Welcome to the Daily Standup! Let's Get Started! This is a great place for you to learn and explore all topics Agile related and hear some really cool battle stories about a day in the life of an Agile Coach & Certified Scrum Trainer. No extra charge for any Dad Jokes... They are all inclusive.This podcast is for all who perform in the role of Agile thinker, ScrumMaster, Product Owner, Manager, Team Lead, Business Analyst, Functional Analyst, Technical Analyst, and Team Member who want to know what works in Agile and how it can improve your professional life! We answer the questions that are important to you and your organization and teach you to focus on outcome not output.We want to hear from you! Let us know what topics you want to hear us discuss that will be most beneficial for you and your team. You can find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or our Website - www.agiledad.com. Submit questions you might have or topics you would like us to discuss at LearnMore@AgileDad.Com
Listeners of The Daily Standup that love the show mention: go forward, never give, nice podcast, best podcast, enjoyed, thanks, amazing, great, agiledad.
The Daily Standup podcast is a helpful and informative resource for anyone interested in Agile methodology. Hosted by V. Lee Henson, this podcast offers down-to-earth advice and insights that make it easy to understand and apply Agile principles. Whether you are new to Agile or an experienced practitioner, this podcast provides valuable nuggets of wisdom that can help improve your performance.
One of the best aspects of The Daily Standup podcast is its ability to bring clarity to the often confusing world of Agile. With so much information and terminology being thrown around, it's refreshing to listen to a podcast that makes things easy to understand. The episodes are perfectly timed at 10 minutes each, allowing for quick but impactful learning moments. Each episode provides a gold nugget of knowledge that helps listeners make sense of their current situations and offers practical advice for improvement.
Another great aspect of this podcast is its down-to-earth approach. V. Lee and his team have a knack for presenting complex concepts in a relatable manner, making it easier for listeners to apply Agile principles in their own work environments. The discussions are engaging and informative, offering real-world examples that resonate with listeners.
While there aren't many downsides to The Daily Standup podcast, some listeners may prefer longer episodes with more in-depth discussions. However, the bite-sized format allows for easy consumption and fits well into busy schedules. Additionally, some topics may be more relevant or interesting to certain individuals, so not every episode may resonate equally with all listeners.
In conclusion, The Daily Standup podcast is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to learn or gain further insights into Agile methodology. With its helpful, informative, and down-to-earth approach, this podcast provides valuable advice and practical tips that can enhance your understanding and application of Agile principles. Whether you're new to Agile or an experienced practitioner seeking continuous improvement, this podcast is worth tuning into.

Losing Yourself In The Service of OthersHow do you serve others? 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/

What Does a Delivery Manager Do and Do I Even Need One? A Delivery Manager is a client-facing, Agile project manager who acts as a servant-leader to ensure high-quality products are delivered in a predictable way. As the main point of contact between founders and Developers, the Delivery Manager keeps everyone connected and informed. They own the plan, align the product strategy and scope with founders and the team, and work closely with founders on priorities as well as future requirements and team changes.Delivery Managers lead all Agile ceremonies (such as meetings and workshops) and ensure teams can be productive and organized by unblocking issues, planning sprints, organising the backlog, driving efficiency, ensuring tasks are ready to be worked on and keeping the team motivated and empowered.Does someone actually believe this?

When The Work Wont Fit, Make It a Shared Problem - Mike CohnWhen a team says, “We can't do all of that by then,” many leaders make the same mistake: They push harder.They restate the deadline. They repeat the importance. They ask for more effort, more creativity, or more commitment.But once the team has told you the work will not fit, pressure is usually the wrong next move.Your job at that point is not to force a better answer.Your job is to help find a better solution.That starts by treating the gap as a *shared* problem.Instead of asking, “Why can't you do it?” ask: What is making this too big?What part is driving the complexity?What would a good-enough version look like?What could we defer and still get the outcome we need?Those questions change the conversation.Now the team is not defending an estimate. They are helping solve the business problem.And that is where leaders add the most value.Sometimes the issue is scope. Sometimes it's a dependency. Sometimes, one edge case is making everything larger than it needs to be.Until you understand that, pushing for the original ask usually just creates a worse plan.A smaller, smarter solution delivered on time is often far better than a bigger promise the team cannot actually keep.So when the work will not fit, do not treat that as resistance.Treat it as information.The team is showing you where the real problem is.Your role is to help decide what matters most, what can move, and what version solves the problem well enough for now.Because planning works better when the request belongs to the leader, but the problem belongs to everyone.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 Whys and What We are MissingMost managers are excellent problem solvers. The problem is they're solving the presenting problem, the one on the surface, not the real one underneath. And that's exactly why the same situations keep triggering the same reactions, the same frustration, the same exhaustion.The Five Whys technique was originally developed in manufacturing to trace defects back to their root cause. But it works just as well on human behavior, including your own.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/

Adjusting the Leadership LensA senior leader said something to me recently that stayed.“My role has grown faster than the way I think about decisions.”It wasn't a lack of capability orambition.It was the quieter realisation that leadership scale demands a different lens.In my work with leaders stepping into broader organisational roles, I often hear this moment. One leader described it this way:“I used to solve problems. Now I spend most of my time shaping how others see them.”That shift changes everything. As roles expand, what matters shifts too.It becomes less about solving quickly,and more about where you place your attention.Less about expertise, and more about how your influence travels across the teams and stakeholders.At senior levels, growth is rarely about learning more skills. It's about examining how you think.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 ART of Communication - How to Be Better EngagedAre you a great communicator? Listen today and find 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/

Project World | Business Analyst World - Day 3-4 ReviewDay 3 - Agile Fundamentals - One of the most common points of Agile adoption failure comes with the incremental on-boarding of Agile teams throughout an organization while not having everyone starting with the same foundational Agile knowledge. This workshop session is designed to help everyone on the team learn the fundamental principles behind what makes Agile work, and allows them to participate in several real world exercises. This structure allows everyone on the team to learn the ‘Why' behind the ‘How', and gives everyone a chance to leave with the tools needed to effectively do their job better. This session is designed for both new Agile / Kanban teams learning the ropes and experienced Agile teams who are trying to re-align or get started on the same Agile footing while establishing an internal Agile Center of Excellence. This workshop is often coupled with Agile Coaching in order to increase the effectiveness and impact. The Three Keys - Seeking & Embracing Success: Success can be defined by each of us in many different ways. The truth is there are three keys to a successful personal and professional career. Once we discover these keys and learn to use them, we are gifted the ability of a lifetime of success. This personal journey will teach you the importance of making dreams come true and give you the tools to make that happen.Day 4 - C-Suite Engagement - Too many transformation efforts stall not because the work is hard, but because the right people weren't invited to the table — or they were, and nobody spoke their language. This session gives leaders a pragmatic, no-fluff playbook for turning executives from passive approvers into active sponsors. We'll strip away the jargon and replace it with three things executives actually pay attention to: clear outcomes, short bets, and repeatable governance. Expect real templates (one-page decision memos, sponsor cadence scripts), live translation exercises to turn team metrics into executive value, and role-play scenarios you can use the moment you return to the office. If you want predictable, funded change — not theater — this workshop will help you get it. Attendees will leave with: • A one-page executive brief template that gets decisions — fast. • A sponsor-activation cadence that prevents “ghost sponsorship.” • Three scripts to convert technical/operational language into strategic outcomes.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/

Project World | Business Analyst World - Day 2 ReviewBeyond Delivery - Project success is too often measured at delivery. On time, on scope, on budget, yet real value is frequently lost after the work is “done.” In today's evolving project and product environments, leaders are being asked to think beyond execution and focus on outcomes, adoption, and lasting impact. This session reframes project leadership through four enduring phases of successful work: Initiate (clarity and alignment), Discover (learning and risk reduction), Deliver (execution with feedback), and Release (adoption and value realization). While often associated with Agile thinking, these phases represent leadership behaviors that have always driven meaningful results when practiced well. Participants will explore how to manage stakeholder perceptions of value, make better decisions across the lifecycle, and ensure success is defined by outcomes, not just outputs. The session also introduces practical ways AI can support insight and decision-making, allowing leaders to focus more on judgment, communication, and impact. Key Takeaways Differentiate delivery success from value realization and explain why projects often fail after go-live. Apply the four phases (Initiate, Discovery, Delivery, Release) as a leadership lens across any delivery approach. Manage stakeholder perceptions of value throughout the lifecycle, not just at project close. Identify where value is commonly lost and take corrective action earlier. Use AI responsibly as a decision-support tool to improve insight, reduce risk, and strengthen outcomes.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/

Project World | Business Analyst World - Day 1 ReviewDay 1 was ABSOLUTELY amazing! The conference in Toronto proved not to disappoint. I did my session on day 1 about Shake your BA! Today, Tuesday, I am going to present my WAgile presentation! This is the BEST conference ever! 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 Your BA... The Importance of Understanding the POBAFATADay 1 of the PMBA Toronto Conference! I am certain it will be AMAZING! What does a BA do and why are they the most important part of the POBAFATA. 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 Works With People Who Don't Actually Need AgileIn a disciplinary society, authority structures dominate. People follow rules, and work is organized through hierarchy and control. Factories, bureaucracies, and military systems are classic examples.In the achievement society the logic changes. And people are no longer told “You must.” Instead they are told “You can.”And this message sounds especially attractive for people who were born and raised in a disciplinary environment, and who dreamed about freedom. Freedom as ability to work without micromanaging, hyper-control and pressure. “Just let me do my job…”Anyway, “You can” at first it feels liberating. But there is a twist: the individual becomes both boss and worker at the same time. People begin to push themselves, optimize themselves, measure themselves. Han calls this the rise of the self-entrepreneur.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/

Let's play a quick round of Two Truths and a Lie.Here are three statements about agile. Two are true. One is false.Read them over and see if you can spot the lie before I reveal it. Agile teams should be willing to change their plan for the sprint if they discover a better way to meet the sprint goal.Estimation in agile is most useful for helping teams forecast and make trade-offs, not for holding individuals accountable.A team that consistently finishes every planned story in every sprint is demonstrating a healthy, predictable agile process.The lie is #3.That statement sounds responsible, disciplined, and maybe even a little impressive. Which is exactly why it fools people.It reflects a common misunderstanding of agile: the idea that a good team is one that is always comfortable, always certain, and always exactly on plan.But healthy agile teams are not defined by perfect adherence to a prediction. They are defined by how well they pursue outcomes, adapt to what they learn, and make sensible decisions in the presence of uncertainty.Let's look at each statement.A sprint plan should guide the team, but it should not trap the team. At the start of a sprint, the team creates the best plan it can with the information available at that moment.Once the sprint begins, though, the team learns more. A technical approach that seemed promising turns out to be awkward. A dependency proves easier than expected. A simpler solution emerges. Or a conversation reveals a better way to achieve the intended outcome.When that happens, a good agile team should be willing to adjust. The important thing to preserve is the sprint goal rather than every detail of the original plan.The goal provides focus. The selected stories, tasks, and implementation approach are simply the team's current best thinking about how to reach that goal. If the team discovers a better path, it should take it.Changing the plan during a sprint is not a sign of weak discipline. In many cases, it is evidence that the team is paying attention and responding intelligently to what it learns.Teams get into trouble when they stick to the initial plan even after new information shows a better way forward. Agile works best when teams stay committed to the goal while remaining flexible about how to achieve it.Estimation is most helpful when it supports planning and decision-making. Teams estimate so they can answer practical questions like these: How much work can we likely take on?When might a larger effort be completed?If we add this item, what will need to move?Are we taking on too much uncertainty at once?Those are valuable questions, and estimation can help teams answer them.Where estimation becomes far less useful is when it is turned into a tool for judging individual performance.Once estimates are used to hold individuals accountable, people naturally become more defensive with them. Estimates get padded. Uncertainty gets hidden. Conversations become less honest. The numbers may still exist, but they stop helping the team make good decisions.That is why I prefer to keep estimation focused on decision-making. Estimates do not need to be exact to be useful. They only need to be good enough to help a team forecast, weigh options, and recognize when it may be taking on too much. A team that finishes every planned story in every sprint may look predictable. But if that happens all the time, I would not automatically consider it a sign of health. In fact, I would probably wonder whether the team is planning too conservatively.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/

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!On a warm May morning, a young boy named Mateo stood at the edge of a dusty field in Cinco de Mayo celebration. Music filled the air, families gathered, and bright colors danced in the wind, but Mateo felt small.He watched others perform traditional dances, speak proudly of their heritage, and laugh with confidence. Mateo, however, carried quiet doubts. His family had struggled. He felt behind. Invisible.His grandmother noticed.She gently took his hand and pointed toward the small Mexican flag waving in the breeze.“Do you know why we celebrate today?” she asked.Mateo shrugged. “A battle… I think?”She smiled. “Yes. But not just any battle. It was a moment when a small, underestimated group stood against one of the most powerful armies in the world… and won.”Mateo looked up, curious.“They weren't supposed to win,” she continued. “They didn't have the best weapons, the biggest numbers, or the easiest path. But they had something stronger, belief, courage, and heart.”She paused, then looked directly into his eyes.“Sound familiar?”Mateo felt something shift.“All of us,” she said softly, “face moments where we feel outmatched. Where life tells us we're too small, too late, too behind. But this day reminds us… victory doesn't belong to the biggest. It belongs to those who refuse to quit.”Later that day, Mateo stepped into the crowd, not perfectly, not confidently but bravely. He joined the dance. Missed a few steps. Laughed. Kept going.And something powerful happened.No one saw a boy who didn't belong.They saw someone who showed up.That's the spirit of Cinco de Mayo.Not just a celebration of a historic victory, but a reminder that:You don't have to be the strongest to winYou don't have to be perfect to beginAnd you don't have to feel ready to take your next stepYou just have to believe… and keep moving forward.

You Have a Vision For Your Team - Agile Leadership GapWhat is the Agile Leadership Gap? 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 Beauty of Positive NetworkingSometimes we just need to be with people. Other times we can be all peopled 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/

Project Summit Business Analyst World 2026 - Orlando Day3I got to ROCK the Leadership workshop for the first time and it got RAVE Reviews! WooHoo! 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/

Project Summit Business Analyst World 2026 - Orlando Day 2Here is a summary of Day 2 of the conference.

Project Summit Business Analyst World 2026 - Orlando Day 1Here is a summary of the conference day 1! 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 Change Management Is Today's Leadership“No, I don't want it.”Too bad, because the next change is on the way.And you know, it won't wait for you. You need to wake up and take action. Arg. Grrr. You can play a pirate, but there is no way to avoid it.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 Pressure Backfires Faster Than Leaders Think - Mike CohnIf your team keeps overcommitting, the answer is probably not more pressure.It may be less.Most teams do not need help being optimistic. They already want to believe they can get more done. They want to be helpful. They want to be seen as capable. They want to say yes.So when a leader adds pressure, even subtly, it rarely creates a better plan.It creates a less honest one.And pressure is not always loud. Sometimes it sounds like urgency. Sometimes it sounds like enthusiasm. Sometimes it sounds like, “This would really help us hit our goals this quarter.”But teams hear the message underneath the message: We really want this to fit.Once they hear that, many teams do what people do under pressure. They lean toward the optimistic case. They discount risk. They stop saying the uncomfortable part out loud.That does not make the work smaller. It just makes the plan weaker.Your job during planning is not to squeeze confidence out of the team. Your job is to create the conditions for truth. That means asking questions like: What assumptions are we making?What could derail this?What feels least certain right now?What would have to go unusually well for this to work?Those questions do not slow planning down. They improve it.Because pressure does not eliminate uncertainty. It drives uncertainty underground. And once that happens, overcommitment is usually just a matter of time.If you want more realistic commitments, do not start by pushing harder.Start by making it safer to tell the truth.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/

Earth Day 2026 - The Boy and the SnakesIn 1979, after a massive flood hit the region of Assam, a 16-year-old Jadav was walking along the banks of the Brahmaputra River. He came across a sight that broke his heart: hundreds of snakes had been washed up onto a barren, treeless sandbar. With no shade to protect them and no forest to hide in, the snakes had died from the blistering heat.Jadav sat down and wept over their bodies. He realized that without trees, all living things—including humans—would eventually suffer the same fate.When he asked the local elders for help, they told him nothing would grow on that sandy wasteland, but they gave him twenty bamboo saplings to try. Jadav went to that desolate island and planted them.Then, he stayed.For the next 40 years, Jadav Payeng planted a tree every single day. He lived a simple life as a milk seller, but his true soul was poured into that sandbar. He carried seeds, transported red ants to improve the soil quality, and buckled down against the harsh river winds. He didn't do it for fame, money, or even a "thank you." He did it because he had made a promise to the earth.Decades passed before the world even noticed he existed. In 2008, forest officials were stunned to discover a dense, thriving forest where maps showed only a barren wasteland.Today, the Molai Forest spans over 1,300 acres—an area larger than New York's Central Park. What started as a few bamboo shoots is now a lush sanctuary filled with:Thousands of species of trees.A herd of over 100 elephants that visits regularly.Bengal tigers, rhinos, and deer.Vibrant birdlife that had long since vanished from the region.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/

I Was Asked to Fire One-Third of the Company, Here's What That Taught Me About Leadership and CoachingI still remember the silence in the room.My CEO had just finished speaking. The words were simple, almost clinical: “We need to reduce headcount by one-third.”No drama. No hesitation. Just a decision.And suddenly, I wasn't just the Head of HR anymore.I was the person who would carry out one of the most painful transformations a company can go through.That day, I realized something uncomfortable:Being in HR doesn't protect you from hard decisions.It puts you at the center of 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/

The real reasons top performers quit, and what managers can do about itYou hired the best people on your team. They deliver results, take initiative, and raise the bar for everyone around them. And then, one day, they hand in their resignation.You run through the usual explanations — better pay, a bigger title, a competitor's offer. But if you look more carefully, the answer is often closer to home.Most top performers don't leave their jobs. They leave their managers.It's hard to hear, but it's the most important insight you can get. Because once you understand why your best people leave, you can fix what's pushing them away and create a workplace they genuinely want to stay in.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/

Autistic Bowler Achieves Dream With His First Perfect 300 Game And Joins the PBA as a ProOn March 25, an autistic bowler who recently entered the Professional Bowlers Association achieved something he's been dreaming about for years—his first-ever 300 game.For most casual bowlers, a sanctioned perfect game is rare. For Matt Sipes, it represented so much more than just 12 strikes. It was the result of years of dedication, focus, and determination, and although there have been challenges along the way, he never gave up on his goal.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 “Agile” Team That Was Actually Just Doing Waterfall in SprintsEvery two weeks, they ran a sprint review. The stakeholders attended. The demos were polished. The velocity charts trended in the right direction. And nothing significant ever changed based on what anyone said in that room.That's not agile. That's theater with a two-week rhythm.I've coached enough product teams to know that the mimicry of processes is one of the most expensive habits in software development. It looks like agility from the outside. It absorbs all the cost — the ceremonies, the tooling, the vocabulary; but delivers almost none of the benefit. Teams often know this, but feel powerless to speak up because the ceremonies themselves have become the “proof” of professionalism.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 Estimating and Planning Still Matter - Mike CohnOver the years, I've talked with a lot of teams who've been burned by estimating and planning.They've seen estimates treated as promises.Plans turned into contracts.Teams punished for being wrong rather than rewarded for learning.Given experiences like those, it's understandable that many teams conclude the solution is to eliminate estimating and planning altogether.I think that's a mistake.Estimating and planning still matter—not because the future is predictable, but because it isn't. Teams and organizations still have to make decisions about what to work on, what to delay, and what risks they're willing to accept. Those decisions don't disappear just because we stop estimating.Any time we choose one piece of work over another, we're estimating. The real choice isn't whether to estimate, but whether those estimates are explicit or implicit. In my experience, explicit estimates create transparency. Implicit estimates just hide the guessing.One of the biggest problems with estimating is the belief that estimates exist to be accurate. A better question is whether an estimate is good enough to support the decision being made. When teams make that shift, estimating becomes far less stressful—and far more useful.The same is true of planning. Planning doesn't reduce adaptability. Over-commitment does. Good planning aligns assumptions and intent so teams can adjust quickly when things change.I often hear people say, “Estimates are always wrong.” Being wrong isn't the real problem. Estimates are hypotheses, and reality supplies the data. The real failure is treating estimates as promises and punishing teams when reality turns out to be more complex than expected.Before estimating or planning, I encourage teams to pause and ask three questions: What decision does this support?What happens if we're wrong?Who will use this information—and how?If those questions don't have clear answers, the problem usually isn't how the team is estimating.It's why.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 Sprint That Never DeliveredThree sprints in a row. Less than half of what the team committed — delivered.As a Scrum Master, that's the kind of pattern that keeps you up at night. Not because of the numbers themselves, but because of what comes next: the questions from management, the looks in the retrospective, the slow erosion of the team's belief in themselves.This was Team A. And they were trying. That much was clear.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/

Sprint After Sprint After Sprint… When Did This Stop Feeling Like Progress?Here's a question I want you to sit with for a moment. When you picture a high-performing Agile team — what do you see?Fast delivery?Clean boards?Strong velocity?Stakeholders who are happy and aligned?Now let me ask you a harder question. In that picture — how does the team feel?Because I've been in organizations that had all the first things. And absolutely none of the second.And I will tell you from experience: that is not high performance.That is a machine consuming the people inside it.And machines don't have retrospectives when they break down.They just — stop.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 Mindsets of High Performers That Will Change How You WorkAfter years of working closely with teams, leaders, and organizations, one pattern becomes impossible to ignore. High performers aren't just more talented, luckier, or even working harder than everyone else.They think, approach growth, and respond to pressure differently. And over time, those differences compound into extraordinary results.Mindset is the invisible architecture behind every decision, habit, and result. It shapes how people approach challenges, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward when things get difficult.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 Unglamorous Truth About Building Trust I spent my first few months as a Scrum Master chasing the wrong thing. I thought trust was something you earned with one big moment. Deliver a miracle sprint. Shield the team from an impossible deadline. Stand up to that one difficult stakeholder in a meeting. I was waiting for my chance to be heroic.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/

Not Every Backlog Item Needs Detail - Mike CohnHere's something I've noticed over the years:Many teams think backlog refinement means making the entire product backlog detailed and “ready.”That's not how a healthy backlog works.A well-managed product backlog should have a gradient of clarity.Items near the top of the backlog—the ones you're likely to work on soon—should be clear and reasonably detailed. They should have acceptance criteria, clarified assumptions, and enough shared understanding that the team can confidently bring them into a sprint.But items further down the backlog should be less detailed.They might be nothing more than a sentence or two.It's not wrong to leave lower backlog items vague. It's the right and agile thing to do.For example, imagine you're building a travel booking website. Early on, you might have detailed backlog items about booking airfare and booking hotels. Those are core features, so they deserve detail.But you might also have an item about booking cabins on a cruise ship. If cruises aren't central to your product, that item can stay vague for a long time. It doesn't need to be “Sprint Planning ready” six months before anyone will work on it.If you fully refine backlog items far in advance, you're doing a lot of work on items that will change, move, or disappear.So rather than trying to keep the whole backlog “ready,” focus your refinement effort where it matters most:At the top.Refinement should make sprint planning easier.That happens when the next sprint or two is well understood—not when the product backlog is documented 50 items deep.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/

Has Scrum Peaked Too Soon?I rarely write about Scrum anymore. Not because I suddenly dislike it, but because my work has gradually moved in a different direction.Still, I sometimes wonder whether Scrum peaked too soon. During the 20 years I worked as a Certified Scrum Trainer at Scrum Alliance, I delivered dozens of training sessions. One thing always stood out to me…The case studies used to explain the urgency of Scrum were often quite old. Think of the Kodak story. A company that missed the shift to digital photography.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/

One of the Impacts of Easter in Our LivesEaster is a particular time we set as a celebration of our God of the gospel—Christ dying on the cross for the payment of our sins, God accepting Jesus' payment by raising Him from the dead, and the Holy Spirit's transformative work in our lives for righteousness. One of the beautiful impacts of Easter on my life took form as I reflected on a particular incident. 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 Meaning and Significance of Good FridayWhy Good Friday is the Holiest Day of the YearGood Friday stands at the heart of the Christian faith. It is the day when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, suffered and died on the cross for the salvation of humanity. While the name “Good Friday” may seem paradoxical—given that it commemorates Christ's suffering and death—it is “good” because His sacrifice opened the gates of heaven and restored our relationship with God.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 Leadership Pattern Shows Up Under Pressure? - Mike CohnEvery year around April 1st, we like to have a little fun.But as with most good humor, there's usually a grain of truth underneath it.After working with thousands of teams and leaders over the years, one thing has become very clear: agile rarely succeeds or fails because of a framework. It succeeds or fails because of leadership behavior under pressure.When deadlines tighten…. When scope grows…. When velocity dips…. When stakeholders ask uncomfortable questions…Patterns emerge.Some leaders protect the outcome.Some protect the date.Some protect the process.Some protect momentum.None of these are “good” or “bad.” They're instincts. And under enough pressure, we all fall back on instinct.So this year's April Fools exercise is a simple (and only slightly unscientific) question:Which leadership archetype shows up most often?Answer it about yourself. Or answer it about someone you work with.Just choose the responses that feel uncomfortably familiar.The results are 100% accurate. Approximately.It's easy to laugh at archetypes.It's harder to recognize that under pressure, most of us drift toward one.Agile frameworks don't fail because teams forget a ceremony. They struggle when leadership instincts unintentionally override the conditions that make empiricism work: transparency, adaptation, and trust.The good news? Leadership patterns aren't fixed traits. They're habits. And habits can change.If this exercise felt a little too accurate, that's not a problem. It's an opportunity.Because small shifts in how leaders respond — to scope, to deadlines, to uncertainty — can have an outsized impact on how teams perform.That's the part that isn't a joke.If you're curious what those shifts look like in practice, we've spent the last two decades helping leaders explore exactly that.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 AI TPM LandscapeIf you search for "AI Technical Program Manager career advice," you'll find two things: job postings and generic reassurance that "your skills transfer." What you won't find is anyone mapping the actual landscape showing which companies expect what, and where your existing experience actually gets you.I've spent the last three years at a cybersecurity company during its AI transformation, watching how AI products actually ship. I've analyzed job descriptions across dozens of companies spanning three tiers (Frontier AI, AI-Applied-to-Business, and AI-Powered Applications).AI TPM roles vary more than the job titles suggest. Some require deep fluency in model development. Others require working knowledge of how to ship AI-powered products without building the models yourself.This distinction matters because it defines the depth of your technical pivot. It determines whether you need to master the 'physics' of model development, the 'orchestration' of AI-powered systems, or the strategic integration of AI into existing workflows.

Scrum Is Dead - Here Is What Killed It!My dear friend Katharine reached out to me and asked me to review and reply to this LinkedIn post. NOW I perfectly understand why! Great job bringing this to my attention. 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/

That's What Friends Are ForWhat does true friendship look like? Join us for this Friday episode to learn what exactly stands behind true friendship. 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/

Predictability Is My North StarVelocity said “healthy.”The system said “unhealthy.”I chose to trust the system.For six straight Sprints, the velocity chart looked great. Every Sprint, the team hit the number. Every review, the dashboard showed green.And yet… the last couple of Sprints felt bad.Work thrashed. Priorities shifted. Unplanned items kept sneaking in. The team was exhausted, and I needed a way to explain why the system felt chaotic when the metric insisted everything was fine.That was the moment I realized velocity wasn't telling me the truth. I needed a better way to understand what was happening. I needed a way to see what went wrong and account for the change.That's when Predictability Became My North Star.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 Most Underrated Advantage of Short Sprints - Mike CohnA recent Gallup survey found that 80% of employees who received meaningful feedback in the past week are engaged at work.For comparison, Gallup's overall engagement numbers are often around 30%.That's a striking gap.It suggests something many leaders overlook: performance may depend less on changing team structure and more on improving feedback inside the structure you already have.When results lag, organizations often reach for the org chart. They reorganize teams, redraw reporting lines, or debate how many teams a coach or Scrum Master should work with.Sometimes those changes help. But they rarely go far if feedback is infrequent, unclear, or missing altogether.Feedback isn't just a management technique. It's a strategic advantage.And agile teams have been building that advantage into the way they work for years. When people talk about one- or two-week sprints, they usually focus on speed. “We need to move faster.”“We need more output.”“We need shorter release cycles.”But speed isn't the real advantage of short sprints.The advantage is shortening the time between action and learning.A sprint isn't a delivery cycle. It's a feedback cycle.Each sprint gives a team a natural point to stop and ask: Did we build the right thing?Did we misunderstand the need?Are we still aligned with stakeholders?Are we learning what we hoped to learn?The shorter the sprint, the shorter the gap between assumption and validation.That's not about velocity. That's about reducing risk. Early Scrum teams often worked like this:Sprint, sprint, sprint… then release.That pattern made sense at the time in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was a huge improvement over what had come before. But it meant some feedback arrived in a big, delayed batch after the release.Over time, many teams evolved to:Sprint, release, sprint, release.And today, many modern teams have gone further still. They release whenever it makes sense—sometimes multiple times per sprint, sometimes many times per day.In other words, modern agile teams have largely decoupled sprints from releases.So if sprints aren't primarily about shipping anymore, what are they for?Sprints provide a reliable cadence for feedback and alignment—even when delivery happens continuously. Many organizations treat the Sprint Review as a demo.It's not.It's where reality gets a vote.The Sprint Review is where the team inspects what was built with the people who care about it, and adjusts course based on what they learn.When that meeting becomes optional, rushed, or performative, you don't just lose a ceremony. You lose your learning loop. And you start optimizing for finishing work instead of finishing the right work.If weekly feedback really is one of the biggest drivers of engagement and performance—as Gallup's numbers suggest—then the Sprint Review isn't overhead. It's how you reduce rework, prevent expensive surprises, and stay aligned with what actually matters. Of course, simply running one-week sprints doesn't guarantee meaningful feedback.Stakeholders can skip reviews.Teams can ignore input.The conversation can stay superficial.Short cycles create the opportunity for feedback. Leaders decide whether to use it.That's where the advantage lives.If you're running one- or two-week sprints, ask yourself:Are we using sprints as delivery deadlines—or as learning deadlines?Because the real power of agile isn't producing more every two weeks.It's learning more every two weeks.And that's a competitive advantage that will help you 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/

Corporate, Business or Functional Strategy? The differences between Corporate Strategy, Business Strategy, and Functional Strategy lie primarily in their scope, time horizon, and focus. These three levels form a hierarchy that ensures all parts of a diversified organization are aligned, moving from the broad, long-term vision down to specific, day-to-day actions.The structure of these strategies is often visualized as a pyramid, with the Corporate Strategy at the top providing the overall direction, the Business Strategy in the middle defining how to compete in specific markets, and the Functional Strategy at the bottom detailing execution within departments.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, When, and How Do We Clean a BacklogTeams working in an agile way commonly use a backlog. However, teams often find that managing a backlog becomes more complex than expected once it begins to fill up.We can agree on the importance of managing the backlog. When used properly, the backlog should be the core repository for requirements (with product backlog items referencing other artefacts as needed). Yet, it may contain needs and requests from various stakeholders, each with a very different perspective. If it transforms — paraphrasing Allan Kelly, in “Moving Away from Backlog Driven Development: A New Chapter in Agility?” — into a bottomless pit, we will lose sight of what is important.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 Are You Today? I'm Fine, Thanks...Have you ever asked someone, how are you today? Did you really care when you asked? How do you truly handle acting with kindness? 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 Five Dimensions of Real Scrum MasteryThe Courage to Have Uncomfortable ConversationsThe Art of Knowing When to Step In (And When to Step Back)Creating a Space Where People Feel Safe to Be HumanTeaching Teams to Fish (Instead of Giving Them Fish)Being the Change You Want to SeeHow 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 Sprint Planning Quietly Hurting Teamwork? - Mike CohnI hated group projects when I was in school. I didn't want to rely on others for success. I wanted to be accountable for what I'd personally done.Teams that are new to agile often feel the same way.A developer will gladly take responsibility for their own code. But tell that same developer they're also responsible for someone else's code and you'll often get a confused look.And yet shared team accountability is one of the biggest predictors of whether an agile transition succeeds. High-performing agile teams understand: we succeed or fail together.Until that shared accountability exists, people experience their “commitment” as individual. I have my tasks, you have yours. That mindset leads to predictable behaviors: People stick to the parts of the product they already know.They avoid work outside their primary skill or role.They optimize for being “done with my work,” not for finishing as a team.So how do you help a team move from personal accountability to team accountability? Team accountability doesn't exist without personal accountability. If someone doesn't feel responsible for completing work that is clearly theirs, they won't feel responsible for the work of others.A practical place to reinforce this is the Daily Scrum. Listen for whether people clearly state what they finished since yesterday—and whether they did what they said they would. If not, help the team talk about why, and what they'll change today. Sprint Planning is your next best lever. Near the end of planning, ask a simple question:“Can we, as a team, meet the Sprint Goal and deliver these items?”Emphasize that the sprint backlog represents a team commitment. If one person is overloaded, we don't wish them good luck, we offer to help.That means team members should speak up when someone is taking on too much, and then discuss how to lighten the load—by shifting work, pairing, swarming, or reducing scope.Team accountability will always be bounded by skills. A programmer won't suddenly do award-winning design work. But they might research image options, draft alt text, or assemble reference examples—small contributions that protect the bottleneck and help the team finish together.One of the most practical ways to build shared accountability is to broaden skills across the team.Look for opportunities for pairing, mobbing, or short “teach me” sessions where teammates transfer knowledge as they work. Then protect time for it. People will (rightfully) resent being told to broaden skills if they're expected to do it on nights and weekends. If you want team accountability, stop allocating tasks during sprint planning.Instead of pre-assigning everything, leave tasks unassigned and have team members pull work from the sprint backlog day by day. This keeps work flowing, increases collaboration, and makes it easier for people to help where help is needed.Personal accountability matters. But to succeed with agile, teams have to move beyond “my tasks” and toward “our outcome.”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 Lucky Green StringEvery year, St. Patrick's Day turned the open floor into a sea of plastic shamrocks and forced cheer. There was a potluck, a “wear green or get pinched” joke that refused to die, and the inevitable moment when someone would nudge him and say, “C'mon, you're Irish, right? Say something in Gaelic!” He wasn't. His last name just sounded like it could be on a pub sign. By the time March rolled around this year, Liam had already decided: he would keep his head down, get his work done, and wait for the decorations to come down.On the morning of March 17, he arrived early to avoid the crowd. The office was quiet except for the hum of the lights. He dropped his bag at his desk and noticed a new bulletin board by the break room. Across the top, in crooked green letters, someone had pinned: “WHAT LUCK MEANS TO ME.” Underneath was a basket filled with small pieces of green string, each tied to a safety pin. A handwritten note said, “Take a string, share a story, pin it when you're ready.”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 Agile Coaching a Waste of Money?Around the world, software organizations are desperately trying to improve how their teams build and deliver software. Companies will hire herds of “wise sage” coaches to bring them out of the Dark Ages but are often disappointed when nothing extraordinary happens. Despite pouring loads of money into coaching efforts, their applications still fail to perform, their customers are still not having their needs met, and it still takes forever to get an idea to become reality. This project is 50% over budget, that one has missed three delivery dates now, and nothing seems to be going as planned. While all this is going on, agile coaches are hard at work “making the world a better 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/

Celebrating PI Day! “I finally see where I belong” often starts quietly, almost by accident. A student wanders into a Pi Day event because there's free pie, not because they think math has anything to do with them. They expect to feel like an outsider again—another room where the “real” math people will do the talking. But as they listen, they hear a guest speaker casually mention being the first in their family to go to college, or struggling with math in middle school, or switching careers into STEM later in life. The stories sound less like polished genius and more like persistence, doubt, and small, stubborn steps forward.As the activities unfold, the room feels different from a normal class. There's laughter during a silly pi‑recitation contest, teams arguing over who measured a circle more accurately, someone proudly wearing a homemade π shirt. Instead of being tested, everyone is invited to play: to estimate, to experiment, to be wrong and then correct themselves. In that environment, the student stops seeing math as a gate guarded by a few brilliant people and starts seeing it as a language that anyone can pick up, slowly, with practice.What makes Pi Day powerful in this story isn't the number itself; it's the way the day reframes who “gets” to enjoy math. The student notices a teacher cheering loudest for the kid who improved their pi‑digits record from 7 to 15, not just for the one who recites 200. They hear peers admit, “I thought this was going to be boring, but this is actually kind of fun.” For someone who has spent years feeling like they're on the outside of every math conversation, that small, shared enthusiasm signals something profound: you don't have to be the best to belong here.By the end of the day, nothing magical has happened to their test scores. What has changed is the story they tell themselves. Instead of “I'm not a math person,” it becomes “I'm a person learning math, and people like me are welcome at the table.” That internal shift doesn't show up on a Pi Day poster, but it quietly shapes their future choices—raising a hand one more time, signing up for the next course, or even mentoring someone else who feels out of place. In that moment, surrounded by digits of π and crumbs of pie, they finally see where they belong—and it's in the circle, not outside it.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 I Switched to a Hybrid Approach and Tripled My Team's Delivery RateAgile was supposed to be the answer. Stand-ups, sprints, retros, these rituals promised faster delivery, happier teams, and stakeholders who finally felt in sync with engineering. For a while, it worked. My team hit a rhythm, delivered features quickly, and felt engaged in the process.But over time, the cracks showed.Velocity slowed to a crawl. Stand-ups became theater. Engineers dreaded sprint planning. Stakeholders kept asking when features would actually be done. And remote work made it worse with Zoom fatigue, Slack overload, and endless context-switching draining the energy Agile was supposed to give us.At first, I blamed the team. Maybe we weren't “doing Agile right.” So I doubled down on the rituals. More retros, stricter sprints, tighter velocity tracking. But the harder I pushed, the more Agile turned into bureaucracy.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/

AI Is Changing The Economics of Software Development - Mike Cohn

5 Ways High Performers Disrupt Team HarmonyHigh performers rarely disrupt teams on purpose. More often, disruption happens because they move faster than the systems, processes, or people around them. Their confidence, speed, and problem-solving ability can subtly change how work gets done and how others show up.The problem isn't their performance. It's their speed and capability that invisibly reshape team dynamics. Teammates begin working around them instead of with them. And gradually, they become the team's single point of dependency, which is great for short-term results but not for the long term. When strong performance starts disrupting team harmony, knowing how to guide it in a way that maintains both results and collaboration.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/