Scrum.org Community Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Scrum Beyond Software: Improving Parent-Teacher Conferences at Carroll School Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

How can Scrum improve something as complex—and personal—as parent-teacher conferences?
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Andrew Nimmer, Assistant Head of the Carroll Upper School, part of The Carroll School, an independent Massachusetts school serving students with language-based learning differences. Together, they explore how a cross-functional team of educators and data specialists used Scrum to streamline and improve the parent-teacher conference experience across multiple campuses.
Andrew shares what it’s like to apply Scrum outside of technology, the shift from “one-and-done” projects to continuous product development, and the importance of clear goals, product ownership, and incremental improvement. The result? More aligned communication, better use of student data, and a conference experience that delivers greater value for families and teachers alike.
This conversation offers practical insights for anyone curious about applying Scrum in education—or any non-traditional environment.

Agile at Enterprise Scale: Pega’s Journey Beyond Frameworks Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community podcast, Dave West sits down with Brodie Green, Director of Agile Delivery Services at Pega, to unpack Pega’s two-decade-long agile evolution. From early whiteboard planning to experimenting with various scaling frameworks, Pega has continually adapted its approach as it scaled to over 6,000 employees worldwide.
Brodie shares why Pega ultimately moved to a hybrid agile model, how continuous six-week planning replaced big-room quarterly events, and what they learned about shortening feedback loops across complex product portfolios. The conversation also explores how Pega’s Scrum Masters act as Agile Delivery Leads—shifting the focus from team facilitation to solving complex business problems and driving change at scale.
The episode closes with practical insights on measuring impact, creating effective working agreements, and using AI as a true team-enabling capability rather than just a productivity tool.

AI in Scrum: Value, Validation, and the Human Factor (Q&A -Part 1) Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

In this Q&A episode, Eric Naiburg, COO of Scrum.org, is joined by Darrell Fernandes, Executive Advisor at Scrum.org to explore how AI is showing up in Scrum Teams today—and what it really takes to make it valuable.

Drawing from questions raised during a recent webinar: Managing Your AI Teammate: Turning AI from Experiment to Strategic Partner, they discuss practical ways teams are using AI as a research assistant, DevOps helper, and development aid. They emphasize why Scrum’s iterative mindset is critical for working with AI, especially given how quickly models, capabilities, and limitations evolve.

The conversation tackles common misconceptions about AI replacing people, the importance of validating AI outputs, and why teams should consider writing a “job description” for AI to clearly define expectations, measures of success, and accountability. Eric and Darrell also explore how AI may automate some work while creating entirely new roles and opportunities for professionals.

This is Part 1 of an ongoing conversation focused on helping Scrum Teams thoughtfully integrate AI while staying grounded in empiricism, collaboration, and value delivery.

Key Learnings

Why there is no single model for integrating AI into Scrum—and why experimentation matters
How Scrum’s inspect-and-adapt mindset applies directly to AI usage
Practical examples of AI as a research assistant, DevOps helper, and development tool
Why teams must validate AI outputs to manage bias, accuracy, and compliance
How defining a job description for AI helps measure effectiveness and valu
Why AI is better viewed as a teammate or tool, not a replacement for people
How AI may eliminate some tasks while creating new roles and opportunities

Links

Webinar - Managing Your AI Teammate: Turning AI from Experiment to Strategic Partner

Whitepaper - The AI Teammate Framework: A Four-Step Framework for Product Teams

Turning Project Chaos into Strategic Focus with Product Portfolio Thinking Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

How do you manage a large portfolio of initiatives while driving real business value?
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West talks with Nabila Sattar Safdar about her experience leading the transition from a project-based to a product-based portfolio. Nabila shares how she reduced a backlog of over 100 projects to 30 strategic initiatives, aligned teams around value streams, and created a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
Listeners will hear practical strategies for:

Partnering with leadership and steering committees to prioritize initiatives
Using data to inform decisions while balancing learning with delivery
Investing in team capability and training to close gaps
Taking a holistic view of people, technology, and customer outcomes

Whether you’re a product leader, Scrum Master, or portfolio manager, this episode offers insights on how to make portfolio management more agile, strategic, and value-focused.

The Anatomy of a Product Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with authors Sander Dur and Ryan Brook to explore their new book, The Anatomy of a Product—a practical field guide that uses the human body as a metaphor to demystify modern product management.
Dave, Sander, and Ryan dive into why so many organizations still struggle to define and manage products effectively, and how this book helps bridge the gap between theory and real-world practice. They discuss treating products as living systems, the dangers of “marshmallow backlogs,” the need for evidence-driven decisions, and why continuous care and adaptation are essential for healthy products.
The authors share insights from working with organizations like Miro, unpack common “product diseases,” and offer actionable guidance for Product Owners, product teams, and leaders seeking clarity in today’s complex environment.
Listeners are invited to connect with the authors and join them at their book launch event in Amsterdam on January 13!

Key Points
Why the Book?
Clarifies what a product is and offers a practical guide from definition to retirement.
Human Body Metaphor
Products are like living systems—interconnected, adaptive, and influenced by their environment.
Theory vs. Practice
Helps teams apply product concepts realistically, beyond Silicon Valley-style theory.
Insights from real examples
Real-world examples showing how to balance strategy, business thinking, and everyday product work.
Backlog Health
Avoid “marshmallow backlogs” by filtering work through strategic goals and focusing on value.
Validation & Evidence
Emphasizes validating ideas early and aligning efforts to outcomes, not just requirements.
Product Health
Introduces “product diseases” and how to diagnose and prevent common issues.

Links:

Book Launch event

The Anatomy of a Product

Ask a PST - Unlocking Self-Management: How Teams Thrive with Autonomy Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, Lindsay Velecina from Scrum.org sits down with Robb Pieper and Jason Malmstadt of Responsive Advisors to answer the real, practical questions practitioners have about self-management in Scrum in a live Ask a PST session.
Listeners submitted questions like:

How do you get management to support self-management?
What should you do when a team resists taking ownership?
How do you handle a disruptive team member without taking over?
What metrics show that self-management actually works?
How can junior Scrum Masters enable self-management when they’re not technical?
AND MANY MORE!

Robb and Jason tackle these questions head-on, sharing stories from the field, strategies for creating healthy team boundaries, and tools to make decision-making transparent — including Delegation Poker, feedback loops, and working agreements. They also discuss how to tie self-management to real business outcomes to gain leadership buy-in.
Whether you’re just beginning your Scrum journey or coaching mature teams, this episode gives you actionable guidance and small experiments you can start using today.

Agile Transformation: From Brewing Innovation to Building Culture Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, host Dave West speaks with Nathaniel Davis, CEO of Barrel One Collective, and PST Yuval Yeret about applying Agile principles beyond software — into the heart of business operations.

Nathaniel shares his journey from working in a large brewing company to leading Barrel One Collective, a brewing group where he’s working to make Agile the foundation for innovation and entrepreneurialism. Together, they explore how Agile thinking can balance experimentation and consistency, drive outcome-oriented leadership, and shape company culture as a product.

Tune in to hear how organizations can expand their definition of “product” — from beverages to behaviors — and how agility helps leaders continuously learn, adapt, and deliver value.

AI as Your Teammate: The Four-Step Framework for Product Teams Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Dave West sits down with Darrell Fernandes, executive advisor at Scrum.org to explore the The AI Teammate Framework: A Four-Step Framework for Product Teams, featured in a new whitepaper. They discuss how to treat AI like a true teammate—onboarding it with context, guiding interactions through user stories, and establishing governance to manage performance.
Darrell emphasizes the importance of structured AI adoption, comparing it to onboarding human team members, and highlights how a disciplined approach can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and even protect jobs. From writing AI job descriptions to building prompt libraries and governance strategies, this episode offers actionable insights for teams navigating the evolving AI landscape.
Listen now to learn how to bring AI onboard as a true teammate.

For more, there is a live webcast coming up next week that will also be available as a recording. Learn more.

Topics covered:

Introduction to the AI Teammate Framework

Why a framework?
The need for a structured, holistic approach to AI in teams

AI as a Team Member

Treating AI like a teammate rather than a tool
The importance of onboarding and providing context
Comparing AI onboarding to human onboarding

The Four Steps of the Framework

Identify AI’s Role – defining the problem and writing an AI “job description”
Onboard with Context Management – giving AI access to product, customer, and process context
Interact Using User Stories – structuring collaboration through clear, outcome-based interactions
Governance and Performance Management – ensuring accountability, compliance, and efficiency

Challenges of Working with AI

Context management and maintaining prompt libraries
Balancing AI experimentation with structure
Cost, scalability, and efficiency concerns

Lessons from the Early Days of Cloud Computing

Parallels between the AI adoption curve and cloud evolution
The shift from unregulated enthusiasm to disciplined governance

Future of AI in Product Teams

The importance of a disciplined, thoughtful approach
How structured AI collaboration can enhance — not replace — human work

Actionable Next Steps for Teams

Read the white paper
Assess current onboarding and management practices
Apply the four-step framework to integrate AI effectively

Practical Application of the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West welcomes Professional Scrum Trainer Bogdan Onyshchenko to explore the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM). They discuss how APOM offers a holistic, principle-based approach for product organizations—going beyond Scrum to address team motivation, vendor management, strategic decision-making, and more.
Bogdan shares insights on the importance of transparency, frequent delivery, and self-organization. The episode also gets into balancing prescriptive advice with flexible principles, understanding the “why” behind agile practices, and using APOM as a practical tool for improving outcomes and value delivery.
Listeners will gain practical guidance on applying APOM in their own organizations and learn how this evolving model continues to support teams and leaders in delivering value effectively.

Learn more about APOM.

Topics covered:

Defining the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM)

Practical Applications of APOM

Balancing Prescriptive and Principle-Based Approaches

The Importance of Understanding the "Why"

Operating Models vs. Frameworks

Scaling SMBs Without Losing Agility Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Building on last week’s episode on AI and Operating Systems in SMBs, Dave West and PST Yuval Yeret dive into the challenges of scaling small and medium-sized businesses.

Dave shares lessons from growing an organization from a small team to over 100 people—navigating silos, new stakeholders, and keeping teams outcome-focused. Yuval highlights common scaling pitfalls and explores frameworks like EOS, Scaling Up, and D4X, emphasizing vision, strategic goals, and evidence-based management.

Learn how to maintain agility at scale, build cross-functional teams, and create an operating system that drives sustainable growth.

Resource - Mastering Organizational Traction Trail Map

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Scrum.org Community Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected