Agile in Action with Bill Raymond

"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It's the same thing with projects." — Luke Pivac In this episode of the Agile in Action Podcast, Bill Raymond chats with Luke Pivac, co-author of Learn Agile and Scrum in Two Hours. They talk about why Agile is more about mindset than rigid frameworks, the shift from traditional project management to Agile practices, and how teams adapted to remote work during the pandemic. Luke shares his personal journey into Agile, why Scrum works, and how Agile principles help teams stay resilient, especially in uncertain times. What you will learn: ✅ Why a strong Agile mindset beats just following a framework ✅ How daily standups and retrospectives can transform a team's dynamics ✅ The difference between Agile and traditional project management (hint: flexibility wins) ✅ How Agile principles help teams adapt during crises (like COVID-19) ✅ How AI can complement Agile practices (but not replace human creativity and problem-solving) Luke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukepivac Learn Agile and Scrum in 2 Hours: https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Agile-Scrum-Hours-Beginners/dp/0994169345  

In this Agile in Action Podcast episode, Professor Adam Boddison, CEO of the Association for Project Management (APM), discusses the evolving role of project professionals in a rapidly changing world. He emphasizes the critical importance of project professionals in delivering societal and organizational change, advocating for their broader recognition beyond technical roles to strategic leadership positions. The conversation touches on the need to redefine success in project management, the challenges posed by global talent shortages, the inclusion of agile methodologies under the project professional umbrella, and the value of stakeholder engagement, continuous learning, and benefit realization. Boddison also makes a case for integrating project management as a core component of leadership training and suggests that roles like Chief Operating Officer may need to evolve into Chief Project or Transformation Officers to better align with today's change-driven business landscape. What You Will Learn: The strategic role of project professionals: Why project professionals are more than just process experts—they are essential to executing organizational strategy and managing change effectively across sectors. The need to redefine project success: How modern project management requires focus on benefits realization and adaptability, rather than strict adherence to initial plans. Bridging the project profession and the C-suite: Why project management deserves a seat at the executive table and how roles like COO may need to evolve to reflect a greater emphasis on transformation. Building project capability and maturity: The importance of upskilling both intentional and “accidental” project professionals and using lessons learned to inform future projects. Relevant URLs: Association for Project Management (APM): https://www.apm.org.uk Agile in Action Podcast: https://agileinaction.com Adam Boddison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamboddison

Bill Raymond chats with Vazgen Tadevosyan and Edik Baghdasaryan about their bold move from running a consulting firm to developing their gaming product. This episode is a masterclass in navigating significant business shifts without losing focus. Vazgen and Edik dive deep into their journey, sharing the lessons learned from balancing consulting services with product development. From overcoming technical challenges to keeping their team motivated, they provide actionable insights for anyone considering a similar pivot or looking to succeed in a highly competitive industry. ✅ Discover the challenges of scaling and the importance of domain-specific expertise ✅ Learn how to maintain client trust while pivoting your business ✅ Hear how they tackled team dynamics and flexibility during their transition

⏫ Making the shift from an individual contributor to a leader In today's podcast, Luke Pivac, Delivery Lead at Westpac and author of An Agile Playbook for Technical Communicators, joins the podcast. Luke shares valuable lessons that will help new or aspiring leaders transition from a role as an individual agile team contributor. Luke and Bill share stories and advice that will resonate with you to grow and improve your leadership skills. If you are a leader hiring or promoting team members, you will find this conversation invaluable to provide a successful transition for that new role! ✅ Working above the waterline to emphasize the importance of strategic thinking and leadership in Agile environments ✅ Bridging communication gaps by translating complex technical solutions into business impacts ✅  Adapting to unexpected changes while maintaining agile values

Change, complexity, and unpredictability require a new approach to leadership. In today's podcast, Zazana (Zuzi) Šochová will share how leaders can embrace complexity and create a safe space for their teams to deliver innovative solutions.  Zuzi and Bill share stories and leadership advice that will help leaders learn how to: ✅ Operate for complexity and unpredictability ✅ Give space for teams to find their way ✅ Enable creativity and innovation ✅ Create a space for trust, transparency, and openness ✅ Consider your personal growth

Agilists are ideal candidates to run complex

It is time to measure

Don't spend

The drive to business agility never ends, but there are inflection points ⤵️ Evan Leybourn and Martin Foster review the changes, trends, predictive indicators, and insight that form a global view of organizations' business agility journey. In this podcast, you will learn the following:   ✅ The purpose and design of the Business Agility report ✅ Global trends in business agility ✅ Predictive indicators ✅ Time to benefit ✅ Challenges in achieving sustainable business agility

What makes the ultimate internship program? A foundation of dignity, respect, and a crystal-clear vision for victory! ⚡️

Stop repeating all those work tasks ⤵️ In today's podcast, Phil Simon, Author of the book Low-Code/No-Code, shares how you can automate your work as a citizen developer. In this podcast, you will learn the following: ✅ What is low code/no code? ✅ What is a citizen developer? ✅ Opportunities to automate repetitive work ✅ Case studies to inspire you ✅ How IT can embrace the low code/no code revolution

Rather than pushing uncertainty away, embrace it! ⤵️ Today, Bill Raymond speaks with guest Jonas Neumann, who will cover various software development and agile topics. In this podcast, you will learn the following: ✅ The promise of agile in software development ✅ How organizations can adopt agile ✅ Breaking down planning and budgeting barriers ✅ Dealing with uncertainty ✅ Measuring work based on value ✅ How to foster fun, safe, and effective software development teams  

For a hotel brand to succeed, leadership must embrace innovation. Today, Are Morch joins Bill Raymond to discuss agility and digital change in the hotel industry. While we may still be amidst significant change and disruption, hotels still have plenty of opportunities to embrace digital transformation. In this podcast episode, you will learn the following: ✅ The latest innovations in hotels ✅ How to identify and lead change ✅ The importance of community outreach ✅ How to embrace change ✅ Re-thinking and re-educating your teams  

In today's bonus podcast, we are excited to have Marsha Acker, CEO of Team Catapult, back again! We are excited to be part of Marsha's journey by helping to launch her latest book: Build your Model for leading change. Here at the Agile in Action podcast, we want to offer you the best resources to help you with your career, so this is not a paid advertisement. Marsha and Bill Raymond discuss essential topics you will learn, including: ✅ What is a model for change?   ✅ The four types of models   ✅ Examples of models   ✅ Ways to build your model   ✅ How Marsha and Bill work on their models  

Why is emotional intelligence so important for agile teams? Dr. Tan Trung (John) Luong, Sr. Expert Consultant at Orianda Solutions AG, will help answer that question. Having written an essential article on Springer Media and pulling from years of personal experience, Dr. John shares stories and expertise with Bill Raymond to help you learn: ✅ The definition of emotional intelligence (or EI) ✅ Why EI is important within agile teams ✅ Why is Emotional intelligence important ✅ The four dimensions of emotional intelligence ✅ How you can lead EI initiatives in your organization

The Scrum Master helps the whole organization become more agile. Today, Daria Bagina, Professional Scrum Trainer with Scrum.org and ScrumMastered.com, joins us for another episode in our Seasons of Scrum series. Daria shares the importance of a Scrum Master in leadership and with teams. Daria and Bill Raymond share stories and examples to help you learn: ✅ What is agile and agility ✅ Scrum roles ✅ The role of the Scrum Master ✅ Traits of a Scrum Master ✅ The Scrum Master's role in organizational change ✅ Tips for hiring a Scrum Master

Agile change is not something you can only deploy in your organization. Setting goals, building relationships, and collaborating are critical to agile transformations. In today's podcast, Michal Idzikowski shares how you can successfully introduce agile change into your organization. Michal and Bill share stories and examples that will help you learn: ✅ What is an agile organization ✅ What effective agile organizational change looks like ✅ Competencies versus roles ✅ Reducing complexity ✅ Mistakes to avoid ✅ Using a Scrum Studio for greenfield agile adoption ✅ Working with agile supporters and detractors