Business Agility Now Podcast

What do you do when you are trying to implement or improve new ways of working but management isn't hearing your message? Fernando Razo, Enterprise Lean-Agile Coach at Softtek, shares his key tips for navigating the human element of those conversations. Like what you hear? Connect with Fernando on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How are cyber-physical systems different than software and what does SAFe look like in that environment? Oliver Wörl, SPC at NTT Data explains and shares a tip for improving that system, one element at a time. Like what you hear? Connect with Oliver on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

"If we don't get the people side … we are not going to be a successful organization going forward." In this people-focused episode, Adam talks to Fabiola Eyholzer from Just Leading Solutions about the importance of Agile HR and its role in organizational agility. The two discuss the why behind the shift to a more human-centered approach and what being on the cusp of the augmented era means for humans. Fabiola also introduces the Agile HR Explorer course designed to help HR professionals understand and embrace Agile principles and practices. Like what you hear? Connect with Fabiola on LinkedIn. Learn more about the Agile HR Explorer course from Just Leading Solutions. And explore other SAFe courses here.

Tune in as Mahesh Varadharajan, SPCT and SAFe practice lead at KnowledgeHut shares a short story about how having the right person in the right role helped an organization avoid derailing its PI Planning event. Like what you hear? Connect with Mahesh on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

The early stages of adopting Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) can feel a bit overwhelming. In today's episode, Deema Dajani, SAFe Fellow and product management director has some essential advice to help you stay calm and carry on. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here. Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How can an approach that originated in finance help you better evaluate epics and initiatives in SAFe, particularly around uncertainty and risk? In today's episode, Adam talks to SAFe Fellow and SPCT Joe Vallone about real options. The two discuss how the approach is best applied at the portfolio level and why it's useful in evaluating MVPs and in deciding whether to pivot, persevere, or refactor. Read the article mentioned in the podcast. Like what you hear? Connect with Joe on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here. Scaled Agile Framework Improving Portfolio Outcomes with Real Options - Scaled Agile Framework Because traditional valuation tools such as NPV ignore the value of flexibility, real options are important in strategic and financial analysis. —McKinsey Quarterly [1] Improving Portfolio Outcomes with Real Options By Joe Vallone, SAFe Fellow, Scaled Agile Inc., and Claus Hirzmann, Strategic-Finance SAS Note: This article is part of the Community Contributions series, which provides additional points of view and guidance based on the experiences and opinions of the extended SAFe community of experts. Abstract To maintain portfolio flow andRead more Est. reading time 12 minutes Scaled Agile Framework Improving Portfolio Outcomes with Real Options - Scaled Agile Framework Because traditional valuation tools such as NPV ignore the value of flexibility, real options are important in strategic and financial analysis. —McKinsey Quarterly [1] Improving Portfolio Outcomes with Real Options By Joe Vallone, SAFe Fellow, Scaled Agile Inc., and Claus Hirzmann, Strategic-Finance SAS Note: This article is part of the Community Contributions series, which provides additional points of view and guidance based on the experiences and opinions of the extended SAFe community of experts. Abstract To maintain portfolio flow andRead more Est. reading time 12 minutes Scaled Agile Which SAFe Course is Right for Me? SAFe Course Finder Use our Course Wizard to find the SAFe® course that's right for you. Start the path toward your Scaled Agile certification today. (8 kB)

You need to be customer-centric, speaking to customers and validating, but how do you do that? Deema Dajani, Product Management Director at Scaled Agile, Inc., recommends the Double Diamond of Design Thinking. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here. linkedin.com Deema Dajani - Scaled Agile, Inc. | LinkedIn SAFe Business and Portfolio Agility Experiences | Learn more about Deema Dajani's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn Scaled Agile Which SAFe Course is Right for Me? SAFe Course Finder Use our Course Wizard to find the SAFe® course that's right for you. Start the path toward your Scaled Agile certification today. (8 kB)

Adam is making the most of his time at the 2023 SAFe® Summit Nashville, this time sitting down with Alexis Williams of Atlassian, Josh Fruit with Accenture, and Dana Buttera of Norfolk Southern. They talk about some emerging trends in business and enterprise agility before launching into a thorough conversation about how, together, they've successfully helped Norfolk Southern, a centuries-old train company, embrace an Agile way of working by focusing on the people, the problems that need to be solved, and the "why" of it all. Like what you hear? Connect with Alexis, Josh, and Norfolk Southern on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Listen to today's conversation in two languages—the first half in English and the second half in Portuguese. In this episode, Adam talks to economist Marcio Tambelini who is responsible for Agile training at B3 in Brazil, one of the world's largest stock exchanges. Marcio shares why B3 decided to adopt Agile methodologies, his experience implementing SAFe, and the outcomes that the company has realized around speed, autonomy, and customer satisfaction. He also highlights why he treats value streams like small businesses, and the importance of customer-centricity and product-based budgeting. Like what you hear? Connect with Marcio on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

What's the best way to get people to love your product when you release it? Deema Dajani, Product Management Director at Scaled Agile has some tips to consider before you even start building it. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

On today's episode, Adam is joined by Richard Knaster, a longtime SAFe® Fellow and a leading voice in the area of value stream management. Richard shares his own journey to SAFe and tells us more about the work he's doing today: encouraging organizations to embrace SAFe through the adoption of Atomic Habits. And how breaking things down into manageable chunks of work can help anyone achieve their goals—whether it's eating better and exercising more or successfully completing an Agile transformation. Like what you hear? Connect with Richard on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

So, you're running your first participatory budgeting event and you're nervous. What's the best way to demystify the event for everyone involved? Deema Dajani, Product Management Director at Scaled Agile has some suggestions in today's episode. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How are you supporting the people who support your people? Whether your organization is on its way or just getting started with incorporating HR into your Agile way of working, Fabiola Eyholzer, CEO of Just Leading Solutions, has some advice to help you on that journey. Like what you hear? Connect with Fabiola on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Adam welcomes Aly Orloff, Lead Agile Instructor and Coach at Lockheed Martin to the podcast to talk about all things innovation. They discuss the importance of encouraging a culture of innovation (which includes letting go of your fear of failure) and considering whether a healthy appetite for risk might have changed the fates of companies like Blockbuster or Kodak. Aly also shares her experience implementing SAFe at Lockheed Martin. To close out, she leaves us with three tips to convince others to adopt the IP iteration. Like what you hear? Connect with Aly on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Is your funding rationale the best match for your organization's MVPs and development value stream? In today's episode, Joe Vallone, SPCT and SAFe® Fellow, describes the Real Options financial framework and why it's attractive for funding Lean-Agile development. Read the article Joe mentions in the podcast. Like what you hear? Connect with Joe on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Today's episode is in French and features Odile Moreau, SAFe Strategic Advisor and SPCT at Scaled Agile. She shares three key areas where organizations can use the eight flow accelerators to constantly improve. Like what you hear? Connect with Odile on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Today, Adam talks to Terry Densmore, principal product manager at Digital.ai, about—you guessed it—artificial intelligence (AI). Terry describes how the company is using AI to improve Agile planning, deployment, and other aspects of business agility—and how that benefits customers. Adam and Terry also dive into the importance of value stream management, using AI to surface data and compare the plan to the truth, and the implications of commitment to simplify the business. Finally, Terry describes the future of digital.ai, including further integration of AI capabilities to enhance—not replace—human decision-making and creativity. Like what you hear? Connect with Terry on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Today, Saahil is back to talk about how to go from good to great with your strategic themes. He shares what kind of strategic themes he's seeing in the field, what's missing, and tips to make them better to drive success for the entire enterprise. Like what you hear? Connect with Saahil on Linked In. Explore SAFe courses here.

Today's episode contemplates a unique approach to address system team challenges. Tune in to hear SPCT Saahil Panikar describe the idea of a profit-to-owner for the system team and how it has the potential to generate powerful results. Like what you hear? Connect with Saahil on Linked In. Explore SAFe courses here.

In today's episode, Adam sits down with Tegan Harbridge from Easy Agile. After getting her expert opinion on how the 2023 SAFe® Summit Nashville holds up from an event design perspective, the two dive into conversation. They discuss the importance of knowing that you can't be everything to everyone, accepting that not all feedback is created equal, and answering the question of why you're doing what you're doing—in SAFe, and in life. Like what you hear? Check out Easy Agile. Explore SAFe courses here.

In today's episode, SPCT Vikas Kapila explains why SAFe is a lot more than a framework—and why you should use it when planning your next vacation. Like what you hear? Connect with Vikas on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Ramesh Nori is here to offer insight on his approach to helping others when they ask.

Today's episode finds Adam at the 2023 SAFe® Summit Nashville, where he sits down with David Gipp, an SPCT with Agile Velocity. After bonding over their shared experiences in the athletic retail space, and the value of the energy found there, they discuss the importance of outcome (not output), why the improv principle of "yes, and" is relevant, and how the "COVID pivot" is informing how the Agile community is working today.

Gez Smith wants to have coffee with you. Actually, he wants to have coffee with 100 of you. Inspired by a colleague who is setting out to have coffee with 100 random people, Gez makes an argument for why doing something similar will help encourage social connection and spark creativity on your next Agile Release Train.

How do you foster innovation at an organization? Hazurasingh Siviya, SPCT with Temenos + Agility, is here today to offer three tips on just that—from looking at enhancements to current products and services to being a disruptor and adopting innovation as a mindset. He also highlights the importance of MVPs to drive innovation.

Adam sits down with Justin Oke, cofounder of Kendis, to talk all things PI Planning. They dive into what Kendis has to offer, how it evolved from an idea born from a social conversation over a few drinks to what it is today, and where it's headed next—including the three things that Justin is most excited about. Adam and Justin also reflect on how their time spent in the military and law enforcement has had a lasting impact on their approach to the work they do today.

How do you foster innovation at an organization? Hazurasingh Siviya, SPCT with Temenos + Agility, is here today to offer three tips on just that—from looking at enhancements to current products and services to being a disruptor and adopting innovation as a mindset. He also highlights the importance of MVPs to drive innovation.

What do quotes from Spiderman, Adam Grant, and Steve Jobs have to do with SAFe? Find out in this engaging conversation with Adam and Anand Murthy Raj, SAFe Fellow, SPCT, and Managing Director at Gladwell Academy – Asia. They discuss what they've learned over the course of their careers—both inside and outside of SAFe. And they highlight the importance of being relentlessly curious, seeking discomfort, and remembering to enjoy the space between point A and point B.

Eren Özdemir is here to offer a few quick tips and things to keep in mind when working with an external client on a SAFe® transformation.

In this episode, Adam sits down with Gez Smith to talk about his specialty: applying SAFe in highly regulated environments, specifically banks. They discuss the unique challenges of matching SAFe with a regulatory framework and how at the end of the day, SAFe is all about people and relationships. The two also share some lessons learned the hard way during SAFe workshops in other countries—and why that kind of learning has been some of the best.

There are few things worse than getting to the end of a project and realizing that things just aren't working the way you anticipated. That's where SAFe® Principle 5 comes in. Hear from Natalia Kuzmina, Head of Agile Practices at S&P Global, about how using a system demo is a better way to evaluate a project.

In today's episode, Adam takes a step back from SAFe to explore something a little different with Brent Hurley from Agility Health, one of the leading Agile team management platforms. After hearing a little bit about Brent's background, the two take a deep-dive into all things Agility Health, including the history of the company, and how the tool helps companies build, assess, and grow Agile teams.

In today's episode, Mauricio Gambini, enterprise Agile coach from Enterprise Agility, offers his eight suggestions to start coaching on a well-established ART to help facilitate continued growth and improvement.

In today's episode, Adam sits down with Markus Vogg, SPCT and global head of business agility at Capgemini Invent, and Em Sperring, SPC and business agility senior consultant, to discuss their Agile journeys. You'll hear about their experience in bringing Agile to traditionally non-Agile spaces, like HR and accounting, and how that experience informs their approach to any Agile transformation—big or small. They also discuss the joys of working with intercontinental teams and share some advice they would give to their younger, pre-Agile selves.

It's no secret that the SAFe implementation roadmap encourages a variety of training throughout the journey, but have you ever considered bringing along a co-trainer? Sarah Blaesing is here today to make a case for why a co-trainer just makes sense.

What does high performance military training have to do with Lean portfolio management? Find out in today's episode when Adam sits down again with Eduardo Alvim, senior trainer/consultant and SPCT. The two catch up since their last meeting and discuss portfolios, some trends they're seeing, and how value, especially when it comes to things like PI planning, is more than just making money.

How do you get numerous stakeholders with different priorities and limited budgets to agree what to fund and how? Hint: the answer involves everyone in one room and some Monopoly money. In today's episode, Vanessa Martens, Agile coach and SPCT candidate with Cprime, shares her experience and key observations leading a participatory budgeting event with an insurance company in Africa.

In this episode, Adam hands the reins over to Alexis Williams and Christian Kelly of Atlassian to lead a discussion with Florian Lukitsch from Deutsche Telekom. The company is five years into its Agile transformation and, according to Florian, the transformation never truly ends — there will always be opportunities to adapt. The trio also discusses the importance of communication, experimentation, and OKRs, and how looking at an Agile transformation as a culture change instead of simply a project will benefit everyone in the long run.

What can simultaneously hold an organization back and move it forward in an Agile transformation? And what do dark jeans have to do with it? In this episode, Vanessa Martens, Agile coach and SPCT candidate with Cprime shares her experience and advice around helping an organization shift from a control-based environment to a collaborative one.

In today's episode, SPCT Niko Kaintantzis shares three key elements to becoming a great coach. He also talks about what coaches need to stay productive, make a difference, remove obstacles, and explore their passion.

Having the right people in the room at the right time to have the right conversations can make all the difference. In today's episode, Adam talks with Glenn Smith, SPCT and transformation consultant, about his experience running a successful enterprise transformation. Glenn shares lessons learned, recounts some big wins, and reveals his top three tips for someone looking to start their own successful, large-scale transformation.

Can you be a good coach even if you aren't familiar with the subject? Actually, yes. In this episode, SPCT Niko Kaintantzis shares four key elements to becoming a great coach. And he explains how to react when the person you're coaching has no idea what you're talking about.

What exactly are PI objectives and iteration goals for? Communication from teams to the business about what the teams will do in a PI? Not entirely. In this episode, SPCT Saahil Panikar explains how the answer to the value of PI objectives and iteration goals lies in multiple elements—a feedback loop with two parts, speaking the same language, and the what, the who, and the why.

At one point Phil Reynolds was the most published children's music songwriter in North America. Now he's CEO and co-founder of DevStride, an enterprise-level Agile planning tool that helps teams coordinate across complex work streams. Think the two careers are unrelated? Think again. In this episode, Phil shares how being creative and focusing on the end user (or listener) is key to collaborating, solving problems, enabling service delivery, and meeting your goals.

Today's episode is for all the managers out there feeling like they're no longer necessary after an Agile transformation. In fact, according to enterprise coach and SPCT candidate, Mikael Broomé, managers are absolutely critical for success. Listen as he shares some tips on what you can do as a manager to support your team during their Agile journey.

If you're a manager wondering where you fit on a newly Agile team, today's episode is for you. Enterprise coach and SPCT candidate, Mikael Broomé, offers some simple tips: start by asking yourself what you're most passionate about in your role, and from there, make sure you understand what the new system looks like, observe your team as often as you can, and keep collecting feedback. Tune in to learn more!

"In a really large organization, there is still a certain level of complexity that we don't appreciate when we look at a single SAFe portfolio and put in a Lean portfolio structure." When it comes to key elements of enterprise portfolio management, words matter. In today's episode, Adam and SPCT Saahil Panikar discuss the difference between value stream identification and value stream mapping, strategy and execution versus intent and contribution, and what different organizations consider a portfolio and its associated roles. Saahil shares a specific experience with an LPM engagement at a large organization, as well as his top three quick tips for successful portfolio management.

Perhaps you've heard of Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law." In today's episode, SPCT, Gez Smith, offers some tips on how to make peace with the law by adjusting expectations during PI planning, adding your IP iteration to your ART planning board, and implementing a "not going to happen column."

Have you ever felt a lack of support from HR during an Agile transformation? You're not alone. On today's episode, SPCT and SAFe® Fellow, Michael Stump, argues that HR can actually be a big accelerator for business agility, and offers tips on how to make that happen by asking for support, sharing knowledge, and collaborating on experiments.

"As a product manager, I know that product is never the end goal, right? The end goal is value to the customer. And that comes again with a huge people problem or an opportunity, to put it differently. How do I make my people customer-obsessed?" In today's episode of the SAFe Business Agility Podcast, Adam talks to Natalia Baryshnikova, head of product at Atlassian, about customer obsession, starting with the relevance of an intern's perspective. The two also discuss topics including parallels between art and digital transformation, the importance of value stream management, and highlights from the Atlassian product roadmap. Natalia also shares her recommendation for listeners around the million-dollar question.