Podcast appearances and mentions of kent mcdonald

In this episode of Business Analysis Live, Susan Moore isjoined by Kent McDonald—freelance product manager, author, and speaker—for a candid conversation on what business analysis professionals really need to understand about agile. Together, they explore the evolution (and dilution) of agile practices, the confusion around roles like product owner vs. business analyst, and how professionals can navigate agile environments without getting lost injargon or rigid frameworks.You'll hear real-world stories, practical advice, and arefreshing perspective on how business analysis professionals can meet the real definition of agile - supporting better collaboration, faster learning, andmeaningful outcomes for their teams.If you've ever felt boxed in by "the agile way" or wondered how to demonstrate your impact as a business analysis professional — this episode is for you!

As startups grow, product teams often find themselves caught between speed and structure. In this episode of The Product Experience, Charlotte King, Lead Product Manager at eBay, shares practical insights from her work leading teams through this transition at companies including Moonpig, Flipdish, and ThoughtWorks. Charlotte unpacks how to define product's role during scaleup, build team structure around strategic value, and use tools like Wardley Mapping and Team Topologies to support organisational change. She also introduces the DHM model (Delightful, Hard to copy, Margin-enhancing) and discusses how to make strategy tangible for cross-functional teams. This conversation is especially useful for product leaders, heads of product, and founders navigating scale.Chapters1:13 – Charlotte's background2:36 – Product's role in startups, scaleups and enterprises4:35 – What product teams need to succeed during scale6:42 – Defining product's role as the company grows9:00 – Using Wardley Mapping to assess team maturity14:30 – Creating and communicating guiding principles20:30 – Using the DHM model to prioritise value25:48 – Structuring teams with Team Topologies29:03 – Multidisciplinary collaboration in practice30:41 – Lessons from leading transformation32:30 – Final reflections and takeawaysFeatured Links: Follow Charlotte on LinkedIn | eBay | Wardley Maps | What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025' feature by Kent McDonald and Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Most organisations dream of building products that delight users. But what happens when the users are your internal teams—and the product is the business itself? In this episode of The Product Experience, Randy Silver sits down with Jo Wickremasinghe, Chief Product & Technology Officer at BPP, to talk about leading transformation at scale.Featured Links: Follow Jo on LinkedIn | BPP | 'What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025' feature by Kent McDonald and Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

BONUS: Keeping Backlogs Lean With The Now-Next-Later-Never Roadmap Framework with Kent McDonald In this BONUS episode, we explore the art of backlog management with product management expert Kent McDonald. As someone with decades of experience in software product development, Kent shares practical strategies for keeping backlogs lean, meaningful, and focused on outcomes that truly matter. Learn how to escape the trap of bloated backlogs and implement a Now-Next-Later-Never approach that will transform your product management practice. The Problem with Bloated Backlogs "Some teams use backlogs as 'long term storage' devices." Product backlogs often become unwieldy and difficult to manage because teams view them as a permanent repository for every idea that comes along. Kent explains that this "storage mentality" is one of the primary reasons backlogs grow out of control. Another common mistake is diving in too early and splitting items before they're actually ready to be worked on, which multiplies the backlog size unnecessarily. These practices lead to confusion, lost focus, and ultimately decrease a team's ability to deliver value efficiently. The Now-Next-Later-Never Roadmap Framework "You want to group things together on roughly categories of when you will attack it." Kent walks us through the practical implementation of a Now-Next-Later-Never roadmap approach that keeps things manageable. This framework provides a simple but powerful way to organize initiatives based on their priority and timing. Instead of maintaining an endless list of requirements, teams can group work into these four buckets, making it easier to communicate priorities both internally and with stakeholders. Kent emphasizes that these roadmap items should be described in terms of outcomes rather than features, helping everyone stay focused on the value being delivered rather than specific implementations. For more on the origin of the Now-Next-Later roadmap practice, see this article by Janna Bastow. Making "Now" Work in Practice "We only split items in the 'now' column." When implementing the Now-Next-Later-Never approach, the "Now" column is where the magic happens. Kent advises: Only split items that are in the "Now" column into actionable tasks Express roadmap items in terms of outcomes or customer problems to solve Limit the number of items in the "Now" column to maintain focus List outcomes rather than detailed features to avoid having a large number of items Kent explains that the "Later" and "Never" columns serve an important purpose in setting expectations with stakeholders about what won't be worked on immediately or at all. Managing the Movement Between Roadmap Categories "Items can move back and forth, to facilitate expectation setting." The Now-Next-Later-Never roadmap isn't static. Kent provides practical advice on how to manage the flow of items between categories: Revisit the roadmap regularly, ideally monthly Consider reviewing the roadmap during sprint review sessions Use this format when communicating with stakeholders for clearer expectation setting Hold strong on the "Now" items to maintain focus and avoid constant reprioritization This approach creates a dynamic but controlled environment where priorities can evolve without creating chaos or confusion. Dealing with Backlog Bloat "Create a 'museum', a set of items you can look at, but don't look at every day." For teams struggling with already-bloated backlogs, Kent offers bold but effective advice: Create a "museum" for items you want to preserve but don't need to see daily Consider deleting your old backlog and starting fresh Begin by asking: "What are the main outcomes we're trying to achieve?" Focus on getting to a smaller set of bigger items, then sequence them appropriately These approaches help teams overcome the fear of "losing" work while refocusing on what truly matters. Maintaining a Lean Backlog "Backlog items don't age well." Kent's team maintains an impressively lean backlog of just 23 items across three brand websites. He shares the routines and guardrails that prevent backlog bloat from creeping back in: Create a filter to control what gets into the backlog in the first place Keep the Product Owner just slightly ahead of the development team Avoid the anti-pattern of trying to keep all developers busy all the time Remember that backlog items don't age well and lose relevance over time These practices ensure the team stays focused on delivering current value rather than managing an ever-growing list of aging requirements. About Kent McDonald With decades in software product development, Kent is a go-to expert in product management, and agile strategy. He is a seasoned consultant and author of three books on agility, he helps teams cut through clutter to focus on what truly matters. When not optimizing workflows, he's exploring National Parks (52/63) or grooving to some jazz tunes. You can link with Kent McDonald on LinkedIn, or follow Kent McDonaldn on Substack.

This week on the podcast, we're joined by Dave Killeen, VP of Product at Pendo, who shares his go-to AI tools that can help make life a little easier for product managers—tried, tested, and ready to use.Featured Links: Follow Dave on LinkedIn | Pendo | Claude | Manus |'What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025' feature by Kent McDonald and Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Product management is facing a crisis — and Dave Wascha calls it The Reckoning. In this episode, Dave joins Lily and Randy to unpack the growing backlash against the product profession. He shares stories from his time at Microsoft, Moonpig, and Zoopla, revealing why product people lost the room — and how to win it back.Featured Links: Follow Dave on LinkedIn | 'Product Management is NOT dead' feature by Dan Olsen | 'What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025' feature by Kent McDonald and Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Mergers and acquisitions are often seen as boardroom strategy – but it's becoming ever more important for product leaders to be key stakeholders in the process. In this live interview recorded at #mtpcon London 2025, Randy sits down with Vincent Jong, CPO at Dealfront, to explore the real, unfiltered lessons of product leadership during M&A.Vincent shares stories from inside two major integrations offering tactical insight into what product teams need to know, how to spot risk before it's too late, and why defining success early is critical. Featured Links: Follow Vincent on LinkedIn and his website | Join Vincent at Saas on The Beach event in May | Buy Vincent's book 'Product-Led Sales: Combine the Best of Product-Led Growth and Sales' | 'What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025' feature by Kent McDonald and Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Prioritization is more than just sorting a to-do list—it'sabout making decisions about what you will and won't do. In this episode, Susan talks with Kent McDonald, speaker, author and product management practitioner, about the myths and misconceptions around prioritization.  Kent brings years of experience in product management,business analysis, and agile methodologies to the discussion. He's seen a lot of prioritization issues over all those years! We explore the difference between prioritization and sequencing, why "priority" isn't always singular, and how filters—not buckets—can help organizations make betterdecisions.You'll learn how to challenge traditional prioritizationtechniques, ask the right questions to uncover true business objectives, and ensure that your backlog is a strategic tool rather than a cluttered wish list. If you've ever struggled with stakeholder demands, competing priorities, orbacklog bloat, this conversation is for you!

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Kent McDonald about his experience working with organizations that build software for internal use, emphasizing the importance of product management in these contexts. Read a transcript of this interview: bit.ly/3zw4WaJ Subscribe to the Software Architects' Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon San Francisco (November 18-22, 2024) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. qconsf.com/ QCon London (April 7-9, 2025) Discover new ideas and insights from senior practitioners driving change and innovation in software development. qconlondon.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: techhub.social/@infoq - Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq - Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 - Instagram: @infoqdotcom - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth Campus Ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents, "Resurrection (in a Person) Meets Lazarus."

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth Campus Ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents, "Spiritual Milkshakes: Growing Into Salvation.”

Kent McDonald shares his thoughts on what it takes to succeed as a Business Analyst in an Agile environment. The post MBA219: How To Be an Agile Business Analyst appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth Campus Ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents, "The God of the Found: The Extravagant and Illogical Love of God.”

El Product Manager o responsable de producto en el mundo del desarrollo de software necesita tener una capacidad de juicio del negocio, no solo estar centrado en problemas de ingeniería. Es como el abogado del usuario dentro de la propia empresa. Tiene unas funciones muy distintas a las de un gerente de proyectos o project manager ¿Cuáles son las habilidades puntuales de ambos perfiles? ¿Puede una sola persona asumir ambos roles? En este episodio te ayudamos a entender las tareas y responsabilidades de estos roles distintos, hacia dónde están orientados (usuario final vs. ejecución y outcome del proyecto) y qué factores hacen que necesites uno u otro perfil.Contadnos qué cosas nos hemos dejado en el tintero en los comentarios. Esto es un podcast que se hace de manera asíncrona pero puede ser dinámico también así podemos dotarnos de la experiencia de vosotros. ¡Esperamos que tengáis una muy buena semana!Estos son los enlaces a los temas de los que hemos hablado:Si deseas ampliar más sobre la diferencia entre responsable de producto y gerente de proyectos, te recomendamos este artículo: https://productcoalition.com/product-vs-project-management-batman-robin-or-marvel-dc-bd42a7069cd8Mind the Product: https://www.mindtheproduct.comArtículo de Autentia: https://www.adictosaltrabajo.com/2019/08/14/product-manager-o-project-manager/Scrum: https://www.atlassian.com/es/agile/scrumGoogle's Associate Product Manager (APM) program: https://careers.google.com/programs/apm/Kent McDonald: https://www.kbp.media/author/kent-mcdonald/Product School: https://productschool.comProductCon: https://productschool.com/productcon/Asana: https://asana.com/Waterfall: https://www.smartsheet.com/content-center/best-practices/project-management/project-management-guide/waterfall-methodologyLa gente de dirección de producto en tech necesita tener una capacidad de juicio, no solo estar centrados en problemas de ingeniería. Es como el abogado del usuario dentro de la propia empresa porque tienes que comunicar sus problemas y qué necesitan. Buen post de Paul Adams, SVP of Product en Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/blog/product-judgment/Fran Sevillano (invitado en el E25) transicionando a PM: https://fransevillano.com/2020/02/07/why-become-a-product-manager/Transicionando a Product manager (Afterwork en español): https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xNTZhN2NjYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/YTRjN2UzZjktYTYwOC00NDA0LWIwNzQtZGU1NTE0NWNmMDJj?ved=2ahUKEwiXovOxtM_qAhVBlxoKHZkRB_AQkfYCegQIARAFSenior Product Manager Remote NoiceJobs: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAE1KZCcECQB1y6g0ygSenior Agile/Scrum Remote NoiceJobs: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAElD2ZwmavdgJhN4hgShreyas Doshi: https://twitter.com/shreyasLibro de Bruce McCarthy: https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/product-manager-vs/9781492034452/#:~:text=Bruce%20McCarthy%2C%20CEO%20of%20UpUp,initial%20research%20to%20final%20product%E2%80%94Síguenos en Twitter:Danny Prol: https://twitter.com/DannyProl/Claudio Cossio: https://twitter.com/ccossioEstamos en todas estas plataformas:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/saas-product-chat/id1435000409ListenNotes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/saas-product-chat-daniel-prol-y-claudio-CABZRIjGVdP/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36KIhM0DM7nwRLuZ1fVQy3Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS8zN3N0Mzg2dg%3D%3D&hl=esBreaker: https://www.breaker.audio/saas-product-chatWeb: https://saasproductchat.com/

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents "Liberated into Life: Jesus vs. Evil.”

Kent McDonald shares his thoughts about what you need to know about Agile and how to use Example Mapping; a technique to create a shared understanding. The post MBA195: Example Mapping appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents " Mephibosheth & the God Who Cares for the Rejected"

Kent McDonald helps us uncover information and elicit requirements using an ancient questioning technique. The post MBA180: Socratic Questioning appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

With the rise of digital products in our lives and especially the lives of our children, how can we help each other to overcome the negative effects of social media? Physical space matters-God gave us bodies for a reason. We must strive to prioritize physical community built on God's love for us. Scripture: John 1: 14

The Bible is not just a book about how God rules. It is also a book about how people lived. Jesus broke the racial traditions of the Old Testament. He brought the Good News to those that were considered unworthy. Scriptures: Deuteronomy 7 Matthew 15: 21-28 Matthew 16: 20 Exodus 21

We can find God when we seek and search for him with our whole heart. God is reflected in all of us. Due to technical difficulties, the first half of Kent's talk was not recorded properly.

Jesus' first message was so radical that the people in power wanted to throw him off a cliff. In spite of this, Jesus took his message to the street. He didn't just give speeches, he lived out what he preached. We as followers are often hiding from God when we pretend that we've got it all figured and, yet, we're seeking, wondering if there's something more.

The Christian life is not meant to be lived in a comfortable way. We are meant to be uncomfortable, to step into the lives of the messy and broken. When God wraps his arms around us, we can change the world.   Scripture: Mark 6: 45

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth Campus Ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents "Redefining Community."

Kent McDonald (Class of 2019), a senior double major in English Literature and Dramatic Arts talks about his time studying abroad in Kings College and Oxford. Kent talks about figuring out the logistics of study abroad, course planning and credit transfers, enjoying the classes and Professors while at Kings College and Oxford. Additionally, Kent talks about the impactful personal and academic growth he experienced while abroad, and how it has enriched his Carolina Experience.

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life regional trainer, presents “The Evil Triad: The Dragon and the Two Beasts.”

In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke to Kent McDonald and Heather Mylan-Mains on their talk at Agile 2017 about Socratic Questioning Why listen to this podcast: - Socratic questioning n approach to learning which is based on getting to answers through a question-based dialogue - Frequently what is presented at the beginning of a product investigation is a proposed solution rather than exploring the real need - There are six categories of questions to expose assumptions, change perspectives and delve into an issue or opportunity - There are other techniques which are needed when there is uncertainty about the existence of a problem or opportunity - This approach is not just restricted to elicitation – it can be used very effectively in a team situation when exploring options and identifying challenges More on this: Quick scan our curated show notes on InfoQ http://bit.ly/2AX6pX8 You can also subscribe to the InfoQ newsletter to receive weekly updates on the hottest topics from professional software development. bit.ly/24x3IVq Subscribe: www.youtube.com/infoq Like InfoQ on Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq Want to see extented shownotes? Check the landing page on InfoQ: http://bit.ly/2AX6pX8

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life regional trainer, presents "I AM the Resurrection and the Life."

Kent J. McDonald uncovers better ways of delivering value by doing it and helping others do it.  His more than 15 years of experience include work in business analysis, strategic planning, project management, and product development in a variety of industries including financial services, health insurance, performance marketing, human services, nonprofit, and automotive. He is active in the business analysis and agile software development communities helping people share stories about what does and does not work.  He shares those stories at beyondrequirements.com, techwell.com, and projectconnections.com in addition to presenting at and helping organize several local and international conferences.  He is co-author of Stand Back and Deliver: Accelerating Business Agility, a book that brings together immediately usable frameworks and step-by-step processes that help organizations deliver business value and build competitive advantage. His current project is  Beyond Requirements: Analysis with an Agile Mindset. Available on Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1rkYKUf Other Writings: Article: What Are We Building Again? http://www.projectconnections.com/articles/070507-mcdonald.html

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents "Trust in God our Good Shepherd."

Kent McDonald, author of Beyond Requirements and co-author of Stand Back and Deliver, sat down with us at Agile India 2017 to talk about the differences between effectiveness and efficiency.

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents "Eating with the Pharisees: A Holistic Salvation for All Peoples."

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast, Shane Hastie, InfoQ Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, talks to Kent McDonald, Steve Adolph and Ryland Leyton about the state of business analysis and product management in agile product development. They were participants in a weekend workshop where the Agile Alliance and the International Institute of Business Analysis were collaborating to produce a revised version of the Agile Extension to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge. Why listen to this podcast: - Analysis skills are necessary for successful product development - We don’t question and challenge the rationale and strategic alignment of projects enough, which results in lots of waste from doing the wrong projects or building the wrong features in a project - The best return on investment that you can get is to stop wasting your money - Value is hard to define but crucial to identify; the definition of value will be different in every context - Agile methods provide for learning and rapid feedback, which enables us to optimize value and ensure strategic alignment in product development - User stories are conversation placeholders, not orders to be fulfilled Notes and links can be found on InfoQ: bit.ly/2e32o5X - 6m 20s Analysis skills reside in many different roles and doing analysis in agile development is far less prescriptive that has been the case. - 6m 44s You need to have a very comprehensive toolkit and have the ability to relate the tool needed to the context of the work being done. - 9m 13s Advanced organisations are changing when they utilise analysis skills to determine which initiatives should be worked on and how they align with organisation strategy; being able to review these decisions even after an initiative has started, stopping development work when it is no longer valuable. More on this: Quick scan our curated show notes on InfoQ. bit.ly/2e32o5X You can also subscribe to the InfoQ newsletter to receive weekly updates on the hottest topics from professional software development. bit.ly/2cMnjfW

Kent McDonald, a member of the Whitworth campus ministry staff and Young Life Regional Trainer, presents "The Suffering Messiah: Peter Gets It (kind of)."

In this episode I speak with Kent McDonald regarding his work in Agile business analysis, our lab at the conference, his books and his work as the chair of Agile 2013.  I have worked with Kent for several years and find his talent, humor and pragmatism a wonderful addition to any project. Enjoy our talk and say hello to him at Agile 2013.