Explore every episode of the podcast Arguing Agile
Dive into the complete episode list for Arguing Agile. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
AA192 - Reaction: Product Management is Dead!
04 Dec 2024
00:47:53
All Aboard the AI Hype Train!!!
Product management is DEAD! It died facing a high-noon showdown with AI, and the rumors of it's demise are spreading faster than a locomotive through the boom-town of Silicon Valley.
In this episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel try a daring uncoupling of the the AI hype train as they examine Claire Vo's take on whether product management is about to derail.
Listen as we navigate treacherous mountain passes following this shiny new engine, exploring:
The runaway train of AI expectations vs. reality Why the "lone ranger" product manager is a dangerous myth Navigating the switchyard of cross-functional collaboration Breaking out of the Silicon Valley echo chamber Why technical skills are just one car in the product management train
What's your ticket to the future of product management say? Drop your perspective in the comments, partner!
= = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AA191 - Platform Product Management in Banking/Finance
27 Nov 2024
00:35:18
Success as a platform PM requires both technical depth and exceptional emotional intelligence to navigate complex organizational dynamics...
That goes double if you work in banking or finance!
In this episode of Arguing Agile, Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando read and respond to a question from a listener who is a platform product managers at a Bank.
Getting into the nitty-gritty of platform how-to's, this episode is perfect for product managers, agile coaches, and technology leaders working in traditional industries looking to modernize their approach to platform management!
As industries embrace digital transformation (err... product operating model), platform product managers face unique challenges, including:
How to effectively manage cross-functional relationships in siloed environments
Strategies for prioritizing platform features that deliver organization-wide value
Tips for reducing cognitive load across teams
Ways to build trust and showcase value as a platform team
Create value through standardization without weaponizing it
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-Podcast = = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AA182 - Switching to Kanban: How-To's for a Smooth Changeover
18 Sep 2024
01:00:35
In this episode of the Arguing Agile Podcast, school is in session as Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel helps Product Manager Brian Orlando understand the ways of successfully transitioning a team from Scrum (or whatever) to Kanban!
We cover key Kanban concepts, like:
Adapting and Reducing events and meetings
Understanding flow and pull systems
Setting effective WIP limits
Creating common-sense policies
Managing backlogs and estimations
Measuring success with Kanban metrics
Whether you're considering the switch or already using Kanban, this episode will help you optimize your flow!
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-Podcast = = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AA92 - Life without a Scrum Master
23 Dec 2022
00:50:57
Does your team or org have a Scrum Master or Agile Coach?
Many do not.
Organizations without Scrum Masters have many common challenges and in this episode we discuss those challenges in-depth!
Listen as Product Manager and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to discuss what life is like without a Scrum Master.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:23 Metaphors! 2:26 Challenging the Analogy 3:30 Team Development 5:10 Who is Leadership? Small Companies. 7:07 Who is Leadership? SMBs. 8:14 Segue: Scaling Bad Practices 8:55 Who is Leadership? SMBs. (Part 2) 10:06 Now, We Are Going to Be Agile 12:02 Brian's Response 14:40 The Cost of No Scrum Master 15:51 Product with No Scrum Master 17:19 Separating Product from Process 19:46 ...sCrUm MaStErS sHoUlD bE tEcHnIcAl 22:50 Process vs Product and Operations 24:53 Cognitive Load 26:57 What Really Matters? 29:33 Sharing Learnings 30:59 Product Involvement in Process 35:42 Being Comfortable Letting Go 38:11 Qualitative and Quantitative Questions 41:40 Part Time Scrum Masters 43:14 Definition of Done 45:55 Soft Skills and Checklists 48:01 "Work Yourself Out of a Job" 50:45 Wrap-Up
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA92 - Life without a Scrum Master
AA91 - Going from Product Owner to Product Manager
16 Dec 2022
00:45:33
Do you want to be a Product Manager and have been doing the role of Product Owner on a Scrum Team?
On this episode, Product Manager and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando to talk about her transition from being a Product Owner (as a job title and role) to being a Product Manager and the difference she has noticed.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:25 Starting with Teams 2:16 Stormy's Experiences with Self Managing Teams 5:26 Brian's Questions... 6:48 Change Triggered by Crisis 9:20 Brian's Take: PO vs PM Job Roles 10:29 Strategy 11:42 Learning New Skills 13:54 Stunted Growth 18:30 Coordinating Strategy 21:17 Communicate Like a Doctor 22:10 View on Career Paths in Product 23:29 Product Responsibilities (with Graphics) 25:28 Continuous Discovery, Customer Empathy 26:51 Validate the Most Important Problems 29:06 A Typical Product Situation 30:53 Being Overextended 32:02 Lobbying for Change 34:06 Bob Galen's 4 Quadrants of Product Ownership 34:38 Good Business Metrics 36:08 Brian's Experiences 39:54 Suggestions for Transitioning from PO to PM 42:38 Taking a Leap 44:27 Mentorship and Sponsorship
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel are joined by Product Manager Stormy Dickson to talk about culture, incentives, and the challenges of trying to change organizations.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:50 Engrained in the Culture 4:52 Pondering Large Companies 7:40 Challenging Organizations 10:31 Big Cultural Red Flags 11:50 Changing Your Organization 13:35 Sidebar on Dunbar's Number 15:08 Start with Yourself 17:52 Bad Apples 20:41 Incentives 23:39 Diversity 25:32 Walk the Gemba 26:59 Breaking Down the Org (Dunbar's Number, Part 2) 30:54 Same Company, Different Cultures 33:39 Training 37:57 Incentives & Erosion 39:36 Long Term vs Short Term 43:15 Product Incentives vs Process Incentives
Today, we're joined by Product Lead Tricia Barnes and our favorite Scrum Master Surprise Mystery Guest to talk about red flags to watch out for when interviewing for roles on agile teams.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:14 No Scrum Peers in the Interview 1:59 When Product "Runs Things" 3:19 First Scrum Master Hire 6:07 Being "Methodology Agnostic" 7:36 Putting the Interviewer to Work 10:25 Different Perspectives 12:42 Recognizing Burn-Out & Chaos 16:29 Conflating Velocity and Business Value 20:33 Showcasing Business Value 22:37 No Passion for Project 27:33 Lack of Leadership Buy-In 30:23 Segue on Hardware 32:26 Scrum - It's Not for Everyone 34:29 Agreeableness / People Pleasers 37:33 Jessica's Summary
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel read through and discuss a recent article authored by a (clearly burnt-out) Product Manager.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:28 Reading the Post 3:38 Meaningless Work 8:42 Building the Wrong Thing (aka. Failure) 10:32 Building the Wrong Thing, Continued 13:33 Blame Game 17:28 Burn-out or Failure to Coach? 20:38 Culture Eats Strategy 23:14 Continuous Discovery 27:10 Being Not Good at Anything 29:46 Never Read the Comments 32:09 Making a Case with Data 34:55 Getting Cut 40:48 Wrap-up
You've been either hired or promoted as a new Product Manager or Owner. Congratulations!
What should you do next? What might you expect? What can you do to ensure success?
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about what it's like to be a new Product Owner or Product Manager.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:35 Why/What 3:59 Starting with Why 6:16 Starting Points 11:27 Crossing the Chasm 14:08 Do You Have the Skills? 19:44 Being a Good Leader 24:07 Starting Fresh/New 30:26 Feature Parity with Competitors 35:31 Feature Toggles & A/B Testing 38:42 Starting without a Team 45:11 A Different Spin on this Podcast 48:27 Wrap-up
Why do people say that agile doesn't do deadlines? Why do people commit to dates without engaging the team? Finally, what are better ways to handle deadlines?
On this episode, join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel as they talk through deadlines.
0:00 Intro 0:22 Why Deadlines 1:33 Agile Can't Do Deadlines 5:02 Committing when You Can't Deliver 6:58 WIFM 9:22 Seemingly Random Dates 13:17 Sales as an Example 18:34 Roadmap for Sales 21:52 A History of Milestones... 24:30 Phase 2: What to Do? 26:13 Reframing Deadlines (Brian's Bad Advice) 28:57 Exploring Through Refinements 32:33 Enabling Teams from Team Topologies 35:18 Pushback 38:33 Bring in the Customer 47:51 The Cutting Room Floor
Have you ever been asked to invite someone outside of the Scrum Team to one or more of the Scrum Team's Events?
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel go event by event to talk about when it is right to invite stakeholders to your Scrum Events, and when it is "not right!"
0:00 Topic Intro 0:20 Daily Scrum, by the Book 2:48 Daily Scrum, the Real World 6:49 Uninvited Guests 9:58 Disciplined & Undisciplined Stakeholders 14:35 Sprint Retrospective 16:56 Outsiders in the Retro 18:51 Sprint Review 23:03 External vs Internal Stakeholders 26:48 Sprint Planning, by the Book 28:05 Sprint Planning, the Real World 31:47 Backlog Refinement 34:42 Optional Scrum Team Attendees at Refinement 37:22 Wrap-up
How many times have you heard "agile doesn't work here?"
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk through the typical reasons (some legitimate, some excuses) for the statement "agile doesn't work here."
0:00 Topic Intro 0:53 Two Common Issues 5:11 Ego and/or Fear 6:51 Leading with Vision 11:07 Fear of Failure 14:31 Institutionalized Inability to Trust 19:25 What can be Done? 22:07 Agile Sponsorship & Enablement 24:29 Middle Managers 28:33 Incentives & Sales 34:36 Sales & Incentives, Continued 37:51 Incentives for Development 39:35 Self Managing Teams & Salaries 45:49 Dedicated Teams (aka. Durable Teams) 48:26 Hoodwinked into Agile 52:32 Brian's Hoodwinking Experience 57:23 Investing in $uccess 59:20 Wrap-up
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA83 - Agile Doesn't Work Here
AA181 - Deming's 14 Points: The Management Revolution We Needed (40 Years Ago)
11 Sep 2024
00:54:25
In this episode of the Arguing Agile podcast, Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando open a door into the world of W. Edwards Deming by exploring his 14 principles for management from his seminal book "Out of the Crisis".
Whether you're in software development or manufacturing; whether you're a leader looking to transform your organization, a QA professional seeking to improve quality, or a product manager looking to delight customers - this episode is for you! As applicable today as they were in the 1980s, Deming's points provide a roadmap to improve the effectiveness of a business or organization.
Listen or watch (links in the comments) as we discuss ways to implement Deming's principles of creating constancy of purpose, ceasing dependence on inspection, driving out fear, and removing barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship.
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-Podcast = = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AA82 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 3: the Org)
07 Oct 2022
00:59:42
"What does a Scrum Master do all day?"
If you are in an organization where you hear this question, you are aware that people are failing to realize that one third of the Scrum Master's responsibilities are about coaching the organization.
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about how a Scrum Master spends their day coaching the organization, or, as Om likes to say, "Coaching Up!"
0:00 Topic Intro 0:33 Coaching the Organization 4:03 What do you Do All Day? 6:36 Scrum Adoption - Upstream/Downstream 11:20 Leading, Training, Coaching 15:35 Coaching & Mentoring 18:46 Coaching & Mentoring, without a Scrum Master 21:28 Planning & Advising Scrum Implementations 24:20 Metrics 31:09 Changing Behavior at a Glacial Pace 38:03 Empirical Approach to Problem Solving 41:12 What Makes You Think... 47:14 Discovery Experiments 50:00 Empiricism without Scrum Masters 55:02 HR 57:08 Removing Barriers
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA82 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 3: the Org)
AA81 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 2: the Product)
30 Sep 2022
00:59:04
Outside of the daily scrum, what does a Scrum Master do all day?
One third of the Scrum Guide's answer to this is "Serves the Product Owner," and that is what this entire episode is about!
Join Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson with Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to talk about how a Scrum Master spends their day serving the product owner.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:45 Effective Product Goal Definition 4:51 Clarity in Goal Definition 11:36 Lack of Strategy 22:46 Finding Techniques without Help 29:49 Clear and Consice: A Discovery Story 38:39 Clear and Concise 44:07 Be Empirical: Get Metrics 46:58 Empiricisim Without a Scrum Master 49:31 What is Empiricism 51:37 Facilitating Stakeholder Collaboration 58:10 Extending Product via Soft Skills
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA81 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 2: the Product)
AA80 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 1: the Team)
23 Sep 2022
00:44:01
Outside of the daily scrum, what does a Scrum Master do all day?If you've ever been asked this question - this is the podcast for you!
On this episode, Scrum Master Ayo Eyo joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to talk about how Scrum Masters spend their day while serving the team.
Special shout out to Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson who just happened to be in the neighborhood and joined us for the last half!
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA80 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 1: the Team)
AA79 - The Case Against Psychological Safety, with Stormy Dickson
16 Sep 2022
00:37:58
Have you ever been in an organization where psychological safety was ridiculed or derided?
On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando to see if a case can be made against psychological safety.
0:00 Topic Intro 1:47 Unearned Autonomy 6:25 Empowered Teams, but Incentivizing Individuals 11:01 A Shield Against Accountability 14:33 Incentives via Consensus 19:46 Transparency in Financials 24:32 Prioritization 30:27 Stormy's Summary 33:50 Decision Making (Consensus vs Lobbying)
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA79 - The Case Against Psychological Safety, with Stormy Dickson
AA78 - Building the Wrong Thing, with Senior Scrum Master Ted Wells
09 Sep 2022
00:56:57
Have you ever been handed a feature to build rather than a problem to solve?
Have you ever built a feature touted as the next big thing only to find out that it was never used or needed?
On this episode, Senior Scrum Master Ted Wells joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel as they talk about building the wrong thing.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:35 Product-Led and Sales-Led Organizations 4:14 Visionary-Led Organizations 6:59 Working Backwards 11:03 Arguing Against 16:10 Order-Taker or Waiter Product People 20:43 The Need for Refactoring 26:28 The Challenge with Technical POs 34:30 Measuring "Failure" 43:29 One Week Sprints 52:05 Incentives and Illusory Progress 56:37 Wrap-Up
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA78 - Building the Wrong Thing, with Senior Scrum Master Ted Wells
AA77 - Technical or Not? Backgrounds of Product Managers or Owners
02 Sep 2022
00:47:22
In Product Management, does having a Technical Background help or not?
On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to explore how the background of a Product Manager (or Product Owner) may benefit or hinder.
0:00 Imposter Syndrome 0:35 Start with Why 4:30 Navigating Difficult Situations 8:27 Stormy's Experiences 12:37 Constantly Starting Over 14:49 Making the Transition 17:46 Partnering with Tech Leader 22:14 Creating Culture 27:18 Learning to Fly 29:24 Pro's of the Non-Technical PM 36:38 Courage is a Value 40:57 Stereotypes & Assumptions 45:49 Soul Searching
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA77 - Technical or Not? The Backgrounds of Product Managers or Owners
AA76 - Product Owner vs Product Manager
26 Aug 2022
01:01:38
Is there a difference between a Product Owner and a Product Manager? And if the answer is yes (surprise, it is), what is the difference?
On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to explore the differences between Product Owners and Product Managers.
0:00 Topic Intro: PO vs PM 0:19 Mike Miller Definition 3:06 Collaboration in Product Roles 6:35 Strategic vs Tactical 12:06 Heirarchy Driven by Incentives 15:32 Brian's Counter-point 18:43 Role vs Job 22:58 Technical Product Owner 28:27 Domain Knowledge 39:52 Working with Users 45:54 Prioritization & Vision 50:22 Separating PM from the Founders 59:53 Agile Leadership 1:01:22 Wrap-Up
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzgxMzE5LnJzcwSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Beyond what is in the Scrum Guide, how do we work with the definition of done?
On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to explore the definition of done.
0:00 Topic Intro 1:28 Defining Definition of Done 5:14 Breaking DoD 8:44 Contributing and/or Ignoring 13:39 Adapting or Extending the DoD 18:41 Who Prompts a Revision? 20:53 The Hawthorne Effect 23:46 Back to Revisions 25:56 The First DoD 31:25 Stormy's Summary 35:35 No Silver Bullet
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzgxMzE5LnJzcwSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
AA74 - Bad Certification Experiences & Maybe Bad Certifications...
12 Aug 2022
01:22:55
Have you had a bad experience with a certification or certification class?
On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson discusses her bad experience with the CSPO certification. Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel ask questions and wonder what could be changed within the system to make sure these kinds of things don't happen.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:21 Stormy's Certification Experience 7:26 How Did We Get Here? 14:28 Scrum Master Experience 25:47 Organizational Change-Agents 39:12 Experts Teaching Experts 41:44 Base Level for Entry 48:14 Making Money While Being Ethical 52:21 Filtering into Industry 56:58 Let's Talk Fixes 1:01:11 Making Cultural Changes 1:06:23 Leadership 1:08:28 Base Curriculum 1:10:39 Better Curriculum 1:14:02 Pseudo Product Managers 1:16:47 Badmouthing Jira 1:21:59 Wrap-Up
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzgxMzE5LnJzcwSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
AA73 - Should Velocity Always Be Increasing, Forever?
05 Aug 2022
00:59:38
Is Velocity a number that should go up and up, forever? What does it mean when Velocity goes down? On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about the ups and downs (pun intended) of Velocity.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:43 Should Velocity Perpetually Rise? 3:03 Let's Argue About: Metrics 7:27 Sustainability and Circling the Drain Faster 12:32 Seeking Justification 15:55 Decreasing Team Size to Speed Up 20:52 Reasons to Increase Velocity 25:42 Standardization/Equalization Between Teams 27:51 More on Bad Metrics 33:42 Business Value 39:15 Stability, an Example 45:08 Dips in Velocity - Where is Product? 50:33 Summarizing the Topic 53:19 Tracking Variance 59:10 Wrap-Up
AA180 - UX Research vs Product Management: Pillow Fighting in a Burning House
04 Sep 2024
00:37:25
Do You Really Need a UX Researcher on Your Product Team?
There are no easy answers on this podcast as we react to a provocative LinkedIn post.
On this episode, Product Manager Brian and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om debate the merits and challenges of having dedicated UX researchers on product teams.
Listen as we explore:
Are UX researchers a must-have or a luxury?
Can product managers develop research skills?
Does short-term thinking undervalue the impact of UX research?
Could UX researchers upskill product teams?
Join us for a delightfully balanced discussion about product management, UX professionals, and agile teams.
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-Podcast = = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AA72 - Gantt Charts in Agile Software Development
29 Jul 2022
01:16:01
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about Gantt charts. What is a Gantt chart, why do people do them, what purpose do they serve in agile software development, and why they're terrible and you should never do one.
0:00 Introductory Banter 1:00 Topic Intro 2:52 Deciding How We'll Argue 4:05 What is a Gantt Charts and it's History 10:05 Unknown Tasks 15:46 Dependencies 20:50 Changing Plans 24:46 Compiling the Gantt Chart 32:00 Lean Principles & Adjusting Plans 35:39 The Case Against Gantt Charts 42:00 Planning for Capacity 48:03 Gantt Charts and Roadmaps 52:17 Product Focus & Story/Release Mapping 57:27 The Feeling of Control 1:00:59 Systems Thinking 1:02:35 Gantt Charts vs Burn-down 1:07:09 Don't Do Gantt Charts 1:10:59 Brian's Hot-Take 1:15:38 Wrap-Up
On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson stops by to discuss her journey to Product. Additionally, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel muse on the different ways people find themselves in Product.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:38 Path to Product 3:27 Assumptions 9:04 First Job PM - Things to Watch 13:36 Trying to See the Other Side 18:38 Journey Starting with Domain Experience 24:09 Discover Users, Build Empathy 35:11 Comparing PMs 37:51 PM vs PO 45:14 Getting Stuck in the Tactical World 52:58 The Skill to Challenge Things 59:22 Suggestions for Your Past Self = = = = = = = = = = = = Also available on YouTube
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk through working within the confines of limited or finite resources.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:22 The Problem 2:42 Team Member Sharing 8:11 Architects 13:12 UI/UX 18:22 Testers 25:50 Faux Fixes 33:19 Team Agility Radar 38:37 Centers of Excellence 41:19 Fixes: Understand Vision 47:49 Fixes: Contractors 51:15 Fixes: Decentralizing 57:13 Wrap-Up
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about the sticky topic of Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters gatekeeping agility and thereby lowering trust in agile software development theory and practices, all around.
0:00 Topic Intro 1:53 The Post, Part 1 3:46 Arguing the Post 8:37 Supporting Arguments 15:46 Mindset & Psychological Safety 20:57 The Article, Part 2 (Part 25:41 Meet them Where They Are 34:24 Trainers 40:42 Coaches with Technical Backgrounds 47:38 Arguing on the Last Points (Part 3) 57:17 Wrap-Up
AA68 - Dealing with Conflict, with Special Mystery Guest
01 Jul 2022
01:28:59
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel are joined their favorite Special Mystery Guest to talk about something that most people are bad at - dealing with conflict.
0:00 Topic Intro 1:00 Scaled Retro Example 6:37 One-on-Ones 8:56 Conflict Avoidance 12:42 Saying "No" 18:57 Learning on the Job 23:53 Problematic Coworkers 31:53 Scrum Master Assertiveness 41:02 Scrum Master Saying No, Continued 51:29 Finger Pointing 1:00:53 Dealing with "the Higher-Ups" 1:08:57 Focus on Problems 1:11:32 Involving HR 1:18:02 Encountering Sociopaths 1:25:16 Jessica's Summary 1:28:17 Wrap-Up
AA67 - Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow
24 Jun 2022
00:58:50
On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando pitches Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel on the team optimization suggestions from the book, Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow (2019), by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais.
0:00 Topic Intro: Team Topologies 1:58 Stream-Aligned Teams 3:50 Why this Book? 7:25 Cognitive Load 12:46 4 Fundamental Topologies 20:22 Platform Teams 22:47 Arguing on Team Topologies 25:16 3 Core Interaction Modes 30:30 Case Studies 31:21 Om's First Reaction 33:16 Re-summarizing the Book 35:40 Ratios 39:05 Teams' Responsibility for Commercial Viability 43:02 What We Learned 51:18 Riffing on Non-Development Teams 55:31 Why It's Worth Reading
AA66 - Personal Agility & the Great Resignation, with Joey deVilla
17 Jun 2022
01:13:50
When we think about unmitigated optimism and unwavering positivity, we think of none other than the unflappable - Joey deVilla!
On this episode, we talk about how the great resignation has affected us and how a commitment to personal agility helps people and companies through tough times.
0:00 Intro 0:24 Topic Intro 0:59 Reasons for In-Person Gathering 4:19 Team Bonding, Positive Vibes 8:40 Work, Life, & Sustainability 15:50 Interviews: Vetting Companies 19:55 Segue on Microsoft 25:51 Learning 31:12 Time to Think 37:34 Evolution of Technology & Skills 44:55 Solving Problems 47:51 Personal Agility 53:24 Monkeys, a Banana, and a Ladder 1:02:18 Returning to the Office 1:08:43 The Future 1:13:00 Wrap-Up
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AA66 - Personal Agility & the Great Resignation, with Joey deVilla
AA65 - The Perfect Sprint Review Agenda
10 Jun 2022
00:59:29
Does a perfect Sprint Review agenda exist?
On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel ask this very question and try to figure it! Using some original content from one of our favorite Agile Coaches out there, Vibhor Chandel, we review and revise our way toward a Sprint Review agenda that we are excited to try with our teams, and that we hope you'll try with yours.
What creates bad experiences with agile; what do they look like, and how to we deal with them? On this episode of Arguing Agile, Curtis Lembke is back, joining Brian Orlando and Om Patel to talk through Bad Agile Experiences and why some people just totally against agile.
0:00 User-First Mindset 4:44 Introductory Banter 5:14 Topic Intro - Bad Agile Experiences 9:09 Why People Resist 12:25 Laggards & the Late Majority 15:52 What about Steve Jobs? 18:43 Product Cannibalization 23:58 Create Your Competition 26:44 Input, Output, & the Environment 30:27 Musings on Auto Production 32:45 Self Management 36:36 Bad Actors 44:20 Mindset 49:21 Scrum Master Titles 54:04 Leads and Scaling 1:02:39 Who is the Expert? 1:06:51 Biases & Starting from a Negative 1:13:14 Guard Rails 1:17:58 The Case for Waterfall 1:24:46 Agility, How We Learn 1:29:50 Budgetary Risk Avoidance 1:35:22 Wrap-Up
Do you feel Scrum is not helping you to more effectively create software or solve problems? Do you feel Scrum is just another form of managerial control? Do you feel Scrum is not helping your organization be or remain agile?
On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel discuss experiences and share tips to make scrum more effective - thereby producing more value.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:21 Seek First to Learn and Evolve 2:51 Work on Team Accountability 7:56 Get Help (Don't Hide Failures) 11:10 Last Thoughts on Retros (Mostly) 13:32 Future Podcast Ideas 14:33 Don't Shortcut Scrum Event Times 19:17 More on Shortcutting Sprint Planning 22:22 Sprint Planning, Arguing Points 25:48 Continuous Team Building 29:47 Build and Use Finite Goodwill 33:07 Use the Vision(s) to Set Better Goals 37:11 Tips on Changing the Goal/Focus 40:59 Stop Starting, Start Finishing 46:19 Either Clear Blockers or Put Them Aside 52:40 Agree on "Done" 55:50 Wrap-Up
AA179 - Winning Product Strategies & MVPs: Case Studies from Top Companies
28 Aug 2024
01:01:47
In this episode of the Arguing Agile podcast, Product Manager Nisha Patel joins hosts Om Patel and Brian Orlando to discuss how to develop effective product strategies.
They break down real-world examples from companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, and more to illustrate the key components of a strong strategy. Learn practical tips for defining the right problem to solve, creating a guiding policy, and identifying measurable actions to test your strategy.
Whether you're a product manager, agile coach, or aspiring entrepreneur, you'll gain insights to help you craft strategies that drive results.
0:00 Podcast Intro 0:11 Podcast Intro: Nisha Patel & Strategy 0:45 Discussion on Product Strategies 1:15 Common Advice 2:10 Why We Don't Write It Down 3:37 Importance of Visualizing Strategies 6:11 Where Are Our Strategies? 10:23 Tools for Strategy Management 12:32 Strategy Review Cadence 14:25 Tactical Advice on Strategy 17:23 Brainstorming Strategy 19:19 Case Study: Dropbox 21:56 Building a Guiding Policy 26:36 Case Study: Doordash 29:05 Case Study: AirBnB 31:24 Testing Ideas & Strategies 35:44 The Crazy Idea Behind Uber 36:43 Case Study: Robinhood 37:56 Case Study: Kickstarter 41:29 Case Study: Zapier 42:49 Case Study: Stripe 44:33 Early Adoption of Stripe 49:12 The Importance of Defining the 'Why' 50:14 Empowering Developers and Agile Collaboration 51:55 Summary and Future Podcasts 53:16 Advice for People Stuck as a Cog in a Machine 58:41 Customer Centricity 59:55 Two Future Podcasts 1:01:17 Wrap-Up
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-Podcast = = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AA62 - Failing to Accomplish the Sprint Goal
20 May 2022
00:57:10
On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel talk about what occurs when a team fails to meet the agreed on Sprint Goal.
What do you do when a team does not meet the Sprint goal? How do you decide if a Sprint has failed or not? Does your culture promote learning from failures, or is failure a four letter word? We talk through all these things, and more!
0:00 Intro 1:09 Sprint Goals 4:18 Quality of the Sprint Goal 11:22 Tracking Successes and Failures 15:44 Trending Failure 18:21 Partial Success 21:16 Wrong Software or No Software? 22:12 Holding the Team Accountable 24:24 Blame Game Culture 26:20 Effective Planning (During Planning Time) 30:08 Being Available During "The How" Planning 32:45 Taking Accountability, An Example 37:09 Stretch Goals 41:21 Part Time Scrum Master 43:07 Shared Learnings (Both Failures & Successes) 47:21 Future Podcast - Group/Program Retro 49:23 Failure Culture 52:38 Finding Failure 55:42 Wrap-Up
AA61 - Experiences in Corporate Buyouts (Mergers & Acquisitions)
13 May 2022
01:16:00
On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel talk through their experiences in corporate buyouts (aka. a merger or acquisition). Why do they typically happen? How do you know they're about to happen? What to expect when they do happen?
...and, most importantly, what we've seen in our combined 8 experiences going through M&As on both the acquiring side and the acquiree side. Also, acquiree isn't a real word, but then, aren't all words made up?
0:00 Intro 0:36 Topic Intro - M&A 1:46 Three Reasons Acquisitions Happen 5:55 Warning Signs of an Acquisition 12:07 More Warnings: Resignations & Stock Manipulation 15:26 What to Expect, Here We Go 16:00 Media Blitz 19:06 Don't Panic & Stick Around 21:41 Or Don't Stick Around 23:40 Nothing is Going to Change 29:56 Feeling Left Out, Lost, or Listless 35:47 Controls & Cost-Cutting 47:51 Loss of Perks or Benefits 52:41 Being the Acquirer 55:48 Byzantine Financial Controls 1:04:40 Pay Attention to Debt 1:07:12 Your Culture will Change 1:12:05 Sticking Around 1:15:37 Wrap-Up
On this episode, Curtis Lembke returns to talk about change! We all know change is hard - successful change cannot be managed, it requires capable and driven leaders. Curtis and Brian talk through (most of) John Kotter's eight-step change process, outlined in his 1995 book, "Leading Change."
0:00 Intro & Banter 0:24 John Kotter: Leading Change 1:55 1.) Establish a Sense of Urgency 8:44 Business Value 20:12 Speed to Market vs. Quality Solution 27:17 Sabotaging Urgency 31:40 2.) Create a Guiding Coalition 35:55 Blockers: When Executives Clash 40:24 Failing to Establish a Coalition 42:58 3.) Develop a Vision and a Strategy 47:27 Crafting Vision: Leadership vs. Management 1:00:02 4.) Communicating the Change Vision 1:05:32 Sabotaging Vision Communication 1:12:32 5.) Empower Employees 1:19:16 Fear is a Blocker 1:23:54 Wrap-Up
On this episode, Agile Coach Caurie Waddell stops by to discuss her experiences working with new teams.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:38 Newly Formed Teams 4:23 Changing Behavior 7:39 Fix the Problems 12:16 Planning Improvement 14:57 Just Tell Me What to Do 17:09 The WoLF (Working on Latest Fire) 20:07 New Team (with Agile Experience) 22:46 The Hard Work is Outside the Team(s) 24:43 Middle Managers 27:36 Discovery & Product 29:39 Resistance - A Podcast Series? 34:38 Agility & the Customer 37:06 A New Team (To You) 41:26 New Team to You (with Agile) 42:59 Leaving Things "on the Table" 48:08 Why New Teams are Added 50:42 Uh, oh (SAFe!) 57:31 Reinventing the (Deming) Wheel 1:04:22 Team of Teams Example 1:09:39 Caurie's Final Thoughts
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AP59 - New Teams with Agile Coach Caurie Waddell
AP57 - Can We Fix Certifications? with Brent Breaux
22 Apr 2022
00:58:42
Episode 57 is very special for us because we got to sit down with one of our favorite agilists - an individual who has quite literally been on our guest list since episode ONE - Brent Breaux! In this episode, we discuss the Certification Industry and the different ways that it fails the typical team member. We also muse on what a "better" or more helpful training regimen might look like or include.
0:00 Topic Intro 0:57 The Market, As-Is 4:47 Certification Treadmill 7:17 Certification via Mentorship 11:29 Innovation in the Certification Industry 15:26 SAFe 17:38 Fundamentals 20:58 Management & Organizational Agility (or lack thereof) 25:15 Incremental Value - an Untapped Market 27:32 Five Whys to Management 30:22 Business Technologists 32:49 Can Large Enterprises Really "be Agile" 35:38 Short Term Management 41:19 Value of Agile Skillsets in "the Business" 43:55 Back to Agile Values & Principles 47:18 Benefits or Improvements to Certs 50:22 No Thanks, We're Too Busy! 55:19 The Path to Product Management (a Future Podcast) 57:21 Wrap-Up
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AP57 - Can We Fix Certifications? with Brent Breaux
AP58 - Article Review: "Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt on why in-office work is better"
15 Apr 2022
00:40:41
In this episode, Brian and Om read through an article making its rounds on LinkedIn right now titled: "Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt on why in-office work is better: 'I don't know how you build great management' virtually." Listen as we discuss the points of the article, react to its contents, and argue about what it all means (or doesn't mean).
Will Om be able to talk Brian off the ledge? Find out - only on the Agile Podcast!!!
0:00 Topic Intro 0:43 Article First Impressions 3:20 We Have Tools & Methods 6:50 PrOvEn EfFeCtIvEnEsS (of Being In-Office) 10:48 Face-to-Face, but with a Purpose 15:03 Telecommunication vs. Telepresence 17:52 Disdain for Young(er) Professionals 21:16 Working from the Sofa 24:42 Fear of the Future 29:18 Leading the Way in Software (or not) 33:55 Bad Reasons for Returning 35:42 Article Summary 37:46 Free Feature Idea (for Google Board Members to Consider) 39:25 Wrap-Up
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/agile-podcast-2 = = = = = = = = = = = = AP58 - Article Review: "Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt on why in-office work is better"
AP56 - Business Value (Who, What, When, Why, & How)
08 Apr 2022
00:51:28
Are you a Product Manager or Owner who needs a metric separate from Velocity that better represents value delivered to the customer? Well then, this episode is for you! In this episode, we discuss Business Value - what is it, how to use it, why to use it, when to use it, and who assigns it.
0:00 Topic Intro - Business Value 1:22 A Different Kind of Metric 4:28 Business Value = 0 10:15 Jira-Related Example 11:41 Who Assigns Business Value? 14:47 Communicating Why 17:18 Involving Others in Business Value 20:35 Pricing, Risk, and Collaboration 24:47 When to Assign 27:58 Negative Value 29:54 Which Scale to Use 32:59 Assigning via Community 38:05 How to Start 42:02 Better Conversations with "the Business" 47:35 Conclusion 50:01 Wrap-Up
On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel are joined by our favorite Special Mystery Guest to ponder an important question that does not get asked enough - does a Scrum Master really need to attend every single Scrum event (and every non-scrum event) that involves their team?
0:00 Intro & Topic Intro 0:32 What Else Are You Doing? 3:58 Scrum Events without the Scrum Master 6:12 Scrum Master and Refinements 11:07 Three Teams is Two Too Many 13:33 Can You Skip Sprint Review? 16:35 Fact Checking Time 18:08 Essential Scrum Master Event 19:59 Tangent on Taking Advantage of Commitments 26:06 Scaling without Scaling 30:21 Not Doing Three Question Stand-Ups 35:38 PO Protecting Psychological Safety 36:20 Brian as a Scrum Master 38:06 Different Ways into Product Manager/Owner 43:10 Communicating and Importance of the SM 46:44 Hold Leadership Accountable with Kanban 49:25 Positive Influence through Visualization 53:57 Wrap-Up 54:15 Blooper Reel
On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel talk with Sr. Product Owner Anitra Pavka about her experiences across the software development and agility field - from Web Developer, to Business Analyst, to Scrum Master and Agile Coach, to Product Owner/Manager and beyond.
...and BEYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOND!
0:00 Intro 0:22 Anitra's Background 3:57 Exploring Cultures 6:48 Agility Enters the Picture 11:58 Learning by Trying 13:09 Creating Great Teams 16:17 Resistance, Perfection, and Bad Actors 19:56 Agile Aggravations 23:09 Job Descriptions in Agile (they're getting worse) 26:25 Improving Agile 29:02 Adding Perspectives to Agile 33:46 Intentional Exclusion 36:23 Changing Agile: Systems Thinking & Agility at the Top 42:06 Being an Organizational Change Agent 44:58 Advice 49:25 Influences and Influencers 54:55 Forming Trust and Teams 58:45 Coaching Up (Coaching the Organization) 1:03:33 What's Next for Anitra 1:04:13 Wrap-Up
What is a Service Manager? What do they do? On this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel are joined by Brian Fidalgo to talk about what it is like to be a Service Manager.
0:00 Intro 0:18 What is a Service Manager? 2:49 Is it a Large Company Thing? 6:37 Is It Like Scaled Product? 12:53 Organizational Alignment 16:10 Day in the Life 19:24 Quality and Control/Influence 23:24 Similarities in Dance & Music 29:20 Acronyms (SLA and OLA) 33:40 Elements of Process and Product 39:00 Like a Program-Level Scrum Master? 45:10 Brian Hones In! 48:38 Background of a Service Manager 51:34 Working with Vendors 54:47 Desire to Learn and Help 59:41 Love of Your Job 1:04:19 Challenges of the Job 1:08:03 Building Relationships 1:10:31 Career Progression of a Service Manager 1:15:49 Focusing on Outcomes 1:22:49 Advice for Future Service Managers 1:23:55 Wrap-Up
In this episode of the Arguing Agile podcast, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando are joined by Alex Polyakov, CEO of Project Simple (https://projectsimple.ai) for an immersive discussion of the complex topic of technical debt.
They discuss what technical debt really means, when it can be beneficial vs harmful, and strategies for prioritizing and paying down tech debt while still delivering value to users. Learn how to have productive conversations about technical debt with your development teams and stakeholders.
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ee3506fc-38f2-46d1-a301-79681c55ed82/Agile-Podcast = = = = = = = = = = = = Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample) By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181) CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)
AP52 - Taylorism: The Principles of Scientific Management
11 Mar 2022
02:22:20
This episode of the Agile Podcast is all about Frederick Winslow Taylor and his invention: Scientific Management. The father of Management Consulting, Taylor wrote a book called the Principles of Scientific Management which became (in our opinion) the cornerstone of management theory for the majority of the post-Industrial era into the current day.
Join Brian Orlando and Om Patel, with special guest Alfonso Guerra, as we delve into the world of Taylorism!
0:00 Intro & Taylor's History 4:32 First, Some Context 7:16 Opening Thesis 10:00 Scientific Management, Process Overview 11:22 Taylor's Biggest Problem: Soldiering 17:27 Management in Scientific Management 20:03 Relevance to Software Development 23:26 Back to the Point 28:19 Midvale Steel and Background Affinity 33:29 Three Years Later... (Parallels in Change Management) 35:51 Jumping Ahead (Future Podcasts) 38:02 Results of Three Years of Experiments 41:38 Who Plans the Work 44:59 Collaboration is an Assumed Proficiency 51:25 Poaching Workers 54:01 The Price of Waste 57:06 Finding New Methods of Working 1:03:50 Skipping the Ball Bearing Example 1:05:16 Problems with Profit Sharing 1:08:26 Assumptions on Human Nature 1:12:40 Supporting Silos 1:17:53 Learning New Skills (Side-Track) 1:23:23 Management Roles in Scientific Management 1:25:44 Modern HR 1:29:49 The Villain, Henry Gantt 1:34:03 Jumping Ahead in Podcasts 1:35:12 The Disciplinarian, HR and Finance 1:40:01 The Need for the Disciplinarian 1:43:19 Not-Agile Transformation 1:46:45 Taylor's Warnings on Misapplications 1:49:23 Good and Bad Workplaces 1:51:08 The Taylor Manifesto 1:54:03 Quality, Effectiveness, and Taylorism 1:55:55 Scientific Management and Knowledge Work 1:59:04 Looking at Taylorism with a Modern Lens 2:03:24 Brian's Thoughts... 2:05:02 Om's Thoughts... 2:07:32 Alfonso's Thoughts... 2:10:42 Overall Summary 2:15:01 Bad Education, Bad Management, and Bad Metrics 2:19:53 Wrap-Up 2:22:00 Thanks for Listening!
AP51 - Challenges of Product Management (with Tricia Barnes)
04 Mar 2022
00:46:39
On this Episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel are joined by VP of Product Tricia Barnes for a brief discussion about challenges frequently encountered by Product Managers.
AP50 - Estimation (Hours vs. Story Points vs. Flow)
25 Feb 2022
01:03:05
In this episode, Brian Orlando and Om Patel discuss the dreaded topic of estimation in agile software development. We discuss the pros and cons of each type of estimation, starting with time/hours-based estimates, then moving to story points and finally flow (or #noestimates).
0:00 Intro 0:18 Topic Intro 1:28 Why Estimate? 3:15 Real Deadlines... Sometimes... 5:13 Why Estimate? A Product Viewpoint 7:49 Estimation or Guess 10:59 Guesses, Demands, & Tricks 13:36 "Pick a Date" Behavior 15:44 Methods of Estimation: Hours (or Time) 22:44 If You Have to Estimate in Hours... 24:24 Other Games with Time Estimates 27:59 The Evils of Individual Time Metrics 32:26 Relative Estimation: Story Points 36:23 Forgetting About Risk & Complexity 41:19 Doing Story Points Right 42:58 Flow-Based Estimation (aka. #NoEstimates) 46:39 Breaking Stories - the Secret to Success in Flow 50:23 Flow in Kanban 53:52 Delivery of Business Value 59:45 Future Business Value Podcast 1:02:40 Wrap-Up 1:02:53 Blooper Reel