LiminalArc SoundNotes

This is the fourth episode in our series of podcasts about Fixed vs. Growth Mindset. Using the book Mindset by Carol Dweck as a jumping-off point, Mary Kaufmann and Dave Prior dig into the topic of criticism. The conversation focuses on the way Fixed vs. Growth Mindset people approach giving and receiving criticism. Along the way, Mary and Dave both share examples of how they've struggled in the past with giving and receiving feedback. They also share things they've each learned while trying to take a more growth-minded approach to criticism.

This podcast is our third in a series of conversations focused on Fixed vs. Growth Mindset. Leveraging the work in Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset, Mary Kaufman and Dave Prior explore the differences between having a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Each episode of this series focuses on how our mindset impacts the way we perceive and respond to different types of stimulus/events. This episode is focused on effort and the differences between how a fixed mindset and a growth mindset perceive the value we receive from applying ourselves at work. Do we see the effort spent as a waste of time, or a step towards achieving some level of mastery that can be a reward all by itself? Other Episodes in our Growth Mindset Series Episode 1: Embracing Challenges Episode 2 : Obstacles Links Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - by Carol Dweck https://amzn.to/3yYpyn3 Fixed vs Growth Mindset graphic referenced in the interview (created by Nigel Holmes) https://bit.ly/3vWO1Hh Contacting Mary LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/mary-kaufmann/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-kaufmann-305b844/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Working with the Product folks at LeadingAgile is different than a lot of other Product Management gigs. In this interview, LeadingAgile’s Andrew Young joins Dave to talk about what it’s like working with the product group at LeadingAgile, why we focus so heavily on the product side of things, the difference between working “in” product and working “on” product, and why he’s made the choice to work at LeadingAgile. Contacting Andrew Young LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/andrew-young/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atyoung/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/exclamation101 Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

In this week’s SoundNotes podcast, Dave is joined by Vic Bonacci, CST who recently joined the LeadingAgile team. As Certified Scrum Trainers, both Dave and Vic bring their numerous years of experience and unique perspectives to the table to chat candidly about the issues and challenges surrounding being a more advanced Scrum Master, and how to continue learning and growing in the role.

Being strategic is about planning to reach our goals and deciding what to do with our limited capacity to achieve those aspirations and vision. But to do this, we have to first identify what’s valuable to the organization and prioritize the things that will release the most value into it. LeadingAgile Chief Methodologist, Dennis Stevens joins Dave prior this week to discuss why we should be prioritizing value and the importance of value density. Contacting Dennis Stevens Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dennis-stevens/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dennisstevens Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

LeadingAgile Senior Consultant Derek Stanley joins Dave Prior to discuss GQM (Goal Question Metrics). During the interview Derek and Dave explore what GQM is by talking through real-world examples that showcase why people use them, and how they can provide clarity on performance towards desired business outcomes. Whether you are focused on the team level, the program level, or the organization as a whole; GQM can help you clarify what you are trying to achieve, the questions that need to be answered to know if you’ve achieved it, and what metrics allow you to measure your success.

In this episode of SoundNotes Yusuf Hakim joins Dave to field questions submitted by an attendee of one of LeadingAgile’s Monthly CSM/CSPO Student Lean Coffee meetings, The questions center around issues that cropped up from a non-standard SAFe implementation, the issues that came about as a result fo that implementation, and the steps being taken to it address those issues and move towards an approach that is more focused on “just in time”.

In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile CTO, Matt Van Vleet and Principal Engineer, Daryl Kulak join Dave to talk about how LeadingAgile’s Studios takes on the technical work of Agile Transformation. One of the challenges many organizations face when trying to adopt Agile is how to address technical debt they must overcome in order to be able to create an environment that can support an Agile way of working.

A Scrum Master wears many hats. They act as a servant leader to the team and the organization. They are also expected to develop a level of skill with having the ability to take on different coaching stances when they are working with individuals, teams, and organizations. In LeadingAgile’s Certified Scrum Master classes we devote time to exploring servant leadership and four of the coaching stances a Scrum Master needs to be able to take: Teaching, Facilitating, Coaching, and Mentoring. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile’s Learning and Development Coordinator, Luther Harris joins Dave to share his take on what being a servant leader entails and how these four stances must be developed in succession because they build on one another. Luther has a background in education that plays heavily into his take on these topics. Whether you are working as a Scrum Master or higher up in the org chart, if you are leading people, this podcast is going to give you food for thought.

Dave Prior and Lance Kind discuss a new item from the Scrum Guide: Product Goal. Listen in while Dave teaches Lance what the product goal is, ideates on how to implement, and debates as to the value product goal provides. As a bonus, Dave and Lance: discuss how “real options” relate to product backlogs, that there will be a struggle about where to put backlog items that don’t fit the product goal, and how computers have become like the Tardis.

This episode of SoundNotes is an interview with LeadingAgile CEO, Mike Cottmeyer who takes on 3 separate topics during the interview: 1. Locus of Blame (01:38) 2. Elevate Agile (27:38) 3. Speaking with Authority (41:39) Locus of Blame Things happen. They don’t always happen the way we want them to. You get a flat tire on the way to a job interview, your supplier is late resulting in a massive delay in your delivery of a project, there’s a pandemic and that messes up pretty much everything you had planned. The questions you ask yourself in response to these kinds of setbacks are very important. Learning how to learn from these challenges may not come naturally to you but it is a critical skill. Elevate Agile This September, LeadingAgile will be holding an event to celebrate its 11 year anniversary (because Covid got in the way of the 10 year anniversary), and we’re also holding our 2nd Elevate Agile conference. During the interview Mike shares some details about this very exciting event. Speaking with Authority While advancing in their career many people get to a stage where it is important for them to be able to enter a room, take over, and lead. For some, this comes with ease, but for many, it is the opposite. They can’t see how to get from being the person who was never asked (or allowed) to lead, to being someone who can "own" a room of people. Mike shares details about how (and when) he worked through that. And similar challenges he has worked through since. If you are someone who does not feel you have the agency/experience/authority/power to take the room, you’ll find some helpful tips in this part of the interview. Elevate Agile https://elevateagile.com/ Contacting Mike Cottmeyer If you’d like to contact Mike you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/mike-cottmeyer/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cottmeyer/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcottmeyer Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to Dave.

This podcast is the second in a series of conversations focused on Fixed vs. Growth Mindset. Leveraging the work in Carol Dwek’s book, Mindset, Mary Kaufman and Dave Prior are exploring the differences between having a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Each episode of this series will focus on how our mindset impacts the way we perceive and respond to different types of stimulus / events. This episode is focused on obstacles and the differences between how a fixed mindset and a growth mindset meet and respond to the things that get in our way.

This week in SoundNotes our focus is Design Thinking. If you are a Product Owner and Design Thinking is not part of your toolbox you need to listen to this podcast. This is the first in what will be a series of interviews centered around Design Thinking, how it works and why it is a critical element of the work of anyone serving in a Product Owner or Product Management role.

As vaccination rates rise and the number of people infected with Covid-19 drops our world is slowly moving on to some new form of normal. Many of us have returned, or soon will be returning, to the office. After a year working from home, that shift back to the thing that was once part of our every day work lives, is going to present unique challenges for each of us. Some have been champing at the bit, waiting to get back to a busy social IRL work atmosphere. Others discovered that working from home actually provided greater productivity and comfort. No matter how you reacted to the pandemic lock-down, returning to the office is gonna be a little weird. In this episode of the podcast, LeadingAgile Executive Coach/Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Kelly Lingerfeldt joins Dave to talk about returning to the office, the challenges that will present for each of us, and different strategies we can use to cope with getting out from behind the Zoom camera, swapping our sweat pants for actual pants and going into the office.

Earlier this year LeadingAgile was contacted by GC Uttam who expressed an interest in taking Certified Scrum Master training. Uttam wanted to learn how he could use Agile practices within his organization to provide better support for the Nepalese orphans and widows they serve. LeadingAgile believes strongly in giving back. And whenever we can we provide open seats in our classes to those whose work is to serve others. We offered Uttam a seat and agreed to check back a few months after class to see how he’d been able to put what he learned to use. During the interview, Uttam and Dave talk about how he has introduced some of the key principles and values from Agile back to his teams and the people they serve. You’ll also hear about how they’ve begun using Scrum to run marketing experiments in their ministry work.

This is the first in a series of podcasts we’ll be doing on Growth Mindset. In this episode Mary Kaufman and Dave Prior discuss what a growth mindset is, why it is vital it is to the work we do at LeadingAgile, and how embracing challenges fits into a growth mindset approach. During the conversation, Mary and Dave provide examples of common challenges we all face both at work, in our day-to-day lives, and in introducing large-scale organizational change. As they walk through the examples, Mary and Dave share tips on how to embrace the challenges you face and keep yourself firmly grounded in a growth mindset.

This week in SoundNotes Lance Kind joins Dave to talk about Scaled Agile Tech Coaching. In this episode, Lance and Dave explore how technical coaching can be used to supplement the process coaching that is typically offered during an agile transformation. He also shares his approach to introduce technical coaching in a way that can scale across the enterprise. Lance is an experienced Senior level software developer as well as an Agile coach. He’s also an author and produces podcasts in both English and Mandarin Chinese. He’ll be joining Dave in hosting our podcasts going forward so that we can offer more podcasts and also ones that focus on deeper technical topics. Contacting Lance: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/lance-kind/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lancer-kind/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LancerKind Email: [email protected] Personal Web Site: (for links to Lance’s publications and other podcasts: http://lancerkind.com

One of the things you need for Agile practices to deliver on their promise is a fully dedicated team of people working together to deliver value in a predictable manner. What we want is a high-performing, learning team that can consistently make and meet commitments. But what if that isn’t an option? What if you work in an organization that still believes in the power of multi-tasking, or you work in an agency whose whole business model is built around the idea that everyone is 100% utilized across however many teams/projects are needed to hit that number? In this episode of SoundNotes, Jeff Howey and Dave Prior take on the question of what to do if you don’t have dedicated teams. They explore the various forms this commonly takes, how it is likely to impact your ability to deliver value and they share some coping mechanisms as well as ideas on how to approach the conversation with the appropriate people when the time comes. Contacting Jeff Howey Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhowey/ Contacting Dave Prior LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Many organizations of all sizes have been publicly experimenting with Dojos—immersive learning environments adopted from ancient martial arts practices—that focus on upskilling teams and producing products. In this week's podcast, our guest Joel Norman shares his thoughts and experiences related to Dojos, including what makes them successful, common challenges uncovered when running Dojos, and why they may not be the ticket to Transformation many organizations hope they'll be.

You can have different levels of Agility in an organization—and those are all necessary and great. But it takes more to achieve Business Agility, which is entirely different from team-level Agility, or enterprise-level, and so forth. In this podcast, Dave Prior and LeadingAgile CEO Mike Cottmeyer think through and explore the nuances of Business Agility and what it takes to achieve it.

Simply sending your people off to training, or bringing someone in to train isn’t going to automatically get you the value you want out of it. In this quick podcast, Dave Prior and LeadingAgile’s Jeff Howey dig into five things you can do to ensure you get the most value out of Agile training in your organization.

This week’s SoundNotes features a question submitted by a student during a recent Certified Scrum Master class. The question was posted in the topic parking lot and we did not have time to address it during class, so I followed up with the student after class and we discussed it via phone. I also offered to do a podcast on it and Jeff Howey joins me this week to dig into the topic. Because I spoke to the student after class, I was able to add some more detail for Jeff which you will hear during the conversation, but the question posted by the student was: I would like to know how long should milestones typically be and how many sprints should we break it down to? We have a goal of what we want to achieve and a rough timeline but we don’t log too many feature tickets ahead of time thinking that the task might become stale or pollute the board with an everlasting list of things to do and most of the time we were just closing the tickets. As a result, I feel we become short-sighted and optimize for the current sprint but not for the milestone.

What is DevOps? How does it tie into the LeadingAgile model? How do we deal with the complications it presents when we apply it at scale? In this week’s podcast, LeadingAgile Chief Transformation Officer Matt Van Vleet joins Dave to answer all of these questions along with a general primer on DevOps in Agile Transformation.

In this episode of SoundNotes, our guest Jeff Howey will help uncover the opportunities this challenging scenario can present—and offer ideas on how to change its foundational causes to prevent it from happening in the first place.

In this episode of SoundNotes, Matt Craig joins Dave for a discussion that centers around comparing the way biological systems and businesses function and respond to change. In a biological system, enzymes bring elements together that catalyze reactions and keep iterating until they find an effective response.

Dave Prior sits down for a conversation with LeadingAgile CEO Mike Cottmeyer and they explore Mike's Agile approach to personal development and dig into the details of how and why his approach to growth and development has evolved over time. If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you’re interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

In this week's episode of SoundNotes, Ross Beurmann is back to talk about how to create a funding mechanism that's as adaptable as the governance model. Or, to put it more simply, how to allocate funds and pay for things when we're continually tuning the way we work, and what we're working on. As your organization moves further down the path toward Agility, you may experience some dissonance when more traditional methods of funding work meet with the need to inspect and adapt. And we're not just talking about inspecting and adapting through the lens of product development, we're also talking about how the organizational governance can inspect and adapt and how that supports Business Agility. Links On ProjectManagement.com, you can find another one of Dave and Ross' recent podcasts entitled: "Business Planning for Agile AND Traditional Time Horizons". Listen to the Podcast. Contacting Ross Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/ross-beurmann/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback on iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

You have to deeply understand how what you’re doing at all levels of the organization is going to drive quality. In this week’s podcast, LeadingAgile CEO Mike Cottmeyer joins us to dig into why increased quality should matter to you, and some actionable steps to take to enable more of it across your organization. If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you’re interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

When large organizations set out to take on Agile Transformation, it's never for Agile's sake. They're usually after one or more of these 6 things, Predictability, Quality, Cost Savings, Early ROI, Product Fit, or Innovation. In this week's episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, Dave Prior talks with Mike Cottmeyer to discuss the steps you can take to get more predictable and make and meet your commitments. If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

This week in LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, Justin Polk is here to discuss the role that capitalization plays in helping an organization adopt an Agile approach to work. When the conversation turns to Agile Transformation, it often focuses on what changes you need to introduce, where, and when. But sometimes we get so caught up in those conversations that we neglect to include one very important aspect… the money and how it is tracked. In this episode of the podcast, you’ll learn what CapEx (Capital Expenditure) is, why it matters, and why it is a fundamental concern in Agile Transformation. Contacting Justin Polk LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/justin-polk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-polk/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

At the beginning of the pandemic, LeadingAgile published a white paper called Maintaining Momentum in a Remote Agile World. This episode of SoundNotes is a follow up to that whitepaper. In this interview, Jeff Howey and Dave Prior reflect on what they've learned about successful remote interaction since the whitepaper was released, how those lessons can impact a system of Transformation and remote collaboration at scale. During the interview, Jeff also explains PSTIR, which stands for Prepare, Socialize, Tailor, Implement, and Reinforce; and how PSTIR has become a critical part of the LeadingAgile approach. Download the White Paper Maintaining Momentum in a Remote Agile World Contacting Jeff Howey Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhowey/ Contacting Dave Prior Contacting Dave Prior LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

This week in SoundNotes, Yaton Bowens joins Dave to talk about the role that trust plays in Agile Transformation. Building on Mike Cottmeyers’ Trust vs. Trustworthiness webinar, Yaton and Dave dig into some of the trust gaps that management and the Development Teams have to cross for an Agile Transformation to take root in an organization. Without a track record to demonstrate trustworthiness, how can management trust that the team will deliver? And how can the team trust that management will allow them to get the work done? To make things even more complicated, many organizations have not been designed with systems that support trust and trustworthiness. We'll delve into the answers to these questions and more this week. Links from the Podcast Mike Cottmeyer's Trust vs. Trustworthiness Webinar Contacting Yaton Bowens Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/yaton-bowens/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaton-bowens-06478a1/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

This week is all about Earned Value and Justin Polk is back, spending time with Dave discussing how Earned Value tools can be applied in an Agile Transformation. They explore what types of work you might want to consider using it for, how it can help, and what types of people might find the path to Agile just a little more possible when you show them how Earned Value metrics can be applied on an Agile Team. Links If you are new to Earned Value, here are a few links to help you get started: Agile and Earned Value Management: A Program Manager's Desk Guide Agile and Earned Value (APM) Measuring Integrated Progress on Agile Software Development Projects Beyond backlogs and burndowns--complementing "agile" methods with EVM for improved project performance Contacting Justin Polk LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/justin-polk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-polk/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Once you reach the point where you're ready to pursue a job in Agile, the next hurdle you'll often face is, “How?” Convincing someone to give you a job as a ScrumMaster or a Product Owner can be tough if you have no experience. And even if you do have experience, that doesn’t necessarily make it easier. The Pandemic has put a lot of people back into the applicant pool, and the competition is fierce. In this week’s SoundNotes, LeadingAgile’s Director of Talent Acquisition Priya Sethuraman spends time with Dave talking about what to do if you are looking for a job in Agile. Priya and Dave discuss different approaches you can take, ways to prepare yourself to succeed in the interview, and how to begin working on getting experience and building your network even if you are completely new to the space. Contacting Priya Sethuraman Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/priya-sethuraman/ Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyasethuraman/ Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Many organizations begin their journey toward becoming Agile by selecting a few initial teams or projects that are set up to test out how Agile will impact the organization and its ability to deliver work. LeadingAgile Senior Consultant Justin Polk joins Dave this week to discuss how to select and run an Agile pilot. In this episode, you’ll learn about some of the risks and challenges that come with pilots, why LeadingAgile takes a more holistic approach to piloting by selecting an entire vertical slice of the organization to work with, and how to begin having conversations about selecting the right part of your organization to serve as a pilot in your company’s Agile Transformation. Contacting Justin Polk LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/justin-polk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-polk/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

This week in LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, we’re focusing on Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). Andrew Young joins Dave to talk about this history of OKRs, why they have become such an important part of how we track and measure performance, why they matter to Executives, and why teaching Executives about OKRs requires a very specific approach. Want more on OKRs? Agile Unplugged - Episode 02 with Mike Cottmeyer and Dennis Stevens An Introduction to OKRs: Objectives and Key Results Tracking and Reporting: What Should the PMO Be Tracking? w/ Derek Huether Contacting Andrew Young LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/andrew-young/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atyoung/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/exclamation101 Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Getting a few teams up and running using Scrum, Kanban, or some other form of Agile is great. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your organization has become Agile. This week in SoundNotes, Dragos Dumitriu joins Dave for a conversation about the difference between spinning up a few teams and truly achieving business Agility. During the conversation Dragos shares details on some of the common patterns, he sees when organizations begin moving towards an Agile approach, things to watch out for, and some of the conversations you need to be having internally if business agility is something your organization has set its sights on. Contacting Dragos Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dragos-dumitriu/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dragosd/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewaitlifter Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

Training is a vital piece of today’s business climate. It’s typically at the forefront of conversations around development or growth, but what is the correlation or connection between training and actual business transformation? The assumption has been that if my employees only had the knowledge, they would produce different outcomes. While training is an undoubtedly valuable piece of creating large, organizational change, the outcomes that our organizations produce are highly intertwined with a number of factors on which training has very little impact. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Training Consultant, Nathan Hummel joins Dave to discuss the role training plays in organizational change, how it impacts Agile transformation, and, what else, beyond training, an organization will need to see true lasting change. Contacting Nathan Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/nathan-hummel/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-hummel/ Email: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback on iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Managing Consultant, Greg DePasquale explains what Outcome-Based Planning is, how it works, why it's so critical for enabling successful delivery, and how it works at different levels of the organization. In outcome-based planning, we focus on “a results-driven plan rather than plan-driven results." There is a focus on the Why as opposed to the How. We center around the business outcome we are looking to achieve, rather than making sure we are doing “all the things." If you work in a project-based organization and status is tracked by things done (or percent of a thing done), you are probably more output focused. If you are planning for the results you want to achieve, and you and employ a strategy where we can continue inspecting and adapting towards that desired result, regardless of how many things you can check the done box on along the way, then you are outcome-focused. Contacting Greg DePasquale: Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/greg-depasquale/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregdepasquale/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

When we are trying to figure out what products to build, we have to develop a deep understanding of the problem we are solving. To do that, we have to understand who we are solving problems for, what is important to them, and what offering would be most appealing to them or most likely to cause a change in behavior. Looking at the problem from different perspectives can enable it to be solved more easily, with each vantage point offering different insights that can complement each other. When we can discover things that are true across the board, we can be even more confident that we're headed in the right direction LeadingAgile SVP, Executive Consultant, Scott Sehlhorst approaches this work from an engineering perspective. LeadingAgile Managing Consultant, Will Evans approaches the work from a Design perspective. While each vantage point is important, the true value comes from combining them. In this episode of SoundNotes, Scott and Will join Dave to offer insight into how they each approach the work of understanding the user, the problems they are facing and the best way to solve them. This conversation digs deep into the product space and how we design solutions that truly meet the needs of our customers. If you’d like to reach out to Scott and Will for more information: Contacting Scott Sehlhorst LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/scott-sehlhorst/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sehlhorst LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sehlhorst/ Blog: http://tynerblain.com/blog/ Contacting Will Evans Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/will-evans/ Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/semanticwill Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing push within organizations to move from a project-oriented mindset to a more product-focused approach. Creating that change in an organization can take considerable work and part of that is how you address funding the work being done. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile’s Chief Methodologist, Dennis Stevens spends time with Dave talking about why this change is necessary, the impact it can have on an organization, some things to watch out for as you make the switch and tips that will help you succeed in bringing this change to your company. Contacting Dennis Stevens Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dennis-stevens/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dennisstevens Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

In many organizations, the group responsible for procurement, and the processes they follow, were established under a traditional (waterfall) approach. The way in which goods and services are requested, contracted, approved and acquired can be an odd fit with an Agile approach. In the public sector, this can prove even more challenging due to oversight, bureaucracy, and a variety of other factors. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile's, Nathan Hummel, joins Dave to talk about some of the issues that crop up when an organization in the public sector begins working on how to handle procurement as they move towards a more Agile approach to work. During the interview they dig into what makes Agile procurement different in the public sector, what kind of challenges you can expect to face and what steps you can take to begin resolving them. Contacting Nathan Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/nathan-hummel/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-hummel/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

In this episode of SoundNotes, Ross Beurmann joins Dave to talk about the difference between Leadership and Management. Although many confuse the two and believe they are the same, they are actually very different things—and this can become extremely apparent during the transition to an Agile approach. During the interview, Ross explains why it is so important that we gain clarity on the difference between the two, why we want to manage systems, and why it is so important that we inspire teams to manage themselves. Books Mentioned In This Podcast Turn the Ship Around - L. David Marquet https://amzn.to/2QXOGWD Leadership is Language - L. David Marquet https://amzn.to/2w2mRFj Getting Naked - Patrick Lencioni https://amzn.to/3avNX6A Dare to Lead - Brene Brown https://amzn.to/2JptZ1D We Were Soldiers Once… And Young - Harold G. Moore https://amzn.to/3dKAvxG Contacting Ross Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/ross-beurmann/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

In this episode of SoundNotes Will Evans is back to discuss why behavior trumps empathy and the secret to building the right thing. During the interview, we explore the difference between traditional Personas and Behavioral Impact Personas. We also talk through how Impact Mapping can be used to move beyond Empathy Maps to deepen our understanding of what motivates people, what their needs are, what things to build, how well they have to perform to be considered valuable, and how to make sure we are solving the right problems for the right people at the right time. In this podcast, you will learn how Impact Mapping can draw a clear connection between the things we are going to build, the problems we need to overcome, and how to create a change in behavior by specific people that allows us to move toward an outcome that achieves our desired goal. Will has created a few graphics that we refer to in the interview and you’ll want to download them in order to get the most out of this podcast. You can find links to them below. Files You Need For This Podcast Behavioral Impact Persona PDF Behavioral Impact Persona PNG Zone of Influence - Zone of Control PNG Behavioral Change PNG Impact Mapping Podcast If you'd like to check out Will's previous interview on Impact Mapping you can find it here: http://bit.ly/384nVpw Contacting Will Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/will-evans/ Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/semanticwill Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

One of the most critical, and unfortunately, neglected elements of ensuring your teams can deliver the most value possible, is making sure they can see a direct connection between the work they are being asked to execute on and that strategy that work is in service of. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Principal Consultant, Marty Bradley spends time with Dave discussing why we need to connect strategy to execution and what happens when we don't. During the interview, Marty provides examples which demonstrate why we need to break the work down into small increments of value, how to track their performance at both the strategic and tactical level, how frequently you want to be checking in on whether or not the work is delivering the desired value,, and who needs to be involved in these discussions. Links from the Podcast Check out a video of Marty's presentation - Develop a Strategy to Embrace Change Contacting Marty Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/marty-bradley/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martybradley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AskCoachMarty Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

Ross Beurmann is back! And this week in SoundNotes Ross and Dave discuss ATOs and PMOs. If you aren't familiar with what an Agile Transformation Office is, how it works, why you need it and how it is different from a Project Management Office, this podcast is for you. During the interview, Ross and Dave also discuss what happens to the role of the project manager when you go through Agile Transformation and how the PMO can remain relevant and continue to add value in an organization that is moving through their Transformation to Agile. Link to the Technology Case Study http://info.leadingagile.com/techcasestudy Contacting Ross Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/ross-beurmann/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback on iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

This week in SoundNotes we’re focusing on a question asked by a student in a recent class: Can you use Agile for Mergers and Acquisitions? To address the topic, LeadingAgile Principal Consultant Rick McMichael joins Dave to discuss Mergers and Acquisitions (or M&A). Rick has years of experience working in Agile and he's been a part of many M&A efforts over the years. During the podcast we discuss the various steps involved in bringing two different organizations together to form a new one, and how Agile practices can be applied to help this work go smoother and deliver more value for the companies involved, the people who work at them, and the customer. Link to the Latest LeadingAgile Case Study http://info.leadingagile.com/techcasestudy Contacting Rick Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/rick-mcmichael/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

This week in LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, Tina Wang spends some time with Dave talking about Lean Portfolio Management. During the conversation, Tina and Dave cover exactly what Lean Portfolio Management is and how it differs from a more traditional approach to Portfolio Management. A good part of the discussion is spent on the topic of how to create alignment from strategic goals at the organizational level down to delivery team execution and the role that funding plays in this. If you have questions about Lean Portfolio Management or you're curious about how to apply Lean practices and systems thinking to traditional portfolio management to consistently deliver value at a sustainable pace, this podcast is a great place to get started. For additional content on the LeadingAgile site about Lean Portfolio Management, click here. Contacting Tina Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/tina-wang/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-wang-spc/ Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net Link to the Case Study: http://info.leadingagile.com/techcasestudy We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

Despite the fact that in many organizations the Enterprise Architect and the Enterprise Solutions Architect are often conflated, they are very distinct roles that require different skill sets and areas of expertise. The Enterprise Solutions Architect is a role that focuses on designing solutions to problems that tend to be IT-centric, while an Enterprise Architect focuses more on designing or documenting the relationship between all the systems across the Enterprise and how they interact to deliver value. In this episode of LeadingAgile's SoundNotes, Ross Beurmann is back to bring some clarity to the difference between the two roles, the nature of the work, and the differences in the skill sets required for each role. Zachman Framework During the interview, Ross references the Zachman Framework, which was developed by John Zachman in the 1980's. The framework "provides a formal and structured way of viewing and defining an enterprise" (see Wikipedia link below). If you'd like to read up on it, here are some places to get started: Zachman Framework in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachman_Framework The Concise Definition of The Zachman Framework by: John A. Zachman https://zachman.com/about-the-zachman-framework Contacting Ross Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/ross-beurmann/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: http://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrsungo Personal blog: http://drunkenpm.net We Need Reviews If you like this podcast, we'd be very grateful for reviews or feedback in iTunes. It will help us create more visibility for this podcast so that we can reach more people. Click here to leave us a review or post feedback. Feedback/Questions If you have comments on the podcast or have questions for the LeadingAgile coaches that you’d like to have addressed in a future episode of LeadingAgile’s SoundNotes, you can reach Dave at [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: http://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Managing Consultant, Matt Smith, joins Dave for a conversation about why we need to make sure that the investment made in portfolio tiers of the organization ties directly back to Agile delivery, and how we can make sure that is happening. If you are an executive who has responsibility for making decisions about where and how the organization makes strategic investments across the portfolio, this interview may expose some areas of focus that you may want to give more attention. Many organizations introduce Agile, and begin funding Transformation, at the team level, but they fail to ensure that they’ve created an environment and organizational system that can support those teams, and/or teams who are working on things without understanding why because they don’t have visibility into how they link back to company strategy. This makes it difficult for them to make the best possible choices when developing a product. Throughout the podcast, Matt and Dave talk through examples of how detrimental this disconnect between the head and the body of an organization can be. Making sure there is a direct line from investment to execution is critical to ensuring you are maximizing the value your organization (and your clients) are getting from your agile delivery mechanism. Contacting Matt Smith Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/matt-smith/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-f-smith/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave Prior LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: [email protected] If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/