LiminalArc SoundNotes

This week in SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Founder and CEO Mike Cottmeyer joins Dave to explore the ways in which Executive Leadership plays the role of Product Owner in an organization. During the conversation, Mike reflects back on how his understanding of what it means to be an organizational product owner has evolved as LeadingAgile has grown over the last ten years. Mike shares some of the ways he copes with the challenges of being the Product Owner of an organization that continues to evolve, how he responds to the successes and failures along the way, and his take on one of the most critical things a leader must do in order to be ready for what comes next. 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 [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/

If you're confused about the difference between Epics, Features, and Stories—you're not alone. Most of us use these terms to describe different types of items we’d put into a Product Backlog. The challenge is that each organization defines them differently and uses them to mean different things. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile SVP and Senior Consultant Scott Sehlhorst joins Dave Prior to talk about the difference between Epics, Features, and Stories, how the three of them are related, and the value that each brings to the table. If you have questions about the purpose each serves, how they complement each other, and why people often get them confused, you’ll find answers in this podcast. 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 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: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

It can be easy to get swept up in discussions centered around making sure that the work being done by development teams is in sync with what the stakeholders identified as the highest priority. While this is definitely an important factor to consider, it is also critical to make sure that we have identified and prioritized the issues and problems we need to solve to achieve the organization’s strategic goals. Impact Mapping is a tool that can be used to create a conversation between stakeholders and teams to understanding which problems need to be addressed first to ensure we are having the greatest possible impact on delivering different outcomes for our customers and for the business. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Managing Consultant, Will Evans spends time with Dave Prior discussing Impact Mapping. During the podcast you will learn: What Impact Mapping Is Why it works How it can help your organization make informed decisions about which problems to solve first in order to reach your strategic goals How you can get started using Impact Mapping within your organization Resources to Get You Started The Art of Impact Mapping Video https://youtu.be/y4Rj05YVg_E Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein https://amzn.to/2tiwZby 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.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! In this episode, LeadingAgile Senior Consultant, Ross Buermann shares an approach that involves bifurcating the work of creating the documentation so that we can create and deliver in smaller increments. Those smaller pieces can be modified and maintained in a more efficient manner than they would be in a traditional approach. In the same way that we want to break development work down into small increments, we can also break down the documentation. Ross and Dave also discuss an approach to storing the documentation which allows for an easier approach to change control and maintenance. Ross has a background in highly regulated environments where the documentation is often treated as being more valuable than the product itself. During the interview, Ross explains how, and why, this approach is so valuable to teams and organizations adopting an Agile approach. The Iliad If you’d like to check out The Iliad, Ross recommends the translation by Richmond Lattimore https://amzn.to/37EDfZE 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.

Safety is a popular topic in the Agile space that comes up when we have conversations about what it takes to create an environment where Agile can take root and thrive. When we talk about transforming organizations, we talk about things like creating a safe environment where people feel that they have the agency and support to run experiments in order to get better at working together and delivering value for the customer. This conversation often centers around teams and the individual team members, but rarely do we take the time to consider what safety looks like for leadership. Aren’t they at risk as well? There may be leaders in your organization who are supporting or sponsoring the transformation effort, but what if it doesn’t take? What impact will it have on them? When it comes to organizational change, we know leadership has to adjust their approach as well, but this conversation often focuses on how the things they learned to do under a traditional model will get in the way of a successful Agile Transformation. We tell them what not to do: we tell them to leave the teams alone to figure out how to self-organize, we tell them to be supportive and let go of many of the practices that helped them reach their leadership position. It may come across as though we are simply taking things away from them, and this language of loss is unlikely to leave them feeling like they are operating from a place where they have the agency they need and the support they need to begin running experiments that will help them learn to grow into the Agile leaders we want and need them to be. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Senior Consultant, Tim Wise, and Dave Prior explore: What it means to create safety for leadership What Agile Transformation asks of leaders and the risks they face How leaders can begin moving toward an approach that demonstrates adopting an Agile mindset What types of behavior are needed to foster a safe environment for the teams and team members to employ Agile practice to deliver value for their customers Links From This Podcast Turn the Ship Around - David Marquet Team of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey Speed of Trust - Stephen M.R. Covey Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink The Responsibility Process - Christopher Avery Jordan Peterson 12 Rules for Life Podcast YouTube Agile Day Atlanta Contacting Tim Email: [email protected] LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/tim-wise/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwise/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/timswise 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.

When large enterprises make the decision to invest in Agile Transformation they often do so with the expectation that it will have some positive impact on their ability to deliver. In theory, if we can deliver more of the right things in shorter time frames at a higher quality level, that should provide some kind of quantifiable return on investment. When the conversation turns to the question of “How is the transformation going?” it is common to focus on metrics that center around how many teams or groups within the organization have begun adopting Agile practices, where they are in the journey towards Agile, how individual teams are performing, etc. But what is often harder to understand is what is the benefit, or return on the investment it is making in Agile Transformation. To put it simply, we’re spending money, we’re doing the things… but what kind of financial (or other) impact is that money having on the organization and on our system of delivery? In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Principal Consultant, Doug Spencer joins Dave for a conversation about some of the ways you can begin to measure and quantify the impact of an Agile Transformation on your organization at the portfolio level. Contacting Doug Spencer Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/doug-spencer/ 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/

Lee Wiesehuegel is a Managing Consultant at LeadingAgile where he helps organizations incorporate an Agile approach by transforming how they work. One of Lee’s primary areas of focus is working with leaders to help them understand how critical their support is at the team level. In this episode of SoundNotes, Lee and Dave discuss some of the things that leadership can do to enable Coaches and ScrumMasters to create and sustain high performing, learning teams that can consistently deliver value. At the start of the interview, Lee also shares his advice for those who are interested in transitioning to a coaching role and some of the key things he looks for when he interviews potential coaches. Links Mentioned In the Podcast Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition by Lyssa Adkins Contacting Lee Wiesehuegel Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/lee-wiesehuegel/ 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 Elevate Agile 2019, LeadingAgile Chief Methodologist, Dennis Stevens gave a presentation called "What Every Agile Organization Has In Common" (link below). In this episode of SoundNotes, Dennis and Dave go deeper on some key themes from the presentation. The interview focuses on how Senior Leadership can create an organizational system that supports Business Agility. This work goes beyond simply adopting Agile practices at a team level, and looks at how the whole organization needs to have a structure and governance model in place that can sustain its ability to respond to rapidly changing market conditions. iTunes Feedback - We Need Your Help We need your help in getting the word out about this podcast and would be grateful for any feedback you are willing to leave us in an iTunes Review. Links Mentioned In the Podcast What Every Agile Organization Has in Common - Dennis Stevens at Elevate Agile 2019 Building an Organization That Can Embrace Change w/ Dennis Stevens - This is the SoundNotes Podcast that discusses how to incorporate market sensing capabilities into strategic planning 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/

At ElevateAgile, LeadingAgile Principal Consultant, Marty Bradley, led a session called "The Business Value of Agility." The talk focused on the question of how organizations measure and understand the business benefits of adopting an Agile approach. All too often, organizations make a decision to "go agile" without defining the outcome they hope/want/expect from changing their approach to work. Without a solid understanding of the impact you are seeking, deciding whether your approach to creating things, or the things themselves, are delivering desired business value. In this episode of SoundNotes, Marty and Dave explore some of the key takeaways from Marty's session at ElevateAgile and ways an organization can understand the value Agile provides. Marty's presentation from ElevateAgile The Business Value of Agility Links from the Podcast Slack by Tom DeMarco Contacting Marty You can reach Marty: On the LeadingAgile site Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martybradley/ Contacting Dave You can reach Dave: On the LeadingAgile site On Twitter at twitter.com/mrsungo On his personal site at: [email protected] LeadingAgile CSM and CSPO Classes For information on LeadingAgile’s upcoming public CSM and CSPO classes, please go to: www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/ Use the discount code: LA_Podcast to receive a 15% discount on the class.

When it comes to Agile Transformation, every organization struggles with managing risks and dealing with dependencies. Identifying the most critical dependencies and finding a way to break them can be challenging. But, depending on your organization’s goals for transformation, there may also be dependencies that just aren’t worth decoupling. In this episode of SoundNotes LeadingAgile Senior Consultant, Tom Furland, talks with Dave about how to handle Risks and Dependencies during Agile Transformation. We explore how to understand where decoupling is possible and why orchestration is so critical to creating flow within the organization, regardless of which dependencies remain. Contacting Tom Furland If you’d like to contact Tom you can reach him at: Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/tom-furland/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tfurland/ 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/

The dilemma of what to do if you don’t have a Product Owner is one of the more commonly recurring questions that I get in the CSM and CSPO classes. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile’s Sara McClintock and Jeff Streitmatter join me to talk through the challenges of not having anyone acting as a dedicated PO. During the discussion, we explore why the role is so critical, how not having one impact’s the team’s ability to deliver valuable work that is in sync with company strategy and we offer some tips on how to cope with not having someone to fill this critical role. Contacting Sara McClintock If you’d like to contact Sara you can reach her at: Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/sara-mcclintock/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramcclintock/ Email: [email protected] Contacting Jeff Streitmatter If you’d like to contact Jeff you can reach him at: Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/jeff-streitmatter/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffstreitmatter/ 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/

On October 7th, 2019 LeadingAgile will hold its first-ever conference—Elevate Agile. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile CEO and Founder, Mike Cottmeyer explains why Elevate Agile exists and how we hope it will shape the conversation around business and organizational Agility moving forward. The event is sold out, but you can check out the live stream from the conference on Elevate Agile's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elevateagile/ Also, be sure to follow Elevate Agile on social to find out details for next year's event as they become available. Elevate Agile on Social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/19229690/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/elevateagile Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevateagile/ Links from the Podcast ElevateAgile: www.elevateagile.com Mindset by Carol Dweck 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: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Feedback is tricky. We all want it, we all need it, but sometimes getting it can be kinda tough. Giving feedback is challenging as well because it can be hard to tell when were are offering it from a place that is truly centered on helping the recipient grow, rather than just helping them be what we want them to be. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Staff Consultant, Sarah Smith, joins Dave Prior to dig into the idea of "Feedback Is A Gift." During the podcast, they unpack different ways to receive feedback, tips for giving it as well as how to figure out what to do with it once you get it, and what to do with the feedback that feels like a regifted Fruitcake. And also how to make sure you aren't the one doing the re-gifting. Agile 2019 Video Podcasts We're posted a TON of video podcast interviews we shot in the LeadingAgile booth during Agile 2019 and we'd love to get some http://bit.ly/2k88ucu Contacting Sarah and Dave If you have follow-up questions for Sarah or Dave, here is how you can reach them: Contacting Sarah Smith Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/sarah-smith/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahleasmith/ 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]

In this live keynote episode of SoundNotes live, we talk with Portia Tung about her thoughts on making transformational change fun by embedding play science into your work.

In this SoundNotes live, we talk with Andy Cleff about the process of prioritizing and learning backlog and his thoughts on how to deliver the learnings optimally.

In this SoundNotes live with Natalie Solomon, we discuss the steps Natalie takes and key focus areas she considers when building successful teams that are created to enable a truly Agile workplace.

In this episode of SoundNotes live with Olaf Lewitz, we talk about the importance of self-reflection, self-awareness—and magic. When magic happens on a team, how do we unlock that process and replicate it so it can happen on cue? And how can self-reflection enhance how we lead and function at work?

In this SoundNotes live with Heidi Musser of LeadingAgile, we cover the key highlights of her Agile Alliance Board panel on diversity and inclusion in the Agile world, including the current state of diversity and inclusion in the tech community, and why diversity in this community is a particularly important topic.

In this SoundNotes live with Lynne Cazaly, we’ll discuss the war of perfectionism and how it’s affecting us. We’ll dig into why it's important to reframe our mindsets and work toward an end goal rather than toward an artificial concept of perfection.

In this SoundNotes live with Diana Larsen, co-founder of The Agile Fluency Project. We’ll chat about The Agile Fluency Project’s mission to help organizations measure how or if their Agile teams are achieving the outcomes they need, and how they can get insight on additional ways to invest to get the benefits they want.

In this SoundNotes live, we chat with Christopher Avery of The Responsibility Company about his work on how our psychology can keep us stuck—or propel us forward. He shares how we can change our usual programming to make better choices and be better leaders.

In this SoundNotes live with Christina Hartikainen, Chair of Agile 2019, we’ll chat about the conference, what’s new this year, and how you can get involved next year

In this SoundNotes live we’ll chat with Shannon Ewan and Ahmed Sidky of ICAgile. They’ll share some exciting new Business Agility training initiatives they’re working on for non-technical sectors—and how ICAgile is helping non-technical sectors, like HR and marketing, understand and apply Agile.

In this SoundNotes live with Mark Kilby, we talk about social tokens. What’s a social token? We’ll define them and expand on how they can be a shared way to create trust and create connections in distributed teams.

In this SoundNotes live with Melissa Boggs, Chief Scrum Master, and Howard Sublett, Chief Product Owner, both of the Scrum Alliance, we chat about their new roles, and what they’ve learned from co-leading the organization together.

In this SoundNotes live with Bas Vodde, we’ll chat about the LeSS (Large Scale Scrum) community. We’ll also delve into the role of the product owner in LeSS, and how it compares to their role in Scrum.

In this SoundNotes live talk, we discuss technical debt with Arlo Belshee and Marian Willeke. We’ll specifically delve into why technical debt is a very common problem, why it's often not solved, and how it can be.

In this SoundNotes live talk with Jessie Shternshus, we discuss what Jessie believes is the missing step in Transformations; unlearning the old way and moving to the new. We delve into how unlearning can get in the way of change, and how you can get through it successfully.

In this SoundNotes live talk with Lyssa Adkins, we discuss TENWOMENSTRONG, an organization dedicated to helping women reconnect with their authentic voices as leaders. Lyssa also discusses her recent projects to increase the presence of women in Agile and as leaders.

In this SoundNotes live talk with Lyssa Adkins and Maria Matarelli who are collaborating on a project called Personal Agility, which takes the principles of Agility and applies them to personal life. They’ll discuss what Personal Agility is and share examples of how you can apply the system to your life both personally and professionally.

In this live SoundNotes talk with Lisa Cooney, we talk about cognitive bias, why it’s important to be aware of your cognitive biases, and how to devise strategies to overcome them.

In this live talk with Ellen Gottesdiener and Andy Repton, we discuss the process of making large scale product development truly work, and reveal the 3 things you need to make product development work optimally at scale.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk with Eric Rapin, Coach and Certified Scrum master, about the value and importance of retrospectives—and how to design and facilitate them effectively so you learn the most you can.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk with Carlos Oliveira of adaptiveX, we discuss the topic of his Agile 2019 session: The Power of Design Sprints. Carlos shares how Design Sprints help teams solve big problems and test ideas by combining the “greatest hits” of Agile, Lean and Design Thinking.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk, Ronica Roth and Eric Willeke of Elevate.to discuss their unique approach to Agile Transformation.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk with Richard Cheng, we’ll discuss how to apply Agile principles, values, and mindset in government agencies as well as the challenges that can get in the way.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk, we’re chatting with Woody Zuill about Mob programming. We’ll discuss the problems it solves, who can do it, and how it works.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk with LeadingAgile’s Marty Bradley, we’ll dig into the topic of Enterprise Transformation and discuss how it’s different from a traditional Agile PMO.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk with Dean Leffingwell, creator of SAFe, we discuss his Agile 2019 talk focus: increasing people’s understanding of what Business Agility really encompasses, and the evolution of its tenets.

Last week, the biggest conference in the Agile industry took place in Washington DC at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. We were proud to be a sponsor of this event and we were even more excited about catching up with friends—both old and new. For those of you who couldn't make it to the conference, we wanted to give you a little taste of what it's all about, so we decided to live-stream our podcast out of our booth in the Prince George Exhibitor Hall. We had a chance to talk to a lot of really smart and interesting people while we were there; some who were speaking at the conference, others who were simply attending, and even a few who were involved in turning this event into a reality. Here are some of the highlights from day two. In this live talk with Linda Rising, we discuss learnings from the book Thinking Fast and Slow, and how to use Daniel Kahneman’s research-supported approach to do a better job of thinking as an individual as well as working better together to think in groups.

We're just days away from the start of the biggest Agile event of the year. Agile 2019 begins in Washington D.C. on August 5th and LeadingAgile will be there in full force. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Executive Talent Lead Priya Sethuraman joins Dave Prior to share some tips and advice for those attending the conference who want to make the most out of their time. The Agile Conference is an intense week filled with hundreds of sessions and events focused on helping attendees level up their Agile game. Whether you're attending for the first time, or you're a seasoned conference pro, this podcast will offer valuable recommendations to help you maximize the value you get from the time you spend in D.C.—and survive the conference intact. If you're attending, LeadingAgile has two sessions you won't want to miss: Mike Cottmeyer - Organizational Transformation Monday, August 5 at 3:45 PM Dennis Stevens - Assumptions and Ambiguity be Damned. Develop a Strategy to Embrace Change. Tuesday, August 6 at 9:00 AM And please stop by our booth to say hi! If you are interested in joining the LeadingAgile team, make sure to connect with Priya and Rachel Howard who will be in the booth recruiting all week. If you aren't able to make it to the conference, we'll be live streaming video podcast interviews with speakers and Agile thought leaders who are attending the show. So keep an eye on our Facebook channel throughout the week for live interviews from the exhibit hall floor of Agile 2019! 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 now for something completely different… Kaely Hall has been working in the capacity of ScrumMaster and Product Owner for the last 16 months. She recently took LeadingAgile’s Certified Scrum Product Owner training and in this episode of SoundNotes, Kaely shares how her work as a Product Strategist for Big Nerd Ranch requires her to play the role of ScrumMaster for some clients, Project Manager for some clients, and Product Owner for others. During the interview, Kaely also offers advice and tips or those just stepping into a client-facing an SM or PO role, and how important it is to raise your EQ and develop a rapport with your client as quickly as possible. Blog Post Kaely’s blog post is here: https://bit.ly/2JKVNOW Contacting Kaely Hall Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaely-hall/ 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]

This episode of SoundNotes features 2 questions recently submitted by students from our CSM and CSPO classes. LeadingAgile’s Sarah Smith and I respond to the questions, sharing our thoughts, recommended practices, and things to watch out for. The two questions are: 1. Is it okay for the ScrumMaster to take on additional (non-ScrumMaster) work during the Sprint? 2. When you have unfinished work at the end of a Sprint, does it automatically carry over into the next Sprint, and should you re-estimate it before you begin working on it again? In responding to the first question we discuss the potential impact of planning for the SM to take on non-SM work during the Sprint, how that can impact the team’s ability to deliver and, if the SM takes on additional work, what should that work be? The second question focuses on the situation where you get to the end of the Sprint, you have partially completed work and many teams will automatically push that into the next Sprint. If you have partially completed work, let’s say it is a User Story that was originally estimated using Story Points, and it was an 8. If there are only a few minutes of work needed to complete that item in a future Sprint, why do some teams feel the urge to give it a new Story Point estimate (based on work remaining) and what impact does that behavior have on the Scrum Team’s velocity? If you have follow-up questions for Sarah or Dave, here is how you can reach them: Contacting Sarah Smith Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/sarah-smith/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahleasmith/ 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]

In this episode of SoundNotes, we tackle the question of whether or not it's a good idea for the Development Team to limit the size of work brought into a Sprint. Many teams consider this to be a valuable practice during Sprint Planning or when creating a Definition of Ready. The goal is to make sure that the Development Team is not committing work into a Sprint that they cannot complete during the course of a Sprint. This often shows up as something like “Nothing bigger than an 8” (for teams using Fibonacci to estimate User Story Points). While this practice can be valuable for the Development Team, it also has an impact on the Product Owner and how they prepare work for Sprint Planning. During the podcast, LeadingAgile SVP and Executive Consultant, Scott Sehlhorst and Senior Consultant Andrew Young talk with Dave about whether or not this practice actually helps and how it can become an impediment for the Product Owner who is trying to plan out work for the Release. Note from Dave: This conversation was very impactful for me in terms of how I think about “ready” and how I think about the work done by the PO in getting ready for the Sprint. Limiting the size of work brought into a Sprint has always been something I have advocated for because I think it helps the Development Team, but I’ve never taken the time to think about how it might create challenges for the PO, who may be far more concerned about the Release than the Sprint. Links from the Podcast Ron Jeffries on Story Points and Ideal Time https://ronjeffries.com/articles/019-01ff/story-points/Index.html Mike Cohn on Story Points https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/what-are-story-points Kenny Rubin on Definition of Ready https://innolution.com/blog/definition-of-ready Why We Use Fibonacci Number to Estimate Story Points (Jeff Sutherland) https://www.scruminc.com/why-do-we-use-fibonacci-numbers-to-estimate-user-stories/ Probabilistic Forecasting Interview with Troy Lightfoot https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/54062/Probabilistic-Forecasting-with-Troy-Lightfoot No BS Estimation Cards https://estimation.lunarlogic.io 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 Andrew Young LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/andrew-young/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atyoung/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/exclamation101 Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Julianne Jones is a Principal Consultant with LeadingAgile. Her work includes interfacing with the leaders of high profile organizations and pairing with them in order to help Transform their organization to achieve true Business Agility. She's also someone who believes in giving back to the Agile community. Recently, Julianne spent a week serving as the ScrumMaster for the volunteers that helped put on the 2019 North American Global Scrum Gathering. In this episode of SoundNotes, Julianne shares some details about her experience volunteering for the Scrum Alliance. She talks about the work she did in Austin acting as a servant leader for the many people who gave their time in order to make the North American Global Scrum Gathering one of the most valuable Agile events to take place each year. During the interview, Dave and Julianne discuss why volunteering for professional organizations is so important, the benefits you receive as a reward for your time, and what it’s like to spend a few days coming together with dedicated people who want to commit their time to ensure that the people who come to the Scrum Gathering have the best possible experience. Note from Dave: Volunteering for professional organizations like the Scrum Alliance and the Agile Alliance is one of the most powerful things you can do to develop your career. By offering your time, you get the opportunity to engage with people who are truly dedicated to Transforming the world of work. It's also one of the best ways you can develop a large network of like-minded individuals who you can turn to for support when you face challenging situations in Agile or when you are looking for a new gig. Volunteering For information on Volunteering for the Scrum Alliance: https://www.scrumalliance.org/get-involved For information on Volunteering for the Agile Alliance: https://www.agilealliance.org/the-alliance/volunteer-signup/ (AgileAlliance membership is required) To contact Julianne Jones Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/julianne-jones/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-jones-4042264/ Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

In this week’s episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Senior Consultant Sara McClintock and Dave take on two topics submitted by students from our CSM and CSPO classes: 1. What can I do in an organization to grow and promote our Sprint Reviews? 2. Stakeholder demand for timelines or deadlines being an impediment for the team. Sara and Dave discuss different approaches to helping leadership understand the importance of Sprint Reviews and why their participation is so necessary for delivering a successful product. They also explore different techniques for responding to requests/demands that include unrealistic timelines and ways to begin coaching leadership into prioritizing the work, so that if a date commitment is established, the team can maximize the value they can deliver by the deadline. Contacting Sara McClintock If you’d like to contact Sara you can reach her at: Web: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/sara-mcclintock/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramcclintock/ Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

At LeadingAgile we believe that the ability to realize the benefits of an Agile approach begins with there core things: stable teams, a well-formed backlog, and the ability to consistently deliver working tested software. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Managing Consultant, Jeff Howey, spends time talking with Dave about what a “well-formed backlog” actually is. Jeff and Dave discuss characteristics of a well-formed backlog, how you know if you’ve got one and why that's so important. Along the way, they also explore the differences between Epics, Features, Themes, and Stories and how those terms might be used to break down all the work that led up to Marvel’s new film “Avengers: End Game”. Note: Jeff recommends listening to the podcast at 1.5 normal speed. This will allow you to get through the podcast quicker, but the pace should still be okay for most listeners. Contacting Jeff Howey If you’d like to contact Jeff you can reach him at: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhowey/ 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: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

When we develop products, we're responsible for maximizing the value we deliver to the customer. In order to do this, we have to understand who we're actually building the products for. We need to know who the customer is, what problem(s) we're trying to solve for them, and any additional information we can gather that will give us more insight into their needs and how we can address them. We also need to have an awareness of where our assumptions about the customer may be introducing risk. Unfortunately, we often get so focused on creating and delivering that this area of focus doesn't receive the level of attention that's needed to ensure that we're solving the right problem(s) in the best way possible. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile SVP and Executive Consultant, Scott Sehlhorst makes the case for why this work is so important and why empathy maps are such a critical (and often ignored) aspect of this work. Scott and Dave talk through a step-by-step approach you can use to deepen your understanding of the customer and their needs, as well as how to make sure the solution you are working on is the right one and how to manage your risk by tracking and testing your assumptions and biases along the way. If you're skeptical about the value that empathy maps provide, or how important it is to take the time to collect, analyze, and test information about your customer, this podcast is for you. And if you're looking for a detailed explanation of how to go about figuring all this out, this conversation may provide you with the blueprint you need to get started making sure you actually know who it is you're trying to “delight” with the products you create. The graphic below is referenced throughout the podcast, you’ll want to have that handy as you listen. Links From The Podcast The podcast Scott and Dave previously recorded which includes a detailed walk through of how to create an empathy map can be found here: Creating Empathy Maps with Scott Sehlhorst You can find Dave Gray's Empathy Map template here: http://gamestorming.com/empathy-mapping/ Contacting Scott Sehlhorst If you’d like to contact Scott you can reach him at: 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 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: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

When it comes to Agile Transformation, every organization has to deal with things in the system that are blocking them from developing an Agile System of Delivery. Impediments to Transformation exist at many levels: organizations, architectural, cultural, etc. Many of these impediments are common across companies and can be known and planned for ahead of time. In LeadingAgile's approach, there are 3 Things that are necessary for an organization to be capable of an Agile approach. Those 3 Things are stable teams, a well-formed backlog, and the ability to deliver a working tested increment of product on a regular basis. Anything that gets in the way of these 3 Things must be addressed as part of the Transformation. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Founder and CEO, Mike Cottmeyer, and Dave Prior discuss what a System of Transformation, some of the more common impediments to Agile Transformation, and ways to cope with those impediments. This episode is a follow up to the podcast: System of Delivery vs. System of Transformation. 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: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo Email: https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Metrics are important. Tracking work is important. “What gets measured gets done." But, if you don’t understand why you're measuring things, or what the problem you're trying to solve when you begin measuring things—no amount of metrics is going to help. In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile Senior Consultant, Jessica Wolfe and Dave Prior talk about metrics and how important it is to understand what problem you're trying to solve when you begin using metrics to understand performance and improvement. This interview is a follow up to a presentation Jessica gave recently at Agile Tampa called "Achieving Success with any Agile Planning Tool". During the podcast, Jessica and Dave discuss some of the more common things organizations initially track when they're moving away from a traditional approach, what to be careful about when you begin using these metrics, how the metrics that you're focused on will evolve over time as you mature in your adoption of Agile, and what to do if you find yourself tracking information and you aren't sure why. Additional Information During the podcast, Jessica and Dave make a reference to how we design the tool to help the end users understand the new way of working in the LeadingAgile model, so we wanted to provide a couple of screenshots to assist you in seeing some of the possibilities. Here's an example of what the tool might look like at the Portfolio Tier on an Epic. Image One: Problem Clarity Image Two: Targeting Contacting Jessica If you’d like to contact Jessica you can reach her at: LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/jessica-wolfe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejessicawolfe/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thejessicawolfe Email: [email protected] Contacting Dave 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] Send Us Your Questions If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to [email protected] Upcoming Classes And if you are interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified Scrum Master or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/