co-hosts Steve Sanoff and Santosh Kolhatkar discuss sizing features and stories. In addition to covering how sizing is different in Agile compared to Waterfall, they discuss proven techniques to do sizing efficiently and to ensure that team members have a common understanding of the scope and work to be done. Podcast feedback form: https://forms.gle/yPHi3TBHKcnck4KJA

In this episode we discuss Mob Programming, a style of programming in which the entire team sits together and works on a single task at a time. Our guest, Llewellyn Falco, is one of the thought leaders on this technique – he explains how Mob Programming helps teams learn and how it accelerates the delivery of working software. The episode is full of insights and practical advice for engineering managers, agile coaches and team members. Links: https://twitter.com/llewellynfalco?lang=en http://llewellynfalco.blogspot.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/llewellynfalco http://www.mobprogrammingguidebook.com/ Email: llewellyn.falco@gmail.com

In this episode we’re delighted to bring you a conversation with Chris Sims, Certified Scrum Trainer, Agile Coach, founder of Agile Learning Labs and the co-author of two best-selling Scrum books. We discuss how company leaders can use Scrum to drive an Agile transformation. Links: https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Scrum-Chris-Sims-ebook/dp/B004O0U74Q https://www.amazon.com/Scrum-Breathtakingly-Brief-Agile-Introduction-ebook/dp/B007P5N8D4 https://www.agilelearninglabs.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni-ebook-dp-B006960LQW/dp/B006960LQW https://www.meetup.com/ScrumProfessionals/ Podcast feedback form: https://forms.gle/yPHi3TBHKcnck4KJA

In this show we discuss team and business metrics – what to measure and how, as well as common pitfalls. We talk about how metrics should be actionable, and the importance of tracking trends in the activities that will directly or indirectly generate the outcomes you want. Links: Podcast feedback form: https://forms.gle/yPHi3TBHKcnck4KJA

The Sprint Retrospective is one of the most important ceremonies in the Scrum framework. It is the means by which teams improve the way they work and become high performance teams. Yet, it is common for team members to say they are too busy to attend retrospectives. In this episode, your hosts, Steve and Santosh, provide many tips to make retrospectives efficient and effective in bringing about positive changes, helping team members see the value in this greatly underrated ceremony. Links: https://www.amazon.com/Agile-Retrospectives-Making-Teams-Great/dp/0977616649 Podcast feedback form: https://forms.gle/yPHi3TBHKcnck4KJA

In this episode, we interview Andrew Webster, a San Francisco Bay Area Agile Coach. Andrew discusses the key topics in the book "Making Work Visible: Exposing Time Theft to Optimize Work & Flow" and goes on to discuss practical techniques for dealing with unplanned work in Scrum and estimating business value for prioritization of initiatives and features. Andrew also explains how Agile Coaches can guide organizations to work more wisely. Links: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Work-Visible-Exposing-Optimize-ebook/dp/B076BYZ6VN https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Product-Development-Flow-Generation-ebook/dp/B007TKU0O0 Email: andrew@wisdomat.work Podcast feedback form: https://forms.gle/yPHi3TBHKcnck4KJA

In this episode we discuss a variety of topics, including prioritizing initiatives, keeping everyone aligned with priorities, agile planning and execution. Links: https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Inc-Built-Workplace-People-ebook/dp/B00DMCW1FK https://www.scaledagileframework.com/wsjf/

In this interview, software engineering management author and consultant Ron Lichty discusses "being agile" versus "doing agile", the role of managers in Agile and what it means for teams to be self-organizing. Links: http://www.ronlichty.com http://www.managingtheunmanageable.net

Story Mapping is a technique for visually documenting a story about how a user will use a product to perform the tasks that help achieve his or her goals. Story Maps are invaluable for reaching a common understanding of what are the key features that will make a product valuable. Links: http://www.jpattonassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/story_mapping.pdf https://www.amazon.com/User-Story-Mapping-Discover-Product-ebook/dp/B00NF07FHS

In this episode we discuss some of the misconceptions around Agile and go on to talk about the key aspects of the Agile Manifesto with some examples. Links:  https://agilemanifesto.org  

Although Agile started in engineering, it is important for the entire enterprise to respond quickly to a changing business environment. Steve and Santosh discuss how cross functional teams can achieve Business Agility, and the entire product lifecycle can be managed using a Kanban sandwich! Links: https://dzone.com/articles/pattern-of-the-month-kanban-sandwich

What is the essence of Scrum? How do you know if you are Agile? Steve and Santosh discuss Henrik Kniberg's "the unofficial Scrum Checklist". The checklist can be downloaded from the crisp website. Links: https://www.crisp.se/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Scrum-checklist.pdf