In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss a fascinating case study of Nike's digital transformation gone awry, resulting in a $25 billion loss and 32% market share decline over three years. They explore the pitfalls of over-relying on data-driven decision-making while neglecting other crucial aspects of business strategy and customer engagement.

This week´s takeaways:

• Data-driven decision-making is valuable, but you need the right data. Companies need to balance quantitative data with qualitative insights and intuition.
• Optimizing for existing customers isn't enough for growth. Businesses must also focus on attracting new customers and exploring adjacent markets.
• Organizational culture plays a critical role in transformation efforts. Companies need to foster an environment where employees feel empowered to speak up and challenge prevailing narratives.
• Not everything that matters can be easily measured. Organizations should find ways to understand and manage important factors, even if they are difficult to quantify, rather than ignoring them in favor of easily measurable metrics.

Resources_ 
Nike’s $25B blunder shows us the limits of “data-driven-  https://uxdesign.cc/nikes-25b-blunder-shows-us-the-limits-of-data-driven-ad30b6e3d938

In this episode of Definitely Maybe Agile, hosts Peter Maddison and David Sharrock dive into the challenging world of agile practices in regulated environments. They explore the tension between modern agile methodologies and traditional audit requirements, offering insights on how organizations can bridge this gap. The discussion covers the importance of understanding compliance needs, automating evidence collection, and transforming the audit process to align with agile principles.

This week´s takeaways:

• Organizations must understand what they need to comply with and set up systems and practices that make evidence easily obtainable without disrupting workflow.
• Implement automation in the delivery system to capture and expose evidence of compliance, making it easier to demonstrate adherence to regulations without slowing down agile processes.
• Shift the audit focus from document checking and stage gates to validating system behavior. This approach can make audits more meaningful and engage development teams in solving compliance challenges creatively.

In this episode of Definitely, Maybe Agile, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock explore the critical aspects of creating a compelling business case for agile transformation. They discuss the importance of understanding an organization's current state, setting clear goals, and implementing change incrementally. The conversation delves into the challenges of organizational change, the value of external help, and the need for effective communication across all company levels during transformation efforts.

This week´s takeaways:

• Before embarking on any transformation, it's crucial to understand where your organization currently stands.
• Successful transformations require buy-in and participation from all parts of the organization.
• Rather than attempting large-scale changes simultaneously, focus on implementing transformations in small, manageable increments.

Join us as we navigate the complexities of organizational transformation with practical advice on achieving smooth, well-communicated change. 

Some projects never seem to end. Big upfront design results in long execution phases and eventually it becomes difficult to believe it will ever be delivered. This week, Peter and Dave discuss how to approach these seemingly never-ending projects once they are well underway. Having started this way, how can you bring it under control and apply what we know of business agility to move forwards again? 

 This week's takeaways:

• Stakeholder communication.
• Identify and prioritize
• Do one thing at a time.
• Work on the thing that will help us create stability and move forward.
•  Meanwhile, have everybody else focus on improving the integrations, fixing defects, and removing technical debt. 

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 Learning from failure is an essential part of building your resilience. In this week's episode, Peter and Dave discuss how failure gives us the ability to improve and continually create more resilient systems.

This week's takeaways:

• The importance of understanding the resiliency of each part of our system in context of the whole system.
• Failure allows us to learn, and then we can rebuild stronger.
• Recognize that we need to persevere through failures to gain the benefits.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

We're so happy to have made it to episode 52! This year has been full of guests and conversations about agility. We've also had the opportunity to share our expertise, so thank you for joining us on these journeys together—it's not going unnoticed.
This week's episode is about addressing your team's needs and not just forcing agile processes on them. You'll learn what happens when an organization doesn't put people first.

This week takeaways:

• The hiring process is our first impression. If we make a mess there, we're always going to be on our back foot.
• Talk about what's happening. Don't lie.
• Lead by example.

References in this episode:
Leaders Eat Last- Simon Sinek https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16144853-leaders-eat-last.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Dave and Peter have a special guest, Rob Hirschfeld, co-founder, and CEO of RackN, a collaborative platform for teams automating infrastructure as code. This time we'll have a slightly longer episode than normal as we dive into different aspects of complexity. This isn't one you'll want to miss. We had a lot of fun recording it and really liked the end result. We hope you do too.

This week takeaways:

• Stop trying to eliminate complexity and figure out how to manage it.
• Build systems focused on system effectiveness.
• Complexity problems are collaboration problems.

We love to hear feedback. If you have questions, want to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. 

What do you think of our services, and has it had the impact you were hoping to see? In today's episode of the Definitely Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave talk about the importance of asking for feedback from our customers to prevent business agility from failing.

This week takeaways:

• Validate emergent needs with your customers
• Build a system that can respond to that.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

 Now we are going to talk about our second antipattern that came up in episode 43, being unable to say "no". This often presents itself as confusing speed with focus.
This week takeaways:

• Reducing delivery costs starts with saying no.
• Prioritize and concentrate efforts in one place.
• Limit work in progress
• Automation is essential.

  We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 In the last 5 episodes of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, we presented 5 ways Business Agility can impact your bottom line. In today's episode, we start our 5-episode series of exploring antipatterns that prevent us from achieving these benefits.

The first antipattern we're going to explore is one from our discussion in episode 44 on How business agility increases revenue. While business agility can reduce the cost of delivery, you may not realize those benefits if you forget to look at the entire system and begin to build feedback loops that allow you to learn as you progress.´

This week takeaways: 

• Watch for the signal-to-noise ratio
• Consider the influence of how long your feedback loops are on the system
• Make your system visible and understand how you'll measure 

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In today's episode of the Definitely Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave talk about how resilient systems prevent you from losing money when things go awry.

This week takeaways:

• Risk management is the responsibility of the entire organization.
• Build a stronger system capable of learning and recovering.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In today's episode of the Definitely Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave talk about Retention. It can be expensive to hire, but building a culture where people focus on great work does wonders for your company’s bottom line!

This week takeaways:

1. Understanding why culture is so important
2. Bring people into the conversation
3. Have the right people in the right fit

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

 This week on the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast with Peter and Dave, we continue our series about how business agility impacts your bottom line. By creating alignment to common goals in the organization, business agility increases efficiency and subsequently, profitability.

This week takeaways:

• The role user centricity plays
• Creating stronger alignment with who you are as an organization, and with your customers.
• Importance of working towards common sets of goals

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock explore the nuanced topic of assigning user stories to individual team members. They discuss the pros and cons of this practice, discussing when it might be appropriate and when it could potentially harm team dynamics and productivity. The conversation touches on the importance of collaboration, team autonomy, and the challenges of balancing urgent work with long-term team development.

This week´s takeaways:

• Avoid individual assignments; encourage team members to pull tasks collaboratively.
• Individual assignments may be necessary for specialized skills or simple tasks, but use sparingly.
• Frequent individual assignments can reduce team autonomy, engagement, and skill development.

We love to hear your feedback! If you have questions or would like to suggest a topic, please contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com.

Today we're going to talk about increasing revenue. What's the potential impact we can have on the bottom line by focusing on revenue growth. One of the clearest ways in which business agility helps us there is by helping us get high-quality products into the market faster.

This week takeaways:

• Put high-quality products into market faster
• Create rapid feedback loops
• Capture the opportunity quickly 

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 In today's episode of the Definitely Maybe Agile podcast, we're trying out a new, bite-sized, format. Here is the first in our series on Business Agility for your Bottom Line. Let's discuss how you can deliver more, with less, by saying no.

This week takeaways: 

• Reduce wasted effort 
• Automate your processes
• Reduce multitasking

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 Peter and Dave talk about the importance of managing SPOF (Single Point Of Failure) this week. This issue can have a negative effect on an organization if not handled correctly, so stay tuned! 

 This week takeaways: 

• A single point of failure in an organization does not mean that organization has failed. 
• Identify them. 
• Build redundancy or slack into the system 
• Encourage the habit of continuously sharing knowledge 

   References in this episode: 

The Phoenix Project- by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17255186-the-phoenix-project 
 
  We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

This week, Peter and Dave talk about how we can explain complicated topics to inexperienced audiences.

This week's takeaway:

• Use analogy and metaphor to help convey ideas in a way that transcends language.
• Make sure you are understood.
• Make things visible. 

References in this episode:
Barbara Oakley https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36647421-learning-how-to-learn

We love to hear feedback. If you have questions, want to propose a topic or even join us for a chat, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

This week, Peter and Dave talk about the difference between taking simple approaches to solve problems in complex systems.
 
This week takeaways:

• Stop chasing efficiency and talk more about effectiveness.
• Measure more
• Don't think of the system as a factory.
• Don't jump into a solution too quickly, and experiment more.

 
We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

Feedback is a difficult topic for leaders to approach, but it's necessary.  This week, Peter and Dave talk about how to provide feedback effectively.

This week takeaways:
·        Recognize the need for feedback. Remember to ask and when you ask, take action on it.
·        Teams succeed together but when they fail, it's the leadership
·        Give leadership in the right manner for the circumstances.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

This week, Peter and Dave talk about the importance of understanding when to bring governance into your process. They also discuss ways you can minimize dependency on others while maximizing flow for success!

This week takeaways:
·        Create balance
·        Minimize dependencies
·        Make flow the focus

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 In this week's episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Dave and Peter discuss the ins and outs of how to handle change management for an organization.

This week takeaways:
• The change must be targeted, figured out who is going to be impacted by the change
• Make sure that the communication is correct. 
• Understand the experience of the users

References in this episode:
Jonathan Smart- Sooner Safer Happier: Patterns and Antipatterns for Organizational Agility- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50343488-sooner-safer-happier?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=JJCoQhGRWT&rank=1

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode, Dave and Peter point out the value of gamification in workshops. They explain how this technique can help people to better understand some topics, and apply them to their own environment.
This week takeaways:

•  Encourage the right types of conversation.
• Scenario-based exercises.
•  Compete against your own personal bests.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

Developing an agile process is not only about following a set of steps to the letter but how you're going to take that idea and apply it in your environment. Dave and Peter explain the importance of the Why, What, and How of Agile.

This week takeaways:

•  Recognize that there are two paradigms
•  Mindset shift
•  The same solution can have different consequences

 
We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this podcast episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss the concept of designing an organization for continuous learning and improvement. They explore the leadership mindset and behaviors required to foster an environment that values and prioritizes continuous learning, as well as the need for leaders to relinquish control and empower data-driven decision-making. They emphasize the importance of creating capacity for learning by prioritizing work and saying no to non-essential tasks, as well as the role of leadership in modeling the desired behaviors.

This week´s takeaways:

• Leadership must prioritize and role model continuous learning through expectations and behaviors
• Create capacity by prioritizing work, saying no to non-essentials, and reducing overload
• Align organizational design (teams, feedback loops, tech) and strategy to enable learning

We love to hear your feedback! If you have questions or would like to suggest a topic please contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com.

 In this week's episode, Dave and Peter talk about why leaders should help their teams eliminate WIP.  

 This week takeaways:

•  Understand and believe in it
• Stop starting, start finishing
• Consider the impact of what you say and when you say it

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode, Dave Sharrock and Peter Maddison talk about the difficulties in delivering big programs.  In doing so, they cover how to approach them iteratively while acknowledging complexity. 

This week takeaways:

• Recognize that planning is needed
• Classify and prioritize the work
• Identify the individual problems.
• Systems running in parallel.

References in this episode:
David J. Bland - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44056365-testing-business-ideas?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=fLOAFxYT8B&rank=1

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode, Dave Sharrock and Peter Maddison share their insights on the importance of understanding and handling dependencies for your organization. 

This week takeaways:

•  Understand priorities and their impact.
• Co-create a visual representation.
• Update technical rules and recognize the role of conversation. 

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode, Dave and Peter answer a question from one of our listeners. They explore as the roles are evolving from your traditional IT Roles to more innovation on Products and Process Re-engineering, how would a leader/manager train their team to learn skills like Process Mappings? What resources are available?

This week takeaways:

• Find ways to make learning experiential
• Train teams and keep them together
• Focus on the outcomes you are looking for

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here:  feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode, Dave and Peter will unpack lean thinking. They'll  explore how it works in an innovative and complex environment.

This week takeaways:
— Efficiency or effectiveness
— System variance in complex systems
— Apply the method to the right problem

References in this episode:
Gary Hamel — https://www.garyhamel.com/author

Tom and Mary Poppendieck — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194338.Lean_Software_Development

Video — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

This week's episode of Definitely, Maybe Agile uncovers how can we make the change stick. We explore why some people are more apt to change their minds than others, and what strategies can help us keep moving forward when it feels like there is no other option. 

This week takeaways:  

• Are leadership built-in?
• Hidden agendas
• Start small and keep it simple

References in this episode:

Leaders Eat Last- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16144853-leaders-eat-last

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

This week on the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock explore important topics relating to QA in teams. These include some of the major issues that arise when you don't test.

Join us on this week's takeaway:
— Don't separate the QA team
— Testing capability must be integrated 
— Identify the problem first, so you can focus on the right areas.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

 In this week's episode, Dave and Peter explore what the right amount of planning means. We discuss the meaning behind "Responding to change over following a plan".

Do I have enough information to make a decision? Do I have enough information to decide what direction I’m going to go in? Sometimes we end up stuck on one way of doing things, but if you do planning right, it can help guide you.

Join us on this week takeaway:
·        Having a plan helps you to reduce risk
·        Make sure your plan is appropriate to the problem you are trying to solve.
·        Only plan for the information you have

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

Agile expounds on the need for decentralization, self-organizing teams, autonomous teams, but is there such a thing as too much decentralization? If there is, why? And what's the alternative?

This week takeaway: 

• Balancing de-centralized autonomy and centralized governance
• The impacts on the speed of decision-making
• Architecture, security, and more!

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

What happens to the aspects of the functional manager when you shift to a team centric delivery model? There are many functions the manager fills in terms of resource, line and skill management, so where do those go?

 Join Peter and Dave on this week takeaway: 

• Consider the impact on your managers
• Discuss what their new responsibilities might be
• Understand the number one reason things go sideways

  We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss when not to use Scrum, the popular agile framework for software development. They explore scenarios where Scrum may not be the best fit, such as when an organization is resistant to change, lacks collaborative work, or operates in a highly complex environment with many dependencies and high failure costs. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the problem, organizational context, and underlying assumptions before adopting any framework.

This week's takeaways:

• Assess the organization's readiness and openness to change before adopting Scrum, especially if past attempts have failed or if it is seen as a quick fix.
• Scrum thrives in collaborative environments; if the work is highly individualistic, Scrum may not be suitable.
• A cautious approach is required in complex and high-risk environments, potentially adapting Scrum or considering other frameworks.

Tune in to gain a nuanced understanding of how to navigate agile frameworks in complex environments and make informed decisions for your teams.

 What delivery roles are needed? How many do you need? In this week's episode, Dave and Peter go over everything there is to know about sources that work in agile delivery. 

  This week takeaway: 

• Resource the work. Don't understaff the outcome you are trying to achieve.
• Skills development.  Create a talent journey. 
• Properly define the roles and the accountabilities they will have.

  We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 How does your team come together to create their strategy?

It's a loaded term, prone to misinterpretation, but there's no time like today to start strategically planning. Far too often though, these sessions are poorly planned and the results leave us wanting.

Join us for this week's episode, “Strategy Sessions,” where Dave and Peter explore the secrets of making strategy sessions successful. We'll discuss tips that will help you get more out of your strategic planning.

 This week takeaway: 
·        Make decisions in the room.
·        Target a short time horizon.
·        Start with outcomes.
·        Prepare ahead of time 

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode, Dave and Peter discuss Portfolio Level Management.  Key decisions are made at every level of your organization, aligning these and managing the larger scale initiatives can be a challenge. 

This week takeaway:

• Fractal nature of work at different levels
• Make work visible
• Follow the decision-making

References in this episode:
Klaus Leopold Practical Kanban — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36592352-practical-kanban

Flight Levels — https://www.leanability.com/en/blog-en/2017/04/flight-levels-the-organizational-improvement-levels/


We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode, Dave and Peter explore why you should stop doing too much at the same time. We discuss the culture where we always have to say yes when work is coming through - even though that often means doing a task half-assed or trying desperately juggling everything with no time for anything else in our lives.

 Join us on this week takeaway: 

•  Too much WIP 
• Asking the strategy question
• Not letting go of unfinished work

References in this episode: 

David Rock's SCARF model-  https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/SCARF.htm

Michael Bungay Stanier - The Coaching Habit -  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29342515-the-coaching-habit

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode we explore change fatigue in more depth as well as discuss how everyone responds differently to changes. 

Join Peter and Dave on this week takeaway: 

• Invite over inflict// Human element of the change, the beneficiaries in the change 
• The continuous change over big changes
• Not everybody responds to a given change in the same way

 References in this episode:
Gary Hamel -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYaYwCA-FaM

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode of the Definitely Maybe Agile podcast, Dave and Peter give listeners an overview on where to start when you've been given a short timeframe to show value. 

This week takeaway: 

• Start small, don't boil the ocean
• Pick something that is a pain point
• Don't just document it, do it. Design an experiment and get started

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 This week learn everything there is about financing, from fund value streams over projects to incremental funding models. 

Join Dave and Peter on this week takeaways: 
·     Fund value streams over projects 
·     Aim for incremental funding models 
·     Finance is a supporting function, avoid letting finance dictate product direction. 

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 This episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast uncovers a surprisingly common problem plaguing today's agile environment: efficiency and effectiveness.

Join Peter and Dave on this week takeaway:
-You need both but focus on effectiveness because it has been neglected
-This focus is driven by the rapidly changing environment
-Solely efficient systems will be fragile, effectiveness builds necessary resilience 

 References in this episode: 

Scott E. Page – Understanding Complexity 

https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Complexity/dp/B07PXG1ZY1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=scott+e+page&qid=1622836350&sr=8-1

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode, Dave and Peter give listeners an overview of what Value Stream mapping is as well as some tips for success when implementing these techniques at your company. 

 This week takeaway: 

• You already have value streams
• The importance of the customer
• Streams are often entangled

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode, Dave and Peter discuss everything about data radiators and how to have metrics drive better conversations.

This week takeaway: 

• Track metrics as vectors, not targets
• Product, Team, System health
• Make metrics positive so your conversations can be too.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

In this episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock tackle the often polarizing topic of "hybrid" agile approaches.
They break down why mindlessly blending practices like waterfall and agile is rarely the solution, as it creates an unsatisfactory middle ground that fails to maximize either approach's strengths. Instead, they suggest that organizations should aim to comprehensively understand the problems they're solving, and then purposefully apply the methodology best suited for that context - whether it's agile, waterfall, lean, or something else entirely.

This week´s takeaways:

• Avoid defaulting to a watered-down "hybrid" methodology that dilutes best practices.
• Deeply analyze problems to determine the optimal approach - don't blindly apply one-size-fits-all.
• Promote peer-to-peer cooperation and mutual understanding across boundaries between different practices rather than hierarchical control.
• Strive for an integrated enterprise where distinct methodologies complement each other fluidly.

We love to hear your feedback! If you have questions or would like to suggest a topic please contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com.

In this episode, Dave and Peter discuss how to run architecture once you have begun adopting agile practices.

• The need to balance the rigidity of the platform with the innovation of the teams
• Composable architectures involving pipes and railway gauges
• Central vs. distributed architecture teams

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

In this episode, Dave and Peter discuss the role of Agile PMO and Agile CoE in the organization. 

This week takeaways:

• Culture change cannot be controlled from a CoE.
• You can't control a constantly changing process.
• While a PMO plays a governance role, the Agile CoE (or as we'd rather refer to it Ways of Working team, or Flow Enablement team, not "where excellence is centered") should play an orthogonal enablement role.

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 In this episode, Dave and Peter discuss the role of vendors in large companies and why we don't let vendors lead the strategy.

They discuss how vendor solutions or products are brought to accelerate growth. A good choice of products maximizes the opportunities an organization can leverage to accelerate skills, and a poor choice can leave you tied to a partner that does not bring you value.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com