The Agile Coach Podcast

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A CAREER IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT? Then this is the episode for you!Learn what is a product manager and his/her role in the business as a whole, the ins and outs of this job in terms of day-to-day tasks, and its dynamics with the product management team.Today we have Laurin Lukas Stahl on board. Laurin is the Head of Product at Trality and is a great source of insight into product management. Meet Laurin and learn more from him in this latest episode of The Agile Coach. HIGHLIGHTSLaurin's quest to become a product managerWhat is a product managerWhat's awesome about being a product managerThe day-to-day life of a product managerSkill set and attributes of a product managerQUOTESLaurin - Defining a product manager:“The product manager that is working on a specific product or feature in a specific scope, that's the person who's supposed to have all the information available to make the right decisions on how the product is supposed to be taken for.”Laurin - Role of a product manager:“Make all the decisions and have all the information available, while always trying to get as much value out as possible with as little resources as possible. So basically, how can I drive the product forward as efficiently as possible.”Laurin - Important attribute of a product manager:“One thing is curiosity. So I really like to understand how things work and to take things apart.”Laurin - Strategizing for a product:“The number one thing is actually having a product strategy and making sure that everyone that works with the product is following and agrees with the same strategy.”Get to know Laurin and what he’s up to:About LaurinAbout TralitySign up with TralityConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

In this episode of The Agile Coach, Vivek and Pabitra will go in-depth with explaining the difference between a Sprint Review and a Sprint Retrospective. Pabitra will be spilling all the juicy details from the definition, to how each of these two activities is executed.HIGHLIGHTSWhat is a Sprint reviewObserved patternsThe need for databasesWhat is a Sprint RetrospectiveMake the retrospective funIt's not a blame gameQUOTESPabitra - Defining a Sprint Review:“Sprint Review really is a more of an informal event that happens into the sprint and is really to showcase what the team has done over the sprint, really the product increment, what did they create.”Pabitra - The need for databases:“Even though the stakeholders might not understand the technicality of it, just talking about it and saying, we needed to create this database, or we needed to do this thing on the back end, and now because we have this, here is how it's gonna help.”Pabitra - Defining a Sprint Retrospective:“Sprint retrospective is a big deal for the team and also for the scrum master because that's one meeting that you solely are responsible for.Pabitra - Keep it fresh and fun:“You want to keep it spicy, you want to keep it fun and engaging, and so definitely restarts, research some things so that you can keep it fresh and keep alternating throughout.”Pabitra - Don’t make it a blame game:“We want to talk on how we improve on these different things, but we're not here to blame anybody, and so really putting that up there, it's definitely important.”Get to know Pabitra and what she’s up to:About PabitraConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PLAN.Vivek and Pabitra will be sitting down today to discuss the ins and outs of sprint planning. Tune in and learn how sprint planning is done, what challenges you may face and the best methods to use straight from our hosts, only here in the latest episode of The Agile Coach. HIGHLIGHTSThe art of sprint planningThe definition of readyAutonomy defines the team's capacityThe purpose of backlog refinementThe best method of conducting a standupQUOTESPabitra - The importance of goal-writing:“Coming up with goal-writing the goal based on what the team is committing to a lot of times it's not just like the user story, but the outcome is if we complete this set of a user story or this functionality.”Pabitra - Why autonomy is needed in a team:“We're trying to create self-organizing autonomous teams, and so if I don't give that autonomy to the team, we don't know what our capacity is yet.”Pabitra - The purpose of backlog refinement:“The way I see the purpose of backlog refinement is to look at the product backlog and create that shared understanding more than anything.”Pabitra - Best way of doing a stand-up:“The best method to conduct a stand-up, I found is to kind of walking the board. So instead of like calling on each person and making it seem like that person is giving a status.”Get to know Pabitra and what she’s up to:About PabitraConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Lynnea is back for another round in The Agile Coach. In this episode, Lynnea will be talking about Radical Self Awareness, where she and Vivek will be touching on The Drama Triangle, its roles, and how it is observed. Tune in and learn more about how this awareness can be used in your daily role.Haven’t checked Part 1 with Lynnea Brumbaugh yet? Don’t miss Episode 58: CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP: What It Is, What It Does, How It’s Done, With Lynnea Brumbaugh (Part 1)HIGHLIGHTSLynnea Brumbaugh is backThe Drama TriangleThe three main roles in the melodramaHow to look at the drama triangleHow to get out of the dramaQUOTESHow Lynnea defines radical self-awareness:“When life feels constricted, we start playing roles, we start putting on our masks, we show up not as our sort of glorious, amazing people that we actually truly are.”Lynnea talks about the roles in the drama triangle:“If there's a melodrama on stage, you've got a hero, you got a victim, and you got a villain. And those are the three main drama roles that the Drama Triangle place.”Lynnea presents the 3 steps of observing the drama triangle:“Step one would be we notice it and other people step, notice it in ourselves, and step three is stepping back and becoming curious becoming the observer of the drama. So it's always easier to detect ego behavior, like drama mask behavior in other people.”How Lynnea defines a healthy state of being:“A healthy expanded state of being means that our behaviors, and our thoughts and our emotions are literally responding to whatever is happening at this moment.”Get to know Lynnea and what she’s up to:About LynneaAbout Quantum Empowerment AcademyQuantum Empowerment Academy WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Last week we talked about minding emotions as a leader, this week, we will be talking about conscious leadership. And there’s no better way to do this than having Lynnea Brumbaugh in this latest episode of The Agile Coach. Lynnea is the CEO of Quantum Empowerment Academy, dedicated to its advocacy of transformational leadership. Tune in to Lynnea and Vivek as they unpack what conscious leadership is and how it helps leaders improve.HIGHLIGHTSIntroducing Lynnea BrumbaughWhat is conscious leadershipHow to become a conscious leaderHow to handle employee blindspotsWhat is focused energy flowTalking about emotionsEmotions vs. feelingsQUOTESHow Lynnea defines conscious leadership:“Conscious leadership is living from the present moments, like living in this moment. And then having the ability to lead other people from a deep place of this is now this is today, this is not what happened last week.Lynnea on handling employee blind spots:“Step one for blind spot awareness is taking a breath or two taking learning to take some conscious breaths.”How Sagar sees organizations strive to innovate:“Because when we work with our blind spots, we are by definition, tapping into our survival systems, that helped us to survive when we were little in the world.”Get to know Lynnea and what she’s up to:About LynneaAbout Quantum Empowerment AcademyQuantum Empowerment Academy WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

There’s a misconception that the tech world is not a place for emotions, but Sagar Satyal completely disagrees. For Sagar, emotional intelligence is a key factor in communication and is very very vital. Join Vivek as he welcomes Sagar, and they will be talking about the ins and outs of emotional intelligence factoring in the NVC framework, only here in the latest episode of The Agile Coach.HIGHLIGHTSIntroducing Sagar SatyalImportance of psychological safetyEmpathy and InvulnerabilityWhat is self-awareness vs. self-deceptionThe Jackal vs. the GiraffeThe language to use in NVCSagar's final thoughtsQUOTESHow Sagar sees organizations strive to innovate:“The way I see it, having worked with individuals and teams in organizations, obviously, they want to innovate. They want to stay relevant. I think that's the fundamental thing because it's an ever-changing world.”Sagar’s opinion on teamwork:“I think teamwork and collaboration are very important, I don't think it's just a matter of individuals performing in silos and then moving up, and then that turning out to be a great creative process, I don't think it works that way.”What Sagar thinks about empathy:“I think it requires vulnerability to be empathetic because I have a lot of things to say to you, but I also keep that in mind that just like me, you also have your own needs, objectives, and challenges when you show up at work.”Sagar on emotional intelligence in leadership:“Ultimately, it trickles down to emotional intelligence. It's about being able to recognize emotions, understand emotions in yourself, understand emotions in the other person, and acknowledging these emotions that are at play.”Sagar on actions and consequences:“A lot of times we lack emotional intelligence because we don't see the consequences of our actions. We don't see the long-term ramifications of our actions right.”Get to know Sagar and what she’s up to:About SagarAbout My Emotions MatterMy Emotions Matter WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

You gotta learn a little bit of everything. These are the best words from Sangya Gyawali, Head of Product at Flextock. Sangya has a mix of business analytics and entrepreneurial background and will be sharing with Vivek and the audience her background, what it takes to be in her role, and how she deals with challenges in her daily routine.HIGHLIGHTSSangya Gyawali: Business Analyst & EntrepreneurBeing a business analyst in bankingThe day-to-day routineChallenges in communicatingSangya's tips to new BAsQUOTESAligning teams the Sangya way: “A lot of it is around aligning your team that you're a part of, in making sure that we're still progressing, and we're still trying to achieve the same thing.”Sangya’s responsibility as a BA: "As your role suggests, you're there to offer the technical pattern recognition, analytical skill sets that your team doesn't have.”How Sangya deals with the challenges of her role: "My technique has always been to be good at a little bit good at everything, and I tried to go deep when I can, and that's usually in more my analytical skill set.”Sangya says adaptability is key: "Your competitive edge is how much you can adapt and be flexible as techniques change and methods change."Get to know Sangya and what she’s up to:About SangyaAbout FlextockFlextock WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Dilip, author and now the Founder, CEO, and Chief Product Therapist of Nimi is back in the pod with Vivek. This time around Dilip will go deep with Vivek as he shares his personal journey, his dream to work in America, and the challenges he had to go through to get where he is now. The two will also be exchanging their personal experiences in moving to America and their humble beginnings. HIGHLIGHTSDilip's backgroundThe 3 phases of Dilip's careerAspirations can hold you backThere are many paths in lifeExchange of personal experiencesQUOTESDilip on his background: “Getting your products to market or scaling it, growing products that have been so that's my background, my career.”Dilip on being held back by aspirations: “I have a good career, and I have a good life now. So I think what it tells us is that sometimes we have these aspirations, and they can hold us back.”Dilip on the different paths of life: “There are many paths in life, and you can make the best out of any path that you're taking. The goal is, are you growing? Are you questioning yourself? Right? Do you have a growth mindset?”Vivek on the journey to the USA: “It was like this journey that I went to, there's the whole world, new people, opportunities, and there was a lot to learn.”Dilip on making mistakes: “People should make mistakes. That's how they learn from mistakes. We should minimize the costly ones. Of course, we should have. It's more on processes.”Get to know Dilip and what he’s up to:About DilipAbout NimiNimi WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

It’s ANU day, ANU episode, and in this latest edition of The Agile Coach, Vivek Khattri welcomes Anu Jayasinghe. Anu is the Design Lead at Publicis Sapient. Formerly a UX Designer at IBM, Anu would be a great resource of UX design insights and he will be sharing big chunks of it here, in The Agile Coach.HIGHLIGHTSHow Anu get into UXFinding the first jobAnu's first experience with agileThe UI-UX differenceCurrent projects and challengesHow to start with UX designWhat sets a designer apartQUOTESAnu: “My internships and all that I realized I loved what I did. But when I saw the reality of what that's like, professionally, it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do. But I realized that UX and the whole digital space were a lot more interesting to me.”Anu: “We started doing agile in two weeks, sprints, all of that. And we would, at the end of every two weeks, delivered the design, to engineering.”Anu: “The biggest thing that sets apart a designer from an engineer or business analyst or product owner, whoever is that, for a designer, the, what they care about the most is that end-user, like the human being, who is using whatever the product or services, and that's what they care about, that's the person they care about.”Get to know Anu and what he’s up to:About AnuAbout Publicis SapientAnu’s WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Joe Ziadeh is back in another value-packed episode of The Agile Coach with Vivek Khattri. Vivek and Joe will be diving into the art of estimation and will be exploring a lot of interesting bits and pieces today such as what is estimation, why do it, the right approach to estimate, amazing story points, and when teams should estimate. Tune in and learn more about estimation now.HIGHLIGHTSThe what and why of estimationProbabilistic vs. Deterministic approachDissecting story pointsUtilizing the Fibonacci sequenceDo's and Don'ts of EstimationThe problem when comparing two teamsWhen do teams estimateQUOTESJoe: “In the end, somebody's like, hey, I need to have this done by a certain time. And we estimate so that we can make sure that we get that stuff done.”Joe: “What it's basically saying to an Agile team is, we're going to roughly size this work so that we can determine how long it will take.”Joe: “When we're talking about agile estimation, what we're saying is, we're not going to take that gut feel we're going to instead focus on empirical estimation.”Joe: “We're going to use the Fibonacci sequence to estimate our stories instead of just 1,2,3,4,5 level blah, and he was like, Okay, why? And they said ‘ ‘because the Fibonacci sequence is cool.”Joe: “Never be afraid to change the stuff that your teams are doing. I mean, try it and see if it works. If it works, yeah, keep doing it.”Joe: “That's what happens when you have two teams. So even if they're comparing the exact same task, no two teams have the exact same amount of experience with that task.”Get to know Joe and what he’s up to:About JoeAbout Balanced AgilityBalanced Agility WebsiteConnect with Vivek and find out more about what he’s up to:About VivekAbout The Agile CoachAgile Coach WebsiteIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Dilip Ramachandran took the uphill journey to become a product manager, learned as much as he can, and now has reached the level he has wanted to achieve. Dilip is an author and now the Founder, CEO, and Chief Product Therapist of Nimi. Vivek and Dilip will be talking about his journey and the valuable lessons he learned along the way, only here in The Agile Coach.HIGHLIGHTSDilip's Professional StoryThe Uphill Journey To Product ManagementThe Love Of Product BuildingThe Learning Curve As A Product ManagerBecoming An Analytical LeaderLeadership Through EmpathyUnderstanding Executive PresenceQUOTESDilip: “as you progress in your career later on, okay, my mindset was, well, I've been kind of taking, I've been kind of, you know, you know, benefiting from the system, how am I going to give back, what's the next phase of my life.”Dilip: “I really thrive in a small environment where I'm building products, and creating products or ideating products.”Dilip: “When you become a leader, your job is not in creating perfect estimates, your job is not be the person who knows all the answers, your job is to be the guide, your job is to be the person taking the team to the tunnel.”Dilip: “Empathy is really not sympathy. Empathy is really trying to feel what somebody is going through. And you really can't feel what somebody's going through until you really are in their position.”Dilip: “Figure out what you're really passionate about, and try your best to figure out your path, your purpose, it doesn't have to be perfect.”Get to know Dilip and what he’s up to:About Dilip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dilipramachandran/About Nimi: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nimidev/Nimi Website: https://nimidev.com/Learn more about our host with the link below:Vivek Khattri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

It’s Round 2 in this latest episode of the Agile Coach, as Vivek Khattri once again welcomes Michelle Pauk, the Director for Agile Coaching and Kaizen Facilitation at Pfizer. Michelle will be sharing her views on resistance to change and how it affects Agile Transformation, her views on maintaining psychological safety, and the SCARF Model.HIGHLIGHTSResistance to change in leadership and teamsMichelle on Psychological SafetyThe More Humane Way of Applying AgileGiving a good experience to your Agile teamThe SCARF ModelQUOTESMichelle: “The studies that come out about Agile transformation and resistance to change are cited as one of the main reasons why Agile transformation isn't successful.”Michelle: “I see my role as a change agent is to help people navigate through that process in a way that is humane and gentle and respectful of their choice throughout the entire process.”Michelle: “There are many people who are just told you are going to be part of a scrum team, or you're, we're going Agile, buckle up, buttercup, and they, you know, and they're just, they're along for the ride, but they may not be really into it.”Michelle: “SCARF is an acronym that stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness.”Learn more about Michelle in the link below:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-pauk-82a88316/Learn more about our host with the link below:Vivek Khattri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Many people hesitate in getting into the Agile, Scrum, or Product Ownership career simply because they don’t have a background in tech or they come from a different industry. In this episode of The Agile Coach, Kevin King, a Sr. Product Owner for Data Analytics/Integration at Charter Communications will be sharing his story and prove that is not the case. Kevin hailed from a Sales career before getting into Agile and Product Ownership, which led him today to his very fulfilling career. Learn more about Kevin now, so tune in!HIGHLIGHTSKevin's professional careerFrom Sales to Product OwnershipMisconceptions in Agile and ScrumProduct ownership requires learningAlways ask if neededQUOTESKevin: “I worked with I met some of my best friends that I still have today in sales. And it really made me a better person, to be honest, persevering through all the rejection and the hustle you have to have it really set me up for success in my current role.”Vivek: “If you have the work ethic to work 50-60 hours and grind it out. If you can't do tech, you're gonna be really appreciated because, in my opinion, tech is there's a lot of work-life balance.”Kevin: “One of the most common misconceptions about getting into the Agile space is that you need to have this glorious background of coding and what infrastructures look like.”Vivek: “The challenge is not having the tech background, the challenge is you're not being adaptable, you're not being able to learn new stuff, you are not able to like listen to another Product Owner/Product Manager.”Learn more about Kevin in the link below:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/king-kevin/Learn more about our hosts with the link below:Vivek Khattri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/Pabitra Khanal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabitrakhanal/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

In this latest episode of the Agile Coach, Vivek Khattri welcomes Michelle Pauk, the Director for Agile Coaching and Kaizen Facilitation at Pfizer. Michelle will be sharing her unlikely entry to the world of tech and her personal experience from her humble beginnings in Agile and Scrum, to the mindset shift of anticipating risks, to the struggles of being a new Scrum Master.HIGHLIGHTSThe start of Michelle's tech careerGetting into Agile and ScrumMindset shift of anticipationStruggles of being a new Scrum MasterCoaching new Scrum MastersQUOTESMichelle: “We are drawn to the things that we need to learn, or we teach the things we need to learn. I think that is absolutely true.”Michelle: “I guess the mindset shift for me was realizing like, as a project venue manager, I genuinely felt bad that I didn't anticipate that these things would happen.”Michelle: “One of the things that I try to make space for people I'm mentoring or coaching to think about that reflects on that conversation, but also encouraging them to do some of that reflection work themselves.”Michelle: “I would just say, you know, the learning process is very messy. Learning happens in the mess. And if you can be comfortable with that, like, you can know everything there is to know about agile, so is it really about you? This is about the team.”Learn more about Michelle in the link below:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-pauk-82a88316/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Jolene Jangles is back!Vivek Khattri and Pabitra Khanal welcome Jolene back in this latest episode of The Agile Coach! Jolene is a Transformation Coach and the CEO of Balanced Agility, a company dedicated to developing organizations' capabilities to use agile as a strategic business asset. HIGHLIGHTSAbout Balanced AgilityGetting aligned with clientsEffectively choosing leadersScrum masters in new organizationsWhat a Scrum master really isQUOTESJolene: “So balance, agility, the concept, the name, really even try to convey our approach to everything that we do. So we mainly play in the space of training and coaching.”Jolene: “It goes to an approach that we take in everything we do, really a balanced approach, as we took a look at what differentiates us from a lot of folks.”Jolene: “It really starts with the very first conversation that you have with them. So way before the actual engagement. And this is going to vary for the role.”Jolene: “When it comes to the balanced approach is going there is an understanding what is the job that they're looking for you to do? That's one of the things to know. And knowing if you're going in, where are they in?”Jolene: “Being a great leader means being able to ask great questions. So when I interview folks, when I'm hiring for these roles, the questions that they ask are almost as important as the answers.”Jolene: “My biggest tip for Scrum Masters is it's not about the Agile tools. They're just tools and techniques to get you there.”Learn more about Jolene in the link below:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolene-jangles/Balanced Agility: https://www.linkedin.com/company/balanced-agility/Website: https://www.balancedagility.com/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

It’s round 2 of our two-part series of The Agile Coach, where Vivek Khattri welcomes a former colleague, Nikhil Nambiar. Nikhil was a former Lead Technical Instructor in the Agile Coach and is now a Senior Consultant for Slalom Consulting. Nikhil will be spending the time of this 2nd episode discussing the basic understanding a scrum master should have, and what is really important with the role of a scrum master. HIGHLIGHTSUnderstanding APIKnow the basics, be curiousWhat's important for Nikhil when interviewingScrum Master problem solvingDealing with compliance problemsHandling objections from other scrum mastersWhat is DevOpsQUOTESNikhil: “No, you don't have to be technical to be a scrum master. But you need to have a certain level of understanding and certain level of curiosity around what technology is, and what are the things that developers go through in order to be a great scrum master.”Nikhil: “It's not about knowing how to solve the problem. It's about identifying the problem. And getting the right people in the room to solve that problem.”Nikhil: “Scrum Masters, first of all, don't even look at that as a problem. Because they'll go like, Oh, this is compliance. This is how the company operates.”Nikhil: “Agile is not about perfection. So whatever you're trying to do here, is like, you need to view it from the lens of this team. Yeah, not from one Agile principle that has been followed in the industry.”Nikhil: “DevOps, in general, is a team that is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure where code is deployed.”Learn more about Nikhil in the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nambiarnikhil/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Today is the first of a two-part series of The Agile Coach, where Vivek Khattri welcomes a former colleague, Nikhil Nambiar. Nikhil was a former Lead Technical Instructor in the Agile Coach and is now a Senior Consultant for Slalom Consulting. He will be sharing a bit of his background today and will talk about what Agile means to him, and the importance of quality in product development. HIGHLIGHTSNikhil’s work at SlalomNikhil on working on codeWhat agile means to NikhilBugs and businessesEnsuring quality in developmentQUOTESNikhil: “I think there's a large perception of how developers view agile people is most likely because we have had poor Scrum Masters and poor product owners, or a lack of quality of resources, or people in those roles, brings about certain impressions.”Nikhil: “So when I'm when we are developing things, a lot of times it is easy to get caught up in the details and to go into different rabbit holes, because the technology being a knowledge-based profession, especially for engineering, yeah, you can quickly start spiraling out into trying to make things perfect.”Nikhil: “My opinion is that if you truly want to move quickly, you are going to have issues with your application. And that is something that you need to accept as normal.”Nikhil: “even though, yeah, the fact is that there are going to be issues, that does not mean that as developers, we shouldn't be improving the quality of our application, our overarching goal still needs to be that we need to deliver high-quality solutions in a timely manner.”Vivek: “I've been a product person, and we don't need a perfect architecture, we don't need perfectly clean code, we just need something to put it out there.”Learn more about Nikhil in the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nambiarnikhil/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

It’s round 3 with Senior Director of Agile Coaching and Kaizen Lead for Pfizer, Matt Philip in this exciting new episode of The Agile Coach. In this episode, Matt will be sharing his views on the Iron Triangle, Fitness for purpose, the significance of experimentation, and many more. HIGHLIGHTSThe Iron Triangle ModelThe other triangle: ROI, Sentiment, and FitnessImportance of experimentationIntegrating the possibility of failureQUOTESMatt: “I think that the whole Iron Triangle of project management back in the day was it served some, some benefits. There was there's some rigor around managing processes, managing projects, there's a lot of good stuff there.”Matt: “The most important thing is whether someone will actually use this product and how quickly they'll use it. “Matt: “ Only the customer, only the consumer can define if it's fit for their purpose.”Matt: “We see this a lot, whether it's software or otherwise, people are afraid to change stuff because they don't know what they're going to break.”Learn more about Matt in the link below:Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/matthewphilipWebsite: mattphilip.wordpress.com/Twitter: mattphilipIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and interested in learning more, you can check us out in the Link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

It’s round 2 with Senior Director of Agile Coaching and Kaizen Lead for Pfizer, Matt Philip in this exciting new episode of The Agile Coach. In this episode, Matt will be sharing with Vivek a little overview of the “8 Stances of a Scrum Master”, and gets down to the details about the “Coaching Stance”. Our duo will also be discussing why it is important to quantify goals when coaching a team. HIGHLIGHTSMatt’s leadership modelThe 8 stances of a scrum masterMatt on the Coaching StanceWhy it’s good to quantify thingsQUOTESMatt: “I think there's some great stuff that we can learn from our friends who do experience design as a professional.”Matt: “I've also found a lot of coaches including myself, it's hard for us to really feel like the sense of accomplishment because it's like this a soft thing. I'm helping other people succeed. But how do I know if I succeeded?”Matt: “It's actually quite meaningful for a coach, I think, to be able to say, ‘ ‘Alright, here's the quantified value of what I've helped me this to do. And it creating small experiments to get us toward that bit.”Learn more about Matt in the link below:Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/matthewphilipWebsite: mattphilip.wordpress.com/Twitter: mattphilipIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and interested in learning more, you can check us out in the Link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

The Agile Coach goes big in its latest episode as Vivek Khattri welcomes Matt Philip, to talk about leading the Agile Transformation in a large organization. Matt has over 15 years of experience in the Software Development industry, and is now the Senior Director for Agile Coaching and Kaizen Lead in Pfizer, leading the company’s Agile Transformation.Matt and Vivek will be discussing what it takes to lead the Agile Transformation for large organizations with multiple levels and teams, what challenges you may encounter, and what matters in building an Agile Team. HIGHLIGHTSThe Agile Transformation in PfizerCompanies owning Agile processesChallenges in Agile TransformationAdding value as an Agile CoachCore values in building an Agile TeamQUOTESMatt: “One pattern I've seen across multiple companies, the organization doesn't have the capability to do this stuff.”Matt: “Helping the organization own it, rather than just kind of have something installed on itself, that's the real hard work that coaches, Scrum Masters, and product people do.”Matt: “I try to work at the highest levels, I can't, at some point, you're gonna get frustrated, you're gonna get the resistance. So part of it is understanding how you deal with change.”Matt: “I think a lot of organizations suffer from a lack of psychological safety, organizationally, in teams.”Matt: “For leaders, managers, always be working on yourself first. You know, I realized how much I fail, and how much I want to improve. And so always be reading, always improving.”Learn more about Matt in the link below:Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/matthewphilipWebsite: mattphilip.wordpress.com/Twitter: mattphilipIf you enjoy The Agile Coach and interested in learning more, you can check us out in the Link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

Facilitating a retrospective is one tough cookie to crumble. But you don’t have to panic so much, because our hosts today, Vivek Khattri and Joe Ziadeh, will be giving you the information you need to successfully facilitate a retrospective. In this episode of The Agile Coach, Vivek and Joe will be exploring Esther Derby and Diana Larson's five stages of a retrospective and will be explaining them to you with their own flair.HIGHLIGHTSIntroduction to the 5 stages of a retrospectiveStage 1: Set the stageStage 2: Gather dataStage 3: Generate insightStage 4: Decide what to doStage 5: Close the retrospectiveQUOTESJoe: “Very first stage. And number one thing they call out, set the stage, if you show up panicked, if you're freaking out, they're going to be freaked out.”Joe: “Next step, gathering the data, now look, if they have a bunch of data, great, have them bring in the data and then look at the data.”Joe: “Now, we're going to go from just having data to gathering insights. So there's a difference between data and wisdom. Data is just information, wisdom, or the insights that you gather from that data.”Joe: “Your job isn't to have the answer. Your job as a facilitator is to help them process through the framework. It's to help work them through the process so that they can solve these problems on their own.”Joe: “The next stage is deciding what to do. So you take a list of all these experiments and you vote on them again.”Joe: “Make sure that you celebrate. Let these people know that they accomplished something. And then document the experiments. Don't just do all of this work and say that was really great. And then walk out of this room and let all the experiments fall on the floor.”Learn more about Vivek in the link below:Vivek Khattri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and interested in learning more, you can check us out in the Link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc

HIGHLIGHTSBenefits of Agile and ScrumPeter and Vivek’s backgroundWhat is Agile?Understanding Agile TerminologiesRoles and Tools involved in AgileSkills needed for AgileQUOTESPeter: “I've really seen agile find its place in a lot of major companies, from an IT perspective, from a business intelligence perspective, from an enterprise and data analytics perspective, as really the modern way to help push those companies forward.”Peter: “Companies prefer to get value to the customer early on, they almost want to bring value to the customer on a weekly basis, and that's where they actually need talent who can think in that way.”Peter: “If you don't have a strong software background, the way that I've always thought about agile as I've gotten started, is it's really the way that we go about living our lives as we take on a project.”Vivek: “Everything is teachable and coachable.”Peter: “You are going to wear many different hats and that's really what Agile promotes is it allows that you know, you on a team can wear many different hats in any given time.”Learn more about Peter and Vivek in the links below:Vivek Khattri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/Peter Scmitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-g-schmitz/If you enjoy The Agile Coach and interested in learning more, you can check us out in the Link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc/

HIGHLIGHTSA Business Analyst’s day-to-dayA Business Analyst’s accomplishmentsImportance of being a Business AnalystRequirement GatheringReasons to be a Business AnalystBusiness Analyst toolsQUOTESPeter: “It really comes down to having an inquisitive nature, and then also being comfortable asking questions and guiding those conversations with stakeholders and product owners and product managers, so that you can really start to understand and derive value in the organization that way.”Vivek: “As a BA you need to be a few Sprint's ahead, and you want to refine those stories in your product backlog in partnership with the product owner or a product manager”Peter: “For me, conveying that in the interview that I want to shadow somebody that I want a good relationship with another business analyst is crucial. Because if they say, “Oh, that's not something that we do”, that's actually a red flag for me in the interview saying, well, “How am I going to learn?”Peter: “In the interview, and then actually executing in your role, you want to make sure that you communicate how you are good at aligning on what the most important thing is to focus on. Because as a business analyst, there's always 1000 different things you could do.”Peter: “Companies are born out of chaos, right? There's something chaotic in the world. And as a function of that you create a solution. And so your goal isn't to fight the chaos, it's to embrace it.”Learn more about Peter in the link below:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/peter-g-schmitz

HIGHLIGHTSJess’ definition of NetworkingHow Jess got her skill in networkingWhy networking is powerfulNavigating job seekers and recruiters in networkingDesperation vs. UrgencyBest practices for job seekers can networkBest approaches in Jess’ experience in recruitmentWorking on limiting beliefs and self doubtDealing with imposter syndromeRecommended habits for people in the job marketQUOTESJess: “But I think today, you know, if we really look at the word networking, and how I see it is really just making connections with people, connecting other human beings, learning about them, sharing your own experiences, you could be networking all the time.”Jess: “I think networking is powerful, because you never know who's going to open what door”Jess: “I really love the magic and the idea of like, wow, you never know what's gonna happen. You never know what piece of information this person could give you that could shift your whole path or your whole world”Vivek: “The world is so vast, there's so many interesting people, there's so many interesting things.”Jess: “Show up in curiosity, say, Hey, I'm really interested in the work that you're doing. I'm really curious to know about what your day to day has been like, you know, what thoughts are on working for this company? Being curious works, because people want to share about their experience”Jess: “What's happening in your mind is going to affect how you show up, right? And how you up is going to affect the results that you get. So if you're reaching out to people with this super needy, desperate energy, you're going to get a different result than if you are standing in your power and saying, I know I offer value, right. And I'm curious and open to learning, that's going to get a different response. So I would say be aware of what's happening in your mind, get curious about the dialogue that you have with yourself, that's a good place to start, looking at literally what are your thoughts saying to you, is kind of where you could start diagnosing where you're at shift from there.”Vivek: “Most of the recruiters or hiring managers, like they hire people, because they want to solve a problem, they have a vacancy, they don't really hire because they're nice people, and they want to give me an opportunity.”Jess: “I will have limiting beliefs my whole life, right? They're gonna, they're gonna change and they're gonna be there. And that's okay. We can still be successful. Even with them there, I guess, is a message that I would want people to know, too, right. Like, think of all the things that you have achieved, even when you were feeling like not 100% Confident? Yeah. Once they were like, Jess, you feel like crap. And look what you've created in that feeling. Imagine what you could create, if you elevate out of this, right?”Jess: “The first thing (habits) that comes to mind is self care. We can totally burn ourselves out, especially when it comes to job searching.”Jess: “Networking is really powerful. These people have the power to like when you get in connection with people, they can give you feedback on your resume. They can tell you what to expect in the interview process. They can refer you to their companies, which is really powerful if you're making a transition.”Learn more about Jess in the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesssmithcoaching/Email: [email protected]: jesssmithcoaching.com

HIGHLIGHTSThe role of a Product OwnerLeadership factor in Product OwnershipDifference of Product Ownership and Product ManagementThe setup in Pivotal and CenturylinkThe importance of updating versions and modelsThe leadership style needed in Product OwnershipBuilding a relationship with the teamHow to build relationships with the engineering teamManaging and sourcing backlog itemsBest practices for decomposing and refining backlogsBest practices for continuous improvementBest approach for prioritizationBest practices for product life cycleRichard’s advice to new product ownersQUOTESRichard: "Because look, if it wasn't for agile, I don't think you need the idea of a product owner, if we were shipping every three years. Those were the old days, I was in those projects, those big waterfall projects where you did requirements for nine months, it coded for a few months, and you did a bunch of integration testing for twice as long.”Vivek: “It's a very demanding job. It's a really rewarding job in a minute, you know, you have to be technical. There's a lot of elements of leadership, prioritization, which is so important.”Richard: "A product owner needs to still be sitting there, readily talking to customers, readily talking to your internal teams, they care about your product, and regularly talking to engineers.”Richard: "There's gonna be different paradigms. I think the important thing is who's going to make sure that you don't add a lot of friction between; what are we trying to accomplish? And how does that get broken into work that engineers can work on? As long as you don't add friction to that and mess up that process I don't care what you call people.”Richard: "And so as a product owner, product manager, I have to be really good at identifying good data sources, adding telemetry to code, and knowing how to find some signal in the noise, because I can just get drowned in data points.”Richard: “A good product owner leads through influence. They don't have direct authority. They don't have a management staff of people, the engineers don't report to them. No, but you are leading, often by showing that you have their back.”Richard: “I learned quickly, especially with a few folks who were a little more grouchy, that I have to prove I've done the work first.”Richard: “If you want a good relationship with engineers, show you care about their thing, and genuinely.”Richard: “Yeah, I mean, arguably, some of the best parts of DevOps of Agile have these ideas that you should first of all be hiring people who are never satisfied and not in the sort of like, they're psycho. So we're just always mad about stuff. But like you people who don't just settle in go and like, good enough and good enough.”Richard: “Sometimes your priority is stabilizing it, sometimes your priority is growing something else. Sometimes your priority is maybe just finding a new market. So I think that's the awesome, fun part of this job is that there's no single sort of Product Strategy for each person. But you have to stop, observe your landscape, talk to stakeholders, understand your corporate priorities, and then reflect that in your backlog.”Richard: “But you know, hey, look, a good product owner says no, a lot. A good product owner does not say yes, all the time. That is a bad product owner, right? Because you should be saying no, you should be retiring features, retiring products when necessary. So first half, you have to think of the end sometimes.”Richard: “ Are you a learner? Are you someone who's going to come in here and invest in the relationship, you're not gonna, you're gonna have some courage, and you're gonna have an opinion. And I want to hear your point of view. And you're not just a yes person who comes in and says yes to everybody, or, you know, you're going to come in with an opinion, you're going to be observant, you're going to listen.”Learn more about Laxmi in the link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seroter/Twitter: @rseroterWebsite: https://www.seroter.com

HIGHLIGHTSWorking as a scrum master in Mayo Clinic and acquiring an Agile mindsetEmpower your team by not making them excessively reliant on you Learn how to ask the right questions, then ask some more How to create transparency in your team Working with leader to develop an agile mindset Handling a difficult member in the team What is the biggest hurdle to success?Good leadership is largely about building good rapport with co-workers How to be an effective facilitatorDon't be afraid to change things up if you're not achieving the desired outcomeHow to make retrospectives fun, engaging, and productiveQUOTESLaxmi: "I don't find myself needing to jump in to fix things for my team. In the past, when I work with teams, I used to find myself in a situation that I'm sure a lot of scrum masters out there have felt this way at some point in their careers, where in the process of being helpful, you kinda create this need for your team to become excessively reliant on you." Laxmi: "Allow the team to learn by doing something poorly. Let them have a bad daily scrum. We humans, I think, learn when we make mistakes. That's how I learn." Laxmi: "First, it's really helping the team understand what we're tying to get out of by visualizing our work. What is the reason behind transparency." Pabitra: "So it's not, you're not shoving and pushing, you're not a dictator. You're not saying, hey, like do this or do that. But you're really helping them come up with your own like ways in a way and saying, Hey, you know, I see like what you're doing here and that provides value, but here is like also by not having this in place, there's this here's what's causing us or here's the problem that's causing."Laxmi: You really want to build out a one-to-one relationship and coach them a little to find out what is getting in the way of them being a better team member, right. What is that internal dialogue? And the biggest thing is you have to be open to the experiences of that person, without any judgment." Laxmi: "I firmly believe our style and personality obviously plays an important role in our ability to effectively facilitate. However, as a scrum master, you shouldn't just subscribe to one way of facilitating team events. Yeah. So just like, you know, you're advocating to the team that, Hey, there is more than one way to achieve the same outcome. You also have to believe that there is more than one way to hold, for example, a daily scrum. If your team is still asking the same three questions, what did I work on yesterday, What am I working on today? What is progressing in my work? Then I believe you're just going through the motions and most likely, so is your team." Laxmi: "As a facilitator, you have to create an environment for the team to perform at their best. And if you're not experimenting with your technique and, you know, doing what's necessary to provide, the setting that's needed, where the team can reflect, they can discuss and have fun, I don't think you're growing as a scrum master or caring enough to bring them, bring the group together."Learn more about Laxmi in the link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laxmi-khanal-921687100/

HIGHLIGHTSA lifetime of learning What is Kanban? The Kanban Iceberg: it's not just about sign cards Explaining FlowWhat does a flow manager do? Measuring Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)The Agile ManifestoHow to coach a team on XP (Extreme Programming) On Service Delivery Review Measuring outcome vs outputQUOTESMatt: "It's been really nice to see how different people are doing things and learning from other people and different places and pick up bits and pieces. For me, an agile mindset is one of learning and so picking up bits and pieces where people are doing some interesting things, trying interesting things, and that's what I've just done. Very little of what I've done is my own novel idea. It's really just incorporating other people's ideas and making it work." Matt: "Kanban helps us to see how our work works. It's really making visible the work systems that we work in." Matt: In knowledge work, where we are in, intangible goods, it's harder to see the work. It's stuff that lives in our computers and in the cloud, and so it's not quite as transparent and visible as in a physical goods environment. Matt: "It's a way of, I talk about humanizing work. For me, seeing how actual people were doing work can be overburdened and stressed out by having too much work to work on, or not having a visibility into how things are working. And so it's about the work's sake, but also the worker's sake that I really find Kanban to be a helpful way of thinking really about our work."Matt: "The Kanban Iceberg metaphor that I've used in the past is, that which is seen at the top of the iceberg, which is the sign cards or the cork boards. But there's so much of the Kanban method that's below the surface. Not quite as easily seen. I think about the other practices, the principles, and the values."Matt: "In my experience, I've experienced lots of different places that say Agile and do Agile. My very first experience was doing XP extreme programming orientation. My main experience is initially doing Agile stuff from an XP standpoint. For me that's really valuable because I understood the importance of engineering excellence and technical excellence as opposed to just the organizing principles of some methods that are useful but don't necessarily speak to what code looks like and what deliverable work should look like." Matt: "Make it okay to fail. We talk a lot about psychological safety. Making it clear that it’s okay that you're not gonna get it right the first time. And being resilient in that experience and to learn from those things." Matt: "If doing something fast is important, there's tradeoffs obviously, maybe the quality suffers but sometimes the customer's okay with that. It takes a very important conversation to make them aware of the implications of taking some shortcuts with code. But one of the things that I find useful, for example, is predictability. Being able to be predictable in delivery, to the extent that we have control over some of these sources of variation and impact." Learn more about Matt in the link below:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewphilip/Website: http://mattphilip.wordpress.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattphilip

In today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite tips we've received from our guests about how to conduct a great retrospective. Topics to be discussed include the five steps of a retro, meeting facilitation and making retrospectives fun. Featuring clips from the following episodes (in order of appearance): Ep. 16 | Agile Team Retrospectives (ft. Meghann Rudolph) Ep. 18 | Inspiration Behind Writing Agile Retrospectives (ft. Diana Larson) Ep. 18 | Step 1: Setting the Stage (ft. Diana Larson) Ep. 18 | Step 2: Gathering Data (ft. Diana Larson) Ep. 18 | Step 3: Gathering Insight (ft. Diana Larson) Ep. 18 | Step 4: Deciding What to Do (ft. Diana Larson) Ep. 18 | Step 5: Closing the Retrospective (ft. Diana Larson) Ep. 1 | What is Meeting Facilitation? (ft. Joe Ziadeh) Ep. 14 | Making a Retrospective Fun, Engaging & Effective (ft. Adam Miner)

In today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite tips we've received from our guests about what it means to be a business analyst. Topics to be discussed include the role of a business analyst, what a business analyst is expected to know starting out, and how to mitigate risk. Featuring clips from the following episodes (in order of appearance): Ep. 2 | Role of a Business Analyst in Scrum (ft. Jeff Bubolz) Ep. 31 | What are You Expected to Know? (ft. Zach Klipsch) Ep. 31 | What is a BA Supposed to Do? (ft. Zach Klipsch) Ep. 24 | Communicating And Mitigating Risk (ft. Banu Raghuraman) Ep. 24 | How to Give Bad News or Say "No" (ft. Banu Raghuraman) Ep. 31 | Understanding Business Partners and Stakeholders (ft. Zach Klipsch)

A common misconception is that agile is a process, but it's not; it's a way of thinking. You're not just repeating steps, you're continuously inspecting and adapting and looking for ways to create a better team and a better product. In today's podcast, we sit down with director of product management, Alex Courtney, and discuss topics such as how to teach kanban, what makes a good agile candidate and solving the problems of a team. Our Speaker: Alex Courtney Alex received his bachelor's in business administration and management from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and his MBA from the University of Central Missouri. Since graduation, Alex has worked in many agile roles including those of a product manager, scrum master, and agile coach. He is currently working as the Director of Digital Product for BJC HealthCare. We are proud to introduce Alex Courtney.

In February of 2001, seventeen individuals came together to create a people-first approach to software development. These ideas are now known as The Agile Manifesto and have been summarized by twelve principles. In today's podcast, we sit down with Jeremy Aschenbrenner and dissect these principles, looking into how each one compliments the other and the core concept of empathetic product development. Our Speaker: Jeremy Aschenbrenner With a rich background in management and IT, Jeremy now acts as the chief instructor at The BA Guide where he helps other achieve their goal of becoming a business analyst. We are proud to introduce Jeremy Aschenbrenner.

To become a business analyst, there's a lot you have to learn, even after you've obtained the title and role. Aside from writing user stories and representing the end user for the development team, the role of a business analyst is really what you make of it. You're constantly learning and growing, better understanding the business practices and the people who make up the foundation of the organization. In today's podcast, we sit down with business analyst, Zach Klipsch, and discuss topics such as the BA interview process, the role of a BA and what it's like working with integrated teams. Our Speaker: Zach Klipsch After a high school injury cost him the ability to play soccer in college, Zach worked with a physical therapist who helped show him the value of determination and helping others. This inspired Zach to attend and graduate from Maryville University in Saint Louis, Missouri. Through their dual degree program with Washington University, he was able to major in biomedical engineering. After spending 6 to 8 hours per week working for the university as an analyst and technical expert, Zach discovered that he had many of the skills and tools needed to become an entrepreneur. This led him to pursue full time employment at Bayer, Centene Corp, and presently Quanterix. We are proud to introduce Zach Klipsch.

In today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite moments from interviews we've had with scrum masters here on The Agile Coach Podcast! Topics to be discussed include scaling scrum, adding value to a new team, psychological safety and unlocking intrinsic value. Featuring clips from the following episodes (in order of appearance): Ep. 13 | Facilitation from a Modern Agile Perspective (ft. Barbara Kryvko) Ep. 14 | Growing as a Scrum Master & Coach (ft. Adam Miner) Ep. 19 | Harnessing the Power of the Team (ft. Lakshmi Ramaseshan) Ep. 16 | Vulnerability & Courage (ft. Meaghann Rudolph) Ep. 9 | Mastering the Art of Scrum & Building High-Performing Teams (ft. Adam Miner) Ep. 2 | Scrum, UX Integrations & Leading Teams (ft. Jeff Bubolz) Ep. 6 | Deconstructing ScrumBan & Going from Control to Trust (ft. Andrew Stellman) Ep. 5 | Scaled Agile (SAFe) Deep-Dive for Scrum Masters (ft. Venkat Bagayat) Ep. 17 | Transparency, Collaboration & SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) (ft. Hari Khanal)

In a product-producing organization, although the vision comes from the top down, the value goes from the bottom up. This is is why empathy for all and a willingness to change are key concepts to display within a business reaching for success. In today’s podcast, we sit down with scrum master Athulya Mohanan and discuss topics such as defining Agile, challenges in Agile transitioning and what it’s like being a modern scrum master. Our Speaker: Athulya Mohanan Athulya began her career at Reiotech, a small startup in India, where she worked as a design engineer. It was here that she was introduced to Agile principles by some external consultants, but it wouldn’t be until after finishing her masters in the US and starting her PhD in electrical engineering that she’d realize her passions lied not in a research lab, but in helping individuals achieve success through Agile. Athulya has since worked as an Agile Coach and scrum master for about 6 years, transforming teams and training others in Agile boot camps. She is currently employed as a Technical Delivery Manager at OpenTable. We are proud to introduce Athulya Mohanan.

Scrum is a behavioral framework that stands upon three core pillars: transparency, inspection and adaptation. As a scrum master, it’s important to not only ensure that these pillars apply within your team, but also yourself as a leader as you strive to focus on people first. In today’s podcast, we sit down with scrum master Hari Khanal and discuss topics such as the Agile manifesto, dealing with internal and external challenges and how to empower your team. Our Speaker: Hari Khanal Hari has a passion for serving others and bringing people together, and it was this passion that drove him to leave his job in sales to pursue a career in Agile. He currently works as a scrum master, coach and facilitator for multiple organizations as well as runs his own companies outside of his career. We are proud to have Hari Khanal back on the podcast.

Having a good understanding of the technical design tools is essential for any good UX (user experience) designer, but their greatest asset is their design mindset which solely focuses on what is best for the customer. While an engineer might think about code efficiency and a product owner might think about what can make the most money for the organization, a designer must balance all this, and at the same time, turn off their own mind and place themselves in the shoes of the customer. In today's episode, we sit down with UX designer, Anu Jayasignhe, and discuss topics such as the differences between UX, UI and research; how UX designers should communicate with developers and product owners; and how to cultivate a design mindset. Our Speaker: Anu Jayasignhe After studying industrial design at Carnegie Mellon and participating in a number of internships, Anu discovered that his love of product ideating could pair much better with his desire for faster results in the world of UX (user experience) design. Through a combination of hack-a-thons and teaching himself the technical tools, Anu quickly landed his first job as a UX designer at IBM where he worked until eventually becoming the current design lead at Publicis Sapient. We are proud to introduce Anu Jayasignhe.

After its humble launch from a college dorm room in 2004, Facebook has grown into not just a household name, but a billion dollar company that has dramatically shaped the way we interact. With its dedication to continue innovating better ways of communication and connectivity, it's easy to compare this tech giant to the role of a product manager. Like Facebook, a product manager is dedicated to connectivity, bridging the gap between customers and creators and helping predict and innovate towards the next big thing. In today's episode, we sit down with Facebook product manager, Parth Detroja, and discuss topics such as preparing for a product role, Facebook's acquisitions of WhatsApp and Oculus and Parth's viral LinkedIn prediction. Our Speaker: Parth Detroja Parth had been interested in marketing from and early age, but it wasn't until after he he was nearing graduation from Cornell with a degree in applied economics that he realized it was something he wanted to pursue. Despite his lack of a background in tech, Parth took the world by storm, landing jobs at Microsoft, Amazon and, in 2017, Facebook, where he currently works as a product manager. Along with his impressive work experience, Parth also co-authored the #1 bestselling technology and business strategy book, "Swipe to Unlock". We are proud to introduce Parth Detroja.

Like watching any great magician, the work of a professional coach can leave one feeling awestruck. Coaches may seem to effortlessly create solutions out of thin air, but as many of us have come to learn, magic is oftentimes an illusion. When it comes to professional coaching, the solutions don't just magically pop into existence, nor do they come from up the coach's sleeve; the solutions come from you: the client. One of the fundamental beliefs of professional coaching is that you are naturally creative, resourceful and whole and that the key to unlocking your problems can be found within the packages of knowledge that already exist inside of your brain. That's why coaching isn't giving advice or telling people what they should/shouldn't do; coaching is a dance between two partners who are ready to discover the solution together. It's about listening, intuition and unearthing the truth, and when done correctly, can leave both parties feeling truly fulfilled... and that's no illusion. In today's episode, we sit down with profession coach, Marla Dufek, and discuss topics such as being present in the moment, the importance of setting values and discovering the emotions that drive you. Our Speaker: Marla Dufek Marla entered into her career as a professional coach with a desire to help people see themselves as naturally creative resourceful and whole. She is certified under the International Coaching Federation and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. We are proud to introduce Marla Dufek.

Most people don't view empathy as an intrinsic part of leadership; leadership is generally seen as logical where empathy is emotional. However, whether you're working with a small group, a large team or an entire company, each of these configurations consists of the same thing: people, and people are emotionally-driven. Someone might forget what you say to them, but they won't forget how you made them feel. In order to solve people's problems, it's important to understand the emotions that motivate them. In order to lead, you need empathy. In today's podcast, we sit down with product manager and agile leader, Banu Raghuraman and discuss topics such as becoming an influential leader, communicating and mitigating risk and understanding the product vision. Our Speaker: Banu Raghuraman Banu Raghuraman has been an active leader in the agile community and tech space for around a decade, with experience in product management, business analysis, and emotional intelligence. Although she is currently working as a digital product manager at EY, Banu also enjoys mentoring others, conducting public speeches and live webinars that encourage others to become leaders themselves. We are proud to introduce Banu Raghuraman.

The software world is amazing. You're essentially just taking what used to be a rock and tricking it into thinking using electricity in a process that, to many, is comparable to magic. But human nature being what it is, it's very easy for this almost mystic power to get to one's head. You begin to obsess over the details, things that you can do and all of the possibilities that exist in the tech space... and you lose sight of what really matters: the customer. As a developer or a company leader the goal is not just to make cool things, but to make cool things that serve a purpose: enhancing the day-to-day life of the customer. When it comes to QA testing and automation, the goal isn't just to ensure that features function properly; the goal is to ensure customer satisfaction because, at the end of the day, that's what it's all about. In today's podcast, we sit down with Michael "Fritz" Fritzius and discuss topics such as different kinds of testing, bugs and defect management and how to maintain continuous deployment. Our Speaker: Michael Fritz Being a father, podcaster and automation guru, Michael does it all! With over 12 years in the quality assurance testing and automation field, Michael has helped numerous businesses create automation solutions through his company Arch DevOps. We are proud to introduce Michael "Fritz" Fritzius. "Breaking Into Software Test Automation" Udemy Course: https://www.udemy.com/share/104BMk/

You did it. You finally graduated school and are ready to go out into the world and put your expertise to good use. Nevertheless, there is one thing standing in between you and the job of your dreams: the interview. On its face, an interview might seem to be simply a measure of how much you know about a given subject, but in practice, an interview is really more of a measure of how willing you are to learn and how you manage yourself. Allowing yourself to be measured at any capacity requires confidence and courage, but if just thinking about the interview process fills you with anxiety, you're not alone. However, approaching an interview with nervousness is oftentimes what sabotages candidates the most. Luckily, courage is like a muscle, and if it's strengthened properly using the right techniques, you'll end up being not only a stronger interview candidate, but a stronger candidate for whatever you pursue. In today's podcast, we sit down with the confident new product manager, Neha Satya, and discuss topics such as preparing for an introduction, showing up with confidence and nailing round 1, 2 & 3 interviews. Our Speaker: Neha Satya Neha is a product manager at Capco and a project manager mentor at Product Gym. Although she is relatively new to the working world, Neha is no stranger to hard work. Her drive, determination, confidence and communication skills have made her an incredibly sought after candidate in the agile and product space. We are proud to introduce Neha Satya.

One of the first steps people take on their journey towards their dream job is talking to a recruiter. However... most people have no idea how to do this! In order to properly work with a recruiter, it's important that you first understand how a recruiter thinks. What motivates them? Why do they do what they do? What can you do during your interaction with them that will help land you that job? In today's podcast, we sit down with former-recruiter and co-founder of Product Gym, Richard Chen, and explore what the life of a recruiter is really like. Topics to be discussed include entering the product space without a formal title, how to properly work with a recruiter and how to stand up for yourself as a job candidate. Our Speaker: Richard Chen Richard is the co-founder of Product Gym, a recruiter-founded company whose goal is to be a community for aspiring product managers and a place where they can network, be coached and collaborate to achieve their dream career. He advocates strongly for the letting go of negative energy, staying humble and bringing enthusiasm into everything you do. We are proud to introduce Richard Chen. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

Launching a Product with a PM Mindset (feat. Nikunj Sharma) | Ep. 20 Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

In a world of individual performers, it is easy to forget about the power of the team. One can become so focused on accomplishing the task they were assigned that they overlook how their decisions affect anyone else. However, each of us have unique skills and perspectives that can have a positive impact on what we are trying to get done. A team is more than just a group of people, it's a human system with a collective purpose and way of working. It's built on trust and individual relationships, and it stems from servant leaders that create a safe space to communicate and collaborate. Harnessing the power of the team is not an easy thing to do, but when done right, a team can accomplish unimaginable things. In today's podcast, we sit down with agile leader, Lakshmi Ramaseshan, and dive into topics such as showing up as a scrum master, psychological safety, and how to create a team culture within an organization. Our Speaker: Lakshmi Ramaseshan Lakshmi started out as a developer, but after being asked to serve as a liaison, bridging the gap between her team and the customer, Lakshmi's desire to best serve her organization began to take shape. With her drive and passion for serving others, Lakshmi quickly moved into more formal roles such as product manager, scrum master and agile coach, earning her over 15 years of experience as an Agile leader. Despite her knowledge, Lakshmi remains humble, staying engaged with agile communities and continually uncovering better ways to grow her team and her life. We are proud to introduce Lakshmi Ramaseshan. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

The 12th principle of the Agile Manifesto reads as follows: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.” This principle has traditionally been observed through what are called retrospectives. In many cases, the true intentions of the retrospective are lost as we approach them as nothing more than meetings we hold because we‘ve been told they’re necessary. We show up, make a list of what we did and what we can do better and go on with the same ole routine spring after sprint. However, a meeting is just a meeting and a list is just a list without intentionality and further action. The purpose of a retrospective is to bring your team together, be transparent with one another so that you can align your goals, and make concrete decisions regarding how your next sprint can be even better than the last. Today we sit down with author, speaker, and professional Agile leader, Diana Larson and deep dive into Agile retrospectives, discussing topics such as the purpose of a retrospective, the 5-step retrospective framework and how to make good retrospectives great. Our Speaker: Diana Larson When it comes to Agile retrospectives, Diana Larson literally helped write the book. Her publication, “Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great” is world-renowned and has helped countless Agile leaders fully embrace the power that the 12th Agile principle has to offer. Presently, Diana dedicates her time to the company she co-founded: The Agile Fluency Project. Here, her goal is to help new and experienced Agilists make the most of Agile practices within the needs of their businesses and teams. In her free time, Diana enjoys staying connected with the Agile community, speaking at meet-ups and going on podcasts like the one you’re hearing today! We are proud to welcome Diana Larson. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

One of Agile's key principles is customer collaboration, and a great way organizations can exhibit this principle is by implementing the Scaled Agile Framework (or SAFe). In SAFe, you're not just working with one team, but many teams, which creates dependencies and a more transparent and collaborative work environment. In today's podcast, we sit down with Agile team facilitator, Hari Khanal, and dive into the world of Scaled Agile, addressing topics such as the role of a scrum master in SAFe, PI Planning in a remote world, unlocking intrinsic motivation and more. Our Speaker: Hari Khanal Hari has a passion for serving others and bringing people together, and it was this passion that drove him to leave his job in sales to pursue a career in Agile. He currently works as a scrum master, coach and facilitator for multiple organizations as well as runs his own companies outside of his career. We are proud to introduce Hari Khanal. To connect with Hari, check him out on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hari-khanal Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

Although it may at first seem counterintuitive, concepts like vulnerability and courage are more related than you might think. With every act of courage comes risk (be it risk to one's own physical safety, wealth, social standing, etc), and with every risky decision comes vulnerability. Although we are all born vulnerable, no one is born courageous. Courage is a skill that is learned through intentionality, humility and practice. As you will hear in today's podcast, "Agility is all about being willing to grow, being willing to figure it out, being willing to take challenges by the horns and to overcome them." This is important to learn not only as a member of an Agile team but as an Agile team leader as well. We all have the potential to be courageous if we're willing to work hard and put our pride aside. In today's episode, we sit down with Agile leader, Meghann Rudolph, and discuss topics such as setting the team culture, ways to show support, building relationships with your team members and more! Our Speaker: Meghann Rudolph Meghann Rudolph is an adventurer at heart, constantly looking for life's next opportunity as she races towards her next entrepreneurial goal. Presently working as a Scrum master and Agile facilitator at Comcast and as a LinkedIn content creator, Meghann credits much of her success to the love and support shown to her by her family and mentors. We are proud to introduce, Meghann Rudolph. To connect with Meghann, check out her LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/meghann-rudolph Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

If you were to ask six people to describe what makes a product manager, you'd likely get seven different answers. This is because the role of a product manager is like white space; a blank canvas waiting to be filled and defined by your company, the people you work with, and most importantly, you. In today's podcast, we sit down with product manager, Rajsi Rana, and explore how to begin defining your own role as a product manager. Topics to be discussed include good PM habits, networking and building relationships, how to become a better writer, how to manage your time more efficiently, and much more. Our Speaker: Rajsi Rana After studying computer science and finance at the University of Cambridge, Rajsi Rana learned about the idea of becoming a product manager through a friend, and the rest is history. Having a type-A personality, Rajsi went from being a college student to a technical program manager at Amazon fairly quickly. After working in this position for a few years, in 2019, she became the senior product manager at Oracle Cloud where she works on special projects that focus on the company's top customers. We are proud to introduce Rajsi Rana. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

As an Agile facilitator, your job isn't just to keep track of time and take meeting notes; it's to encourage conversation and collaboration and guide teams into what's best for them. Ultimately, your goal is not to change people, but rather make them awesome by enabling them to reach their full potential. In today's podcast, we sit down with Senior Agile Coach, Barbara Kryvko, and discuss topics such as sprint and iteration planning, tips for new scrum masters, the importance of a retrospective and more all through the lens of Modern Agile. Our Speaker: Barbara Kryvko After earning her degree from Webster University in Computer Science and Mathematics, Barbara Kryvko began her Agile journey in the software space, gaining decades of experience in Network engineering, software development, IT Consultation, and systems administration. Eventually, she would end up at Monsanto where she'd become a Scrum Master and Agile Coach for the first time, managing multiple teams as well as coaching their product managers, business partners and management. Currently, Barbara works as a Senior Agile Coach at Bayer Crop Science where she works to "foster a culture of excellence, collaboration and continuous improvement." We are proud to introduce Barbara Kryvko. To connect with Barbara, find her at the link below: LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/in/barbarakryvko Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

We've all been there. You're invited to some sort of gathering where there are people you haven't seen in awhile. Maybe you've been busy with work or other obligations, but you know that if you go to this event, someone's going to make you feel guilty for not showing up more often. What do you do when that happens? Do you get angry, sad, or maybe defensive? This is where emotional intelligence comes into play. Emotional intelligence is exactly what it sounds like: being smart with your feelings and the feelings of others. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all feel things, and sometimes those feelings can conflict with the feelings of others. Emotional intelligence teaches concepts such as self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness and relationship management which allow conflicting parties to truly express and address their underlying needs rather than fuel a loop of anger and resentment. It's about understanding ourselves and being empathetic towards others. If something is bothering us, we tend to ask, "Why won't the other person change?", but a better question to ask is, "Why do I want the other person to change?" If the answer is just "because it would benefit me," then that's not a good enough reason. In this episode, we sit down with Sagar Satyal and discuss concepts such as empathy, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and the awareness needed to truly live a meaningful life. Our Speaker: Sagar Satyal Sagar Satyal is the co-founder of My Emotions Matter, an organization based in Kathmandu Nepal whose mission is to help others live harmoniously by providing educational resources, screenings and consultation services regarding emotional management and emotional intelligence. Along with being a huge football fan and enjoying walks in the park, Sagar enjoys exploring himself and the role emotions play in our everyday lives. Taking each day as it comes, Sagar's goal is to live a meaningful life and to help create an environment for others to do the same. We’re proud to introduce Sagar Satyal. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support