Podcasts about Kanban

What if the smallest things in your life are actually themost powerful?In this episode, Michelle reflects on the launch of her newbook, 50 Questions Coaches Ask to Be a More Impactful Coach, and what it represents. While speaking at the Michigan AEYC conference and celebrating 25 years of involvement, she pauses to consider a deeper truth: big outcomesalmost always begin with small, quiet questions.For Michelle, questions are more powerful than opinions,ideas, or even answers. The quality of your life and leadership is shaped by the quality of the questions you ask yourself and others. What are you asking? What are you looking for? What are you cultivating?She explores how unplanned moments of rest, reflection, andpresence often generate the most transformational insights. Drawing from leadership tools like the Eisenhower Matrix and the Kanban method, she challenges the assumption that constant activity equals productivity. Sometimes the most “unproductive” moments become the birthplace of your greatest impact.Whether you are coaching, leading, parenting, or buildingsomething meaningful, this episode invites you to examine how you treat the small things in your life. Because what looks small today may become everything tomorrow.Michelle@GrowBy1.comGrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademyGrowBy1.com/CEU

Jem's rocking top-tier muffs that isolate a screaming spindle while the guys talk one-click Kanban card glory. They discuss the magic of good- documentation, fighting AI amnesia with markdown, and the logistics of shipping PS2 kits to the States. From bike-ride domain buys to handling trade apathy, it's a heavy look at refining the systems that keep a modern shop running.Watch on YoutubeDISCUSSED:✍️ Comment or Suggest a TopicCommunication in the trades, what the actual fuck? ꘎Are you driving Cursor remotely? ꘎Dylan got good muff recommendation ꘎Gemini Lead Interview Youtube @Justin Brouillette HA Dashboard for Bambuinput.buttonAirShop upatesNew Docs site

Libsyn Description: In this episode, Jason tackles a modern construction epidemic: email overload. For the sender, it feels productive. You fire it off, get a dopamine hit, and move on. But for the receiver especially project managers and project engineers it becomes an endless queue of stress, batching, and overwhelm. Jason explains why email as a primary internal communication tool slows projects down, increases stress, and hides capacity issues. He challenges leaders to rethink how they delegate and to use better systems like Scrum, Kanban boards, and task management platforms to create flow instead of chaos. What you'll learn in this episode: Why email multiplies communication time by 4x. How batching and queueing create hidden work-in-progress. Why email culture overwhelms PMs and PEs. The leadership responsibility behind delegation overloa. Better alternatives for managing internal work and communication. If your team is drowning in inboxes… Is it because of workload or because of how you're assigning it? If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

Read the blog postTL;DR: Toyota's real competitive advantage is not its tools -- it is mutual trust and mutual respect. Leaders are responsible for cultivating both. When trust is present, employees speak up, problems surface early, and continuous improvement accelerates. Without it, Lean becomes mechanical and unsustainable.When executives discuss Toyota, the conversation often centers on tools.Kanban. Andon. Standardized work. A3 thinking.Those matter. But Toyota's sustained performance does not come from tools alone. It comes from the leadership philosophy that makes those tools work.At the center of that philosophy is mutual trust and mutual respect.Not as cultural decoration.As operational necessity.Toyota is explicit: improvement depends on people surfacing problems quickly. That only happens when trust flows in both directions.Toyota's own guiding principles website says they:"Foster a corporate culture that enhances both individual creativity and the value of teamwork, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management."Leaders must trust employees to act responsibly.Employees must trust leaders to respond constructively.Without that reciprocity, performance deteriorates.

Louis Knight-Webb is the co-founder of Vibe Kanban, an open-source tool for orchestrating AI coding agents. After years of building for enterprise legacy code, Louis pivoted and saw his new project explode to over 20,000 GitHub stars in just a few months. We talk about the "startup university" of the last five years, why he walked away from 6-figure enterprise deals to find true founder-market fit, and why he thinks most people are wrong about AI-generated pull requests.This episode is brought to you by WorkOS. If you're thinking about selling to enterprise customers, WorkOS can help you add enterprise features like Single Sign On and audit logs.Links:   •  Vibe Kanban   •  Louis' Linkedin

Prabhleen Kaur: The Art of Coaching Product Owners on What vs. How Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Master of Stakeholder Relationships and the Power of No "The best PO is the person who has the superpower of saying no, and they can deal with the stakeholders with the same prowess." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen describes working with a Product Owner who managed multiple stakeholders—not just a handful, but a significant number with competing priorities. What made him exceptional was his deep understanding of each stakeholder's pulse and motivations. He knew when to push back and how to frame the "no" in a way that stakeholders could accept. This wasn't random resistance—it came from thorough preparation manifested in clear roadmaps that made most incoming work predictable for the team.  His user stories stood out for their richness in context: beyond the business requirements, they included information about who would be impacted, which proved invaluable for a team dealing with multiple interconnected systems.  He leveraged JIRA's priority field effectively, ensuring the moment anyone opened the board, they could immediately understand what mattered most. Prabhleen emphasizes that this PO understood his role as the "what" while respecting the team as the "how." By maintaining strong stakeholder relationships built on mutual understanding, he created space for the team to prepare, plan, and deliver without constant firefighting.   Self-reflection Question: Does your Product Owner have the preparation and stakeholder relationships needed to confidently say "no" when priorities compete, or does every request become an emergency? The Bad Product Owner: Technical Experts Who Manage the Sprint Backlog "The PO is the what, and the team is the how. When POs start directing the team about how to do things, the sprint goal gets compromised." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen addresses a common anti-pattern she's observed repeatedly: Product Owners with technical backgrounds who cross the line from "what" into "how." When POs come from developer or technical roles, their expertise can become a liability if they start prescribing solutions rather than defining problems.  They direct the team on implementation approaches, suggest specific technical solutions in user stories, and effectively manage the sprint backlog instead of focusing on the product backlog. The consequences are predictable: stories keep getting added or removed mid-sprint, the sprint goal becomes meaningless, and the team ends up delivering nothing because focus is constantly shifting.  Prabhleen's solution starts in backlog refinement, where she ensures conversations about technical approaches happen openly with the whole team during estimation. When a PO suggests a specific implementation, she facilitates discussion about alternatives, allowing the team to voice their perspective.  The key insight: everyone comes from a good place—the PO suggests solutions because they believe they're helping. The Scrum Master's role is to create space for the team to own the "how" while helping the PO see the value in stepping back.   Self-reflection Question: When your Product Owner has technical expertise, how do you help them contribute their knowledge without directing the team's implementation choices?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Prabhleen Kaur: When Team Members Raise Concerns with Clarity, Not Anger Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "My idea of success as a Scrum Master is when you look around, you see motivated people, and when something goes wrong, they come to you not in anger, but with concern." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen offers a refreshing perspective on measuring success as a Scrum Master that goes beyond velocity charts and feature counts. She shares a pivotal moment when her team was in production, delivering relentlessly with barely any time to breathe. A team member approached her—not with frustration or blame—but with thoughtful concern: "This is not going to work out." He sat down with Prabhleen and the Product Owner, explaining that as the middle layer in an API creation team, delays from upstream were creating a cascading problem.  What struck Prabhleen wasn't just the identification of the issue, but how he approached it: with options to discuss, not demands to make. This moment crystallized her definition of success. When team members feel safe enough to voice concerns early, when they come with ideas rather than accusations, when they see themselves as part of the solution rather than victims of circumstances—that's when a Scrum Master has truly succeeded.  Prabhleen reminds us that while stakeholders may focus on features delivered, Scrum Masters should watch how well the team responds to change. That adaptability, rooted in psychological safety and mutual trust, is the true measure of a team's maturity.   Self-reflection Question: When problems emerge in your team, do people approach you with defensive anger or constructive concern? What does that tell you about the psychological safety you've helped create? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Keep-Stop-Happy-Gratitude Prabhleen shares her favorite retrospective format, born from necessity when she joined an established team with dismal participation in their standard three-column retrospectives. She transformed it into a four-column approach: (1) What should we keep doing, (2) What should we stop doing, (3) One thing that will make you happy, and (4) Gratitude for the team. The third column—asking what would make team members happy—opened unexpected doors. Suggestions ranged from team outings to skipping Friday stand-ups, giving Prabhleen real-time insights into team needs without waiting for formal working agreement sessions. The gratitude column proved even more powerful. "Appreciation brings a space where trust is automatically built. When every 15 days you're sitting with the team making a point to say thank you to each other for all the work you've done, everybody feels mutually respected," Prabhleen explains. This ties directly to the trust-building discussed in Tuesday's episode—using retrospectives not just to improve processes, but to strengthen the human connections that make teams resilient.   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

You can develop a working Mac app in minutes.

Prabhleen Kaur: How AI Is Changing the Way Agile Teams Deliver Value Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "AI's output is not the final output—it's always the two eyes we have that will get us the best results." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen brings a timely challenge to the coaching conversation: the impact of AI on teams and how Scrum Masters should navigate this transformation. She frames it as both a challenge and an opportunity—teams are now capable of delivering faster than consumers can absorb, fundamentally changing expectations and dynamics.  Prabhleen has observed her teams evolve from uncertainty about AI to confidently leveraging it for practical benefits. Developers use AI for writing and understanding code, particularly helpful for onboarding new team members who need to comprehend existing codebases quickly. QA professionals find AI invaluable for generating test cases based on story and epic context already captured in JIRA.  The next frontier? Agentic AI, where AI systems communicate with each other to produce better outputs. But Prabhleen offers an important caution: AI is learning from many conversations, not all of which are reliable. The human element—critical thinking and verification—remains essential.  For Scrum Masters, this means facilitating conversations about how teams want to experiment with AI, exploring edge cases in testing that AI can help identify, and helping teams navigate the evolving landscape of possibilities while maintaining quality and judgment.   Self-reflection Question: How are you helping your team explore AI as a tool for improvement while ensuring they maintain critical thinking about the outputs AI produces?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Prabhleen Kaur: When Lack of Trust Turns Teams Into Isolated Individuals Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "Teams self-destruct despite best efforts when they lack trust." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen observed a troubling pattern while shadowing a team: stand-ups had become a register activity where people reported individual status without any connection to the sprint goal. There was no "we" in the conversation—only "I."  The team had experienced a missed deadline due to a PR conflict that wasn't merged in time, but instead of addressing it openly, everyone focused on fixing the immediate problem while avoiding the deeper conversation. The discomfort was never voiced, and resentment accumulated silently.  Prabhleen explains that team destruction is never about one action—it's about the accumulation of unspoken concerns that eventually explode at the worst possible moment. To rebuild trust, she recommends starting with peer reviews that encourage natural collaboration and conversation.  Scrum Masters must be vocal about challenges in front of the entire team, modeling the openness they want to see. For teams that have completely withdrawn, anonymous feedback and scheduled one-on-ones can create safe spaces for honest communication. The key insight? Trust is rebuilt when people realize they will be heard and understood, not judged.   In this segment, we talk about how trust is the foundation of effective teams and how its absence leads to working in silos.   Self-reflection Question: When your team experiences a failure or missed deadline, do you create space for open conversation about what happened, or does everyone quietly move on while resentment builds? Featured Book of the Week: Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland Prabhleen recommends Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland as a foundational read for understanding the spirit behind the framework. "When I actually read the book and understood the nuances of rugby and how the team should be, everything started making sense. I grew beyond the Scrum guide, beyond following rules—it's about how the team operates around you as a collective," she explains. Prabhleen also highly recommends Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet, summarizing its core message as "leaders lead leaders." Both books shaped her understanding that frameworks exist to enable collaboration, not to create compliance. Check out the David Marquet episodes on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast for more insights on intent-based leadership.   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Prabhleen Kaur: Letting Teams Own Their Process Through Working Agreements Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "It's about coaching the team, not teaching them." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen shares a powerful lesson about the dangers of being too directive with a forming team. When she joined a new team, her enthusiasm and experience led her to immediately introduce best practices, believing she was setting the team up for success. Instead, the team felt burdened by rules they didn't understand the purpose of. The process became about following instructions rather than solving problems together.  It wasn't until her one-on-one conversations with team members that Prabhleen realized the disconnect. She discovered that the team viewed the practices as mandates rather than tools for their benefit. The turning point came when she brought this observation to the retrospective, and together they unlearned what had been imposed.  Now, when Prabhleen joins a new team, she takes a different approach. She first seeks to understand how the team has been functioning, then presents situations as problems to be solved collectively. By asking "How do you want to take this up?" instead of prescribing solutions, she invites team ownership. This shift from teaching to coaching means the team creates their own working agreements, their own definitions of ready and done, and their own communication norms. When people voice solutions themselves, they follow through because they own the outcome.   In this episode, we refer to working agreements and their importance in team formation.   Self-reflection Question: When you join a new team, do you first seek to understand their current ways of working, or do you immediately start suggesting improvements based on your past experience?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Teoria Ograniczeń kojarzy się z fabryką, linią produkcyjną i maszyną, która nie wyrabia. Ale co, jeśli Twoja „linia produkcyjna” to kilkanaście projektów, dziesiątki zadań, ciągłe przerzucanie kontekstu i praca, której nie da się łatwo zmierzyć?W tym odcinku sprawdzamy, czy TOC to tylko elegancka teoria z książek Goldratta, czy realne narzędzie do ogarniania chaosu w pracy usługowej, projektowej i „knowledge work”.Z tego odcinka dowiesz się:✔️czym naprawdę jest Teoria Ograniczeń✔️jakie są najczęstsze nieporozumienia wokół TOC✔️jak identyfikować wąskie gardła w pracy usługowej, bez ton raportów i zabijania czasu biurokracją✔️jakie są najbardziej nietypowe zastosowania TOC✔️czy istnieją obszary, w których TOC kompletnie nie ma sensu✔️jakie bullshity na temat Teorii Ograniczeń krążą w social mediachAdam Myszak - ekspert pomagający zespołom i organizacjom przełamywać ograniczenia, które spowalniają pracę i blokują prawdziwą zwinność. Łączy praktyki Kanban z Teorią Ograniczeń, pokazując, jak świadome zarządzanie wąskimi gardłami zwiększa efektywność i adaptacyjność.LinkedIn Adama https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-myszak/Vasco Electronics https://vasco-electronics.pl/

Wait.... AI can do THAT now?

Planning is what stops "good intentions" turning into chaos. When teams skip planning, they don't just risk missing the deadline — they risk building the wrong thing, burning budget, and exhausting people on rework. A repeatable planning process keeps everyone aligned on outcomes, realities, actions, timelines, resources, and risks, so execution becomes calmer and faster. What is the planning process and why does it matter? The planning process is a repeatable way to define the outcome, map reality, set goals, design action steps, set timelines, allocate resources, plan contingencies, and track progress. It matters because most teams jump straight into the nitty gritty — meetings, tasks, and urgent emails — and mistake motion for progress. Post-pandemic (2020–2026), that "rush to action" has intensified as organisations face tighter budgets, hybrid teams, and faster competitive cycles. In multinationals (think Toyota-scale) you'll see more structure — governance, stage gates, and risk reviews — while SMEs and startups often rely on speed and intuition. Both can win, but both fail when they don't define "finished" early. In Japan, planning can be stronger in discipline but weaker in challenge if people copy seniors; in the US, planning can be faster but thinner if teams overvalue action. Do now: Write one sentence: "We will deliver ___ by ___ so that ___ improves." What is the first step in planning a project? The first step is defining the desired outcome so everyone shares the same destination. If the outcome is vague ("improve customer service"), the plan becomes a debate and execution becomes random. Better outcomes are specific, measurable, and tied to customer impact: reduce onboarding from 14 days to 3, cut defects by 20%, lift renewal rates by 5% by Q3. This is where leaders must "sell" the outcome, not just announce it. People aren't robots; they need to see why it matters, how it connects to strategy, and what trade-offs it requires. Use familiar frameworks to sharpen the outcome: SMART goals, OKRs (Objective + Key Results), or a simple "metric + deadline + owner." Consumer businesses may prioritise speed and experience; B2B firms may prioritise reliability and risk. Do now: Define 3 success measures (metric, deadline, owner) for your outcome. How do you assess the current situation before making a plan? You assess the current situation by establishing a clear baseline with facts, not opinions. You can't plan the route if you don't agree on the starting point. Capture the "as-is" reality: cycle time, backlog size, defect rate, conversion rate, churn, staffing capacity, supplier constraints, approval bottlenecks — whatever defines today's performance. Big firms may pull dashboards and market intelligence; smaller firms may rely on interviews and spreadsheets. Either works if it's accurate. This step prevents the classic argument later: "Did we actually improve?" It also exposes hidden constraints early (for example, a dependency on one overworked specialist, or a vendor lead time that makes your timeline impossible). Across cultures, the trap is the same: assumptions feel efficient until they prove expensive. Do now: List 10 baseline facts and agree: "This is our starting line." How should leaders set goals that actually get achieved? Leaders set achievable goals by breaking big targets into a hierarchy and translating them into weekly and daily units. A goal that can't be converted into actions is just a wish. Start with the outcome, then cascade: quarterly goals → monthly milestones → weekly targets → daily actions. Be realistic about constraints. Startups may set aggressive targets and iterate fast; regulated industries or complex global teams may need more conservative targets because governance, procurement, and compliance add time. In Japan, goal-setting can suffer if people avoid challenging targets to preserve harmony; in the US, it can suffer if targets are ambitious but under-resourced. Either way, align goals with capability, prioritise ruthlessly, and make ownership explicit. Do now: Build a "goal ladder" and assign one accountable owner per milestone. What makes action steps and time frames workable in the real world? Workable action steps name the work, the owner, the sequence, the dependencies, and the barriers — then lock them to real deadlines. This is where plans often collapse: the intent is clear, but the execution design is missing. Strong planning includes task allocation, coordination across teams, sequencing (what must happen first), supervision cadence, and known blockers. Then you set time frames that people respect by tying dates to deliverables, not vibes. Tools like a simple milestone calendar, a Gantt chart for complex work, or Agile sprints/Kanban for flow-based work can help — but the tool won't save you if "done" isn't defined. Deadlines should be explicit, shared, and reviewed, especially in hybrid teams spread across time zones. Do now: For each major step, write: owner, dependency, "definition of done," and due date. How do you plan resources, contingencies, and tracking so the plan survives surprises? Plans survive reality when they include honest resourcing, built-in contingencies, and simple tracking that warns you early. Resource planning isn't just budget — it's people, time, tools, approvals, and opportunity cost (what you stop doing to fund this). Under-counting resources creates rework and burnout. Contingencies turn "panic later" into "prepared now." Identify the top risks — supplier delays, staffing gaps, tech dependencies, scope creep — and pre-decide responses. Then track essentials: a few leading indicators (early warnings like backlog growth or missed handoffs) and lagging indicators (results like cost, quality, customer impact). This is classic PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act): plan carefully, execute, check frequently, and adjust fast. Do now: Define 3 risks with "If X happens, we will do Y by Z," plus 3 leading indicators to review weekly. Conclusion The planning process is not paperwork — it's how leaders create clarity, speed, and accountability. Define the outcome, baseline reality, set layered goals, design workable actions, lock timelines, allocate resources honestly, build contingencies, and track progress with early warnings. When you repeat the process, execution becomes less stressful and results become more predictable.

Starting a company with a blank slate sounds like a dream—but it's also a trap. In this mini episode, Rodney and Sam respond to a listener question about how to design an organizational operating system from scratch, without inheriting all the baggage of traditional management. They argue for resisting the urge to over-design early, letting real tension (not theory) drive structure, and focusing on a few foundational practices that scale. From operating rhythms and Kanban boards to experimentation and “sky sensing,” this episode breaks down what's actually worth putting in place early—and what's better left until it hurts. Mentioned references: "op rhythm": BNW Ep. 118 "strategy": AWWTR Ep. 2 "experimentation": AWWTR Ep. 38 "retrospectives": BNW Ep. 10 with Jordan Husney Kanban board The Ready's Experiment Proposal Template "The Sky" from Depthfinding Mia Wise Schedule a Sky Session with us! Got a work question like this one you'd like us to answer? Email us at podcast@theready.com -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Let's talk!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Send us a textIn this solo episode of Mentoring Matters, Dr. Stephanie Hansen shares how she approaches the start of a new semester with plans that actually survive reality. Instead of chasing perfection, she focuses on building sustainable systems: protecting time for deep thinking work, stress-testing your calendar, and breaking big goals into small, repeatable processes.She also tackles common faculty pain points, from mentoring high-achieving grad students who struggle with perfectionism to setting realistic thesis and dissertation timelines before panic season hits. Along the way, she shares practical tools she uses to keep projects moving when the semester gets chaotic, including a Kanban approach and structured accountability.Finally, she talks attention and technology: reducing social media and phone distraction, and helping students become AI-capable without cognitively offloading their education. The goal isn't flawless performance — it's growth, resilience, and progress you can sustain.If you are interested in having Steph or Mary do a workshop on graduate mentoring at your institution please reach out to Steph at slhansen@iastate.eduFor actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook now! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about.

Mark DeLuzio discusses how the 2-Bin Kanban is meant to ensure the operator does not run out of parts.  Find out why it should not be used to structure your primary Kanban system.

What happens when good intentions collide with finite capacity? In many law practices, it shows up as overload, missed deadlines, and promises that quietly slip through the cracks.In this episode, I'm introducing the idea of a promise-keeping machine and explaining why making work visible is the first and most important step toward building one. You'll learn how simple visual systems like Kanban help lawyers see their true commitments, protect capacity, and make more credible promises to clients, colleagues, and themselves.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/102Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrant

רק מספר 509 של רברס עם פלטפורמה - באמפרס מספר 90, שהוקלט ב-1 בינואר 2026, שנה אזרחית חדשה טובה! רן, דותן ואלון באולפן הוירטואלי (עם Riverside) בסדרה של קצרצרים וחדשות (ולפעמים קצת ישנות) מרחבי האינטרנט: הבלוגים, ה-GitHub-ים, ה-Rust-ים וה-LLM-ים החדשים מהתקופה האחרונה.

We got Ryan Carson on the pod to break down the “Ralph Wiggum” Agent and why it's suddenly everywhere. He walks me through a simple workflow that lets an autonomous agent build a full product feature while I sleep: start with a PRD, convert it into small user stories with tight acceptance criteria, then run a looped script that ships work in clean iterations. The big idea is you're not “vibe coding” one giant prompt—you're giving the agent testable, bite-sized tickets and letting it execute like an engineering team. By the end, Ryan shows how this becomes repeatable (and safer) with a memory layer—agents.md for long-term notes and progress.txt for iteration-to-iteration context. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:44 – What is the Ralph Wiggum AI Agent 03:40 – Step 1: PRD Generator 06:11 – Step 2: Convert PRD to Json 09:47 – Step 3: Run Ralph 12:05 – Step 4: Ralph Picks a Task 13:14 – Step 5: Ralph Implements Task 14:49 – Tokens + Cost: What It Actually Spends 15:45 – Guardrails: Small Stories + Clear Criteria Keep It Sane 16:19 – Step 6: Ralph commits the change 16:38 – Step 7: Ralph Updates PRD json file 16:55 – Step 8: Ralph Logs to Progress txt 20:08 – Step 9: Ralph Picks another Task 20:48 – Step 10: Ralph Finishes Tasks 21:18 – Example of how Ryan uses Ralph 24:08 – How To Start Today (Ralph Repo) and Tips Links Mentioned: Ralph Wiggum Agent: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/Ralph-agent  AI Agent Skills: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/amp-skills  AMP: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/amp-code  Ryan's Ralph Step-by-Step Guide: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/Ryans-Ralph-Guide Key Points I can't expect “sleep-shipping” unless I translate the feature into small, testable user stories with clear acceptance criteria. Ralph works like a Kanban loop: pull one story, implement, commit, mark pass/fail, then grab the next. The real leverage is the reset: each iteration starts fresh with a clean context window, instead of one giant, messy thread. agents.md becomes long-term memory across the repo; progress.txt is short-term memory across iterations. The bottleneck isn't “coding”—it's the upfront spec quality: PRD clarity, atomic stories, and verifiable criteria. The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/ The Vibe Marketer - Resources for people into vibe marketing/marketing with AI: https://www.thevibemarketer.com/ FIND ME ON SOCIAL X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/ FIND RYAN ON SOCIAL: X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryancarson Amp: https://ampcode.com

In this episode of the Comparative Agility Podcast, Dee Rhoda speaks with Colleen Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of ProKanban.org, and Janee McConnell, Director of Community Operations, to explore the power of Kanban in optimizing workflow and delivering value. They discuss how the Pro Kanban community supports learning and growth, share insights on improving predictability and forecasting without estimates, and explain how Kanban principles scale from teams to portfolios.

Empowering Digital Autonomy and Intersectional Equity in the Age of AIIn this episode of Women Making Moves, host Amy Pons speaks with Yvonne Jackson, a change management talent and AI strategy advisor with a significant background in big corporations like Apple and Whirlpool. Yvonne discusses her transition from corporate to developing ethical digital engagement frameworks. They delve into the intricacies of Agile versus Kanban methodologies, the importance of addressing technical debt early, and the pivotal role of intersectionality in equity conversations. Yvonne emphasizes the need for organizations to redesign their processes and systems to support true diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, she introduces her framework 'Eden'—Ethical Digital Engagement Norms—as a pragmatic blueprint for engaging ethically in the digital age. Throughout the conversation, the critical importance of addressing intersectional identities in AI algorithms is underscored, along with a call to action for everyone to reflect deeply on their engagement practices to foster genuine equity and inclusion.00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction00:50 Yvonne's Career Journey and Agile Methodology02:52 Challenges in Technology and AI Integration07:23 Intersectionality and Gender in the Workplace15:40 Historical Context and Feminism19:45 Systemic Issues and DEI22:13 Creating Systems for Equity22:33 The Power of Petitions23:02 Target's DEI Dilemma23:34 Building Our Own Ecosystems23:59 The Importance of Digital Autonomy24:13 Challenges in DEI Implementation25:54 The Cost of Ignoring DEI28:56 AI and Intersectionality33:35 Ethical Digital Engagement42:00 Final Thoughts and Call to ActionVisit Yvonne on her business website, personal website, and check out her strategic AI planning project (in beta), and be sure to follow her on LinkedIn.Thank you for tuning in to Women Making Moves, be sure to rate and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform and follow along on Instagram and Bluesky. Visit Amy at Unlock the Magic, and follow on Instagram and LinkedIn.Women Making Moves is for personal use only and general information purposes, the show host cannot guarantee the accuracy of any statements from guests or the sufficiency of the information. This show and host is not liable for any personal actions taken.

Natalia Curusi: Demonstrating Your Value When the Market Questions Agile Roles Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "My challenging topic is about the demand of agility in the market—how do we fit ourselves as scrum masters in that AI era? How can we demonstrate our competence and contribution when there's a perception that agile roles bring little value?" - Natalia Curusi   Natalia faces the challenge every Scrum Master in 2025 grapples with: how to demonstrate value in an era when business perceives agile roles as optional overhead. The market has contracted, companies are optimizing budgets, and Scrum Masters often appear first on the chopping block.  There's talk of "blended roles" where developers are expected to absorb Scrum Master responsibilities, and questions about how AI might replace the human facilitation work that coaches provide. But Natalia believes the answer lies in understanding something fundamental: the Scrum Master is a deeply situational and contextual role that adapts to what the team needs each day.  Some teams need help with communication spaces, others need work structure like Kanban boards, still others need translation between technical realities and stakeholder expectations. The challenge is that this situational nature makes it incredibly hard to explain to business leaders who think in fixed job descriptions and measurable outputs. Natalia's approach involves bringing metrics—not velocity, which focuses on the wrong things, but metrics around team independence, continuous improvement, and organizational capability. She suggests concepts like Gemba walks—going to see what's actually happening rather than relying only on numbers. The real question Natalia poses is this: the biggest value we can bring to an organization is to leave it better than we found it, but how do we make that visible and tangible to business stakeholders who need justification for our roles?   Self-reflection Question: If you had to demonstrate your value as a Scrum Master using only observable evidence from the past month, what would you show your leadership?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Welcome to another episode of Our Agile Tales, Navigating World Crises: The Agile-Law-AI Alliance in Action!In this episode, we continue our conversation with Ondřej Dvořák, CEO of Agile Lawyer and COP Solutions, and co-founder of LinkingHelp. Building on his experience supporting Ukrainian refugees, Ondřej shares how Agile practices like Scrum and Kanban made it possible to coordinate large-scale, cross-border legal aid while respecting privacy and professional responsibility.We explore how visibility and transparency enabled fast action without exposing sensitive data, why government funding often moves too slowly for crisis response, and how donation-driven initiatives struggle once a crisis becomes the “new normal.” Ondřej argues that sustainable humanitarian work must blend social impact with viable business models.The conversation also dives into AI in legal services—not as a silver bullet, but as an accelerator that only works once processes, data, and transparency are in place. We discuss why AI should assist lawyers rather than replace them, the data-protection concerns slowing adoption, and what the future holds for agile, AI-assisted law firms.Episode Outline00:00 Introduction to Agile Tales00:53 Agility in Humanitarian Efforts02:12 Transparency and Visibility in Legal Aid03:55 Challenges with Government Bureaucracy05:39 LinkingHelp's Broader Impact07:53 AI's Role in Legal Services11:11 Future of AI and Agile in Law22:07 Key Takeaways and Advice23:43 Conclusion About Ondrej DvorakOndřej is the co-founder of Linking Help, a nonprofit that mobilized legal aid for Ukrainian refugees using Scrum and Kanban to coordinate real-time support. It's a powerful story of how agility can make a real difference in humanitarian crises—far beyond the domain of business. Andre's work shows how Agile thinking can help even the most traditional sectors become more humane, responsive, and resilient. You can follow Ondřej on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ondrej-dvorak-agile/Visit us at https://www.ouragiletales.com/about

Chris and Andrew kick things off with some weather whiplash and snowblower talk before introducing a new guest on the show, long-time Rubyist David Hill. They chat about fast food and favorite shows, David's accidental path into Ruby and Rails, and various projects he's worked on, including an AED management application. The discussion also touches on the new open-source release of Basecamp's Kanban board, Fizzy, and some innovative CSS techniques used in the project. The conversation wraps up with upcoming Ruby conferences in 2026 and how Claude's AI assistance is helping with coding tasks. Hit download now to hear more! LinksJudoscale- Remote Ruby listener giftDavid Hill LinkedInDavid Hill WebsiteThe Ruby Gems PodcastAndorDispatch (video game)Vanilla CSS is all you need by Rob ZolkosFizzy Webhooks: What You Need To Know by Rob ZolkosFizzyRBQ Conf, March 2026 - Austin, TXXO RubyRubyConf, July 14-16, 2026 – Las, Vegas, NV Chris Oliver X/Twitter Andrew Mason X/Twitter Jason Charnes X/Twitter

Let's learn about game production tools! There are a lot of them out there, but which ones are right for my team size, game scope, and budget? We'll discuss industry standards, the pros and cons of several tools, and their applicability to different production methods such as Scrum and Kanban.

What if reorganizing a single supply room could change the way your entire hospital delivers care? On this episode of Power Supply, we're joined by Judith Ramos, Project Manager at UT Southwestern Medical Center, as she breaks down how her team turned manual counts and cluttered PARs into a standardized, clinician-friendly system. From color-coded product families and two-bin Kanban to min/max levels, FIFO (first-in, first-out), and utilization reports that account for seasonality, Judith shares her team's seven-year optimization journey that cut waste, reduced stockouts, and made supplies easier to find when seconds matter. She also explains how this foundation gave her team the confidence to open a brand-new patient tower without starting from scratch. If you're ready to turn chaotic supply rooms into calm, predictable spaces, this conversation will have you rethinking what's possible with PAR optimization! Once you complete the interview, jump on over to the link below to take a short quiz and download your CEC certificate for 0.5 CECs! – https://www.flexiquiz.com/SC/N/ps16-06 #PowerSupply #Podcast #AHRMM #HealthcareSupplyChain #SupplyChain #PAROptimization #Standardization #Stockouts #SupplyRoom

W tym odcinku bierzemy na warsztat kolejne narzędzie z ekosystemu Atlassiana – Great Gadgets. To dodatek do Jiry (Data Center i Cloud), który pozwala budować rozbudowane dashboardy z metrykami przepływu, a następnie udostępniać je zespołom, także np. na Confluence. Opowiadam: - dla kogo jest Great Gadgets i w jakich organizacjach ma największy sens, - jak wygląda model licencjonowania i dlaczego cena z Marketplace'u nie zawsze jest tą, którą realnie płacicie, - jak konfigurować gadżety na dashboardach (źródła danych: board, filtr, JQL), - jak korzystać z histogramu czasów realizacji i percentyli (50, 85, 95) zamiast średniej, - co daje Work in Progress Aging Chart (WIP Aging) przy śledzeniu starzenia się pracy w toku, - jak mierzyć tempo dostarczania (throughput / Kanban Velocity), - jak czytać Time in Status i gdzie „kiszą się” zadania, - jak wyglądają CFD, WIP Run Chart oraz trend/cycle time (scatterplot) w Great Gadgets. Jeśli wolisz widzieć niż tylko słuchać, zajrzyj na: kanbanprzykawie.pl – we wpisie do tego odcinka znajdziesz screenshoty omawianych gadżetów, YouTube – kanał „Kanban przy Kawie” – tam w kilka dni po premierze audio również wersja wideo z wizualizacjami. Na koniec proszę Cię o podpowiedź: jakie kolejne narzędzia chcesz, żebym wziął na warsztat? Komercyjne dodatki? A może coś budowanego samodzielnie? Daj znać w komentarzu lub wiadomości na LinkedIn.

Welcome to Episode 416 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this week’s episode, Ben finally has a chance to sit down with Henrik Wojcik. Henrik has been a long-time listener as well as a fellow Microsoft MVP in Security and we finally had the chance to sit down and record an episode together, something we’ve talked about doing for years. As they sit down and enjoy a sunny afternoon in at Microsoft Ignite in San Francisco they discuss security in the financial sector, EU regulations (N2 and DORA), integrating Data Lake with Sentinel, optimizing log analytics, and the latest on Security Copilot and E5 licensing. They also spend some time chatting about some of their conference highlights, assisting as proctors in the hands-on labs, and the unique experience of Ignite in San Francisco. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Microsoft Ignite (with sessions on demand) Microsoft Ignite Book of News Catch up on Microsoft Security sessions and announcements from Ignite 2025 Microsoft Sentinel benefit for Microsoft 365 E5, A5, F5, and G5 customers Learn about Security Copilot inclusion in Microsoft 365 E5 subscription Microsoft Sentinel data lake: Unify signals, cut costs, and power agentic AI What is Microsoft Sentinel data lake? KQL and the Microsoft Sentinel data lake Henrik F. Wojcik Henrik has worked in the IT industry since 2003. He’s always had a passion for learning new technologies and expanding his knowledge through various means such as online courses, webinars, and reading up on the latest developments in the industry. Throughout his career, he’s gained experience in various areas of IT, making him a true jack of all trades. However, his latest interests lie in the security space, modern workplace and management in Azure, with a particular focus on cyber security. He has experience working with products such as Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for Office 365, Conditional Access, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsof t Entra ID. His primary focus is on security on Azure workloads and identity (Entra ID). He prioritizes security awareness and believe that learning never stops, which is why He’s always eager to expand my knowledge and skillset. In the past, He’s also worked with various tools and technologies such as Cisco, Citrix, Dynamics AX, Exchange, ITIL, Azure, SCCM & SCOM, Scrum & Kanban, VMware, Windows Servers, and Windows Desktops. About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!

Ever felt overwhelmed trying to track multiple jobs across your business? In this final installment of our three-part series on business function charts, Khalil and Martin demonstrate how to build a practical Kanban board system that gives you instant visibility into your sales pipeline. Learn how to transform your workflow chart into a visual tracking system that shows you exactly where your deals stand, without requiring technical expertise.What You'll LearnHow to convert your workflow chart into a visual Kanban boardThe step-by-step process for setting up a deal tracking system in ClickUpHow to create templates with subtasks that ensure consistent process executionWhy mapping your business functions creates clarity for your entire teamHow to build process checklists that make delegation effortlessTime Stamps00:37 - Episode Intro01:04 - Mapping the Sales Function02:40 - Understanding Kanban Cards05:48 - Building the Sales Pipeline in ClickUp11:46 - Customizing ClickUp for Sales Stages25:51 - Core Activities for Specific Deals26:50 - Lead Management Tasks27:29 - Subtasks and Customer Qualification28:33 - Creating Checklists for Core Activities29:48 - Implementing Checklists in ClickUp34:35 - Setting Up Task Templates35:36 - Managing Sales Pipeline with Clickup40:45 - Process Recap55:52 - Final ThoughtsSnippets from the Episode"If you don't feel organized as a contractor, if you are curious what the status of your jobs are, if you feel like you don't have systems in your business and you don't know where to start... this is how you make sense of it."- Khalil Benalioulhaj"A pipeline is the critical path of a workflow. You're not going to say, 'I made a first call and a second call and then sent a text message.' We don't want that in our pipeline. We just want the critical path."- Khalil Benalioulhaj"One of the first things is just talk to it. Tell it what the hell you're trying to do."- Martin Holland on using AIKey TakeawaysThe Function Chart Is Not a Process ChartKanban Boards Create Visual ClarityTemplates Ensure Consistent ExecutionAI Can Map Your Business WorkflowsChecklists Remove Complexity from DelegationCritical Path Tracking Beats Detailed DocumentationYour Admin Team Can Implement This SystemResources⁠CFC 280⁠ - Mapping Your Workflows with AI: A Guide to Business Function Charts Part 1CFC 283 - Building Your Business Function Chart with AI: A Guide to Business Function Charts Part 2ClickUp ⁠WisprFlow Referral Link⁠⁠Claude Artifact - Sales Workflow⁠⁠Claude Artifact - Sales Function Chart⁠⁠Claude AI ⁠PowerPoint/⁠Google Slides ⁠⁠HTML Flowchart Generators⁠⁠Kanban board systems⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock CallCheck out⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OpenPhone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Need Marketing Help? We Recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Help with podcast production? We recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Demandcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Martin Holland⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from The Cash Flow ContractorSubscribe to our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow On Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X(formerly Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Cashflow Contractor

Welcome to another episode of Our Agile Tales, Navigating World Crises: The Agile-Law-AI Alliance in Action!In this continuation of our conversation with Ondřej Dvořák, CEO of AgiLawyer and COPS Solutions, we go deeper into how you actually run and scale an agile, cross-border legal-aid initiative in the middle of a war. If the first episode was about launching Linking Help, this one is about surviving the scale-up.Ondřej walks us through the messy, very human side of scaling legal aid for Ukrainian refugees: from dealing with thousands of requests in a language he didn't speak, to building a “clearing desk” and help desk function led by Ukrainian lawyers, to teaching volunteer lawyers across multiple countries how to work in a pull-based, Kanban system when they're used to command-and-control and assigned work.We explore how culture and ways of working showed up in very concrete ways - why France “just got it” from day one, while countries like Romania needed more support and education before becoming top performers. Ondřej talks about how simplifying the Kanban system (fewer columns, fewer concepts, one clear task: connect the person to a lawyer) was crucial to onboarding busy legal professionals quickly in a crisis.We also dig into scaling patterns: how they expanded country by country, used “early adopter” lawyers to grow local networks, and centralized the help desk while keeping case work decentralized. From there, the conversation shifts to constraints: the difficulty of fundraising for legal aid (which is hard to “picture”), differences in how pro bono is treated across jurisdictions, and the legal and ethical challenges of using AI to support legal work, especially questions of accountability and liability when AI-generated guidance might be wrong.If you're interested in how Agile, Kanban, and crisis-driven decision-making play out in the real world, across borders, cultures, and regulatory systems, then this episode is a rich case study in making agility practical, humane, and scalable beyond software.Episode Outline00:00 Introduction & recap of Part 101:05 The language barrier: Ukrainian requests and the need for a “clearing desk”07:58 Designing the help desk workflow10:45 Teaching lawyers a new way of working: pull vs. command-and-control13:12 Culture in action: why France “just worked” and Romania needed more coaching16:00 Simplifying Kanban for legal work18:48 Scaling country by country: early adopters, bar associations, and building local communities22:10 Centralized help desk, decentralized service: funding, hiring Ukrainian students, and managing demand24:55 Business model and funding constraints: the challenge of raising money for legal aid26:10 Legal and AI constraints: pro bono differences, AI-assisted legal opinions, and accountability28:30 Reflections on crisis as a catalyst and the future of global, AI-supported legal aid29:07 ConclusionAbout Ondrej DvorakOndřej is the co-founder of Linking Help, a nonprofit that mobilized legal aid for Ukrainian refugees using Scrum and Kanban to coordinate real-time support. It's a powerful story of how agility can make a real difference in humanitarian crises—far beyond the domain of business. Andre's work shows how Agile thinking can help even the most traditional sectors become more humane, responsive, and resilient. You can follow Ondřej on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ondrej-dvorak-agile/Visit us at https://www.ouragiletales.com/about

This week, Mike is joined by Ben Johnson, CEO and Founder of Particle 41, for a sharp, energizing look at what it really takes to lead in today's tech world. With more than 20 years of software experience and over $30 million raised across five startups, Ben brings the hard-earned lessons only a seasoned builder can offer. Ben breaks down the traits of effective tech leadership—setting a clear vision, empowering teams, and avoiding micromanagement. He shares candid stories from his early days as a founder, including a memorable misunderstanding of "burn rate." He explains why learning to speak the language of investors is essential for every entrepreneur. The conversation dives into what it takes to build strong, predictable teams through communication, structure, and proven frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and the "Cone of Certainty." Ben also highlights the importance of starting with an MVP, validating demand, and iterating quickly—illustrated through the growth of Forte, an online music lesson platform that found success through smart, agile execution. Ben also opens up about the four pillars that ground his life—faith, family, fitness, and finance—and shares a touching story about helping his son conquer a fear of heights, a moment that shaped his own philosophy on courage and leadership. Ben then previews Particle 41's new AI Transformation service, designed to help companies integrate AI through smarter workflows and human-like digital agents. His perspective is clear: AI isn't a threat—it's a tool every business can harness to unlock its next level of performance. Packed with practical insights and inspiring lessons, this episode is a must-listen for anyone building products, leading teams, or stepping into the future of tech.   IN THIS EPISODE:

Creating space in your law practice begins with understanding your true capacity and the demands already filling it. In this episode, I share practical ways to assess what your system can actually handle, close out the work that's weighing you down, and set clearer boundaries for new commitments using core Kanban principles. You'll learn simple techniques for regaining breathing room so you can end the year with more intention and start the next one with a workflow that's sustainable for you and your team. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/97 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with GreenLine Legal Follow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantMentioned in this episode:LIVE WORKSHOP: Better Client Relationships, Fewer InterruptionsThis 90-minute interactive workshop will teach you proven strategies for creating more peaceful, productive client relationships... for the rest of your legal career! When? Friday, December 12 – Live via Zoom Only 12 Seats Available Reserve your spot here: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/ccwSign Up For the Dec 12 Workshop Here

פרק מספר 505 של רברס עם פלטפורמה - באמפרס מספר 89, שהוקלט ב-13 בנובמבר 2025, רגע אחרי כנס רברסים 2025 [יש וידאו!]: רן, דותן ואלון (והופעת אורח של שלומי נוח!) באולפן הוירטואלי עם סדרה של קצרצרים מרחבי האינטרנט: הבלוגים, ה-GitHub-ים, ה-Claude-ים וה-GPT-ים החדשים מהתקופה האחרונה.

When high-stakes motions are due, most firms face bottlenecks, inconsistent quality, and last-minute chaos. In this episode, Hellmuth & Johnson attorneys Brendan Kenny and Neven Selimovic share how they've rebuilt their legal writing process using Kanban visibility, Agile principles, and smart AI support to deliver consistent, high-quality work. Their internal system worked so well that they now offer it as a legal writing subscription, helping other firms adopt a more predictable, scalable approach. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: agileattorney.com/96 Take your law practice from overwhelmed to optimized with Greenline LegalFollow along on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnegrantFollow Brendan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brendanmkennyFollow Neven on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/neven-selimović-b53717b4Mentioned in this episode:Take Your Law Practice from Overwhelmed to Optimized GreenLine helps you see the progress of every matter, shows what each person should focus on, spots delays, helps you decide where to use your team members, and even predicts when you can deliver results to your clients. Learn more or sign up for the beta here: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/greenlinelegalLearn more about GreenLine Legal hereLIVE WORKSHOP: Better Client Relationships, Fewer InterruptionsThis 90-minute interactive workshop will teach you proven strategies for creating more peaceful, productive client relationships... for the rest of your legal career! When? Friday, December 12 – Live via Zoom Only 12 Seats Available Reserve your spot here: https://the-agile-attorney.captivate.fm/ccwSign Up For the Dec 12 Workshop Here

What separates noisy, reactive job sites from clean, flowing, elite ones, A single shift, plan the next day, not the same day, In this fast, high energy episode, Jason breaks down the POND meeting, the proven system top builders use to align trades, remove roadblocks early, and deliver predictable results. In this episode, you'll get to know: The fatal flaw of same day "POD" huddles and why they stall production. The POND cadence that gives foremen time to plan and crews time to prepare. How one site transformed in 24 hours with maps, visuals, and clear handoffs. The full recipe, zoning maps, weekly plan on screen, worker huddle, team Kanban. Why elite projects never let variation creep into the morning. If you want to run construction the way the best in the world do it, start here, This is the meeting rhythm that changes everything.   If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

Is your team moving in sync—or spinning in circles? - Mike CohnEver feel like your agile team should be working smoothly—but something's just a bit off? Handoffs feel clunky. Meetings drag. Even small changes spark big debates.It's not that your team isn't skilled—it's that you're not quite in sync.Rowers have a word for the alignment you're seeking: swing.What is swing?In crew rowing, swing is that near-magical moment when every rower moves in perfect unison—each stroke in sync, each effort amplified. And I do mean perfect unison. This means each rower: puts an oar into the water at the exact same timepulls for the same time and distance at the same speedlifts the oar out of the water at the same timeslides forward at the same paceTeam members hand off work frequently, without fanfare, and in small chunks.Team members can finish each other's… (Did you try to finish my sentence for me?) work. They can jump in and pick up tasks if someone is out sick or on vacation.Meetings are short, focused and valuable.Goals are ambitious, but usually met. When the team falls short, everyone (including leaders) understands that goals are not guarantees.A try-it-and-see mindset permeates the team. They're willing to experiment with new practices (such as user stories vs. job stories or story points vs. time) or frameworks (Scrum, SAFe, Kanban).The team is confident in their ability to succeed. As they deliver more and more value, and achieve outcome after outcome, the team feels almost unstoppable. Team members have fun. I sometimes decry that work is called work. I sincerely want work to be fun. I'm not naive: I know that won't always be the case. But when a team is working together well, it is fun.Swing is rare. When I rowed, our boat might have gone an entire race without once truly achieving swing. (And yes, it was usually my fault. Thanks for asking.)But when it happens, it's effortless. The boat flies.Agile teams can experience the same kind of swing. When everything starts to flowWhen teams are aligned and in sync you'll know it: ​​​​​None of this happens by accidentAchieving all of this isn't easy.Like rowers chasing swing, agile teams have to practice, reflect, and adjust—over and over again—in their quest to go from good to great.But take it from me, when it clicks, it's magic.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/

Khalil and Martin kick off a new series on building business function charts—starting with the foundational step: mapping your workflows. Using a real-world example from Martin's sprinkler company, they walk through how to visualize your business processes, identify bottlenecks, and turn chaos into clarity. By learning to map how work actually flows through your operations, contractors and small business owners can improve communication, streamline execution, and lay the groundwork for scalable systems.What You'll LearnThe difference between org charts and function charts—and why both matterHow to map workflows that clearly show how work moves through your businessWhy visualizing processes helps you manage better and reduce confusionHow tools like Kanban boards and AI can simplify workflow designPractical steps to turn mapped workflows into functional business systemsTime Stamps00:54 - Episode Intro02:20 -Understanding Business Function Charts03:12 -Real-World Workflow Example: Sprinkler Company17:54 -Job Scheduling and Preparation19:49 -Execution and Completion23:08 -Creating Workflows with AISnippets from the Episode“Everyone has workflows. Work is flowing through your business if you're in business. But just like you said, the visual is so helpful for understanding where things actually are.” — Khalil“When we had the sprinkler company, we literally had a Kanban table before software existed. Every job was a packet that moved from one step to the next. You could walk in and see exactly where everything was.” — Martin“You can spend an hour with AI and map out your entire workflow—then clearly see what your business actually does.” — Khalil“You should be using AI in this capacity. It's a thought partner—it helps you think through your processes, not just write emails.” — KhalilKey TakeawaysMap Before You Manage – You can't improve what you can't see.Visualize Workflows – Kanban systems make progress visible and predictable.Leverage AI – Use tools like Claude or ChatGPT to build, test, and refine workflows.Clarify Functions – Define what your business actually does, not just who does it.Lay the Foundation – Workflow clarity is the first step to scalable systems and future function charts.Resources⁠⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock CallCheck out⁠⁠⁠⁠ OpenPhone⁠⁠⁠⁠Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠ Need Marketing Help? We Recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠ Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Help with podcast production? We recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠ Demandcast⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Martin Holland⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠More from The Cash Flow ContractorSubscribe to our⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow On Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠X(formerly Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Cashflow Contractor

In this Concepts Edition episode Uriel and Devin discuss:- Thrift- 6 rules of kanban- FIFO racking and warehousing- When should you break your own rules?Please join our patreon! https://patreon.com/IncrementalCI And follow us on Instagram and share your improvements and tag us. www.instagram.com/incrementalci In this podcast we discuss concepts from Lean Manufacturing, the Toyota Production System, and general business management to improve our businesses. Thanks for listening! Please drop us a note with any and all feedback! If you have parts you need machined, reach out to Devin@lichenprecision.com and follow on Instagram www.instagram.com/lichen_mfg If you need CNCed Buckles, check out www.austeremfg.com and follow at on Instagram www.instagram.com/austere_manufacturingTo reach out to the podcast directly please email fixsomethingtoday@gmail.com

In this powerful installment of the Machine Shop MBA series, we welcome two guests who embody the heart of continuous improvement: Noah Goellner, President of AME and Hennig, and Nick DeGeorgia, Manufacturing Engineer at P1 Industries. What starts as a story of one listener's journey—from cutting chips to becoming a lean champion—evolves into a masterclass on how lean thinking transforms not just the shop floor, but every function of an organization. Nick shares how MakingChips inspired him to bring process improvement into his career, using whiteboards, kaizen events, and a relentless focus on reducing waste to reshape his company culture. We also break down how lean applies far beyond machining—into quoting, engineering, office workflows, and even sales strategy. They unpack how to start small, gain buy-in, and build trust that leads to sustained results. From Kanban systems to complete-and-accurate feedback loops, this conversation bridges the gap between concept and practice. Whether you're a shop leader, engineer, or business owner, this episode offers a blueprint for turning lean from a buzzword into a daily habit that drives clarity, collaboration, and growth. Segments (0:00) A Goellner family introduction and a musical interlude gone wrong (1:36) Meet Nick DeGeorgia — how MakingChips inspired his lean journey (5:25) Moving from a large OEM to a small contract manufacturer (7:02) Come see us at the Top Shops 2025 event in Charlotte, NC! (7:28) Reintroducing Noah and how lean shaped AME and Hennig's company culture (8:45) Paul's lean journey: ISO, standardization, kaizen newspapers, and cutting waste (10:31) Defining lean — eliminating waste vs. maximizing flow of value (12:38) Where to start: applying lean based on your role and customer definition (18:19) Process success mapping: starting at the end to define what success looks like (20:31) Using "complete and accurate" feedback to fix systemic process issues (21:15) Why you should use Hire MFG Leaders for recruiting (21:42) How to gain buy-in when you're not in leadership (22:31) Mapping processes and linking operations to customer outcomes (23:10) Implementing "no hunting" and Kanban systems at P1 Industries (26:12) P1's Kanban system explained (visual signaling for just-in-time replenishment) (29:30) Building trust and reliability so teams want to surface problems (30:30) Level 1 meetings, rewarding problem identification, and closing the loop on improvement (35:14) "Lean isn't magic—it's discipline in the basics." (36:00) How ProShop embeds lean principles across the manufacturing workflow (41:53) Top lean book recommendations and building a lean network (44:41) Final reflections: staying humble, staying curious, and sticking to the basics (49:37) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) Resources mentioned on this episode Come see us at the Top Shops 2025 event in Charlotte, NC! Why you should use Hire MFG Leaders for recruiting 2 Second Lean Toyota Kata The Toyota Way The Goal Learning to See Managing to Learn The Kind Leader The E Myth Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

The Phantom Sprint — Invisible Work That Steals VelocityYour sprint looks healthy — until a phantom dependency eats your finish line. Here's how to find the invisible work before the demo.Detection & prevention tacticsDependency board: visible KANBAN lane for external asks with owners and ETA.Capacity buffer: protect 10–20% of sprint for unplanned but likely work.Pre-planning checkpoint: 5-min readout with ops/support to surface recurring interrupts.Risk register: short public list of items that can block sprint goals.

Alex Sloley: How to Coach POs Who Treat Developers Like Mindless Robots In this episode, we refer to the previous episodes with David Marquet, author of Turn the Ship Around! The Great Product Owner: Trust and the Sprint Review That Changes Everything Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "She was like, oh my gosh, I've never seen this before, I didn't think it was possible. I just saw you deliver stuff in 2 weeks that I can actually use." - Alex Sloley In 2011, Alex worked with a client organization creating software for external companies. They needed a Product Owner for a new Agile team, and a representative from the client—who had never experienced Scrum—volunteered for the role. She was initially skeptical, having never witnessed or heard of this approach. Alex gently coached her through the process, asking her to trust the team and be patient. Then came the first Sprint Review, and everything changed. For the first time in her career, she saw working product delivered in just two weeks that she could actually touch, see, and use. Her head exploded with possibility. Even though it didn't have everything and wasn't perfect, it was remarkably good. That moment flipped a switch—she became fully engaged and transformed into a champion for Agile adoption, not just for the team but for the entire company. Alex reflects that she embodied all five Scrum values: focus (trusting the team's capacity), commitment (attending and engaging in all events), openness (giving the new approach a chance), respect (giving the team space to succeed), and courage (championing an unfamiliar process). The breakthrough wasn't about product ownership techniques—it was about creating an experience that reinforced Scrum values, allowing her to see the potential of a bright new future. Self-reflection Question: What practices, techniques, or processes can you implement that will naturally and automatically build the five Scrum values in your Product Owner? The Bad Product Owner: When Control Becomes Domination Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "They basically just owned the team. The developers on the team might as well have been mindless robots, because they were being assigned all the work, told how much work they could do in a sprint, what the work was." - Alex Sloley In 2018, while working with five interconnected Product Owners, Alex observed a Sprint Planning session that revealed a severe anti-pattern. One Product Owner completely controlled everything, telling the team exactly what work they would take into the Sprint, assigning specific work to specific people by name, and dictating precisely how they would implement solutions down to technical details like which functions and APIs to use. The developers were reduced to helpless executors with no autonomy, while the Scrum Master sat powerless in the corner. Alex wondered what caused this dynamic—was the PO a former project manager? Had the team broken trust in the past? What emotional baggage or trauma led to this situation? His approach started with building trust through coffee meetings and informal conversations, crucially viewing the PO not as the problem but as someone facing their own impediment. He reframed the challenge as solving the Product Owner's problem rather than fixing the Product Owner. When he asked, "Why do you have to do all this? Can't you trust the team?" and suggested the PO could relax if they delegated, the response was surprisingly positive. The PO was willing to step back once given permission and assurance. Alex's key lesson: think strategically about how to build trust and who needs to build trust with whom. Sometimes the person who appears to be creating problems is actually struggling under their own burden. Self-reflection Question: When you encounter a controlling Product Owner, do you approach the situation as "fixing" the PO or as "solving the PO's problem"? How might this reframe change your coaching strategy? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: Why Sticky Notes Are Your Visualization Superpower in Retrospectives Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Like the smell, the vibe is something you feel. If you're having a successful impact on the organization or on teams as a Scrum Master, you can feel it, you can smell it. It's intangible." - Alex Sloley Alex introduces a compelling concept from Sumantra Ghoshal about "the smell of the workplace"—you can walk into an environment and immediately sense whether it smells like fresh strawberries and cream or a dumpster fire. In Australia, there's a cultural reference from the movie "The Castle" about "the vibe of the thing," and Alex emphasizes that as a successful Scrum Master, you can feel and smell when you're having an impact. While telling executives you're measuring "vibe" might be challenging, Alex shares three concrete ways he's measured success. The key insight is that success isn't always measurable in traditional ways, but successful Scrum Masters develop an intuition for sensing when their work is making a meaningful difference. Self-reflection Question: Can you articulate the "vibe" or "smell" of your current team or organization? What specific indicators tell you whether your Scrum Master work is truly making an impact beyond the metrics? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Sticky Notes for Everything Alex champions any retrospective format that includes sticky notes, calling them a "visualization superpower." With sticky notes, teams can visualize anything—the good, the bad, improvements, options, possibilities, and even metrics. They make information transparent, which is critical for the inspect-and-adapt cycle that forms the heart of Scrum. Alex emphasizes being strategic about visualization: identify a challenge, figure out how to make it visual, and then create experiments around that visualization. Once something becomes visible, magic happens because the team can see patterns they've never noticed before. You can use different sizes, colors, and positions to visualize constraints in the system, including interruptions, unplanned work, blocker clustering, impediments, and flow. This approach works not just in retrospectives but in planning, reviews, and daily scrums. The key principle is that you must have transparency in order to inspect, and you must inspect to adapt. Alex's practical advice: be strategic about what you choose to visualize, involve the team in determining how to make challenges visible, and watch as the transparency naturally leads to insights and improvement ideas. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: Coaching Teams Trapped Between Agile Aspirations and Organizational Control Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "The team says, oh, we want to try to do things this way, and the org keeps coming back and saying stuff like, no, no, no, you can't do that, because in this org, we don't allow that." - Alex Sloley Alex shares his current challenge working with a 10-person pilot Scrum team within a 1,500-person organization that has never done Agile before. While the team appears open-minded and eager to embrace agile ways of working, the organization continuously creates impediments by dictating how the team must estimate, break down work, and operate. Management tells them "the right way" to do everything, from estimation techniques to role-based work assignments, even implementing RACI matrices that restrict who can do what type of work. Half the team has been with the organization for six months or less, making it comfortable to simply defer to authority and follow organizational rules. Through coaching conversation, Alex explores whether the team might be falling into learned helplessness or simply finding comfort in being told what to do—both positions that avoid accountability. His experimental approach includes designing retrospective questions to help the team reflect on what they believe they're empowered to do versus what management dictates, and potentially using delegation cards to facilitate conversations about decision-making authority. Alex's key insight is recognizing that teams may step back from empowerment either out of fear or comfort, and identifying which dynamic is at play requires careful, small experiments that create safe spaces for honest dialogue. Self-reflection Question: When your team defers to organizational authority, are they operating from learned helplessness, comfort in avoiding accountability, or genuine respect for hierarchy? How can you design experiments to uncover the real dynamic at play? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: When Toxic Leadership Creates Teams That Self-Destruct Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "They would take notes at every team meeting, so that later on they could argue with team members about what they committed to, and what they said in meetings." - Alex Sloley Alex recounts working with a small team where a project manager created such a toxic environment that one new hire quit after just eight hours on the job. This PM would belittle team members publicly, take detailed notes to use as weapons in contract negotiations, and dominate the team through intimidation. The situation became so severe that one team member sent an email that sounded like a suicide note. When the PM criticized Alex's "slide deck velocity," comparing four slides per 15 minutes to Alex's one, he realized the environment was beyond salvaging. Despite coaching the team and attempting to introduce Scrum values, Alex ultimately concluded that management was encouraging this behavior as a control mechanism. The organization lacked trust in the team, creating learned helplessness where team members became submissive and unable to resist. Sometimes, the most important lesson for a Scrum Master is recognizing when a system is too toxic to change and having the courage to walk away. Alex emphasizes that respect—one of the core Scrum values—was completely absent, making any meaningful transformation impossible. In this segment, we talk about “learned helplessness”.  Self-reflection Question: How do you recognize when a toxic environment is being actively encouraged by the system rather than caused by individual behavior? What are the signs that it's time to exit rather than continue fighting? Featured Book of the Week: The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt Alex describes his complex relationship with The Goal by Goldratt—it both inspires and worries him. He struggles with the text because the concepts are so deep and meaningful that he's never quite sure he's fully understood everything Goldratt was trying to convey. The book was difficult to read, taking him four times longer than other agile-related books, and he had to reread entire sections multiple times. Despite the challenge, the concepts around Theory of Constraints and systems thinking have stayed with him for years. Alex worries late at night that he might have missed something important in the book.  He also mentions reading The Scrum Guide at least once a week, finding new tidbits each time and reflecting on why specific segments say what they say. Both books share a common thread—the text that isn't in the text—requiring readers to dig deeper into the underlying principles and meanings rather than just the surface content. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: The Sprint Planning That Wouldn't End - A Timeboxing Failure Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Although I knew about the steps of sprint planning, what I didn't really understand was the box of time versus the box of scope." - Alex Sloley Alex shares a critical learning moment from his first team as a Scrum Master. After six months in the role, during an eight-hour sprint planning session for a four-week sprint, he successfully completed the "what" portion but ran out of time before addressing "how." Rather than respecting the timebox, Alex forced the team to continue planning for another four hours the next day—blowing the timebox by 50%. This experience taught him a fundamental lesson: the difference between scope-boxing and timeboxing. In waterfall, we try to control scope while time slips away. In Scrum, we fix time and let scope adjust. Alex emphasizes that timeboxing isn't just about keeping meetings short—it's about limiting work in process and maintaining focus. His practical tip: use visible timers to train yourself and your teams to respect timeboxes. This mindset shift from controlling scope to respecting time remains one of the most important lessons for Scrum Masters. Self-reflection Question: How often do you prioritize completing a planned agenda over respecting the timebox? What message does this send to your team about the values you're reinforcing? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

BONUS: The Evolution of Agile - From Project Management to Adaptive Intelligence, With Mario Aiello In this BONUS episode, we explore the remarkable journey of Mario Aiello, a veteran agility thinker who has witnessed and shaped the evolution of Agile from its earliest days. Now freshly retired, Mario shares decades of hard-won insights about what works, what doesn't, and where Agile is headed next. This conversation challenges conventional thinking about methodologies, certifications, and what it truly means to be an Agile coach in complex environments. The Early Days: Agilizing Before Agile Had a Name "I came from project management and project management was, for me, was not working. I used to be a wishful liar, basically, because I used to manipulate reports in such a way that would please the listener. I knew it was bullshit." Mario's journey into Agile began around 2001 at Sun Microsystems, where he was already experimenting with iterative approaches while the rest of the world was still firmly planted in traditional project management. Working in Palo Alto, he encountered early adopters discussing Extreme Programming and had an "aha moment" - realizing that concepts like short iterations, feedback loops, and learning could rescue him from the unsustainable madness of traditional project management. He began incorporating these ideas into his work with PRINCE2, calling stages "iterations" and making them as short as possible. His simple agile approach focused on: work on the most important thing first, finish it, then move to the next one, cooperate with each other, and continuously improve. The Trajectory of Agile: From Values to Mechanisms "When the craze of methodologies came about, I started questioning the commercialization and monetization of methodologies. That's where things started to get a little bit complicated because the general focus drifted from values and principles to mechanisms and metrics." Mario describes witnessing three distinct phases in Agile's evolution. The early days were authentic - software developers speaking from the heart about genuine needs for new ways of working. The Agile Manifesto put important truths in front of everyone. However, as methodologies became commercialized, the focus shifted dangerously away from the core values and principles toward prescriptive mechanisms, metrics, and ceremonies. Mario emphasizes that when you focus on values and principles, you discover the purpose behind changing your ways of working. When you focus only on mechanics, you end up just doing things without real purpose - and that's when Agile became a noun, with people trying to "be agile" instead of achieving agility. He's clear that he's not against methodologies like Scrum, XP, SAFe, or LeSS - but rather against their mindless application without understanding the essence behind them. Making Sense Before Methodology: The Four-Fit Framework "Agile for me has to be fit for purpose, fit for context, fit for practice, and I even include a fourth dimension - fit for improvement." Rather than jumping straight to methodology selection, Mario advocates for a sense-making approach. First, understand your purpose - why do you want Agile? Then examine your context - where do you live, how does your company work? Only after making sense of the gap between your current state and where the values and principles suggest you should be, should you choose a methodology. This might mean Scrum for complex environments, or perhaps a flow-based approach for more predictable work, or creating your own hybrid. The key insight is that anyone who understands Agile's principles and values is free to create their own approach - it's fundamentally about plan, do, inspect, and adapt. Learning Through Failure: Context is Paramount "I failed more often than I won. That teaches you - being brave enough to say I failed, I learned, I move on because I'm going to use it better next time." Mario shares pivotal learning moments from his career, including an early attempt to "agilize PRINCE2" in a command-and-control startup environment. While not an ultimate success, this battle taught him that context is paramount and cannot be ignored. You must start by understanding how things are done today - identifying what's good (keep doing it), what's bad (try to improve it), and what's ugly (eradicate it to the extent possible). This lesson shaped his next engagement at a 300-person organization, where he spent nearly five months preparing the organizational context before even introducing Scrum. He started with "simple agile" practices, then took a systems approach to the entire delivery system. A Systems Approach: From Idea to Cash "From the moment sales and marketing people get brilliant ideas they want built, until the team delivers them into production and supports them - all that is a system. You cannot have different parts finger-pointing." Mario challenges the common narrow view of software development systems. Rather than focusing only on prioritization, development, and testing, he advocates for considering everything that influences delivery - from conception through to cash. His approach involved reorganizing an entire office floor, moving away from functional silos (sales here, marketing there, development over there) to value stream-based organization around products. Everyone involved in making work happen, including security, sales, product design, and client understanding, is part of the system. In one transformation, he shifted security from being gatekeepers at the end of the line to strategic partners from day one, embedding security throughout the entire value stream. This comprehensive systems thinking happened before formal Scrum training began. Beyond the Job Description: What Can an Agile Coach Really Do? "I said to some people, I'm not a coach. I'm just somebody that happens to have experience. How can I give something that can help and maybe influence the system?" Mario admits he doesn't qualify as a coach by traditional standards - he has no formal coaching qualifications. His coaching approach comes from decades of Rugby experience and focuses on establishing relationships with teams, understanding where they're going, and helping them make sense of their path forward. He emphasizes adaptive intelligence - the probe, sense, respond cycle. Rather than trying to change everything at once and capsizing the boat, he advocates for challenging one behavior at a time, starting with the most important, encouraging adaptation, and probing quickly to check for impact of specific changes. His role became inviting people to think outside the box, beyond the rigidity of their training and certifications, helping individuals and teams who could then influence the broader system even when organizational change seemed impossible. The Future: Adaptive Intelligence and Making Room for Agile "I'm using a lot of adaptive intelligence these days - probe, sense, respond, learn and adapt. That sequence will take people places." Looking ahead, Mario believes the valuable core of Agile - its values and principles - will remain, but the way we apply them must evolve. He advocates for adaptive intelligence approaches that emphasize sense-making and continuous learning rather than rigid adherence to frameworks. As he enters retirement, Mario is determined to make room for Agile in his new life, seeking ways to give back to the community through his blog, his new Substack "Adaptive Ways," and by inviting others to think differently. He's exploring a "pay as you wish" approach to sharing his experience, recognizing that while he may not be a traditional coach or social media expert, his decades of real-world experience - with its failures and successes - holds value for those still navigating the complexity of organizational change. About Mario Aiello Retired from full-time work, Mario is an agility thinker shaped by real-world complexity, not dogma. With decades in VUCA environments, he blends strategic clarity, emotional intelligence, and creative resilience. He designs context-driven agility, guiding teams and leaders beyond frameworks toward genuine value, adaptive systems, and meaningful transformation. You can link with Mario Aiello on LinkedIn, visit his website at Agile Ways.

In this episode. Jason is catching up on powerful lessons and field-tested practices that can make your projects safer, cleaner, and more effective. Here's what you'll learn: The Builder's Code: How you treat workers and foremen is exactly how they'll treat the building, and what the client ultimately experiences. Lessons from Japan (Gemba): Start with 2–3S (sort, straighten, shine), watch people's movement, and stop where things don't make sense to reveal hidden constraints. Problems vs. Dilemmas: A problem has a clear solution; a dilemma forces you to choose between imperfect options. Jason shares examples every builder will recognize. Trash Management Done Right: Pre-kit and pre-cut to reduce waste, use scrap-out units, and manage dumpsters with visual Kanban triggers at half or three-quarters full. Daily Logistics Discipline: Assign a logistics owner to check the perimeter, cleanliness, recycling, and traffic control every single day. Why Saturdays Don't Work: Crews show up thin, productivity drops, and you lose momentum. Stop relying on weekend work as the answer. AEDs on Every Site: More lives are lost to cardiac arrest than auto accidents. Affordable AEDs (around $1,400) save lives. Every project needs one. This episode is practical, fast-moving, and packed with insights you can take straight to the field. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

The British author and journalist Oliver Burkeman has spent decades pondering what it means to live a meaningful life, both in his former Guardian column “This Column WIll Change Your Life” and across several books—most recently, Meditations for Mortals, out in paperback this October. That's why he brings a healthy dose of skepticism to so-called “time management” systems and productivity hacks as a means toward true fulfillment. Burkeman's compelled by the notion that, rather than being separate from time, human beings are time. If people faced the reality of their limited time on the planet head on, he believes there's a real chance to experience greater, more engaged feelings of aliveness.On the episode—our Season 12 kick-off—Burkeman discusses why he's eschewing  perfectionism and finding unexpected liberation in the premise that, to some extent, the worst has already happened, and the best may still be ahead.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes:Oliver Burkeman[4:26] “Meditations for Mortals” (2024)[6:48] Donald Winnicott[7:46] Martin Heidegger[7:46] "Technics and Civilization" (2010)[7:46] “Being and Time” (1927)[7:46] “Time Warrior” (2011)[7:46] “Time Surfing” (2017)[7:46] “Anti-Time Management” (2022)[10:14] Medieval peasants[10:14] “The 4-Hour Workweek”[13:18] Alicja Kwade[19:23] “Ichi-go, ichi-e” (“one time, one meeting”)[22:00] Eckhart Tolle[22:36] Agnes Martin[23:28] “The Road Not Taken”[40:03] “This Column Will Change Your Life”[51:00] Nicholas Carr[51:00] Clay Shirky[53:40] Jennifer Roberts[59:04] Pomodoro Technique [59:13] Kanban[1:01:33] James Hollis[1:02:40] Alfred Adler[1:02:40] “The Courage to Be Disliked” (2024)[1:06:24] Stoicism

Ryan Sudeck is the CEO of Sage Investment Group, where he leads a team focused on addressing the affordable housing crisis through hotel-to-apartment conversions. With a background in mergers and acquisitions at Amazon, Samsung, and Redfin, Ryan has overseen more than 24 successful adaptive reuse projects nationwide. Under his leadership, Sage operates an evergreen fund with over 400 investors, creating high-quality, naturally affordable housing at scale.     Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, here.     Key Takeaways Hotels are valued differently than apartments, creating a 40%+ value lift when converted to residential use. Sage Investment Group has completed 24 hotel-to-apartment conversions across six states, with 100–200 units per property. Units are typically 300-square-foot studios with full kitchens and modern amenities. Strong diligence on entitlements, construction, and lease-up is critical for success. Patience in acquisitions—sometimes two years per deal—is key to meeting return thresholds.     Topics From M&A to Affordable Housing Ryan's career in corporate acquisitions prepared him to lead Sage. Joined as CEO to scale a mission-driven approach to solving the housing shortage. Why Hotel Conversions Work Hotels trade at higher cap rates than apartments, creating built-in arbitrage. Conversion costs average $100K per unit—about half the replacement cost of new builds. Final product: fully renovated studios with fitness centers, coworking, and community amenities. Execution Risks and Lessons Learned Entitlements: converting from commercial to residential requires local approvals. Construction: inspections, sewer scopes, and cutting open walls before purchase to avoid surprises. Lease-up: conservative rent assumptions and regional property managers ensure stabilized occupancy. Capital Stack and Returns Evergreen fund supplies 25–35% of equity alongside LPs. Senior debt from community banks or private debt funds covers 60–75%. Renovation costs run $35K–$45K per unit; recent refis have returned significant equity. Why Not Ground-Up or Value-Add? Ground-up costs 2x more per unit and faces supply delays. Value-add multifamily is overpriced with thin margins post-2021. Conversions provide stronger risk-adjusted returns.