Future State Now: A Business Technology Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How to Get Started with a Career in Agile Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

As Agile becomes more mainstream and commoditized, breaking into the industry is harder. Companies value certifications differently, and expectations are all over the place. Even when you find a job that looks promising, finding a way to stand out and differentiate yourself is more challenging than it was 10 years ago. In this episode of SoundNotes, Dave sits down with Aimee McLean, who we recently hired, to discuss how they see the Agile job market and advise you on how to get started with a career in Agile in 2024.

Contacting Aimee McLean

If you'd like to contact Aimee, you can reach her at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/aimee-mclean/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aimeemclean/
Email: aimee.mclean@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

How to Create Clarity and Unlock the Flow of Value in Large Organizations Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

Business Agility is all about creating strategic alignment between different parts of your organization. One of the ways that we help our clients create strategic alignment is by implementing a four-tiered governance model that has a dedicated strategy team, or investment team on top. This team is responsible for setting the strategy, applying context for all the other teams, and making sure that they are holding the system of delivery accountable.

But this requires a shift in how you think about things like metrics, OKRs and KPIs. IT requires a shift in how you think about funding and what it means to have a system of delivery. We explore all this and more in this episode of SoundNotes.

Contacting Andrew Young

If you’d like to contact Mike, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/andrew-young/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/atyoung/
Email: andrew.young@leadingagile.com

Contacting Andy Fine

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/andy-fine/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andyfine/
Email: andy.fine@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

Bringing Balance to the Agile Culture Conversation Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Culture eats strategy for breakfast was a quote from the legendary management consultant and author Peter Drucker. If that’s true, then what does it mean when there are competing views on culture? What type of culture gets to eat strategy for breakfast? Who gets to decide and why do we have to choose?

In this podcast, Mike and Dave sit down to discuss how your personality type influences the way you see and value culture, and the implications that can have on your business. Together they explore different types of personalities, how they manifest in the Agile community, and some ways the Agile community can find some common ground to achieve what we’re all chasing—greater Business Agility.

Contacting Mike Cottmeyer

If you’d like to contact Mike, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/mike-cottmeyer
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cottmeyer/
X: x.com/mcottmeyer
Email: mike@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

What Do You Do When One Dev is Slowing You Down? Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Most developers aren’t waking up in the morning and wondering how they’re going to mess up the sprint today. There’s usually a reason why they can’t get their work done on time. Still, if one developer isn’t meeting their commitment, then the whole team isn’t meeting their commitment. So, something’s got to give. In this episode of SoundNotes, Vic Bonacci and Dave Prior draw on their vast experience as CSTs and dish out some tips on what you can do when you have one developer slowing you down.

Contacting Vic Bonacci

If you’d like to contact Vic you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/victor-bonacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbonacci/
Email: Victor.Bonacci@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

How to Make Home-Office Hybrid Scrum Teams Work Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

During the height of the pandemic, many teams learned how to work from home. As people start heading back to the office, many teams are in this weird in-between space where things aren’t always what they need to be to get the most out of your team. In this short podcast, Dave and Vic explore how hybrid teams are impacting your ability to do Scrum successfully, and discuss some tips and tricks to get the most out of your Scrum team while ensuring you’re also getting what you need to do your best work.

Contacting Vic Bonacci

If you’d like to contact Vic you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/victor-bonacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbonacci/
Email: Victor.Bonacci@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

What Do You Do When Your Product Owner isToo Busy? Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

Sometimes you have a product owner that’s wearing too many hats, traveling, or spread across too many teams. This can leave the rest of the people on your team feeling lost, or it can cause the ScrumMaster to take on more than maybe what should be required of them. In this podcast, Vic and Dave explore some ways to manage expectations and divide the work so that no one is overwhelmed and ensure the delivery teams are getting what they need.

Contacting Vic Bonacci

If you’d like to contact Vic you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/victor-bonacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbonacci/
Email: Victor.Bonacci@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

How to Overcome Specialized Roles in Scrum and Why it Matters Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

In this short podcast, two CST's, Dave Prior and Vic Bonacci, sit down to discuss specialized roles in Scrum. They dig into why that's a problem, how it impedes Agile, and explore some ways to get your team more cross-functional. Additionally, as a bonus, they discuss what to do when there's a lack of QA on the team.

Contacting Vic Bonacci

If you’d like to contact Vic you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/victor-bonacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbonacci/
Email: Victor.Bonacci@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
Twitter: twitter.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?
You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

Exploring the Pros and Cons of Product Goals Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

In 2020, the Scrum Guide introduced the idea of the Product Goal, but left out anything about Vision. Was this move better or worse for Scrum teams?In this short podcast, Vic Bonacci and Dave Prior, our two resident CSTs, sit down to discuss the difference between product goals and vision and the impact this change is making on Scrum Teams.

Contacting Vic Bonacci

If you’d like to contact Vic you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/victor-bonacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbonacci/
Email: Victor.Bonacci@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

An Introduction to Sprint Goals Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of SoundNotes, our two in-house CSTs get together to talk about the importance of sprint goals. They dive into everything from what they are, why they’re important, and how to go about creating them—even in the absence of an explicit business goal.

Contacting Vic Bonacci

If you’d like to contact Vic you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/victor-bonacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbonacci/
Email: Victor.Bonacci@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/

Balancing Culture With the Need to Produce Results Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Why are so many Agile coaches and ScrumMasters getting laid off? Is it because Agile is disappearing? Or is it because they’ve gotten so dogmatic about the rules and ceremonies surrounding Agile that they’re more of a burden then they are valuable? In our latest episode of SoundNotes, Mike Cottmeyer and Dave Prior explore the how to balance the competing priorities of the Agilists and the leaders they’re trying to help so that everyone can get back succeeding with Agile.

Contacting Mike Cottmeyer

If you’d like to contact Mike, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/mike-cottmeyer
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cottmeyer/
X: x.com/mcottmeyer
Email: mike@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave, you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
X: x.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

Interested in CSM or CSPO Training?

You can find all the details at www.leadingagile.com/scrum-training/