Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software

Latest Episodes:

#38: Using Agile for Social and Societal Transformation with Kubair Shirazee Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Kubair Shirazee, Founder of Peace through Prosperity, joins Brian to share his experiences using Agile tools for social and societal transformation, helping to empower marginalized communities and break the cycle of poverty.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, we explore how Agile can be applied outside of software development as a powerful tool for driving societal transformation with Kubair Shirazee, the Founder of the Peace through Prosperity project.

Kubair takes us on his journey of using Agile methodologies to empower marginalized communities by supporting business owners in creating long-term solutions that are helping to break the cycle of poverty.

Listen in as he shares some of the challenges he has faced in implementing these methodologies and offers listeners detailed information on how to get involved in the Peace through Prosperity Scrum Masters Experience Academy and insight into ways you can make an impact in your community.

Listen Now to discover:

[01:07] - Brian introduces to UK-based Kubair Shirazee, Agility Coach through Agilitea and Founder of the Peace through Prosperity project that uses Agile to foster social and societal transformation.
[02:33] - Kubair discusses how Agile, which emphasizes people and relationships, can be applied to social and societal transformation.
[04:43] - Kubair explains how marginalized solopreneurs in conflict zones and developing countries can use Agile principles to maximize their potential.
[07:18] - The targeted way entrepreneurs with mobile businesses in marginalized communities use Agile to leverage what they've learned in the past to help them capitalize on future opportunities.
[08:42] - How Agile coaching and support helped a barber named Anwar to go from having a beat-up chair on the street to owning a salon.
[11:14] - Not just increased revenue—touching the lives of over 2400 marginalized micro-entrepreneurs in 12 short years.
[12:57] - Back to Anwar's story, how focusing on the pillars of empiricism and developing a product goal helped him shift his mindset and grow his business.
[16:27:] - We don't just hijack people's lives; it's all about creating relationships and collaborating with people to co-create solutions that work for them.
[20:21] - How finding out you have the power to write your own story is the first crucial step towards realizing your full potential and overcoming the challenges of marginalization.
[21:55] - Brian explains how Agile helps people manage challenging goals in any and every environment.
[22:55] -How Peace through Prosperity helps provide long-term, sustainable, and impactful solutions to help create an environment of financial stability.
[27:34] - Peace through Prosperity aims to empower marginalized communities to create a better future without resorting to extremism or outside help.
[28:42] - The exciting opportunity to get involved with Peace through Prosperity through the Scrum Masters Experience Academy and work with teams in Pakistan, Yemen, and Egypt to gain valuable Scrum experience in just six months.
[30:10] - Kubair shares how to become involved with the mission to meet the needs of marginalized communities in your own location (using Peace Through Prosperity's open-source programs).
[34:41] - How individuals like Dominique de Cooman, CEO of Dropsolid, are helping fund Peace Through Prosperity and how you can, too.
[36:39] - "Scrum is industry agnostic. Scrum is something if we if we all just embrace it, its principles, and its values. It can enrich not just our individual lives, but it can enrich us as an entire community on our pale blue dot."—Kubair Shirazee

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Peace through Prosperity
Agilitea
#32: Scrum in High School Sports with Cort Sharp
#23 How Agile Works in Education with John Miller
#21: Agile Marketing Teams with Stacey Ackerman
Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule
Scrum Alliance
Join the Agile Mentors Community
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.

Kubair Shirazee is a highly experienced Enterprise Agility Coach with over 20 years of experience helping people, teams, and businesses transform using his coaching skills. He has worked with a range of prominent brands in the pharmaceutical and non-profit sectors, including Novartis and Bayer, helping them to improve their product, service development, and operations. In addition to his coaching work, he is also the founder of the Peace through Prosperity project, which leverages Agile methodologies to promote social and societal transformation.

#37: Servant Leadership, Not Spineless Leadership with Brad Swanson Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

Brad Swanson joins Brian to explore the concept of servant leadership and share actionable takeaways to help you lead with compassion and empathy.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brad Swanson joins Brian to discuss the concept of servant leadership and how it can be applied in an Agile environment.

Learn how to create strong personal connections with your team members, the power of asking powerful questions to foster collaboration, and how to be more assertive as a leader while remaining flexible about the process.

Listen in as Brad shares three practical ways that listeners can cultivate a servant leadership mindset and build a positive and productive work environment.

Listen Now to discover:

[01:48] - Brian introduces Brad Swanson, who has the trifecta of certifications with Scrum Alliance: CST, CEC, and CTC.
[02:54] - Brad shares his belief that servant leadership involves prioritizing the needs of the team while cultivating a culture of trust and collaboration.
[04:43] - Since the 1970s, the servant leadership concept introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf has involved empowering team members rather than seeing them as subordinates.
[07:48] - Brian shares his experience playing football and how it relates to management styles, highlighting that a calm and empowering approach can be more impactful than an authoritative one.
[09:55] - Brad shares the idea that effective leadership involves the ability to balance and leverage multiple power styles and shares the book "Leadership Agility" by Bill Joiner and Steven Josephs, which emphasizes the importance of situational leadership.
[13:30] - Brad shares his perspective on the shift in the last version of the Scrum Guide from using the term "servant leadership" to "true leadership" and why he prefers the term situational leadership.
[15:05] - Brian acknowledges that people have a natural predisposition towards being either assertive or accommodating and how stepping outside of one's comfort zone can lead to both personal growth and an expansion of your skill set.
[16:05:] - Brad suggests there is a difference between being assertive and directive.
[19:38:] - The effectiveness of asking powerful questions to invite collaboration and reach a mutual goal.
[20:17] - The key to being more assertive as a leader without attacking the individual (and remaining flexible about the process).
[21:55] - Brad shares three ways listeners can implement a servant leadership mentality.
[23:35] - Brian shares how to use a notebook to process your thoughts and ideas while giving others a chance to speak up.
[24:38] - Brad shares why listening is a skill that requires frequent practice.
[25:15] - Why it’s a good idea to keep your team in the loop about the changes you are trying to make in your leadership style.
[26:13] - Why being open and transparent about your efforts to improve can help create a learning environment where improvement is both expected and accepted.
[27:05] - Why creating strong personal relationships with the people you are leading is crucial to effective leadership and developing the team's skills.
[29:05] - Listeners of the Agile Mentor’s Podcast can get a 10% discount on the Certified Agile Leadership class Brad has coming up on March 27th by using promo code friend10. Find out more by visiting Agility 11.
[30:34] - Join the Agile Mentors Community to continue the discussion. You can get a free 12-month membership into the community by taking a class with Mountain Goat Software.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

What is Servant Leadership?
"Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness"
"Leadership Agility"
Agility 11
Certified Agile Leadership - CAL Essentials & Organizations with Brad Beginning March 27, 2023 - Promo Code: friend10
Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule
Scrum Alliance
Join the Agile Mentors Community
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode’s presenters are:

Brad Swanson, Founder and Principal Coach and Trainer at Agility 11 helps organizations achieve sustainable success through Lean and Agile principles. With extensive experience as a trusted advisor to executives and organizations worldwide, Brad holds certifications as a Leadership Agility 360 Coach, Agile Leadership Educator, Scrum Trainer, Enterprise Coach, Professional in Agile Coaching, and LeSS Practitioner.

#36: Working with Humans with Dallas Jackson Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Dallas Jackson joins Brian to explore the human aspect of work and the challenges that come with prioritizing the team while ensuring everyone is heard.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Dallas Jackson joins Brian to delve into the human side of work and why it's essential to create work that fits people's lives rather than forcing humans to fit the work.

They delve into the importance of understanding and appropriately responding to conflict in the workplace as a Scrum Master and prioritizing the team while ensuring everyone is heard.

Listen in as they explore the challenges of adapting to change, why prioritizing human factors is essential for driving cultural shifts, and how to create an Agile culture that supports the human element of work.

Listen Now to discover:

[01:13] - Brian introduces Dallas Jackson, a native Texan, living in New Zealand who is a Teaching Assistant with Mountain Goat Software and certified team coach with Scrum Alliance.
[03:18] - Dallas highlights the importance of recognizing individuals as human beings and creating work that fits their lives rather than forcing humans to fit into work.
[05:17] - Brian shares the value of remote work to allow individuals to gain insight into each other's personal lives and encourages virtual show-and-tell sessions to foster stronger team bonds.
[06:43] - Connecting to foster deeper relationships as a team.
[07:42] - Dallas shares how showing her humanity helped her build a connection with colleagues, leading to a development of trust and a better quality of teamwork.
[10:41] - Why it's important as a leader to prioritize taking care of employees.
[12:21] - Dallas shares why creating a positive environment where people feel cared for and supported is crucial for producing good work.
[15:22] -The importance of building connections in team relationships through reciprocity and sharing personal stories, even those unrelated to work.
[16:39] - How opening ourselves up allows us to give the best to our fellow humans because we're ALL members of the same tribe—the human race.
[18:06:] - Brian shares the importance of understanding and appropriately responding to conflict in the workplace, including avoidance.
[21:08] - What about conflict—Dallas shares the importance of playing the long game and how not to handle it as a Scrum Master.
[23:39] - How using crucial conversations helps everyone stick with the facts and avoid misunderstandings caused by differing perspectives.
[24:43] - Brian shares the mantra he uses with teams to move beyond personal conflicts and focus on finding solutions.
[26:08] - Acknowledging that facts are the foundation, but feelings in the workplace matter too.
[27:17] - Dallas explains the significance of goldfish memory in conflict management, completing the stress cycle, and prioritizing the team while ensuring everyone is heard.
[28:07] - Brian shares why the Scrum Master's job is similar to that of a football coach in that you need to be clued into the emotional temperature of your team.
[30:32] - You can't process your way to a better culture—cultural shifts change when we take humans into account.
[31:38] - Agile is a philosophy that requires a shift in thinking about work and a departure from following step-by-step instructions and can be a difficult transition for organizations to make.
[32:39] - Dallas shares a football vs. rugby analogy about how to help managers make a mindset shift.
[34:53] - Brian shares that working with humans requires a different approach than working with machines because repeatability isn't always possible—adaptation is the name of the game.
[36:26] - Dallas shares the Cherokee saying that we die a thousand deaths to become our true selves.
[37:54] - You can hear more from Dallas at Scrum Australia in March.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule
Scrum Alliance
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode’s presenters are:

Dallas Jackson is a Teaching Assistant at Mountain Goat Software with a multitude of Scrum and Agile qualifications, including CSM, CSPO, CAL-E.

#35: Metrics with Lance Dacy Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Join Lance Dacy and Brian Milner as they discuss the use of metrics in an Agile environment to ensure optimal performance without taking things in the wrong direction.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Lance Dacy joins Brian to delve into the intricacies of utilizing metrics in software development to ensure optimal performance while avoiding incentivizing adverse behaviors.

Listen in as he walks us through the three tiers of metrics that are crucial for Agile teams to consider in order to stay on course.

He’ll share the tools required to gain a holistic understanding of an individual's performance and how leadership styles and stakeholders influence team-level metrics.

Plus, a look at the common challenges that teams may encounter during their Agile adoption journey and how to overcome them.

Listen now to discover:

[01:18] - Lance Dacy is on the show to discuss metrics.
[02:09] - Brian asks, are there ‘good’ ways to track performance?
[02:32] - Lance shares why Agile doesn’t really lend itself to tracking performance.
[03:57] - How to handle performance reviews.
[04:32] - Lance shares the best way to measure individual performance.
[06:40] - Measuring team contribution vs. standalone rockstar.
[07:48] - What Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland say about the completeness of the Scrum Framework and why having a superhero on your team is bad.
[09:45] - Lance shares the 3 tiers of metrics to measure when working as an Agile team to be sure their team is going in the right direction.
[11:09] - Using tangible business-level metrics such as time to market for products, NPS, and support call volume to evaluate performance.
[12:20] - How metrics, such as the number of work items completed per month, and cycle time, can be used to evaluate performance at a product level in an Agile environment.
[14:10] - Lance shares standard metrics such as velocity, backlog churn, and work-in-process that can be used to evaluate things at the team level.
[14:45] - Brian shares the importance of having a broader perspective to avoid having a distorted view of performance.
[16:53] - How using tools such as Ishikawa (fishbone) diagrams can help you identify the root cause of the problem instead of the apparent cause.
[17:22] - Individual velocity and other big metrics to avoid.
[19:02] - How the balanced scorecard can help managers use ALL the information available to develop a comprehensive understanding of an individual's performance.
[19:25] - The detrimental effects of using the wrong metrics to evaluate an individual's contribution.
[21:29] - Brian shares the story of how a manager's bug squashing endeavor led to incentivizing the wrong behavior
[22:31] - Lance references Stephen Denning's statement and reminds us that assumption testing is what developers do every day.
[24:00] - Referencing the State of Agile Report statistics on what's stalling your transformation to Agile.
[25:15] - Lance shares a behind-the-scenes look at how team-level metrics are affected by leadership styles and stakeholders.
[27:05] - Lance shares the spreadsheet he's been using to track data for a Scrum team for over 5 years to understand why the team is not predictable and what they can do to improve.
[31:38] - Got metrics management questions? Reach out to Lance.
[31:46] - Why it’s imperative that you think of software development as R&D rather than manufacturing to arrive at the right metrics measurements.
[33:26] Continue the conversation in The Agile Mentors Community.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Additional metrics resources mentioned by Lance Agile Metrics

Business outcomes, product group metrics, unit metrics)
- KPI/OKR (Business Outcomes)
- Time to market, NPS, Support Call Volume, Revenue, Active Account, New Customer Onboarding Time, Regulatory Violations)
Product Group Metrics
- Work items completed per unit of time (quarterly)
- % of work in active state vs. wait state
- Cycle time of work times (idea to done)
- Predictability (% of work items that reach ready when planned)
Unit metrics
- Velocity, backlog churn, work in process, team stability Metrics Spreadsheet

Team Size
- Tracking the size of our cross-functional team (typically Dev and QA), allows us to pair that number with velocity to play “what-if” scenarios in the future. Whether you count half of a person if shared, or whole, keeping it consistent throughout your tracking is what is important. Most teams simply count the number of developers and testers.
Team Days
- Tracking the iteration length is also helpful in understanding a team’s performance. If the team has a 2 week sprint, then usually that is 9 development days of actual work. The 10th day is set aside for sprint review, retrospective, and planning.
Committed
- Tracking what the team committed to completing within a sprint is crucial to understanding their predictability. The are the most uneducated at the beginning of the sprint and tracking what they think they can complete helps us in long term planning.
Completed
- Tracking what the team completed is actually just tracking velocity above, but comparing it what they committed helps us understand their predictability index.
Predictability Index (Pi)
- Software development is complex, risky, and uncertain. A skill that is sought after in this type of environment is predictability. The better we are at understanding what we can accomplish, then finishing what we said we would accomplish builds trust with our management team and customers. If we aren’t very good, tracking this metric often helps us get back to good by committing to less or more depending on our index.
- Example:
  - Completed Items / Committed Items = Predictability Index (Pi)
  - 25 Story Points / 20 Story Points = 125% 20 Story Points / 25 Story Points = 80%
  - Just because a team has a high Pi, does not mean they are good at predictability. Don’t let high and low numbers fool you, focus on the variance from 100% instead of the actual number. An arbitrary number to shoot for is +/- 15% Pi (85% or 115%).
Story Points / Per Day (SPD)
- Story points per day is just that, tracking how many story points per day of the sprint did we complete (Completed / Team Days).
Story Points / Per Day / Per Person (SP/PD/PP)
- This perhaps is the most useful metric to capture throughout the process. Most of our teams do not have the luxury of maintaining a consistent size or make-up. Inevitably over the course of a few months, the team make-up will change. Once the teams change, velocity has to be reset.
- In addition, we may actually change our sprint duration over a long period of time (don’t change it each sprint). Once we change sprint lengths, it can jeopardize our pure metrics, velocity has to be reset.
- However, over all of our teams in a product, if we can capture the SP/PD/PP that our teams complete on average, we can begin to play “what-if” scenarios in long- term planning.
  - Example:
    - Completed / (Team Size * Sprint Days)
    - 24 / (4 * 9) = 0.67
    - You can then average that number over 4-6 sprints or even the year.
Defects
- While we understand that we won’t ever likely have a zero defect product, it is useful to track how many defects our teams are creating over time. There are usually 2 types of defects, internal and external.
Internal
- Our definition of done should at minimum include that testing is taking place during the sprint with the idea that we would not allow a story to be called DONE if it had remaining defects. As such, an internal defect are the ones that were created while working on a backlog item in the sprint, that we have fixed before calling the item DONE.
External
- External defects are those that have “escaped” our development process and were not discovered during our testing. In a sense, our customer discovered the defect and the work item will become a new backlog item for a sprint.
Warranty
- We should strive to have the warranty concept built into our process. If you bought a car yesterday and the radio fell out, you could take it back and they would fix it fairly quickly. Our customers deserve the same service. Don’t manage a defect backlog, get used to fixing escaped defects immediately, while they are fresh on your mind (right after a sprint). It doesn’t take a long time to fix defects, it takes a long time to find them once identified by a customer.
Defects per Story Point
- Tracking defects per story point help to understand velocity a little better. If you have a team that has drastically increased its velocity, have the defects have increased along with it? Defects per story point help us understand the relationship between a velocity and defects created.

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode’s presenters are:

Lance Dacy, known as Big Agile, is a dynamic, experienced management and technical professional with the proven ability to energize teams, plan with vision, and establish results in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment. He is a Certified Scrum Trainer® with the Scrum Alliance and has trained and coached many successful Scrum implementations from Fortune 20 companies to small start-ups since 2011. You can find out how to attend one of Lance’s classes with Mountain Goat Software here.

#34: I’m Trained, Now What? with Julie Chickering Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

Join Julie Chickering and Brian Milner as they provide exclusive insight on utilizing your Scrum training, expanding your expertise, and passing your knowledge on to others.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Julie Chickering sits down with Brian to discuss getting started in the key Scrum roles.

They highlight the value of establishing relationships with like-minded individuals for both support and greater success. Plus, a look at some ways to use Scrum outside of the software development arena.

Listen in as they guide you through the initial steps you can take when you are just starting out on your Scrum journey and how collaboration and continuing education can aid your career growth and advancement.

Listen now to discover:

[02:26] - The framework is simple. Then we put people into the mix. Julie shares the most crucial aspect for those starting in key Scrum roles.
[04:04] - Brian shares Mike's foundational philosophy for approaching this work from Mike Cohn's popular conference keynote session, Let Go of Knowing.
[05:58] - How communities online like The Agile Mentors Community and local groups like DFW Scrum help members achieve more success.
[07:02] - How being part of a community was foundational to Brian's Scrum journey.
[8:33] - Julie shares her introduction to Scrum and how the connections and support she received from the community were crucial to her growth and advancement.
[09:42] - Brian shares his regrets about not getting involved with a community sooner.
[11:56] - Brian shares how mentoring is like dating and why taking the time to have the discussions needed to form the foundations for authentic relationships is vital.
[13:08] - Read the room. Julie offers guidance on avoiding mistakes while searching for a mentor.
[14:46] - How cross-pollination and venturing out to form connections in other industries helps you grow in your own.
[15:41] - Being part of a safe community can help you advance your skills while helping others.
[16:57] - Julie shares how to get started as a Scrum Master after you've been trained and the overall value of finding the right fit.
[18:50] - Successful product ownership requires two key components.
[19:16] - Where the rubber meets the road: expanding what you've learned in your training through real-world experience.
[20:45] - Start where you are: how applying your Scrum training to other areas beyond software development can help enhance your skills.
[22:55] - Brian and Julie share some examples of Scrum hidden in the non-software world, including in education and marketing.
[25:32] - How to use your skills to help a nonprofit in your area.
[27:11] - Brian explains how A-level classes can help you overcome hurdles as you advance in your career.
[28:53] - Learning never stops: the importance of obtaining knowledge for now and later. [29:10] - Julie shares the value of debriefing with someone else.
[30:31] - Problem-Solving Leadership (PSL)
[31:22] - What classes and tools have you used to advance your skills? We'd love to hear. Reach out to share your experience.

References and resources mentioned in the show

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com.

This episode’s presenters are:

Julie Chickering, the brains and brawn behind JC Agile Consulting, believes that Lean and Agile practices are packed with potential — to enable positive culture change, business agility, and breakthrough results. Julie is a past president and board member of the Agile Project Management Network (APLN), a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), as well as a traditional Project Management Professional (PMP).

#33 Mob Programming with Woody Zuill Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Join Woody Zuill and Brian Milner as they discuss the benefits of teams working together through Mob Programming.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Woody Zuill, a 40-year veteran software developer specializing in team interaction, joins Brian to explore the concept of Mob Programming.

Woody shares the benefits of working together rather than separating tasks in software development and how removing things like queuing, multitasking, and context switching can actually make teams more effective.

Listen in as he walks us through the collaborative software development approach's perks.

Listen now to discover:

[02:22] - Brian introduces Woody Zuill, a 40-year veteran software developer specializing in team interaction.
[02:51] - Woody explains how he discovered the term Mob Programming.
[04:56] - Where the idea of Teaming came from.
[06:20] - Woody explains why he's changing the name from mob programming to teaming.
[07:23] - Teaming = collaboration brought to software development, where more than one brain connects to do the work that needs to be done.
[11:11] - Painting the Mob Programming picture: it's when "all the brilliant minds work together on the same thing ‌in the same space, at the same computer."
[13:40] - To work efficiently in software development, one team member acts as the driver at the keyboard while everyone else acts as the navigator.
[16:41] - The drawbacks and disconnect of breaking software development down into smaller pieces.
[18:34] - Isn't six people in one room working on one computer a waste of resources?
[21:07] - Do you want to be productive or effective? Examining the Lean concept of flow.
[24:57] - Enhancing the effectiveness of software development by removing the negative impact of waiting, queuing, multitasking, and context switching.
[25:22] - The benefits of working together vs. separating tasks in software development.
[26:53] - Team Flow: how collaboration adds to our ability to work in the zone.
[28:38] - Working together is often more effective, so why have we gotten better at it?
[31:25] - The strength of experimentation.
[33:09] - Woody explains that since the software development process is a discovery process, innovations such as mob programming can benefit the process.
[35:25] - Woody shares resources where you can find more information on Mob Programming (see the resources section below for more) and how you can contact him to schedule a workshop.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Software Teaming: A Mob Programming, Whole-Team Approach by Woody Zuill
Teaming by Amy C. Edmondson
Code with the Wisdom of the Crowd: Get Better Together with Mob Programming by Mark Pearl
The Mob Mentality Show on Apple Podcasts
Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers
Online And In-Person Training To Help You Succeed With Agile Through Mountain Goat Software
The Agile Mentors Community

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode’s presenters are:

Woody Zuill has been a software developer for over forty years. Woody is one of the pioneers of Mob Programming, a method of teamwork in software development that involves the entire team working together. Woody gives remote and in-person workshops on the topic. You can find out more about him on Twitter @WoodyZuill or on LinkedIn.

#32: Scrum in High School Sports with Cort Sharp Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Join Cort Sharp and Brian Milner as they discuss experimenting with Scrum in other out-of-the-box environments, including how Cort uses it to train the high school swim team he coaches.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Cort Sharp joins Brian to explore how to use Scrum tools in other environments outside of the software development arena.

Cort shares the lightbulb moment when he realized Scrum might help him become a more effective coach for his high school swim team.

Listen in as he walks us through his real-world experience using Scrum to coach swimmers, including what worked and what didn't and how he redefined things to make using Scrum successful for the team.

Listen now to discover:

[01:27] - Brian introduces Cort Sharp, the Agile Mentors Community Manager and high school swim coach.
[02:49] - Scrum is used chiefly in software, BUT there are other options. Examining out-of-the-box uses from Scrum.
[03:46] - Cort shares the story of how he got started as a high school swim coach.
[06:26] - Cort meets Scrum.
[08:39] - The discovery during Certified Scrum Training that led Cort to believe he could use Scrum to become a more effective swim coach.
[10:20] - Brian shares his own light bulb moment from his first exposure to Scrum.
[11:53] - What’s the product: Cort shares the process of translating Scrum to the swimming world.
[15:57] - How the sprint review brought everything home for Cort.
[17:03] - Evaluating how things were working with the parents of the swimmers (the stakeholders) at the weekly invitational swim meets.
[17:48] - Brian describes how Scrum helps you break things down into smaller, digestible chunks when you want to reach a big goal but don't see progress every day.
[19:02] - Cort shares how they developed the user stories for each swimmer and used feedback to develop the backlog for swim practices.
[19:44] - Cort shares the process of developing the backlog for swim practices.
[21:19] - How Agile principles (i.e., sustainable pace) translate into arenas other than software.
[24:30] - Cort explains how Scrum events like daily stand-ups and sprint reviews helped the team organize practices.
[24:47] - Which Scrum practices were harder to implement for the team? [26:47] - Opening yourself up to experimentation. (And how to reach Cort with your coaching ideas and suggestions).
[27:36] - Cort shares the biggest changes he had to make to make things work for the swim team.
[28:00] - So, who is the Scrum Master for the swim team? Redefining the Scrum roles and responsibilities to make them work in other environments.
[30:04] - Cort shares what he’s learned in the process of using Scrum with the swim team.
[33:29] - Do you have a topic or guest you'd like to see on the Agile Mentors podcast? If so, send us an email. We'd love to hear from you.

References and resources mentioned in the show

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us as podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode’s presenters are:

Cort Sharp is the Scrum Master of the producing team and the Agile Mentors Community Manager. In addition to his love for Agile, Cort is also a serious swimmer and has been coaching swimmers for five years.

#31: Starting Strong: Tips for Successfully Starting with a New Organization with Julie Chickering Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Join Julie Chickering and Brian Milner as they discuss strategies you can use to get started on the right foot with your new organization.

Overview

It's the new year, and for many people, that means starting a new chapter in their life, maybe in a new position, with a new team, or possibly an entirely new organization. It's the perfect time for reflection to determine what you can do in these first few days and weeks to set yourself up for success.

So, we thought it would be a great time to take this episode of the show to highlight some strategies you can use to hit the ground running.

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brian Milner and Julie Chickering discuss some strategies to set the stage for success in your new position. We will walk you through the vital steps for settling into your team and making an impact no matter what level of the ladder you are on. Plus, what to ask when you are interviewing to ensure you find the right fit.

Listen now to discover:

[01:40] - Julie Chickering is on the show to discuss starting strong with your new organization.
[02:15] - How to use team retrospective to identify where things are going well to amplify the good stuff while on a discovery mission of what needs work.
[03:35] - The one thing that Julie cautions about in one-on-one conversations that will help you avoid being influenced by others' opinions of their team members.
[05:22] - How to create curiosity instead of animosity by offering reciprocal grace to help everyone work better together.
[07:17] - Brian shares how to use an improvement board to keep a running track of things while identifying your next target, stay on the right track and avoid the worst-case scenario (as referenced by Henrik Kniberg in the Spotify Model - Part 2).
[09:23] - What Brian calls his 15-minute' cheat code" for understanding the dynamics of a team.
[11:31] - Julie shares her improvement backlog one-on-one ONE thing for Scrum Masters.
[12:08] - Essential techniques to help developers make an impact and utilize their skills in their new team.
[13:57] - How to get off on the right foot with a new team as a product owner.
[14:14] - Julie shares how to determine if an agile framework like Scrum is helping you meet your business goals (or not).
[15:34] - If you cannot communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders… you'll never deliver value to them.
[16:32] - How story mapping exercises can help product owners.
[18:31] - Why communication is the key to top-to-bottom team success.
[19:40] - The most important questions to ask when you are interviewing to determine if the organization is a good fit for what you bring to the table.
[22:17] - Why it's important to remember every interaction during an interview is a part of the job interview.
[22:33] - Brian shares a story of why it's crucial to determine if the company you are going to work for is looking for someone agile or Agile.
[24:42] - Why it's essential to do a background check on a company you're considering hitching your wagon to.
[25:38] - Start with where you are: how to start strong if you have the skills and are certified but need to gain experience.
[28:30] - How can you use your skills to give back and advance in your career?
[29:38] - How to highlight your experience and use it to your advantage when seeking various roles within a company.
[32:40] - The most powerful question you can ask your team that will help you start the new year fresh.

References and resources mentioned in the show

Spotify Engineering Culture - Part 2 (aka the "Spotify Model")
The Culture Code
How does project management work in Agile? with Julie Chickering
#7: The Sprint Review is not a Demo with Julie Chickering
Agile Mentors Community
Meetup
#13: What Does Cross-Functional Really Mean? with Lance Dacy
Mountain Goat Software
Scrum Alliance
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we'd love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you'd like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Please share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode's presenters are:

Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.

Julie Chickering is the brains and brawn behind JC Agile Consulting, believes that Lean and Agile practices are packed with potential — to enable positive culture change, business agility, and breakthrough results. Julie is a past president and board member of the Agile Project Management Network (APLN), a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), as well as a traditional Project Management Professional (PMP).

#30: How to Get the Best Out of the New Year with Lance Dacy Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Join Lance Dacy and Brian Milner as they discuss how to get the best out of the new year.

Overview

Something about that turn of the calendar from December to January makes us want to dig into planning, goal setting, and change.

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brian Milner and Lance Dacy discuss how to get the best out of the new year. They’ll walk through why personal retrospectives are the key to determining where to look for change. From 30-day challenges to building relationships with others in the Agile community, to fostering a fertile learning culture, listen in for insight into what might work for you to accomplish the change you seek to make this year your best.

Listen now to discover:

[01:15] - Welcome to our first podcast of 2023. [01:55] - How opening up our calendars to a new year sets us up for planning new things.
[03:17] - Lance walks us through the two types of leaders, the visionary and the executor.
[04:13] - Brian shares the benefit of personal retrospectives.
[07:15] - How 30-day challenges catapult us to success by breaking things down into smaller chunks.
[10:56] - Lance shares why New Year’s resolutions set us up for failure.
[12:35] - How to plan goals using backlogs and the cyclical nature of organizations.
[13:09] - How to use cross-training to challenge team members to broaden their horizons in the new year.
[13:09] - Why you need to think about your intentions when trying to influence up.
[14:03] - Why do 30-day challenges work well to engage in a new task, project, or skill with an experimental mindset.
[15:29] - Lance shares why it’s critical for Scrum Masters to help leadership and management formulate career plans to help grow the people in the organization.
[16:33] - If you’re doing the same thing you did last year, you’re not Agile.
[17:16] - How plugging into a community can help you maintain your focus for growth.
[19:48] - Why being a Scrum Master and a lone wolf don’t mix.
[22:36] - How networking can help you take your career to the next level.
[24:10] - Why it pays to keep an open mind (even to that which you don’t agree with), so you don’t miss out on vital information that can change your trajectory.
[26:07] - Growing as a Scrum Master and as a person.

References and resources mentioned in the show

Agile Mentors Community
Meetup
#13: What Does Cross-Functional Really Mean? with Lance Dacy
Mountain Goat Software
Scrum Alliance
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we'd love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you'd like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Please share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode's presenters are:

Lance Dacy is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®. Lance brings a great personality and servant heart to his workshops. He loves seeing people walk away with tangible and practical things they can do with their teams straight away.

#29: Influencing Up with Scott Dunn Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

Join Scott Dunn and Brian Milner as they discuss how to influence up, including the tools you can use to overcome difficulties and step into a partnership with the influential people in your organization for influence that creates lasting change.

Overview

While we all want to be heard, but we are sometimes met with leaders in our organization who are uninterested in our concerns or resistant to giving needed support.

And sometimes, it's our approach that's causing our conversations to fall flat.

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brian Milner and Scott Dunn share their real-world experience on what to do from your side to earn the right to influence up. They discuss what bosses, managers, leadership, stakeholders, and other higher-ups in the organization want and tools you can use to overcome the gaps and step into a partnership with the powerful people in your organization for lasting change.

Listen now to discover:

[01:06] - Today, Brian and Scott Dunn discuss influencing up.
[01:40] - Scott shares how it's easier to influence if you meet people where they are.
[03:46] - How to create a win-win by adjusting your communication style.
[04:25] - Scott shares how to earn the right to influence up by making things happen on your side of the fence.
[06:17] - How a mind of curiosity can help you negotiate your position when the higher-ups say they are 100% onboard with Agile except for…
[08:22] - How to challenge management without losing your job or credibility.
[10:05] - Why it's vital to look for opportunities to influence an organization at every level.
[11:07] - Organizational taxes are the price of the privilege of working in an organization.
[12:07] - Brian shares how even small iterations of Agile can move the needle in organizations.
[13:09] - Why you need to think about your intentions when trying to influence up.
[14:28] - Scott shares how you can introduce tenants of Agile to show people how to work differently, show up differently, and make a difference to improve an organization.
[16:05] - How returning to values on the Agile Manifesto helps organizations create team dynamics that inspire respectful team dynamics.
[18:59] - Scott shares how making your boss look good makes a big difference for everyone in the organization.
[20:09] - Brian shares how to think like your boss so you can frame your approach in a way that speaks their language.
[23:58] - The opportunity to 'choose your own adventure' within your organization through sharing information.
[25:29] - How to use the power of story to give your boss the tools to help make the change to Agile.
[27:11] - Scott shares how resources such as the Agile Mentors Communit y can help you delve deeper into community for insight into solving your influence issues.

Listen in next time when Lance Dacy will be on the show.

References and resources mentioned in the show

Agile Manifesto
#24: How Agile Organizations Respond to Challenging Economic Times with Scott Dunn
#1: Scrum vs Agile & Keys to Success with Mike Cohn
Lyssa Adkins
How To Be Successful with Agile in Any Culture
Christopher Avery - CEO & Founder -The Responsibility Company | LinkedIn
Mountain Goat Software
Agile Mentors Community
Scrum Alliance
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we'd love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you'd like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Please share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com

This episode's presenters are:

Scott Dunn is a Certified Enterprise Coach and Scrum Trainer with over 20 years of experience coaching and training companies like NASA, EMC/Dell Technologies, Yahoo!, Technicolor, and eBay to transition to an agile approach using Scrum.

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