Agile and Project Management - DrunkenPM Radio

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The Art of Coaching w/ Christine Converse and Ross Beurmann Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

Coaching people through an Agile transformation is a complicated thing. People within the organization may want the promise they see Agile offering, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to fight against the change every step of the way. Nobody likes change. It’s uncomfortable and scary and it’s sometimes it’s so much easier to just say, “Yes, this is the most uncomfortable chair/torture device a human could ever be forced to try and sit in, but I know this chair, I know this discomfort, I get how it works and it is easier to sit here than it is to try and change.” Inspiring them to want to change, standing beside them, and keeping them motivated as they struggle through the change is a big part of the job of an Agile coach and practicing this craft is an art. This week in the podcast I am joined by two Agile coaches, Ross Beurmann and Christine Converse. Ross and Christine both work as coaches helping organizations with Agile transformation. During the interview, we talk about the differences between coaching executives and coaching team members, how paired coaching works, and why it has become such a powerful approach for them. Along the way, they both offer lots of tips and techniques you can employ whether you are working as an Agile Coach or serving on a team trying to help them, and your organization raise its game with Agile. ALSO, this podcast features a brand new theme song for the podcast that was created by Chris DeMakes. If the music or Chris’s voice sounds familiar, that’s because Chris is in the band Less Than Jake. He also has a podcast of his own where he interviews songwriters and producers about the art of creating great music. The podcast is called Chris DeMakes a Podcast and it is definitely worth checking out. https://apple.co/2Jrejyz Contacting Christine and Ross If you’d like to reach out to Christine or Ross, here are some ways to reach them: Christine Converse LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineconverse1/ Email: cepichler@gmail.com Ross Beurmann LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/ Email: ross96h@yahoo.com Ross has joined me on a few other podcasts. If you’d like to check them out you can find them here: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=ross%20beurmann

Improving Your Facilitation Skills w/ Tricia Broderick Nov 28, 2020

Show notes

How do you make the leap from being someone who can deliver a presentation to being someone who can meet a crowd, entertain them and take them someplace where they happen to learn something valuable along the way? I know lots of people who can stand up in front of a room (or share a screen) and get through a topic without saying anything wrong. I know far fewer people who can take a room, offer valuable information wrapped in stories, and stagecraft in a way that appears effortless. How do you go from “teaching” to “SHOWTIME!”? I think it is safe to say that anyone who has that level of ease when presenting will tell you that it is anything but effortless, but how you gain that ability is not always easy to see. This podcast features an interview with Tricia Broderick. Tricia is an accomplished, well-known thought leader in the Agile community and a fellow Certified Scrum Trainer. She is also someone who has the ability to take a room, create a sense of safety, intimacy, and fun while she is educating and collaborating with the participants to build a mutually valuable shared experience. Tricia is currently offering a class in Impactful Training and Speaking and I reached out to her in hopes that she might be able to share some thoughts and tips on how a presenter/teacher can amp up their ability at delivering a compelling, valuable fun experience for the people attending their session or class. Contacting Tricia: Web: https://igniteii.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-broderick/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/t_broderick?lang=en Tricia’s upcoming classes: https://igniteii.com/offerings/#publicTraining

Discussion on Changes to the 2020 Scrum Guide w Eric Tucker Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

The 2020 version of the Scrum Guide has been released (https://www.scrumguides.org) and it introduces some subtle, but impactful changes. This update to the document that explains the Scrum Framework as it is defined by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, was introduced during a live event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Scrum. If you’d like to check out a replay of the event, you’ll find a link below. There are a number of changes in the new version, some of these are very positive and should help it extend its reach to those who still felt it was too software-centric. There are also some changes that might open the door for some concerning behavior. In this podcast, I am joined by Certified Scrum Trainer, Eric Tucker. During the interview we explore some of the changes to the guide and try to offer insight into how these may help teams adopt Scrum and also some things to watch out for. If you’d like to watch the video of the Live Event introducing the 2020 Scrum Guide, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/Dfxo3PZwDI8 If you'd like to download a copy of the 2020 Scrum Guide you can find it here https://www.scrumguides.org If you’d like to follow up with Eric Tucker, here are some ways to reach him: Web: http://sustainedagility.com LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/ericptucker

RemoteForever with Molood Ceccarelli Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

While most of us have spent the past several months struggling to adjust to the new normal of being 100% remote, Molood Ceccarelli has not. In 2016, Molood realized that even though Agile coaches and thought leaders frequently talk about how important it is for all of us to be co-located, most of her work was remote and she’d been able to figure out how to work with agile teams. This realization inspired her to start Remote Forever and refocus her efforts 100% on helping people get better at working remotely. In this episode of the podcast, Molood and I discuss some of the key things she has learned in developing her ability to work remotely, how she runs experiments to continue improving at working this way and how she stays inspired with the work she does. We also discuss the upcoming 2020 Remote Forever Summit. In 2017 Molood put together the first Remote Forever Summit. She was expecting a small crowd at the event but there were 2,700 registrants. Last year there were over 10,000. This year, the fourth annual Remote Forever Summit will take place from November 11-17. The event has speakers from all over the world who will be leading sessions on a wide range of topics relevant to anyone working remotely including how to develop a more genuine connection with those you interact with online, how to inspire successful, collaborative teams, how to create an intentional remote culture, and how to manage Agile transformation online. Also, you can attend the conference for free. Remote Forever Summit https://remoteforeversummit.com/ Contacting Molood Web: https://remoteforever.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/remoteforever Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remoteforever/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remote-forever/

Johanna Rothman vs. the Pandemic Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Johanna Rothman is a force of nature. Every year, in addition to her work teaching, coaching, blogging, and speaking, she writes a book. Well, most years. This year there is a pandemic. Johanna has written five! I think if you are lucky, you can find people in your industry that you look up to, people who inspire you to dig in a little harder and rise. If you are really lucky, you get to meet these people and know them a little. And if you are really, really, really lucky, they are super fun to interview. This podcast includes a wide range of topics, including Johanna's new books, staying productive and inspired, leading and empowering people, how being distributed has changed under Covid-19, not losing your *** during the pandemic, and what it might mean for the working world if decide we don't actually need all those office buildings anymore. The books are here:  Modern Management Series Modern Management Made Easy Bundle (all 3 books): https://bit.ly/3obOFNL You can also buy them individually Practical Ways to Manage Yourself: https://leanpub.com/manageyourself Practical Ways to Lead & Serve (Manage) Others: https://leanpub.com/manageothers Practical Ways to Lead an Innovative Organization: https://leanpub.com/manageorg The other two books are: Write a Conference Proposal The Conference Wants and Accepts: https://leanpub.com/conferenceproposal Advise, Influence and Service Clients for Mutual Profit: https://leanpub.com/successfulconsulting And I've been given some homework: Johanna's Lifecycle Series https://www.jrothman.com/mpd/project-management/2020/10/what-lifecycle-or-agile-approach-fits-your-context-part-1-serial-lifecycles/ If you'd like to get in touch with Johanna: Web: jrothman.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/johannarothman

Business Planning for Agile AND Traditional Time Horizons with Ross Beurmann Oct 10, 2020

Show notes

When organizations begin adopting Agile, there are a number of business areas outside the teams that also have to change in order to create systems that can support this new way of working. Navigating this is always challenging, but it becomes even tougher when you need to have traditional (waterfall) and Agile work happening concurrently. This episode of the podcast features Ross Beurmann who is back to help explain how business planning can support both traditional and Agile time horizons. This episode also features an update on the conversation Ross, his son Tom and I had recently about the work Tom is doing to create social and legal change in his local government. If you haven’t had a chance to listen, you can check it out here. (https://bit.ly/2Fk6wAs) To visit Tom’s Facebook site: https://bit.ly/30R9SCo To Contact Ross • Web: www.leadingagile.com/guides/ross-beurmann/ • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/ • Email: Ross.Beurmann@leadingagile.com

Making Your Non-Agile Experience Count with Merchi Reyes Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

Q: How do I get a job as a Project Manager, Product Owner, or ScrumMaster if I have no experience? This is a question I get asked almost weekly. People are looking for their first gig or trying to figure out what to say in an interview, or just convince themselves they are qualified to do the job. One of the biggest elements of getting your first gig is understanding how the work you have done can be reframed or reevaluated to demonstrate to yourself and others that you actually do have the experience. This episode of the podcast is an interview with Merchi Reyes. Merchi is outgoing and engaging and he comes from a background that, at first glance, may seem like it has nothing to do with leading teams and project work. And yet, as you’ll hear in the interview, his experience hurling gum into the crowds at Lollapalooza, spinning records as a DJay in Las Vegas, and leading crews who would clean up fallen trees after massive storms, all helped him get a job as a ScrumMaster and Product Owner. Merchi is a fascinating, engaging guy. I hope you are as inspired but this interview as I am. Contacting Merchi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merchicedek-reyes/

When they ask you to be the ScrumMaster AND the Product Owner... Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

In Scrum, everyone is supposed to have one job. You get to be a ScrumMaster, a Product Owner, or a Development Team member. Each team member of the Scrum Team is supposed to be able to totally focus on the role they play. However, in many organizations, they ask people to play more than one role. You might be SM/PO, SM/Dev, or PO/Dev, or in my case (once upon a time), SM/Project Mgr/BA, and since we had no PO, I got to try and be that too… AND IT SUCKED LIKE A FLEET OF VACUUMS! In every class I teach, there are people who are faced with the daily challenge of playing multiple roles, and more recently I have had a number of students are tasked with being ScrumMaster AND Product Owner at the same time for one team working on one product. I have very strong feelings about this, and realizing that my responses to this situation are maybe not so flexible and not practical for everyone, I reached out on the Agile Uprising Discord channel if there were people who had succeeded in being SM and PO at the same time, AND if they would be willing to join me for a podcast and share some of their experiences around making the SM/PO gig work. This episode of the podcast features Andrew Leff, Chris Murman, and Mike Caddell. Over the course of the interview, we discuss the reasons why trying to be SM and PO at the same time is not advised, ways they found to survive it, and it some cases, actually make it work well. JobHackers: During the podcast Chris shared a link to https://www.thejobhackers.org which is a great place to go if you are looking to get started with getting experience as a ScrumMaster. Agile Uprising: Agile Uprising Discord - https://discord.com/invite/fC96BhD (This is the best way to reach Andrew, Chris and Mike) Agile Uprising Web: http://www.agileuprising.com/ Contact Info: Andrew Leff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleff/ Chris Murman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismurman/ Mike Caddell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecaddell/

Managing Up with Dhaval Panchal Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

Being a Product Owner is not easy. You are responsible for the success of the product. You have to create enough work to keep up to 9 people busy, stay 2-3 Sprints ahead of them and at the same time, stay completely in sync with the business and constantly be learning more about the customer. It’s a lot. But what happens when you are the PO, and your Manager is spending most of their day acting as BA/PO on your project? Who gets to make decisions? Who do people come to with questions? Who walks the plank if the product tanks? (Trick question - YOU!) The role of ScrumMaster is just as tough - especially when you work at a startup and the Owner/Founder/KINGOFALLIDEAS keeps coming to you demanding you add new work in the current Sprint and seems frustrated by the fact that your team did not deliver on their forecast in the last Sprint. Whenever you push back on the additional work, you are reminded that part of Agile is being able to adapt. Note: If your manager/boss/owner spends a lot of their time “helping you”, then you are the target audience for this podcast Dhaval Panchal from Evolve Agility joins Dave this week to discuss how to cope with the above situations and begin managing up so that you and your team can start delivering on your commitments. Links from the Podcast: EvolveAgility: https://www.evolveagility.com Agile Will Fail video podcast: https://www.evolveagility.com/agile-within-waterfall-episode-1/ Systems Thinking for Transformative Change: https://www.evolveagility.com/systems-thinking-for-transformative-change-webinar/ Contacting Dhaval LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhavalpanchal/ Email: dhaval.panchal@evolveagility.com TWitter: https://twitter.com/dhavalpanchal

What To Do When They Want To Know Cost Per Point w Troy Lightfoot Aug 14, 2020

Show notes

What do you do when they start asking for cost per point? This issue often arrives wrapped in requests that are pure in their intent and seem to be reasonable requests from the business… How much are we spending each month and how many points are we delivering for that spend? or Since we are now estimating work in User Story Points, we need to be able to determine how much to charge for the work that clients are asking for. So how much does a point cost us? or We need to evaluate the change requests so we can decide which ones to move forward with and which ones to reject. We’re estimating them in User Story Points, which gives us a relative idea of risk, complexity, and effort, but not cost. We need to be able to translate points to dollars so we can understand if the value we’d receive from the change is worth the cost. I had a student recently who was qetting requests like this from the business, so I asked Agile Coach Troy Lightfoot to join me for a podcast where we could unpack the issues that often come with the cost per point question, the pros and cons of tracking it, and some things to take into account when you formulate your response to the request. Links from the Podcast Probabilistic Forecasting Podcast interview with Troy Lightfoot https://drunkenpm.blogspot.com/2019/05/probabilistic-forecasting-with-troy.html Story Points Revisited (from Ron Jeffries Blog) https://ronjeffries.com/articles/019-01ff/story-points/Index.html Contacting Troy Agile Uprising: http://www.agileuprising.com/board-of-directors/ Agile Uprising Discord: https://discord.com/invite/Je8H5C

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