The Daily Standup

Value Stream Mapping Enhances Agile CapabilitiesValue Stream Management (VSM) is a systematic approach to improving the flow of value from a customer's request to the customer's hands. It focuses on optimizing the end-to-end process, from idea to delivery, to accelerate time-to-market, increase throughput, and enhance customer satisfaction. Key aspects of VSM:End-to-end focus:VSM considers the entire process, including all steps and touchpoints, from ideation to delivery. Flow optimization:VSM aims to remove bottlenecks, reduce waste, and improve the flow of work. Data-driven insights:VSM relies on data and analytics to understand the current state of the process, identify areas for improvement, and measure the impact of changes. Continuous improvement:VSM is an iterative process that involves ongoing monitoring, analysis, and optimization. Reduces lead time:By streamlining the process and eliminating waste, VSM can significantly reduce the time it takes to deliver value to customers. Increases throughput:Optimizing the flow of work can lead to higher throughput, meaning more value is delivered in a shorter period. Improves product quality:By identifying and addressing issues early in the process, VSM can help ensure higher product quality. Enhances customer satisfaction:Faster delivery, higher quality, and more reliable products lead to greater customer satisfaction. Enables business agility:VSM helps organizations become more agile and responsive to changes in the market. In essence, VSM is about maximizing the value delivered to customers by optimizing the end-to-end process, from customer request to customer value realizationHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Top 3 Tips For Effective Agile In Hybrid Work EnvironmentsToday we will Discuss the challenges and strategies of implementing Agile methodologies in hybrid work settings. Topics include effective remote collaboration, maintaining team cohesion, and optimizing virtual meetings.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

This is the REAL Question... How much do you need to know and what is the best way to get caught up? How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Six Magic Words That Help You be a Better ListenerHelpMe Understand ?TellMeMore...How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Why EVERY Product Manager needs to Understand AI!AI is no longer a standalone product — it's becoming a standard feature.For product managers (PMs), this shift means learning to think differently about how users interact with software. The rise of large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Claude, and open-source alternatives is changing user expectations across every industry — not just in tech-first companies.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

A Simple Technique to Make Meetings More Enjoyable - Mike CohnEvery time I went to the dentist as a little kid, my dentist gave me a small toy after my treatment.And back then my parents' house was near Disneyland. From our backyard we'd see the nightly fireworks. Disneyland always saved the most spectacular display for the finale.My dentist and Disneyland were making use of what later became known as the peak-end rule. This rule says that we judge and recall experiences based on how we felt at the peak and at the end.My dentist was giving me a more favorable impression by giving me the toy at the end. If he'd given me a toy at the start, it would not have had the same impact.Disney was going for the double-whammy of placing the peak experience at the end.Studies conducted by Daniel Kahneman (author of Thinking Fast and Slow) and others have shown that we consider unpleasant experiences better if they end on an up note. The end doesn't have to be great; it just has to be better than what preceded it.Meetings are an unpleasant experience for many of us. But we can improve how team members feel about meetings by changing how we end them.I plan to try this next week. Our weekly meeting begins with anyone sharing good news, whether professional or personal. This week a coworker is celebrating a professional achievement; next week is another's last before taking maternity leave.This simple sharing of good news is the highlight of the meeting for me. All the discussion about the work we each plan to undertake for the week is vital, but I enjoy hearing good news from coworkers.Back in the day, we put this at the start of each week's agenda because we reasoned it would be nice to start on a positive note. Do you predict we'll be better served by sharing good news at the end?Improving the end of a meeting won't change the outcome of the meeting or the discussions within the meeting. It should, however, improve how people feel about the meeting.Making meetings more enjoyable (or at least less unpleasant) will help a team succeed with agileHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

5 SuperPowers Every Facilitator NeedsUnlock Team CreativityEngagement Maximizer / Disruption DiffuserThe Ability to Help People Feel ComfortableA Curiosity MindsetHigh EQ and the Vulnerability to PivotHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Honoring Memorial DayHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

No FearThe only thing we have to fear is fear itself... How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

5 Tiny Leadership Habits You Can Do in Under 5 Minutes for Massive ResultsManagement is complex, but it doesn't need to be overwhelming.If you have read James Clear's book Atomic Habits, you know that small actions can lead to massive results.A recent study found that 58% of employees trust a stranger more than their boss. Surprising, right? But what if changing that perception took less than 5 minutes a day?The truth is that great leaders aren't made from grand promises or speeches. They're built through consistent, tiny habits that strengthen trust, communication, and connection day in and day out.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Which is the MOST Effective Agile Meeting? I remember working at a startup where every day began with meetings. Planning on Monday, follow-ups on Tuesday, status on Wednesday, dependencies on Thursday, and retros on Friday.The team spent more time justifying their work than doing it.That's when I learned something I've never forgotten as a CTO: an unnecessary meeting is a silent tax on time and energy.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Transform Team Trust In Five SecondsThe Honest StopInstead of pretending you've got it all figured out (no one believes that anyway), just stop.Say: “I'm stuck here” or “I'm not sure about this.”It's like admitting you have no idea how to pronounce that new artist's name. (We've all been there). And that's what You Tube is for right?The Power FlipInstead of trying to be the all-knowing boss, flip the power dynamic.Ask, “What am I missing?” or “How would you handle this?”The Real ResponseHere's the crucial bit — when they speak, shut up and listen. Like, properly listen.Not the “nodding while checking TEAMS “ kind of listening.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Leadership IS Language!The words we use matter.You may not think much of using terms like “resources” rather than “people” or “I” vs “we” but at a subconscious level these words start to infiltrate our minds. For both the person using them and those hearing it.Perhaps you're thinking, ‘I have tough skin' or ‘I don't mind when people use these terms' but even if that's true, that's not the case for everyone and it sets a tone. It influences the fabric of culture.As the old adage goes: “‘Watch your thoughts, as they become your words; watch your words, as they become your actions.”How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Why Our Family Is "Different"My hunch is that if you know us, you are already aware of this development... How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

MVP is Dead!! We Should Focus on MLP Instead!MVPs sound great in theory, but too often, they result in forgettable, uninspiring products. Instead of focusing on minimum viability, focus on minimum loveability – because a product that people love will always win.So, the next time someone tells you to build an MVP, ask them:“Would you rather date someone who's ‘viable' or someone who's lovable?”How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Remove From Your Process as Often as You Add To It - Mike CohnCan you imagine being so angry about a team doing something wrong that you institute a rule for them to follow for the next 100 years? Literally 100 years.Queen Victoria was that angry.One day in 1894, the Queen went to the Horse Guards building expecting her Household Cavalry to be ready to escort her back to Buckingham Palace. She instead found the guards either asleep, drunk, or gambling.Infuriated, she commanded that an inspection of the Guards be held at 4:00 p.m. every day for the next 100 years.I'm guessing the Guards got the message to stop sleeping, drinking, and gambling on duty long before 100 years. The 4:00 p.m. inspection could have stopped after perhaps a year or two. Maybe sooner.Things that become part of a team's process sometimes stay there too long, like that inspection of the Queen's Horse Guards.This happened in a company that had a large database that was shared by multiple applications. When one team changed the database, they screwed up the change and left other teams scrambling to quickly change their code in production.They held a multi-team retrospective and agreed that each team would produce a Database Impact Report every sprint. The report would describe how a team's work would affect the database.This doesn't sound horrible yet, except it was rare for most teams to do any work at all in a sprint that would affect the database.These teams were still expected to complete a Database Impact Report each sprint that basically said: No impactNo impactNo impactThese no-impact Impact Reports were emailed to all other teams.After opening a PDF every two weeks that said “no impact,” recipients stopped bothering to even read the reports that were still being generated.Stop. Just stop.These reports were probably useful for a period. They may have helped identify a risk. They certainly made people more aware of the impact a database change could have on other teams.But after a while, they should have been removed from the teams' process, especially once the teams who actually did routinely alter the database had found better ways of communicating potential impacts.In retrospectives, it's always tempting to look for new things to add (“Let's start using AI to inspect our code!”).But make sure you also reserve time in retrospectives to look for things to remove.Unless your team members are all drunk, gambling, or asleep at 4:00 p.m., you can probably find something to remove from your process.A barely sufficient process with unnecessary actions and rules removed will help you succeed with agile How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Advice From a Tech CEO - Learn Skills Outside of TechAI is going to work best in niche technical applications, not general purpose FOMO applications. So the more niche Mike focuses his tech team, the more efficiently they can integrate AI, and reject what they don't need — those wild goose chases — as AI grows and evolves around them.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

STOP Creating a Sense of Urgency. START Fostering a Sense of PurposeLet's retire sense of urgency and instead look for sense of purpose. A sense of purpose is a deep understanding of the reasons behind our efforts and a desire to pour in time and energy because that purpose resonates with the impact we'd like to make on the world.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

18 Cheat Codes to Life, to Put You 10 Years Ahead of Other PeopleMaster Your Sleep FirstBuild Your Minimum Viable Day (MVD)Dopamine Detox Every SundayRuthlessly Protect Your Morning FocusFollow the Energy - NOT the MoneyCurate Your InputsBuild a Personal Board of DirectorsThe Rule of 100Automate the UnimportantBecome Addicted to Closing LoopsBuild a Temple For FocusAsk Better QuestionsCreate a Weekly Review SystemMaster Assertive CommunicationBuild a Silent Hour Every DayWalk 10000 Steps Every DayDefault to ActionBuild a Vision - Then Reverse Engineer ItHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

How To Defeat The 3 Most Common Arguments Against Technical DebtI once worked on a project where we weren't able to think about technical debt until five years in.Like many startups, we had to hustle to get off the ground. In those initial years, we didn't have much time or capacity to even think about addressing the debt we accumulated.And did it ever accumulate.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Agile Is Broken, So What Should Startups and Tech Companies Do Instead?Look, no matter where you stand on Agile, Scrum, or Jira, no one can name-call their way around the fact that continuous delivery and continuous improvement have, more often than not, given way to over-management, over-documentation, and over-scrutinization of the software development process, turning development into a joyless slog where nothing new and innovative gets done, and certainly not quickly — even at, and especially at, tech startups.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Are Story Points Helping Your Team?Story Points have been around for a couple decades now. There are countless articles and videos demonstrating their usage. Many organizations mandate their usage and teaching them are part of the standard approach for consulting organizations.For as long as I've known about Story Points (SP) and the associated velocity there continue to be far too many teams that have constant incomplete work Sprint after Sprint. Teams spend endless hours haggling over point estimation and still get it wrong so much of the time. There is elaborate theater in many teams at the end of the Sprint, renegotiating SP estimates for work that was harder than anticipated. Or splitting incomplete work and then attempting to determine where to place the Story Points.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Scrum Masters Are Useless — Product Managers Should Run Their Own ScrumWe've all been there. It's 10:00 AM. You're in a standup, sipping your third coffee, while the Scrum Master dutifully asks each developer, “What did you do yesterday? What are you doing today? Any blockers?”Someone mumbles something about JIRA tickets. Another person reports, “Same as yesterday.”Meanwhile, the Product Manager (PM) is frantically jotting notes, trying to connect the dots between what was promised and what's actually happening.And the Scrum Master? They nod, write things down, and move on.Here's the controversial take: Do we really need a dedicated Scrum Master for this? Or should Product Managers just run their own scrums?How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The Time For You to GrowHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The Job Market Rebound is Going to Catch Everyone Off GuardI've got good news about the job market.And some bad news.The good news is that this perennially iced-over and zombified market is finally, slowly starting to thaw. Both survey data and anecdotal evidence point to an uptick in hiring in the near future.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Five Things You Should Know as a Leader Implementing AIThere is no playbook... YetDo NOT be afraid to experimentAI technology advances quicklyAI will NOT solve everythingBe a responsible leader when implementing AIBONUS - Find the right coach / trainer when implementing AI. Do not go at it alone. You will waste too much time learning outdated materials. How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

3 Key Lessons From My First Product RoleMy first product role shaped how I lead. I learned about true ownership, deep business impact, and competition that goes beyond features. Working with a visionary CEO in a product-led company taught me lessons that still guide me. PMs, are you embracing these to drive real impact?How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

A few years ago, I was in a business review meeting with my team, looking at charts and reports that showed how our business was doing. The numbers didn't look good, and as everyone around the table shared their thoughts, it became clear that no one agreed on what to do next. There were a lot of ideas, worries, and quick fixes — but not much clarity.I realized then that my job wasn't just about making decisions; it was about seeing the bigger picture, noticing patterns others might miss, and guiding the team through the confusion. That's when I understood what makes a leader truly strategic.Being a strategic leader isn't just about having a vision or setting goals. It's about building a set of skills that help you see changes before they happen, connect the dots, and lead your team through uncertain times.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

How Firm a Foundation... How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Three Ways to Handle Unfinished Work - Mike CohnOver the past three weeks, I've been sending you tips about spillover on agile teams. We've talked in depth about the problem of habitual spillover—when a team routinely rolls unfinished work forward from sprint to sprint.This week, I want to share 3 ways to handle the unfinished work that will occasionally be left over by even a great agile team. 1. If You Want a Guarantee, Buy a ToasterMy first bit of advice for how to handle unfinished work is to remember that even the best agile teams sometimes miss their goals. That's OK and even desirable to a certain extent.Sprint goals are not guarantees. (As Clint Eastwood's character Nick Pulovski says in The Rookie, “If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster!”) Leaders, stakeholders, and even the team themselves might need an occasional reminder about this.A team's commitment to a sprint goal is a promise to do its best to achieve that goal. If team members are perpetually forced instead to make a guarantee, they will guarantee less in order to be safe.Sometimes a team needs to make a guarantee. There might be times when a client or customer needs a capability by a certain date. The finance group may need to run year-end reports in early January, for example.In general, though, we don't want to force a team into a guarantee. We ask a team to commit to something reasonable and then we're understanding if they miss it. Falling short on the occasional commitment is not a failure-–it's usually a sign of bad luck or a team that's striving to do too much. 2. Don't Roll Work Forward AutomaticallyMy second bit of advice is to resist the urge to automatically roll over the unfinished work into the next sprint. Put it in the product backlog instead.The item may be back on the product backlog for a millisecond, but there should be a conscious decision by the product to continue work on it.(Logistically, I don't care if it's easier in your tool of choice to move the item to the next sprint rather than to the product backlog first. The key is that there is a decision to continue the work.)If the product owner decides the team should work on the partly finished item immediately in the next sprint, bring in the product backlog item as is. Don't re-estimate it. Don't rename it. Don't take partial velocity credit. Just bring the item into the next sprint and take the full velocity credit when it's complete.But if the item is deferred for later, go ahead and split the story into what makes sense. Take partial velocity credit for the work you completed last sprint, then write a new story that describes only the missing functionality and estimate that story. 3. Document the CauseMy final bit of advice for dealing with unfinished work is this: Whenever work is unfinished at the end of a sprint, the team should take time in the retrospective to consider whether it was preventable.Sometimes unfinished work is just bad luck or bad timing, such as a team member being ill or a problem being found late in the sprint that could not have been found earlier. Sometimes it's just the result of aiming too high for one sprint.But you might uncover something that is becoming a bad habit.Whatever the cause, it's always worth considering whether something can be done to prevent it from affecting future sprints so that your team can succeed with agile.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Is the Party Over For Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches? Over the past decade, agile adoption in organizations has seen an upswing. Large enterprises—banks, insurance companies, automakers, and many others—have all been at the forefront of launching agile transformations to achieve business agility—the elusive elixir. The promise of increased flexibility, faster delivery, and enhanced collaboration across teams is almost impossible to resist in today's competitive world, where markets change rapidly, bringing risks and opportunities.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Five Most Forgotten Parts From The Scrum GuideScrum. Love it or hate it. There doesn't appear to be much in between. I like the framework, although I don't think it is perfect. At the same time, I understand the developers who hate it from the bottom of their hearts. Strangely enough though, they have different problems with Scrum than I have. And zooming in, their problems often are not about Scrum in the first place. They shed light on how Scrum can be misapplied in many ways.Today I will list the 5 most forgotten, misunderstood or misapplied parts of the Scrum Guide. I will also tell how they are misapplied and their actual intention.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Dependencies Destroy Agility and PredictabilityWhy do organizations desire Agile?Two of the most common items I hear organizations and executives identify as reasons for adopting Agile methods and practices are to increase their delivery speed and to become more predicable. When will X be done? There are valid financial reasons for these goals such as: when can we expect to book revenue for product X?How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

7 Tips To Read Someone's Personality in 10 SecondsPeople think it takes ages to really figure out what someone's about, like you need to sit with them through a few heartbreaks, swap childhood trauma stories, maybe even get caught in a road trip disaster together.Nah.Give it ten seconds, maybe even less if they're the loud, obvious type, and you'll get everything you need to know.And this isn't about “vibes” or whatever people say when they don't actually know what they're talking about. This is straight-up psychology. Well, mostly. Some of it is just paying attention and comment sense.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

6 Daily Habits of Highly Effective Scrum MastersStart Each Day With a Quick ReviewLead Effective Daily ScrumsMake Time For One-on-OnesKeep Communication Open With StakeholdersDedicate Time For Continual LearningReflect and Plan For TomorrowHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Scrum Fails When Product Owners Think They Are The BossI'm afraid that everyone interprets it differently, and that's the source of problems. For me, the word owner is misleading. As a Product Owner, you own nothing, though you may think you do.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Why Your Scrum Teams Are Failing - The Hard TruthAgile was presented to me as the ultimate project management approach — promising productivity, transparency, and value delivery in short bursts. However, many teams struggled to effectively implement and scale Scrum, missing the mark on its potential.Waterfall was declared a relic of the past — outdated, painfully inefficient, and completely incapable of keeping up with the demands of modern projects.The question wasn't which approach was better, but rather why teams were failing to embrace the very solutions meant to propel them forward.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Product Owners vs. Product Managers vs. Project ManagersWhile you are knee-deep looking for your next role, I've seen endless variations of “product” roles. Specifically, the terms Product Owner (PO), Product Manager (PM), and Project Manager (PjM) seem to be used interchangeably, or even used to describe the same person. Yet, some teams have all three within each individual squad.So, what's the difference between these three roles? And why do we need all three in the first place?How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The 5-Second Conversation Hack Learn how to become better in conversation with this 5-second hack! How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The Great Agile Reset1. Framework Fatigue Is RealMarty Cagan nailed it recently: “The product model addresses three major dimensions: how you decide which problems to solve (product strategy), how you solve these problems (product discovery), and how you build, test, and deploy your solutions (product delivery). Real Agile can certainly help with this third dimension.” (Source.)Translation: Organizations are done with copying and pasting frameworks. They realize that true agility means finding your own path to creating value. Standardized training and certification programs? That train has left the station. #ParadigmShift2. AI Is Eating Agile (Sort Of)Have you played with DeepSeek R1 yet? This isn't just another tech trend. This is a seismic shift in how knowledge work happens. No, ChatGPT or Claude won't steal your job tomorrow. But what about your colleague who's mastered prompt engineering, AI-based data analysis, and agents? They might make you obsolete.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

How to Break the Spillover Habit - Mike CohnFor the past two weeks, I've been writing about the problem of habitual spillover—when a team routinely rolls over unfinished work from sprint to sprint.So far, we've talked about why spillover happens, and why it's a problem, plus I've given steps to start a reduction in your team's spillovers.This week, I want to share two ways to break your team's rollover habit. Sometimes teams miss their goals. That's OK. Sometimes teams miss when they aim high and fall a little short. Don't try to fix those teams—celebrate their effort.Other times teams miss because they just hit a run of bad luck for a handful of sprints. Again, no need to intervene there. (Next week, I'll share what to do with the unfinished work that results from either of these first two scenarios.)Most often, though, teams miss because they are overly optimistic about what they can achieve. They plan each sprint to be a best-case scenario.If you think that could be your team, in your next sprint planning meetings try asking questions like these: What could go wrong that could cause the team to miss its goal?What has to go right to achieve this goal? These questions can help a team see any risky assumptions they're making about how easy the planned work will be.  As most of us who made New Year's resolutions at the beginning of 2025 have re-discovered by now, old habits die hard. Sometimes you have to take drastic action to realize lasting results, and to succeed with agile.Curb Their Enthusiasm   Drastically Under-commitIf these kinds of questions don't help the team make more realistic guesses about what they can accomplish, you might have to resort to drastically reducing what the team commits to achieving.At the next sprint planning, encourage your team to truly under-commit. I'm not talking about cutting the sprint goal by some small amount, like 10–20%. I'm saying you limit team members to committing to only 50% of what they believe they can accomplish.The team may push back on this. They are used to filling up their sprint and will be optimistic that they can get a lot more done than the items they've chosen. Don't give in.When team members push back, remind them that if they run out of work to do, they can always bring more in. But hold firm that no work will come in until the sprint goal is achieved and all the work planned into the sprint is complete.(You'll likely need to have a talk with the product owner prior to sprint planning so they too can be prepared to hear that the team is bringing only a few items into the sprint.)The goal in under-committing is to let the team feel what it's like to add work into a sprint rather than always needing to drop work.After they feel this, they'll likely want to feel it again.Encourage them to plan a bit more work into the next few sprints until they get close to missing their goals and rolling over again. Incorporate the enthusiasm-curbing questions as needed.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Grow Your Product Management SkillsManaging a product through the product life cycle is hard. It is even more difficult to grow as a product owner in these challenging times. Product ownership is a very complex and multifaceted challenge. And because of the complexity of the topic, there is no single linear approach to mastering product ownership. That's why we need agile and lean approaches and a wide range of knowledge and skills.You can study product management for years at university. This shows how profound and demanding the entire discipline is. It also shows how long it takes to build the skills required to be successful in this field.To succeed, you need the right skills and the right approaches. Only if you are aware of the complexity and know what you are doing will your product be successful throughout the entire product life cycle.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

5 Things a Manager Should NEVER Do...Skip-Level FeedbackTake on Individual Contributor WorkAdd More Work to the TeamTake Sides in Personal DisagreementsMake All the Important DecisionsHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

From Dreary to Dazzling - 1 Young Man Makes a DifferenceCan one young man truly make a difference in his community? Indeed he can! How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Effective Storytelling in Product ManagementIf you're not careful, product management can get really, really boring. Slide deck after slide deck, the details start to blur together, and the audience starts to disengage.If you're throwing stats, facts, and bullets at your audience without constructing a narrative, your point isn't getting across. Your audience will be quick to tune it out and, even if they do listen, they'll struggle to turn the information into something memorable and useful.Product storytelling is a great way to add context and excitement to any product document or presentation. By sharing our data, insights, and strategies in a story-driven way, product managers can get more done with more impactful communication.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

3 Ways To Improve Team MoraleTeam morale indicates how willing members are to push on in the face of difficulties. Teams with high morale find their work meaningful and feel motivated to work together. High morale is a buffer against inevitable setbacks and burnout, and a great indicator of the atmosphere in a team.So what can you do when team morale is low? In this blog post, we share three short formats that easily fit inside a Sprint Retrospective. Their purpose is to start a dialogue in your team and begin improvement. The formats are based on the Liberating Structures “Conversation Cafe”, “Troika Consulting”, and “Discovery & Action Dialogue”. So pick the one that you think will work best and take it away!How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Just watch the video already... How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Transitioning from a Product Manager to a Product LeadEver since I started my new role as product lead a few weeks back, I felt that there was a huge difference in the work and responsibilities I perform as compared to my PM roles back in Crypto.com and Alibaba.And I am not entirely sure if this is because of the role, or perhaps the nature of the company where the startup environment requires me to always be scrappy. But I am definitely loving every moment of it and I am constantly learning to be a better version of myself in this new role.With that being said, I wanted to share my experience and highlight some of the main changes I have identified to better prepare any first-time product leads out there.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Shake Off The Winter Blues, Spring Is Here!Don't let the depression of winter shut you down! Look forward to Spring and make small changes to prepare. How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Start With No... Why Most People Should NOT Be Managers Leading talented humans requires inspiring them, partnering with them in understanding the problem, designing the solution, and motivating them.Now, if you can't influence people as their peers, that might be frustrating, but you can still usually do your job, and no harm is done. However, if you are the formal manager of the team, and you can't influence them to do what the company needs, now you are failing in your primary job.Most of the companies I worked for took a “promote from the rear” approach, which meant that people should be promoted for roles they already demonstrated they could do. In this case, if you showcase that you can lead and do 70–80% of the manager role, then you will get that desired promotion.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The 2025 Product Manager - Winning PlaybookFinding Your WhyThe rise of The Product SpecialistStrategy vs. ExecutionCrafting Winning Product DocumentsSay NO To Boring and YES To AutomationRide The Creator EconomyHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/