Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches

Paul Jarvis: Embracing the Stretch Zone, Tools for Personal and Agile Team Growth

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Paul introduces the "comfort - stretch - panic model" by Karl Ronker. This episode explores the necessity of stepping out of comfort to achieve personal and professional growth, emphasizing the role of the Stretch zone in challenging and expanding our capabilities. Through practical tips and insights, including the significance of a growth mindset. Paul refers to Managing for Happiness, Jurgen Appelo. Regarding change processes, Paul guides listeners on how to use experiments, spikes, and the Cynefin model to navigate and embrace change effectively. What does it truly mean to stretch beyond our comfort zones, and how can we apply these principles to foster a culture of continuous improvement and happiness? Discover tools, tips, and techniques that catalyze growth and change.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Paul Jarvis

Paul is a seasoned Enterprise Lean Agile Coach, Trainer, RTE, and Scrum Master with a decade of experience in the FinTech sector, focusing on banking, payments, and e-commerce. Recently, he completed a 3.5-year tenure at a key player in investment banking.

You can link with Paul Jarvis on LinkedIn and connect with Paul Jarvis on Twitter.

Paul Jarvis: Unlocking Scrum Team Potential, The High-performance Tree Tool 

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we explore the dynamics of two high-performing teams hindered by a single member's reluctance to seek help. This episode explores the critical lesson, such as leveraging the "power of the team", and introduces the high-performance tree metaphor, illustrating the foundational values and desired behaviors in effective Scrum teams. How does one individual's challenge affect team performance, and what strategies can encourage collective problem-solving and support? Paul discusses his approach and insights, and refers to a video from Lyssa Adkins about the high-performance tree.

Paul recommends the book "Management 3.0" by Jurgen Appelo. He shares the book's profound impact on understanding Agile. Paul also shares other key references for Scrum Masters such as "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins, "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott, "Nonviolent Communication" by Marshal Rosenberg, "Think Again" by Adam Grant, and Patrick Lencioni's contributions. Each book offers a unique perspective on Agile principles, from fostering constructive disagreements and navigating conflicts to reevaluating our knowledge and embracing humility. Find out about Paul's lightbulb moments and the collective wisdom these authors bring to the Agile table.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Paul Jarvis

Paul is a seasoned Enterprise Lean Agile Coach, Trainer, RTE, and Scrum Master with a decade of experience in the FinTech sector, focusing on banking, payments, and e-commerce. Recently, he completed a 3.5-year tenure at a key player in investment banking.

You can link with Paul Jarvis on LinkedIn and connect with Paul Jarvis on Twitter.

Paul Jarvis: Agile is a Framework for Collaboration, Here’s How

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

"Agile is a framework for collaboration"

In this episode, Paul shares a story from his early days as a Scrum Master in digital agencies, focusing on website projects for real estate agents. Despite the prevalence of the waterfall methodology, Paul ventured into the world of Agile, aiming to transform his and supplier teams' approach to project management. His journey wasn't without its challenges, especially in conveying the benefits of Agile over traditional methods. Through a mix of daily phone calls and strategic persuasion, he learned valuable lessons about teamwork, the essence of Agile as a framework for collaboration, and the importance of explaining new processes to those involved. How can the shift from waterfall to Agile catalyze better teamwork and project outcomes? Listen to Paul's story of perseverance, learn about the tools like MURAL that supported his journey, and the insights he gained on fostering collaboration within teams.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Paul Jarvis

Paul is a seasoned Enterprise Lean Agile Coach, Trainer, RTE, and Scrum Master with a decade of experience in the FinTech sector, focusing on banking, payments, and e-commerce. Recently, he completed a 3.5-year tenure at a key player in investment banking.

You can link with Paul Jarvis on LinkedIn and connect with Paul Jarvis on Twitter.

In this BONUS episode, we delve into the merging of Scrum and Kanban with Todd Little, Chairman at Kanban University, and Joey Spooner, Vice President of Product Management at Kanban University. Join us as we uncover the journey and strategies behind integrating Scrum and Kanban to replace project management and enhance team productivity.

"Finding the right balance between Scrum and Kanban came from a need to handle uncertainty in tech projects better," explains Todd. 

Both leaders discuss their initial encounters with agile methodologies and how challenges in their projects led them to innovate and blend Scrum with Kanban to improve flexibility and responsiveness.

"There's a historical divide between the Scrum and Kanban communities, but bridging them can significantly enhance how teams operate." Notes Joey.

They break down the fundamental aspects of Scrum and Kanban, explaining how each contributes uniquely to managing projects and how combining them can mitigate the limitations of using one over the other.

Todd shares a case study from Vanguard, highlighting their "Scrum stall" and how integrating Kanban principles like mapping work flows and setting WIP limits dramatically improved cycle times and overall efficiency. Joey adds, "Visualizing work and adjusting processes to reduce bottlenecks, especially in QA, transformed our team dynamics and output."

"Start where you are, and evolve incrementally," advises Todd 

Todd and Joey emphasize the importance of recognizing current practices and gradually introducing Kanban elements to enhance Scrum frameworks. Joey reflects on early challenges in adoption, suggesting a cautious approach to avoid overwhelming teams and to foster more sustainable improvements.

The discussion touches on managing resistance to change. Todd and Joey highlight strategies like using historical data for forecasting and focusing on evolutionary change to gain buy-in from stakeholders and team members, ensuring a smoother integration of practices.

Looking ahead, Todd envisions a focus on refining product discovery processes to make workplaces more dynamic and fulfilling. Both speakers emphasize the importance of continuous improvement and pushing the boundaries of current agile practices to maximize their impact.

To explore more about integrating Scrum with Kanban and to connect with Todd and Joey, visit the Kanban University website or find them on LinkedIn (see links below). Also, don't miss the upcoming Product Owner Summit for more insights from industry leaders.

About Todd Little 

Todd Little is the Chairman of Kanban University, a seasoned executive, and a pioneer in lean and agile methodologies. His extensive experience in leading technology developments and his contributions as an author and speaker have positioned him as a key figure in global project management circles.

You can link with Todd Little on LinkedIn and connect with Todd Little on Twitter.

About Joey Spooner 

Joey Spooner is the Vice President of Product Management at Kanban University, with a rich background in managing complex projects across various industries. He holds a degree from the University of Florida and is known for his innovative approaches to community development and product management.

You can link with Joey Spooner on LinkedIn.

Tom Baldwin: Agile Team Champion, The Product Owner Who Gave the Stage Away

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

This segment spotlights an exemplary Product Owner who, through openness and experimentation, fosters a strong bond between stakeholders, developers, and the Scrum team. Tom emphasizes the importance of backlog management, team involvement in decision-making, and the PO's non-technical, yet impactful, leadership style, illustrating how an effective PO can be a linchpin for team success and stakeholder satisfaction.

Tom shares some critical anti-patterns often seen in the role of the Product Owner, like distance, dictatorship, and the toxicity surrounding the PO role. By proposing solutions such as empowering subject matter experts and adopting the Proxy PO pattern, Tom provides a blueprint for transforming the PO role into a catalyst for effective Scrum practices, ensuring a balanced and productive team dynamic.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Tom Baldwin

Tom is a Lean-Agile Coach & Scrum Master, who is trying to solve the problem that it has been more than 20 years since the Agile Manifesto, but Business Agility is still not the norm. Tom is currently writing “Production line for the mind: The Practicing Principle”, with the idea of making agility simple to understand & to implement – and not just for software.

You can link with Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn.

Tom Baldwin: Beyond The Process Ceremonies, The Necessary Evolution Of Scrum Master Success Over Time

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Tom talks about how we need to, over time, evolve our signs and metrics of success for Scrum Masters, from mastering ceremonies to measuring lead times and value delivery. Emphasizing the importance of team engagement with users and customers, Tom offers insights into fostering a culture of responsiveness and continuous improvement, ensuring that the team's journey towards autonomy and efficiency is both measurable and meaningful.

Tom explores the essence of effective Agile retrospectives, focusing on the 5 Why's technique to address root causes of team challenges. He advocates for personalized approaches, ensuring the right stakeholders are present, and fostering an environment where the team can own the process and outcomes. Through strategic documentation and visualization, Tom illustrates how to guide teams towards self-improvement and a focus on collaboration.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Tom Baldwin

Tom is a Lean-Agile Coach & Scrum Master, who is trying to solve the problem that it has been more than 20 years since the Agile Manifesto, but Business Agility is still not the norm. Tom is currently writing “Production line for the mind: The Practicing Principle”, with the idea of making agility simple to understand & to implement – and not just for software.

You can link with Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn.

Tom Baldwin: Agile Under Pressure, Strategies for Effective Organizational Change

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Tom shares a story about leading organizational change under a tight deadline, leveraging Agile principles to dismantle complexity and align teams with corporate goals. Through collaboration with an organizational design consultant, Tom emphasizes practical steps like optimizing team structures, engaging support functions, and applying throughput accounting to facilitate a transformation focused on simplicity, efficiency, and problem-solving, inspired by insights from Taiichi Ohno on eliminating waste.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Tom Baldwin

Tom is a Lean-Agile Coach & Scrum Master, who is trying to solve the problem that it has been more than 20 years since the Agile Manifesto, but Business Agility is still not the norm. Tom is currently writing “Production line for the mind: The Practicing Principle”, with the idea of making agility simple to understand & to implement – and not just for software.

You can link with Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn.

Tom Baldwin: From Centralized to Collaborative, Cultivating Independent Agile Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

As Tom steps into a team entangled with centralized communication and decision-making issues, he shares his strategic approach to fostering team independence and effective communication, especially during a managerial hiatus. Key strategies include direct dialogue among team members, engaging leadership in problem-solving discussions, and advocating for managerial coaching, drawing upon a real-life transformation where team autonomy and progress shine despite initial resistance.

Tom sheds light on the pivotal role The Scrum Field Guide by Mitch Lacey played in his Scrum Master journey, emphasizing its approachability and practical insights into role expectations, task decomposition, and work management. With anecdotes and tips like fitting work to time and embracing various work breakdown strategies. In this episode, we also refer to the episode with Anton Skornikov on slicing User Stories.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Tom Baldwin

Tom is a Lean-Agile Coach & Scrum Master, who is trying to solve the problem that it has been more than 20 years since the Agile Manifesto, but Business Agility is still not the norm. Tom is currently writing “Production line for the mind: The Practicing Principle”, with the idea of making agility simple to understand & to implement – and not just for software.

You can link with Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn.

Tom Baldwin: When the Stand-Up Turns Into Chaos, Conflict, Care, and Change for Agile Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In a gripping episode with Tom, we talk about the chaos of a stand-up gone wrong, spotlighting how personal tensions can reflect deeper process issues. Tom recounts a fiery disagreement between developers, stemming from a pressured environment, and how it led to a transformative shift in team dynamics and location. We talk about how Scrum Masters can navigate through conflicts, focusing on psychological insights and team unity. Key takeaways include the importance of 1-on-1 chats, understanding triggers, and collective decision-making, all while referencing seminal works like Deming's 14 principles for management and Lencioni’s "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team."

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Tom Baldwin

Tom is a Lean-Agile Coach & Scrum Master, who is trying to solve the problem that it has been more than 20 years since the Agile Manifesto, but Business Agility is still not the norm. Tom is currently writing “Production line for the mind: The Practicing Principle”, with the idea of making agility simple to understand & to implement – and not just for software.

You can link with Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn.

Jörn Hendrik Ast: Leading with Heart, Empathy and Vision for Product Owners

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, we explore the story of a Product Owner who exemplifies leadership, empathy, and the ability to inspire and unite a team. This episode showcases the qualities that make a Product Owner truly exceptional, from active listening and feedback to fostering a culture of openness and adaptability. It’s a narrative that illuminates the path to greatness in product ownership, setting a standard for others to follow.

In this segment, Jörn shares the saga of a Product Owner whose quest for significance led to turmoil and team burnout. He tells the story of misplaced priorities and the destructive path of a PO favouring appearing busy over being effective. It's a cautionary tale that probes into the anti-patterns plaguing product ownership and the strategies to recover from, or avoid those anti-patterns in our teams.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Jörn Hendrik Ask

Jörn Hendrik Ast, founded of New Work Heroes in 2018. He is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and author dedicated to innovating work through team collaboration, leadership, and personal development. He is coaching teams, producing podcast episodes, and continues to create impactful learning formats and books.

You can link with Jörn Hendrik Ask on LinkedIn and connect with Jörn Hendrik Ask on Threads.

Jörn Hendrik Ast: Self-Sustaining Agile Teams, The Art of Letting Go For Scrum Masters

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Jörn Hendrik defines success for Scrum Masters as reaching a point where the team can self-sustain, appreciating the Scrum Master's guidance but also be ready to venture forward independently. This episode explores the dynamics of trust, autonomy, and the subtle art of knowing when to step back. How does one cultivate a team's capability to navigate challenges without constant oversight?

Discover the power of the Keep/Drop/Try retrospective with Jörn. He shares how we can use that format to create a space where emotions and conversations can flourish, fostering trust within teams. Learn how focusing on individual, team, and organizational layers can unearth emotions and enhance psychological safety. It’s a guide to nurturing openness and trust, essential for any team aiming to thrive in today’s corporate landscape.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Jörn Hendrik Ask

Jörn Hendrik Ast, founded of New Work Heroes in 2018. He is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and author dedicated to innovating work through team collaboration, leadership, and personal development. He is coaching teams, producing podcast episodes, and continues to create impactful learning formats and books.

You can link with Jörn Hendrik Ask on LinkedIn and connect with Jörn Hendrik Ask on Threads.

Jörn Hendrik Ast: Building An Agile Framework for Construction Projects

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Join Jörn as he shares his pioneering Agile Model for Construction projects. He shares how he applied scrum principles to the engineering realm of a large-scale construction project. This episode unfolds the creation of a working model that harmonizes Agile with the construction industry's unique demands, showcasing the versatility and impact of Agile methodologies beyond software development. How does one adapt Agile to new territories, and what lessons can the construction industry teach us about Agile's universal applicability? Listen to find out!

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Jörn Hendrik Ask

Jörn Hendrik Ast, founded of New Work Heroes in 2018. He is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and author dedicated to innovating work through team collaboration, leadership, and personal development. He is coaching teams, producing podcast episodes, and continues to create impactful learning formats and books.

You can link with Jörn Hendrik Ask on LinkedIn and connect with Jörn Hendrik Ask on Threads.

Jörn Hendrik Ast: The Double-Edged Sword of Commitment, An Agile Team's Journey Through Innovation and Despair

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Jörn Hendrik recounts a sobering team story centered around the development and eventual discontinuation of a seemingly promising app. This episode sheds light on the dangers of commitment without flexibility, the value of listening to feedback, and the importance of recognizing when to pivot. It's a tale of commitment, disillusionment, and the hard-earned wisdom that sometimes, stopping is part of the journey to success.

Dive into Amy Edmondson's "Fearless Organization" with Jörn as he shares how this seminal work on psychological safety reshaped his approach to team management and workshop organization. This segment, explores the transformative power of psychological safety in the workplace, underpinned by practical insights from Jörn’s experience. Discover how breaking the silence on issues can propel teams towards better collaboration, innovation, and success. A must-listen for anyone looking to foster an environment where every voice is heard and valued.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Jörn Hendrik Ask

Jörn Hendrik Ast, founded of New Work Heroes in 2018. He is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and author dedicated to innovating work through team collaboration, leadership, and personal development. He is coaching teams, producing podcast episodes, and continues to create impactful learning formats and books.

You can link with Jörn Hendrik Ask on LinkedIn and connect with Jörn Hendrik Ask on Threads.

Jörn Hendrik Ast: Championing Change Without Being a Martyr, A Scrum Master's Tale

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In a candid recount of dedication and its pitfalls, Jörn shares a personal fail story from his early days as a scrum master. His tale begins with a fervent desire to protect his team, a desire so strong that it led to a confrontational encounter with management over resource allocation. This clash ultimately cost Jörn his position, but it sparked a series of realizations about the essence of effective problem-solving and influence within a team setting. How can a scrum master navigate the fine line between protecting the team and engaging constructively with management? Jörn delves into practical tips on avoiding martyrdom, the importance of choosing battles wisely, and strategies for inspiring acknowledgment of issues by those in power. His insights underscore the significance of communication, understanding the impact of decisions on the team, and the crucial role of psychological safety in fostering a collaborative environment.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Jörn Hendrik Ask

Jörn Hendrik Ast, founded of New Work Heroes in 2018. He is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and author dedicated to innovating work through team collaboration, leadership, and personal development. He is coaching teams, producing podcast episodes, and continues to create impactful learning formats and books.

You can link with Jörn Hendrik Ask on LinkedIn and connect with Jörn Hendrik Ask on Threads.

BONUS: Agile Coaching With a Philosophical Twist, Exploring Michel Foucault's Work, The Panopticon, and Other Systems of Control With Michelle Pauk

In this episode, with Michelle Pauk - an Agile Coach - we explore what we can learn from philosophy, and Michel Foucault's work on systems of power and discourse. Learn more about the systems we need to adapt to, and even transform. From the Panopticon, to the systems that drive compliance, and remove creative thought! A must listen for those interested in changing the world of work!

"It's not about predicting; it's about responding."

Michelle's journey into becoming an Agile coach was as unpredictable as volcanos can be, literally! Inspired initially by Michel Foucault during her studies, she found herself intrigued by the intricacies of thought and its impact on behavior. This intellectual curiosity led her to a company specializing in language learning software, where her role in project management opened her eyes to the stress and unpredictability inherent in the field. The realization that many of her challenges could be mitigated by Agile methodologies was a turning point. Agile, with its emphasis on adaptation over prediction, offered a solution to the guilt and responsibility she felt over uncontrollable factors, like a volcano disrupting her project. This journey not only transformed her approach to work but also challenged inherited industrial revolution-era notions of work processes.

"The panopticon and Agile: Visibility without the constraint."

Michelle's admiration for Michel Foucault's work, particularly his book Discipline and Punish, provides a unique lens through which she views her role as an Agile coach. The book's exploration of the panopticon—a system for observing without being seen—parallels the modern open office plan and contrasts with Agile's emphasis on transparency and collaboration. Foucault's historical analysis of justice systems and control mechanisms resonates with the systemic changes Agile coaching aims to implement in the workplace.

"Pay attention to what is *NOT* being said; it speaks volumes about your team's culture."

One of the core aspects of Agile coaching for Michelle is the focus on discourse and culture within teams—what is being talked about, and perhaps more importantly, what isn't. Drawing on Foucault and Wittgenstein, she emphasizes the power of unspoken norms and assumptions in shaping work environments. By encouraging teams to challenge these silent boundaries, Agile coaching not only aims to improve workflow but also to humanize the workplace, making it more receptive to change and innovation.

"Can we even think outside our language?"

The challenge for Agile coaches and Scrum Masters lies in becoming deeply aware of the surrounding culture and its influence on thought and action. By critically examining workplace norms and practices, Agile professionals can identify and challenge the limitations imposed by current systems of work. This awareness is crucial in fostering an environment where innovation thrives and work is humanized, reflecting the core goals of Agile methodology.

"I'm curious on what I learn from literature. It helps to understand, and develop empathy."

Michelle's coaching philosophy is enriched by a broad spectrum of historical and literary insights, demonstrating a deep-seated belief in the value of diverse perspectives. Beyond Foucault, she draws inspiration from literature and other historical accounts of thought, believing that understanding different mental frameworks can enhance empathy and effectiveness in her coaching practice. Books like Edgar Schein's explorations of organizational culture further contribute to her holistic approach.

"Understanding 'coercive persuasion' sheds light on resistance to change."

For those interested in delving deeper into the concepts of systems of control and their implications for learning and adaptation, Michelle recommends an article from the Harvard Business Review by Edgar Schein. This resource provides insights into 'coercive persuasion' and the natural resistance to change, topics that are crucial for Agile coaches aiming to navigate and mitigate these challenges in their organizations.

About Michelle Pauk

Michelle Pauk is the founder of Streamside Coaching, where she helps leaders and organizations thrive with change. She has over 15 years of experience working in diverse agile environments as a Product Owner, Scrum Master, project manager, and Agile coach. She is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and has a master's degree in leadership and organizational development.

You can link with Michelle Pauk on LinkedIn.

Joe Scherler: Curiosity and Collaboration, Critical Product Owner Traits That Scrum Masters Can Help Cultivate

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Joe talks about what teams face when Product Owners are seldom available. In this story, we hear about how that anti-pattern lead to disorganized meetings and neglected team interactions. This lack of engagement not only strained the team's dynamics but also skewed the product backlog toward the interests of a single stakeholder. How does an absent Product Owner affect the team and product development? Joe reflects on the importance of the Product Owner's role in retrospectives, the collaborative potential in backlog refinement, and the broader issues within the product organization. Learn from Joe's insights on supporting a Product Owner and tackling the root problems affecting team performance.

Explore the inspiring story of a junior Product Owner who defied expectations through curiosity, courage, and collaboration. Despite her inexperience, her eagerness to learn and understand the team's context transformed her into an exemplary leader. How can curiosity and open communication with stakeholders redefine the role of a Product Owner? This episode highlights the importance of feedback for the roadmap, the art of balancing technical and business discussions, and the power of a Product Owner in guiding the team toward delivering true value. 

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Joe Scherler

Having experienced Scrum and Agile in various roles, Joe’s mission is to unlock the hidden potential of teams and those who work with them to create a work environment that is as enjoyable as it is effective. He loves working on both soft and hard skills with the teams.

You can link with Joe Scherler on LinkedIn.

Joe Scherler: The Self-Driving Team, Signs of a Self-Sufficient Scrum Team

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we discuss how important it is to help a team evolve to the point where they no longer need direct guidance. But what are the signs of such a transformation? This episode explores possible indicators of a team's growing autonomy, from self-initiated process improvements to a shift from seeking solutions to seeking opinions. How can discussing value over output and engaging with the team on waste reduction contribute to this evolution? Discover the key questions and approaches Joe recommends for Scrum Masters aiming to foster truly self-sustaining teams.

In this segment, Joe introduces a reflective and dialogue-rich retrospective format that begins with understanding the current state of the team and tracing back through the events of the last Sprint. By drawing a timeline and encouraging team members to share their personal experiences and impacts, this format fosters a deeper understanding of the team's dynamics. How can incorporating personal experiences into retrospectives enhance team empathy and collaboration? Learn how this approach helps teams transition from identifying events to interpreting their significance and planning actionable improvements, ultimately strengthening the team's ability to navigate challenges together.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Joe Scherler

Having experienced Scrum and Agile in various roles, Joe’s mission is to unlock the hidden potential of teams and those who work with them to create a work environment that is as enjoyable as it is effective. He loves working on both soft and hard skills with the teams.

You can link with Joe Scherler on LinkedIn.

Joe Scherler: From Chapter Leads to Champions, Value Over Velocity in Scaled Agile

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Joe shares his experience with implementing the Spotify model across several small, agile teams. Confronting the complexities of entrenched roles and slow decision-making, Joe explains how he tried to empower teams through delegation and a focus on value over output. How can challenging traditional reporting structures and coaching leaders on delegation unlock a team's full potential? Discover the transformative power of discussing team results in terms of value and fostering a collaborative environment where every team member is a catalyst for innovation.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Joe Scherler

Having experienced Scrum and Agile in various roles, Joe’s mission is to unlock the hidden potential of teams and those who work with them to create a work environment that is as enjoyable as it is effective. He loves working on both soft and hard skills with the teams.

You can link with Joe Scherler on LinkedIn.

Joe Scherler: Agile Scaling Challenges, Fostering Empowered Decision-Making in Fast-Growth Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Joe shares an enlightening story about a team of technical leads facing the challenges of rapid organizational growth without a scaling framework, leading to disempowered teams. How does hierarchical decision-making erode team initiative and communication? Learn about the emotional toll on teams, the dangers of a victim mentality, and practical tips for reinvigorating team autonomy and accountability, including the use of delegation poker. What steps can you take to descale an organization and foster a culture of empowered decision-making?

In this segment, we discuss some of the profound lessons of "Radical Candor" as recommended by a visionary leader Joe worked with. We explore the essential practice of speaking up and providing critical feedback from a place of care. Discover the SBI model (Situation, Behaviour, Impact) plus the question of intention to explore the feedback recipient's perspective. Why is holding back feedback a disservice, and how can adopting radical candor transform your team dynamics and leadership approach?

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Joe Scherler

Having experienced Scrum and Agile in various roles, Joe’s mission is to unlock the hidden potential of teams and those who work with them to create a work environment that is as enjoyable as it is effective. He loves working on both soft and hard skills with the teams.

You can link with Joe Scherler on LinkedIn.

Joe Scherler: Middle Management Maze, Joe's Scrum Master Journey Through Organizational Conflict

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Joe shares his story of navigating through a high-stakes environment at a rapidly expanding organization, revealing the challenges of being caught between management demands and team expectations. How does one facilitate positive change when faced with resistance from above? Joe's story unfolds with rough (aka violent) communication between team members and a manager viewing him merely as a servant, leading to a significant toll on his mental health. Discover Joe's insights on the limitations of a Scrum Master's impact, the pitfalls of hierarchical rigidity, and the crucial tips for Scrum Masters facing similar trials. What strategies does Joe propose for engaging with resistant management to foster sustainable change and protect one's well-being?

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Joe Scherler

Having experienced Scrum and Agile in various roles, Joe’s mission is to unlock the hidden potential of teams and those who work with them to create a work environment that is as enjoyable as it is effective. He loves working on both soft and hard skills with the teams.

You can link with Joe Scherler on LinkedIn.

Lynn Runnels-Moss: Story Mapping to Success And The Role of the Product Owner in Team Dynamics

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

This episode showcases how deep engagement with problems, stakeholders, and the development team can lead to remarkable outcomes. Learn about the power of story mapping, immediate feedback, and creating a shared vision for the project. This example serves as an inspiration for Product Owners aiming to elevate their impact and foster a collaborative, productive team environment.

Lynn recounts her challenging experience with an inexperienced and disengaged Product Owner at a travel company, highlighting the detrimental impact on team morale and productivity. This episode offers insights into how Product Owners can avoid common team collaboration pitfalls and the importance of that engagement and collaboration with the team. Learn strategies for Product Owners to foster a positive, productive relationship with their team, ensuring the success of their projects.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Lynn Runnels-Moss

Lynn is a certified Agile coach and Business Coach, skilled in developing high-performance teams using Agile and Lean practices. She founded the London Comms Dojo, co-organises the London Code Dojo, and is a speaker in the Agile Leadership Community worldwide.

You can link with Lynn Runnels-Moss on LinkedIn.

Lynn Runnels-Moss: Value Delivery and Team Happiness, A Possible Scrum Master Success Definition

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we talk about the Scrum Master’s ability to deliver value to the customer and ensure a happy, cohesive team. This episode highlights the importance of psychological safety, continuous stakeholder collaboration, and the Scrum Master's role in fostering team connections. Discover strategies for aligning team efforts with user needs and stakeholder expectations, emphasizing the use of collaborative techniques to unite everyone towards a common goal.

Inspired by Nancy Kline's work and Nancy’s book “Time to Think”, Lynn introduces a retrospective format focused on deep, uninterrupted thinking. Discover how creating a space where team members can speak without interruption can lead to profound insights and meaningful change. This episode offers practical tips for fostering an environment that values listening and encourages the evolution of ideas.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Lynn Runnels-Moss

Lynn is a certified Agile coach and Business Coach, skilled in developing high-performance teams using Agile and Lean practices. She founded the London Comms Dojo, co-organises the London Code Dojo, and is a speaker in the Agile Leadership Community worldwide.

You can link with Lynn Runnels-Moss on LinkedIn.

Lynn Runnels-Moss: Navigating Toxic Environments, A Guide for Scrum Masters

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we hear a story when Lynn was working within a large, multi-company project, highlighting the destructive impact of traditional management styles in agile environments. This episode explores the importance of respecting your boundaries and the power of walking away from toxic situations. Learn from Lynn's approach to using shared adversity as a motivator and the significance of choosing the right organizational culture that aligns with your values and boundaries.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Lynn Runnels-Moss

Lynn is a certified Agile coach and Business Coach, skilled in developing high-performance teams using Agile and Lean practices. She founded the London Comms Dojo, co-organises the London Code Dojo, and is a speaker in the Agile Leadership Community worldwide.

You can link with Lynn Runnels-Moss on LinkedIn.

Lynn Runnels-Moss: Challenging Success, Pushing High Performing Agile Teams Beyond Complacency

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Lynn shares the nuanced challenge of leading a high-performing team into continuous improvement when complacency sets in. She shares insights on recognizing the signs of stagnation and the critical role of challenging the team with new, uncomfortable tasks to foster growth. This episode unpacks the dangers of the "don't break it" mentality and offers strategies for injecting innovation and learning into successful teams to prevent key members from seeking challenges elsewhere.

Explore the transformative power of Marshall B. Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" as Lynn shares how it reshaped her approach to confrontational communication, impacting every relationship in her life. Discover how the principles of NVC can enhance your feedback process, making requests without demands, and fostering deeper understanding and cooperation in your team. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to improve their communication skills and build stronger, more empathetic connections.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Lynn Runnels-Moss

Lynn is a certified Agile coach and Business Coach, skilled in developing high-performance teams using Agile and Lean practices. She founded the London Comms Dojo, co-organises the London Code Dojo, and is a speaker in the Agile Leadership Community worldwide.

You can link with Lynn Runnels-Moss on LinkedIn.

Lynn Runnels-Moss: The Art of Psychological Safety in Agile Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we talk about one of Lynn's pivotal experiences early in her career. A team was moving to Kanban from Scrum, and this transition taught her a crucial lesson about psychological safety within teams. One of the team members was fascinated by Agile methodologies. In that excitement, the team fell into some misunderstandings which revealed the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment for open communication. Learn how simple practices like check-ins and demonstrating allyship can transform team dynamics, fostering a space where every member feels valued, heard, and supported. Dive into this episode for insights on the subtle art of leadership and team management.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Lynn Runnels-Moss

Lynn is a certified Agile coach and Business Coach, skilled in developing high-performance teams using Agile and Lean practices. She founded the London Comms Dojo, co-organises the London Code Dojo, and is a speaker in the Agile Leadership Community worldwide.

You can link with Lynn Runnels-Moss on LinkedIn.

BONUS: The Agile-Product Continuum: Phillip Starke's Blueprint for Coaching Excellence

This episode was triggered by Phillip Starke’s blog post titled “Why agile coaches should strive to be product coaches”. You can read that blog post here, and listen in this episode to Phillip’s perspective and why he reached those conclusions. 

"Agile Coaches are already product coaches in essence, they just need to realize and embrace it fully."

Phillip reflects on why agile coaches should also consider themselves product coaches. He argues for a unified approach to coaching that encompasses both agile and product development principles.

"I had a turning point when I realized, despite our success, how much more impactful we could have been with a stronger focus on user interaction and discovery."

Phillip shares his experience transitioning from an agile-focused to a product-centric coaching approach, highlighting a project where greater emphasis on user discovery would have led to even more significant outcomes.

"Talking to users directly is eye-opening. Watching real users interact with your product not only breaks down assumptions but also greatly motivates the team."

Phillip delves into the core of his coaching philosophy, which centers on the importance of direct user engagement for insightful product development, emphasizing how real user interactions can dramatically inform and motivate the development process.

"The leap to product coaching is often hindered by a lack of experience and a narrow focus on feature delivery within organizations."

In this segment, Phillip discusses the barriers that prevent agile coaches from evolving into product coaches, including a lack of holistic product development experience and organizational tendencies to prioritize feature delivery over comprehensive product strategies.

"Getting close to your users is key. Regular interactions and adopting a mindset of continuous discovery can significantly shift how we approach product development."

Phillip outlines the skills and practices that agile coaches often lack, emphasizing the importance of user interaction and a continuous discovery mindset for effective product coaching. In this segment, we refer to the book Continuous Discovery by Teresa Torres.

"Successful teams address risks early, build collaboratively, and focus on solving problems, not just adding features."

Phillip highlights the principles for successful teams as outlined by Marty Cagan, stressing the alignment between these principles and the goals of both agile and product coaching.

"A common pitfall is designing first without involving engineering early on. To truly focus on problems, we need to run experiments and learn from them as early as possible."

In this segment, we discuss some common oversights in agile coaching, particularly the separation of design and engineering, and Phillip advocates for early experimentation to address problems efficiently.

"Start small but think big. Engage with users regularly, increase deployment frequency, and aim for outcomes over outputs to begin transforming into a true product coach."

Phillip offers practical, actionable steps for agile coaches to start their transition towards becoming product coaches, focusing on user engagement and outcome-oriented development.

"Agile coaches must broaden their focus from delivery to a holistic product development approach, embracing continuous learning and adaptation."

What is the future of Agile coaching? Phillip discusses the future evolution of agile coaching, emphasizing the need for coaches to adopt a broader perspective that includes all aspects of product development.

"Imagine a world where product development is driven by continuous experimentation, where collaboration is seamless, and decisions are quickly validated through user feedback."

Phillip envisions an ideal product development process characterized by continuous experimentation, seamless collaboration, and rapid validation, encouraging listeners to adopt these practices to enhance their development efforts.

In this segment, we refer to the BONUS episodes on experimentation. 

About Phillip Starke

Phillip is a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, and Product Owner who blends technology and team dynamics to deliver valuable products. He writes about product development on his newsletter, The Backlog. With a background in mechanical engineering and experience in the automotive, software, and data analytics industries, he now freelances to enhance team success in product development.

You can link with Phillip Starke on LinkedIn.

Inga Bergmann: Empathy in Action, How Great Product Owners Help Their Agile Teams Succeed

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

This episode shines a spotlight on a Product Owner whose empathy and people-centric approach set a gold standard for the role. Inga emphasizes how caring, empathy, and effective communication can elevate team creativity and bonding. Through this inspiring story, listeners will discover the transformative power of a Product Owner in harmonizing team dynamics and fostering an environment where people and projects thrive together.

This Product Owner constantly undermined team estimates. We take that example of a PO anti-pattern as the story that allows us to understand the nuances of trust, pressure, and negotiation. We also discuss how to engage constructively with such Product Owners. Inga’s approach to understanding and addressing the underlying pressures faced by Product Owners provides a compelling case study on fostering healthier team dynamics.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Inga Bergmann

Inga is an empathic provocateur dedicated to unlocking the potential of teams on their way to high-performance. As Agile and Organizational Coach, she fosters psychological safe and thought-provoking environments where human-centred approaches and agile principles apply. She emphasizes trust and meaningful connections as enablers of successful collaboration and growth.

You can link with Inga Bergmann on LinkedIn.

Inga Bergmann: The Art of Being Present: Scrum Mastery in Remote Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Inga explores the essence of a Scrum Master's success through personal anecdotes and practical tips. Success, as she depicts, is deeply rooted in trust, respect, and the ability to foster open communication. From remote work challenges to the subtleties of body language in meetings, this episode sheds light on the indicators of effective Scrum Mastering and the impact of genuine connections within teams.

Inga shares how to use the SWOT Analysis concept in an Agile retrospective, and it can help teams struggling with identity and direction. We discuss how the SWOT format can unearth underlying team dynamics, foster self-awareness, and guide teams towards a cohesive identity and purpose. Inga’s narrative provides valuable insights into facilitating meaningful retrospectives that resonate with and rejuvenate teams.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Inga Bergmann

Inga is an empathic provocateur dedicated to unlocking the potential of teams on their way to high-performance. As Agile and Organizational Coach, she fosters psychological safe and thought-provoking environments where human-centred approaches and agile principles apply. She emphasizes trust and meaningful connections as enablers of successful collaboration and growth.

You can link with Inga Bergmann on LinkedIn.

Inga Bergmann: The Power of Conversation in Leading Change, A Story Of Transformation For An Engineering Organization

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Inga shares the challenges of leading systemic changes within a growing company. From organizing leadership workshops to defining a shared product vision, Inga shares the tools, tips, and techniques that facilitated a smoother transition for the engineering department. This episode shares several insights on creating a shared direction, embracing ambiguity, and fostering open conversations, proving that conversation itself is a catalyst for change.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Inga Bergmann

Inga is an empathic provocateur dedicated to unlocking the potential of teams on their way to high-performance. As Agile and Organizational Coach, she fosters psychological safe and thought-provoking environments where human-centred approaches and agile principles apply. She emphasizes trust and meaningful connections as enablers of successful collaboration and growth.

You can link with Inga Bergmann on LinkedIn.

Inga Bergmann: Building Stronger Teams Through Conversation, And Addressing Conflicts and Tensions

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we explore how teams create problems when they do not address the unspoken conflict. Inga emphasizes the critical importance of voicing concerns and the dangers of silence within team dynamics. We talk about through the nuances of team communication, the consequences of unspoken tensions, and offer strategies to encourage openness and growth. Inga’s insights offer a roadmap to fostering a culture of transparency and mutual understanding in teams.

If you like this episode, you will also like this episode on Tension Meetings with Sara Clark. 

Discover how the book "Agile Retrospectives" became a cornerstone for Inga’s journey as a Scrum Master. This episode delves into the profound impact of the book in shaping Inga’s approach to fostering team reflection and growth. A testament to the power of retrospectives, this conversation not only highlights the book's influence on her career but also serves as an inspiration for anyone looking to understand and implement Agile principles effectively.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Inga Bergmann

Inga is an empathic provocateur dedicated to unlocking the potential of teams on their way to high-performance. As Agile and Organizational Coach, she fosters psychological safe and thought-provoking environments where human-centred approaches and agile principles apply. She emphasizes trust and meaningful connections as enablers of successful collaboration and growth.

You can link with Inga Bergmann on LinkedIn.

Inga Bergmann: Behind Closed Screens, Creating Team Spirit In Remote Teams, The Do’s and Don’ts

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Inga shares a poignant story of intervention with a team fraught with tension and disconnection, despite her efforts to forge emotional bonds and navigate through recent changes. In a remote setup, her attempts to engage team members fell short, leading to a reflective journey on the essence of listening, understanding, and genuinely addressing a team's needs. Inga’s candid admission of her approach, coupled with invaluable tips on starting with listening and aiming to help achieve desired outcomes, makes for a compelling narrative on the complexities of teamwork and the path to improvement.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Inga Bergmann

Inga is an empathic provocateur dedicated to unlocking the potential of teams on their way to high-performance. As Agile and Organizational Coach, she fosters psychological safe and thought-provoking environments where human-centred approaches and agile principles apply. She emphasizes trust and meaningful connections as enablers of successful collaboration and growth.

You can link with Inga Bergmann on LinkedIn.

Dave Smith: The Culture Clash, Ownership vs. Approval, a Key Difference That Affects PO’s

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

A great Product Owner embodies availability, openness to change, and a genuine interest in the product's success. How does a great PO foster innovation and take decisive action for the betterment of the product? Listen to this episode, to learn from this exemplary PO.

In this episode, we talk about a Product owner that lacked ownership. We explore how we can prepare those PO’s and use coaching as a method to help them succeed despite the initial lack of ownership. We also discuss a culture that undermines ownership can stifle innovation and growth. What are the underlying causes of Product Owner anti-patterns, and how can they be addressed? Listen to find out.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Dave Smith

Dave, has over 20 years in training and consulting, having taught Scrum he continues to be active in the agile community, mentoring and helping others who are joining the agile community.

You can link with Dave Smith on LinkedIn.

Dave Smith: The Nanny McPhee Approach in Fostering Scrum Team Independence

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we discuss the Nanny McPhee approach to Scrum Mastery, where the ultimate goal is for teams to become independent and capable. Dave challenges the notion of necessity versus want in the context of a Scrum Master's presence. And we explore how to foster independence in Scrum teams.

Dave shares his preference for the 6 Thinking Hats format to structure discussions during retrospectives, emphasizing the shift from problems to solutions. In this discussion we explore bringing in different perspectives to enhance the process improvement journey.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Dave Smith

Dave, has over 20 years in training and consulting, having taught Scrum he continues to be active in the agile community, mentoring and helping others who are joining the agile community.

You can link with Dave Smith on LinkedIn.

Dave Smith: Democratizing Leadership, Cultivating a Culture of Openness and Improvement in Open Source Agile Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

"Leadership is not about titles, it's about action." Dave's story on change leadership dismantles the myth of hierarchical leadership, advocating for a culture where anyone can step up. By introducing version control in a volunteer group riddled with anti-patterns, Dave demonstrates how leading by example and involving stakeholders in change processes can foster a positive approach to code quality and project management. Learn how creating psychological safety and inviting feedback can turn the most ardent resisters into advocates for change.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Dave Smith

Dave, has over 20 years in training and consulting, having taught Scrum he continues to be active in the agile community, mentoring and helping others who are joining the agile community.

You can link with Dave Smith on LinkedIn.

Dave Smith: Agile Adoption, How To Break Through Scrum Skepticism

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Dave talks about the importance of team-designed processes and shares a story from a local government group in the UK. Facing skepticism and pessimism within the team, Dave illustrates the transformative power of looking for the positive impacts of change, and Agile methodologies. Dave shares how embracing Scrum from all levels can lead to significant organizational change and why questioning what holds you back could be the key to your team's success.

Dave recommends "Essential Scrum" by Kenneth S. Rubin, a treasure trove of learning and anecdotes that will enrich your understanding of Scrum. Dave shares some of the book's insights on the importance of team-designed processes

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Dave Smith

Dave, has over 20 years in training and consulting, having taught Scrum he continues to be active in the agile community, mentoring and helping others who are joining the agile community.

You can link with Dave Smith on LinkedIn.

Dave Smith: The Power of Ownership, Transforming Mistakes into Growth Opportunities As An Agile Leader

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Dave shares a compelling story that shines a light on the transformative power of ownership and learning from mistakes. He talks about a moment of oversight that led to a customer refund, highlighting the critical role of leadership in fostering a learning environment over assigning blame. This experience catalyzed a pivotal shift in his understanding of leadership and process improvement, underscoring the importance of scrum masters in creating a safe space for owning up to mistakes. Dive into Dave's journey to discover how embracing failure can be a stepping stone to success and innovation.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Dave Smith

Dave, has over 20 years in training and consulting, having taught Scrum he continues to be active in the agile community, mentoring and helping others who are joining the agile community.

You can link with Dave Smith on LinkedIn.

BONUS: Guy Kawasaki shares how to lead a remarkable life, based on lessons from 200+ interviews!

In this BONUS episode we explore the latest book by Guy Kawasaki: 'Think Remarkable.' In this conversation, we explore Guy's personal journey, share lessons from his interactions with over 200 extraordinary individuals he interviewed for his Remarkable People Podcast, and unpack the key messages from his latest work that challenges us all to elevate our lives and the world around us.

"Looking back, it's clear how the dots connected to set me on this path, but it all started with a desire to redefine how companies should operate - the Macintosh way."

Guy Kawasaki's career is as diverse as it is inspiring. From his early days at Apple to his influential role in various startups, Guy shares with us the pivotal moments and decisions that have shaped his remarkable journey. He delves into the motivations behind his first book, revealing how 'The Macintosh Way' was a manifesto on the right way to run companies, a theme that has pervaded his work and philosophy.

"Evangelism is about bringing good news that makes people more productive, creative, and ultimately delighted."

Guy has long been recognized for his unique ability to transform the world of work through evangelism. He shares invaluable insights on how true believers can make a significant difference by showing others a better way to live and work. From his time as an evangelist for Canva to his foundational days at Apple, Guy illustrates the importance of working backward from the customer's needs to deliver truly delightful experiences.

"Each interview taught me something new, but distilling these lessons into actionable insights was a journey in itself."

Throughout the creation of 'Think Remarkable,' Guy engaged with a host of remarkable individuals, each contributing unique perspectives on life, work, and success. From Don Norman to Jane Goodall, the diversity of thought and experience Guy encountered has been distilled into practical lessons for personal and professional growth. He emphasizes the value of these interviews in shaping the book's content, offering listeners a glimpse into the minds of some of the most influential figures of our time.

"My leadership views were significantly shaped by working under Steve Jobs and leading various software companies."

Reflecting on his experiences with unorthodox leaders at Apple and his ventures into the startup world, Guy shares how these experiences have molded his views on effective leadership. Through both internal and external challenges, he has developed a nuanced understanding of what it takes to inspire and guide others towards shared goals.

"To excel in something, you must first be willing to suck at it."

The concept of a growth mindset is central to 'Think Remarkable,' and Guy's personal journey embodies this principle. He discusses the importance of being open to learning and growing, regardless of the field or endeavor, and shares why embracing challenges and the potential for failure is crucial for anyone looking to make a significant impact.

"Writing this book required months of outlining and planning, but the key was creating little anchors for readers to follow."

Guy takes us behind the scenes of the meticulous process involved in bringing 'Think Remarkable' to life. From outlining to structuring the narrative, he emphasizes the importance of providing readers with clear, actionable insights and the role of careful planning in achieving this goal.

"Working at Apple and noticing the little things with Canva taught me the importance of being open to new opportunities."

Guy's unique experiences with tech giants like Apple, Google, and startups such as Canva have profoundly influenced his views on making a positive impact. He shares how these roles have taught him the value of noticing the small details and remaining open to new opportunities, a lesson he believes is crucial for anyone looking to make their mark on the world.

"Personal success and making a difference aren't mutually exclusive; they complement each other in the journey to remarkableness."

In discussing how to find balance between personal success and making a meaningful difference, Guy highlights the interconnectedness of these goals. He believes that striving for personal growth and seeking to contribute positively to the world are not only compatible but also mutually reinforcing in the quest for remarkableness.

"Embracing vulnerability has been a breakthrough in understanding my role as a leader and in making genuine connections."

Guy shares personal stories where embracing vulnerability not only led to personal breakthroughs but also deepened his understanding of leadership. He argues that vulnerability is a strength that allows leaders to connect more authentically with their teams and drive meaningful change.

"Remarkableness comes from making the world a better place through growth, grit, and grace."

Guy reflects on the essence of being remarkable, emphasizing that it's about making a positive difference in the world. He shares insights into how anyone can embark on this path by focusing on personal growth, resilience, and kindness.

"LLMs are a bigger deal than computers and social media. My call to action for everyone is to embrace AI and learn how it can be used to amplify our impact."

Looking forward, Guy shares his excitement about the potential of large language models (LLMs) and AI to revolutionize how we work and make a difference. He encourages everyone to engage with these technologies, underscoring their potential to significantly enhance our ability to create positive change in the world.

About Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and host of the Remarkable People podcast. He was the chief evangelist of Apple, trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation, Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador, and special assistant to the Motorola Division of Google. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College. He lives in Watsonville, California.

Learn more about the book, and Guy Kawaski.

Stephanie Cully: How To Lead with Empathy, The Story of an Open-Minded Scrum Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Stephanie discusses her experience with an exceptional Product Owner (PO) who, despite having no prior experience in Agile and Scrum, demonstrated a remarkable willingness to learn and adapt. The PO's approach was characterized by asking questions, seeking help, and engaging in training sessions to better understand Agile practices. This openness extended to discussions about customer pain points and the user journey, contributing significantly to the team's ability to deliver effectively. The PO's caring attitude towards the team and flexibility in adapting to the developers' needs further exemplified the qualities of a great PO.

In this segment, Stephanie shares an experience with a Product Owner (PO) who was essentially absent, leaving a Business Analyst (BA) to handle product prioritization. The BA inadvertently compounded the issue by taking on the PO's responsibilities instead of addressing the root cause together with the team and the PO. Stephanie intervened to emphasize the importance of understanding why the PO was unavailable, revealing that the PO was overwhelmed with multiple roles. Through facilitating direct conversations among the BA, developers, and stakeholders, Stephanie highlighted the need for clear roles and effective time management in agile teams. If you are facing a similar situation, where the PO is mostly absent, you may want to review our Sprint Checklist, which helps you have a coaching conversation with the PO, and define clear expectations about participation in the work with the team.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Stephanie Cully

Stephanie Cully is a Scrum Master, and CEO of Scrum Life Consulting. Stephanie founded Scrum Life with a mission to help Scrum Masters overcome self-doubt and land the role.

You can link with Stephanie Cully on LinkedIn.

Stephanie Cully: Ted Lasso Lessons That Help Define Success For Scrum Masters

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Stephanie defines success for Scrum Masters as their ability to foster growth within their teams and ensure the delivery of value. She emphasizes that a great Scrum Master not only demonstrates how to deliver value but also engages the team in discussions about the meaning and importance of value, thereby helping the team understand and focus on value creation. Through continuous learning and development, a Scrum Master supports the team's growth, drawing inspiration from the ethos of Ted Lasso, which underscores the significance of positive influence and guidance. In this episode, we refer to the following quote by Ted Lasso: “For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field. And it ain’t always easy … but neither is growing up without someone believing in you.” 

Stephanie shares a retrospective format that incorporates "warm-up" questions designed to gauge the team's sentiments about the previous sprint. Through this method of warm-up questions, Stephanie uncovered that the team felt they were not delivering value, indicating a risk of demotivation. She emphasizes the importance of retrospectives as safe spaces for addressing difficult topics, suggesting that such open dialogues are crucial for maintaining motivation and continuous improvement within agile teams.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Stephanie Cully

Stephanie Cully is a Scrum Master, and CEO of Scrum Life Consulting. Stephanie founded Scrum Life with a mission to help Scrum Masters overcome self-doubt and land the role.

You can link with Stephanie Cully on LinkedIn.

Stephanie Cully: Leading Teams Through Agile Adoption, and Mindset Transformation

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Stephanie shares a story about helping a team to move from a waterfall to an agile framework. Despite initial resistance to abandoning familiar practices, she guided the team through the change by clarifying the goals of agile processes and introducing tools like the velocity chart in JIRA to help teams understand how some of the older concepts (tracking progress) could be achieved with the Agile approach. 

Her approach focused on understanding the purpose behind practices, encouraging continuous conversation, and providing direct feedback. By repeatedly explaining the benefits and purposes of Scrum practices, Stephanie helped the team grasp the value of agile methods, leading to a more effective and adaptive development process.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Stephanie Cully

Stephanie Cully is a Scrum Master, and CEO of Scrum Life Consulting. Stephanie founded Scrum Life with a mission to help Scrum Masters overcome self-doubt and land the role.

You can link with Stephanie Cully on LinkedIn.

Stephanie Cully: How A Misunderstanding Created The Opportunity For Collaboration Between A Scrum Team And Their Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Stephanie recounts the challenges faced by a team transitioning to a new application project, marked by tension between developers and the product owner (PO), who micromanaged interface details without clearly conveying customer goals. Initially, separating the team from the PO led to communication issues and misunderstandings. A turning point occurred when a design misunderstanding prompted a shift in strategy: apologies were made, and collaborative design sessions were initiated. This improved communication and understanding, eventually leading the PO to facilitate direct developer-customer interactions, fostering a more integrated and effective team dynamic.

Stephanie was deeply inspired by Jay Shetty's "How to Think Like a Monk" in her career as a Scrum Master. The book emphasizes the importance of consistent practice, showing up authentically, and contributing equally within a team. Its teachings resonate with the Scrum Master role, highlighting the significance of not solving problems for others but facilitating their ability to solve problems themselves. This approach fosters self-reliance and growth within the team, aligning with the core principles of effective scrum mastery.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Stephanie Cully

Stephanie Cully is a Scrum Master, and CEO of Scrum Life Consulting. Stephanie founded Scrum Life with a mission to help Scrum Masters overcome self-doubt and land the role.

You can link with Stephanie Cully on LinkedIn.

Stephanie Cully: From Conflict to Collaboration, How To Collaboration With Skeptic Scrum Product Owners

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In a new team, the Product Owner (PO) was initially against Stephanie’s role as a Scrum Master, fearing loss of control. Despite the challenges, she focused on understanding the PO's objectives, maintaining a positive mindset, and persisting in her efforts to foster collaboration. By actively listening and seeking support from colleagues, Stephanie gradually built a strong, supportive relationship with the PO and the team, emphasizing the importance of aligning with the company's and PO's goals.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Stephanie Cully

Stephanie Cully is a Scrum Master, and CEO of Scrum Life Consulting. Stephanie founded Scrum Life with a mission to help Scrum Masters overcome self-doubt and land the role.

You can link with Stephanie Cully on LinkedIn.

BONUS: The AI Paradigm Shift, Interview With João Moura, creator of CrewAI

In this episode, we explore the impact that AI may have in our work, and discuss with João Moura, a key actor in the AI space about the future trends and what they mean for product development.

João Moura's interest in AI began during his childhood coding endeavors, a journey marked by curiosity and challenge. Despite finding AI more complex than traditional programming, his persistent engagement led to the creation of CrewAI. 

CrewAI, João’s library to take advantage of the multi-agent paradigm, is an example of what can happen when we bring different disciplines together in the form of a software development team. João refers to the transformation that happened in the field of AI when finally the software developers were working together with the AI researchers.

The AI landscape saw a pivotal shift with the collaboration of model AI engineers and software engineers, breaking down silos that previously existed. This convergence has catalyzed significant technological advancements, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in unleashing the full potential of AI. 

This is further evidence of the need for product teams to be cross-disciplinary, and bring different perspectives together in product development

João’s advice to those that are considering dipping into the AI space, is to embrace it and learn as quickly as possible. João shares his views on how AI will affect work, from automation to other types of transformation.

Drawing parallels between the internet's impact and AI's potential, João underscores AI's role as a transformative force within organizations. 

As a leader, João has learned that leveraging AI is crucial for decision-making, team development, and embedding innovation into products. This approach positions AI as an essential tool for organizational growth and competitiveness.

João anticipates a future where AI transcends conventional use cases, fostering automation and novel interaction models. 

The emergence of specialized AI agents and their integration into workflows indicatest a new era of efficiency and creativity in problem-solving. 

João’s work: CrewAI, exemplifies this trend, showcasing the potential of tailored AI solutions in enhancing productivity and fostering innovation.

You can find João’s CrewAI Agent library on GitHub.

You can watch an example video of how CrewAI can be used here.

ChatGPT’s interface for finetuning

Autotrain: AutoTrain is an automatic way to train and deploy state-of-the-art Machine Learning models

About João Moura

João Moura is an accomplished Engineering Leader with almost 20 years in the software industry, and also the author of CrewAI, an agent orchestrator for AI agents. He specializes in leading diverse, remote teams worldwide, fostering innovation and collaboration. Passionate about Diversity & Inclusion, João also shines as a writer and speaker at major tech conferences.

You can link with João Moura on LinkedIn and connect with João Moura on Twitter.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, we explore the story of a team that started to question the way they did estimates. The PO would use the estimations provided by the team to make a certain number of assumptions and reports that just did not correspond to reality. In the quest to solve that problem, the team started to experiment with different approaches, and naturally evolved to a #NoEstimates approach. Carsten explains the steps the team went through as well as the insights at each step. A self-organized change story on adopting #NoEstimates! In this episode, we refer to the #NoEstimates book.  About Carsten Lützen Carsten is an Agile Coach at the LEGO Group. Before that a Scrum Master for different teams. He has a deep love of graphical facilitation and professional coaching. Besides his full-time job, he shares weekly tips on YouTube and LinkedIn on Agile, Facilitation, and Coaching. You can link with Carsten Lützen on LinkedIn and connect with Carsten Lützen on Twitter.

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. We explore a real-life project that Marcus was part of, and how the #NoEstimates methods he used helped him make predictions, even if did not estimate the work to be done. About Dan Vacanti and Marcus Hammarberg Daniel Vacanti is a 20+ year software industry veteran who has spent most of the last years focusing on Lean and Agile practices. In 2007, he helped to develop the Kanban Method for knowledge work. He also co-founded ActionableAgile which provides industry leading predictive analytics tools and services to any Lean-Agile process. Dan co-founded ProKanban.org a community focused initiative to help people learn about Kanban. You can link with Dan Vacanti on LinkedIn and connect with Dan Vacanti on Twitter.  Marcus Hammarberg is the author of Salvation: The Bungsu Story (available on Amazon), an inspiring and actionable story about how simple tools can help transform the productivity and impact of an organization. The real-life stories in The Bungsu can help you transform the productivity of your team. Marcus is also a renowned author in the Kanban community, he authored the book Kanban in Action with Joakim Sundén. Head of Curriculum School of applied technology.  You can link with Marcus Hammarberg on LinkedIn and connect with Marcus Hammarberg on Twitter.

Maryse Meinen: Value Over Velocity, A Product Owner’s Journey to Value-Driven Development, NoEstimates Unplugged Week

This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams. 

To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here.

Maryse Meinen shares her journey into agile and lean methodologies, highlighting a pivotal moment at her first international conference where she attended a workshop on #NoEstimates led by Seb Rose. The workshop's quiz on estimating the distance from Earth to the moon led her to an epiphany about the common tendency to provide estimates even when uncertain, driven by peer pressure—an insight that spurred her to experiment with the #NoEstimates approach.

Maryse describes her experience with a new team tasked with developing an infrastructure solution without relying on traditional estimates. By focusing on conversations, card confirmations (the 3 C’s of User Stories), and refining story points to either 1 or 0 based on whether a story was refined, the team managed to prioritize work more effectively. The practice of making items as small as possible and focusing on delivering value in various forms proved to be beneficial.

The biggest challenge in implementing #NoEstimates was not from management or stakeholders, but rather from inexperienced scrum masters resistant to deviating from traditional estimation techniques. Maryse found success by allowing the team space to operate independently and focusing on outcomes rather than estimates.

Shifting the focus from estimates to value delivered led to a significant change in how Maryse's team approached planning and prioritization. By setting sprint goals around solving real problems for real people, the team moved away from a task-centric to a value-centric approach. One of the core tenants of the #NoEstimates approach.

Maryse's team measured progress by the problems they solve, framing sprint goals around these problems and communicating achievements in terms of value delivered to stakeholders, rather than in traditional estimation-driven progress metrics, like tasks completed - which would not necessarily deliver any value to end-users and customers.

Maryse encourages teams to start experimenting with #NoEstimates and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. She recommends engaging with the #NoEstimates community on Twitter and exploring resources by Allan Kelly and Seb Rose, as well as the NoEstimates book.

About Maryse Meinen

Maryse is an Product Owner dedicated to fostering experimentation, agility, and empathy within organizations. She builds and facilitates great teams, coaches leaders, and believes in simplicity and human-centric methodologies. With expertise in Lean/agile development and a passion for teaching, she shapes adaptive and learning-focused cultures.

You can link with Maryse Meinen on LinkedIn.

Luis Garcia: Forecast Over Estimation, How To Transform Your Approach To Project Management, NoEstimates Unplugged Week

This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams. 

To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here.

Luis Garcia, transitioning from estimation discomfort to a #NoEstimates approach as a product owner, discovered its benefits after attending a workshop by Woody Zuill. Faced with the challenges of hard commitments in government projects, he sought to shift focus from when to what and why in project discussions.

Implementing #NoEstimates in a kanban team, Luis emphasized work breakdown and comfortable task sizing. This method facilitated stakeholder communication, improved expectation management, and enabled precise progress measurement through metrics like cycle time and using techniques like Monte Carlo forecasting.

When Luis tried to introduce #NoEstimates, he originally faced skepticism, misconceptions about planning, and stakeholder resistance. In those cases, Luis advises focusing on forecasting based on available data, ensuring team stability, and managing expectations effectively. And focusing on progress transparency, instead of trying to change people’s minds.

Successfully integrating #NoEstimates involved fostering team accountability and ownership over the refinement process, thereby enhancing stakeholder dialogue and planning efficiency. For example, Luis shares that #NoEstimates shifted the team's focus to identifying and preparing the most valuable tasks, leveraging data for all planning and prioritization decisions. This focus helped to keep stakeholders informed, and improved transparency.

Without traditional estimates, Luis's team adopted a probabilistic approach to measure and communicate progress, supported by insights from the book "Thinking in Bets" by Annie Duke.

When it came to adopting a different way to measure and communicate progress, practicality was key; even simple tools like Excel were effective for data management in the #NoEstimates process, emphasizing simplicity and scalability.

Luis recommends low-change experimentation with #NoEstimates to experience its benefits firsthand and stresses the importance of informative discussions over rigid planning.

For those considering #NoEstimates, Luis suggests starting with the "NoEstimates" book and following thought leaders like Vasco Duarte, Woody Zuill, and Allen Holub on social media.

About Luis Garcia

Luis is a Program Manager at Formula.Monks, specializes in developing impactful digital products. Luis has over 10 years of experience and several Agile certifications, he adeptly applies Agile frameworks to meet client needs. His background includes a Master's in Computer Engineering and an Executive MBA. He is also fluent in English, Spanish, and French, he values diverse work environments and continuous learning.

You can link with Luis Garcia on LinkedIn.

Lee Beckett: Using NoEstimates to Help Agile Teams Focus On Value, And Create Transparency - NoEstimates Unplugged Week

This is one of a series of episodes where Product Owners explain how they used, and benefited from #NoEstimates in their work with teams. 

To know more about #NoEstimates, sign-up to get the first 3 chapters of the book here.

Lee Beckett shares his journey from coder to Product Owner (PO), and how his diverse experience led him to question the effectiveness of traditional estimation techniques in agile environments. He discusses the adoption of a #NoEstimates approach, highlighting its benefits in simplifying processes and focusing on delivering value.

Lee illustrates how abandoning estimates, except for significant items, streamlined project workflows and improved team dynamics. This approach fostered a culture of trust and transparency, crucial for managing stakeholder expectations and focusing on product delivery.

Implementing #NoEstimates was surprisingly straightforward for Lee's team, emphasizing the importance of establishing trust and transparency with stakeholders from the outset.

Lee stresses honesty in forecasting and advises giving stakeholders meaningful insights rather than fixed dates to help manage expectations effectively.

After adopting #NoEstimates, the team's planning focused on work discussion rather than assigning numerical values, allowing for more flexible and goal-oriented sprint planning.

Without traditional estimates, the team measures progress through product delivery and stakeholder feedback, ensuring a focus on value creation.

Lee advises teams to ensure open communication and clear prioritization with stakeholders before moving to #NoEstimates, ensuring a foundation for success.

For those interested in exploring #NoEstimates further, Lee recommends the "Agile for Humans" podcast, particularly the interview with Josh Anderson and Ryan Ripley.

About Lee Beckett

Lee Beckett, has over 17 years of experience in digital product development, and is a certified Product Owner and Lean Practitioner. Skilled in setting product goals and managing backlogs, Lee excels in guiding teams through the product lifecycle and fostering a culture of empiricism and learning in agile environments.

You can link with Lee Beckett on LinkedIn.

Johannes Andersen: Ceremony Over Substance, The Scrum Master Trap, And How It Affects Teams And The Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

From a Product Owner's perspective, Johannes shares what an ideal Scrum Master looks like. This Scrum Master not only introduced him to Scrum but also focused on the underlying purpose beyond mere processes. His patience, clarity, and pragmatic approach in defining priorities and solving conflicts greatly facilitated the PO's understanding of product development challenges. This Scrum Master’s ability to foster meaningful conversations significantly helped Johannes in the PO role, highlighting the importance of a Scrum Master's soft skills in guiding and supporting the product vision.

From a Product Owner's perspective, Johannes highlights an anti-pattern where the Scrum Master becomes overly focused on ceremonies and strict adherence to Scrum guidelines, losing sight of the actual outcomes. This approach mistakenly centralizes process ownership with the Scrum Master, rather than distributing it among the entire team. Johannes advises addressing this issue by realigning the Scrum Master's role towards shared goals and understanding, using tools like Team Topologies for discussion. The key is moving beyond the "servant" aspect of "servant leader" to foster a team environment where understanding and self-direction are prioritized.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Johannes Andersen

Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics.

You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

Johannes Andersen: Autonomy as an Achievement, Empowering Self-Sufficient Scrum Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

When it comes to being a successful Agile Coach and Scrum Master, Johannes emphasises the goal of becoming unnecessary as the team matures. For Johannes, success is evident when the team autonomously conducts check-ins, engages in constructive debates, and effectively self-organizes while maintaining good relationships. The ability to request help and independently run retrospectives are signs of a well-functioning team that continuously challenges its own processes.

Johannes shares a favorite retrospective format, focusing on flexibility and open dialogue. Starting with a timeline to objectively list events, the process encourages a shared understanding of recent activities. The team then categorizes experiences into "Well," "Not Well," and "Makes Me Wonder," before voting on action points. As familiarity grows, discussions evolve to directly address improvement areas. Johannes emphasizes the value of natural conversation over strict adherence to structured methods, suggesting that effective retrospectives can thrive on organic interaction.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Johannes Andersen

Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics.

You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

Johannes Andersen: The Critical Role of the Leap of Faith in Organizational Change Programs

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Johannes discusses leading a small business unit through a change process to improve project flow and efficiency. Initially working in silos, the team aimed to reorganize around customer-focused products. Despite considering an outside-in model, they chose an inside-out approach for practicality. An off-site session helped visualize the workflow under the new structure, but progress in the change was slow due to overplanning. Johannes learned that successful change requires adaptability and a leap of faith, emphasizing the importance of navigating between complicated and complex models as reality shifts.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of being able to differentiate between complex and complicated types of work and change.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Johannes Andersen

Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics.

You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

Johannes Andersen: Disjoint Silos, The Illusion of Teamwork and How it Affects Agile Coaches’ Work

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Johannes reflects on his transition from a business unit to an HR position, which initially seemed promising due to the team-based approach they embraced in HR. However, he soon discovered that the HR team lacked unity, with various small roles not functioning cohesively as a team. Tasked by his manager to enhance the HR team's effectiveness, Johannes found himself dedicating much of his time to internal issues rather than organizational improvement. The core issue was the absence of a shared goal, leading to misalignment and lack of collaboration within the team, effectively making them "disjoint silos" rather than a unified force. We discuss Vasco’s mnemonic of “One Team, One Goal” andthe importance of aligning around a single, shared goal to foster true teamwork.

In this segment, Johannes discusses how "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt profoundly influenced him. Appreciating its novel-based approach, he found it uniquely effective for teaching new concepts, allowing readers to empathize with the learning process. Johannes admires the book's focus on outcomes and its clarity on defining a company's "goal," highlighting its system thinking approach as a critical aspect of understanding and solving organizational problems.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Johannes Andersen

Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics.

You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

Johannes Andersen: Collaboration Over Isolated Performance, Lessons Learned as a Scrum Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Johannes shares a personal story of his struggles as a Product Owner (PO). In his early career, Johannes believed he needed to have all the answers and provide detailed requirements alone; but he quickly found that it was not so easy to define all the features by himself. This experience taught him the importance of involving the entire team in writing user stories, highlighting that collaboration, not individual effort, leads to success. Johannes emphasizes focusing on outcomes, encouraging POs to ask goal-oriented questions and to view technical solutions through the lens of their importance. He recommends resources like Mike Burrows' list of questions to foster effective communication and collaboration.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Johannes Andersen

Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics.

You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

BONUS: Beyond Profit, How Happy Office Is Redefining Success in the Workplace, with Maartje Jansen and Fennande van der Meulen

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Maartje and Fennande's journey into the realm of happiness at work began with a blend of personal insight and professional evolution. 

A conversation with a neighbor about the  innovative step of hiring the Netherlands' first Chief Happiness Officer, led them to the realization that prioritizing worker happiness is not just beneficial but essential for business success. 

This revelation was the cornerstone for founding Happy Office, the consultancy they work for.

Both had always valued engagement and purpose in their work, but now they were seeing the business world through a new lens: one that focuses on harnessing the full potential of employees, beyond just profit generation. 

Their early skepticism from academic circles about influencing work culture was overturned by practical experiences.

They define happiness at work simply by saying: “it’s when you find yourself whistling on the way to and from work!”

They use four ideas to help describe how to achieve that outcome, the four Ps of Purpose, People, Progress, and Positivity. 

These pillars serve as the foundation for creating a work environment where employees feel energized rather than drained. 

At the core of their definition lies the basic human needs for meaningful relationships and contributions, suggesting that true happiness at work is about finding the right balance that fulfills these needs.

This episode’s conversation underscores the heightened relevance of workplace happiness in the contemporary world, noting a discernible difference in organizations that take it seriously. 

The emphasis on happiness is linked to broader trends in recognizing the value of positive work culture in fostering creativity, cooperation, productivity, and resilience among employees. 

They also touch on the preventative role of a positive culture in reducing stress and burnout, supported by data and practical experience from their consulting work.

Offering actionable advice, Maartje and Fennande highlight the importance of starting with a clear understanding and discussion of what happiness means to a team. 

They advocate for evaluating and improving upon the four pillars, emphasizing that cultural change should be incremental rather than big-bang. 

Their approach is against the notion of rapid, transformative programs, suggesting instead a step-by-step experimentation to cultivate a lasting positive culture.

The challenge of ensuring lasting change is met with strategies rooted in engaging employees in meaningful conversations about their best work experiences and needs to flourish. 

Despite initial resistance, these discussions pave the way for practical, tangible steps towards happiness. 

The importance of leadership in modeling desired behaviors and the agile approach to HR are highlighted as critical factors in making happiness at work a sustainable reality.

About Maartje Jansen and Fennande van der Meulen

Fennande van der Meulen is an expert in workplace happiness and positive culture, co-leading Woohoo Unlimited. Utilizing the Happy Office method, she offers online training, workshops, and in-depth programs to enhance work happiness, culture, and productivity. Her approach is evidence-based, rooted in science, and internationally recognized.

You can link with Fennande van der Meulen on LinkedIn.

Maartje Jansen specializes in improving work culture using the Happy Office method, emphasizing positive organizational environments. She addresses issues like unclear company values and negative workplace dynamics. Her approach includes workshops, extensive programs, and evidence-based strategies grounded in scientific research, aimed at enhancing workplace happiness and productivity.

You can link with Maartje Jansen on LinkedIn.

Freddie Brown Jr: Inspiring Excellence, How the Commitment and Clarity Transforms the Performance of the Scrum Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Freddie highlights the exceptional qualities of a great Product Owner (PO), Sara. She exhibited visionary leadership, with a clear and effectively communicated product vision. Her ability to inspire the team and her commitment to the product's success were some of the most important qualities highlighted by Freddie. Sara's enthusiasm for the work, skill in defining and explaining requirements, and prompt feedback to the development team set her apart as an exemplary PO.

In this segment, Freddie discusses the challenges of dealing with a micro-managing Product Owner (PO) who dictates team processes and avoids accountability. This PO type often over-commits work, ignoring team capacity. Freddie suggests that Scrum Masters should foster a collaborative environment, seek to understand the team's feelings towards the PO's behavior, and communicate with the PO to get to the root cause of their behavior's. He emphasizes the importance of helping the PO explain their goals to the team, to create alignment and avoid misunderstandings.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Freddie Brown Jr.

Meet Freddie Brown Jr, the Agile Genie! With a magic brain that grants your corporate wishes faster than Aladdin's lamp, he transforms chaos into strategic brilliance. He’s the genie you never knew you needed, making agile dreams come true – all with a sprinkle of humor that's truly magical! 🪔🚀😄

You can link with Freddie Brown Jr. on LinkedIn and connect with Freddie Brown Jr. on Twitter. 

Freddie Brown Jr: Beyond Project Completion Metrics, The Key Metrics For Scrum Masters

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

When it comes to defining success for Scrum Masters, Freddie invites us to go beyond conventional metrics like project completion. Key aspects include fostering collaboration, building high-performing teams, and enhancing organizational agility. Success encompasses team happiness and morale, creating a psychologically safe environment, encouraging innovation and efficiency, stakeholder feedback satisfaction, and effectively removing team impediments.

When it comes to Agile retrospectives, Freddie emphasizes simplicity and effectiveness. He advocates for a straightforward approach, asking the team to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and potential improvements. The process begins with an icebreaker, like expressing feelings through a picture, to ease into the session. Freddie also recommends using MURAL as a tool to facilitate this simple yet impactful retrospective format.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Freddie Brown Jr.

Meet Freddie Brown Jr, the Agile Genie! With a magic brain that grants your corporate wishes faster than Aladdin's lamp, he transforms chaos into strategic brilliance. He’s the genie you never knew you needed, making agile dreams come true – all with a sprinkle of humor that's truly magical! 🪔🚀😄

You can link with Freddie Brown Jr. on LinkedIn and connect with Freddie Brown Jr. on Twitter. 

Freddie Brown Jr: From Assessment to Action, How Scrum Masters Can Start Their Engagement With A New Team

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Freddie shares a story from his role as a change agent in a team engagement. He begins with 'CCC' - coffee, conversation, and candidness - to understand the team's dynamics. Following this, he conducts a thorough team and technical assessment to identify gaps. In one case, while noticing a lack of SAFe knowledge, Freddie designed a Scaled Scrum Master workshop and implemented a skill improvement plan. The process concluded with a retrospective on the training, emphasizing the importance of celebrating changes and achievements, guided by metrics.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Freddie Brown Jr.

Meet Freddie Brown Jr, the Agile Genie! With a magic brain that grants your corporate wishes faster than Aladdin's lamp, he transforms chaos into strategic brilliance. He’s the genie you never knew you needed, making agile dreams come true – all with a sprinkle of humor that's truly magical! 🪔🚀😄

You can link with Freddie Brown Jr. on LinkedIn and connect with Freddie Brown Jr. on Twitter. 

Freddie Brown Jr: Self-Organizing For Success, How Agile Teams Need to Define and Accept Roles and Responsibilities

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

This segment features Freddie discussing challenges faced by a team with undefined roles and blurred responsibilities. He recalls an experience where QA personnel doubled as Scrum Masters, leading to role confusion. Freddie emphasizes the effectiveness of the RACI matrix in clarifying roles and responsibilities. He advises fostering discussions where teams define their own roles, thereby encouraging self-organization and clear understanding of each member's duties.

In this segment, Freddie discusses how "Whiteboard" by Derrin Martin profoundly influenced his approach as a Scrum Master. The book, renowned for its models that inspire action, offers simple yet powerful explanations on driving organizational change. Its use of illustrations effectively conveys messages, with a key takeaway being the philosophy of striving to improve by 1% daily.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Freddie Brown Jr.

Meet Freddie Brown Jr, the Agile Genie! With a magic brain that grants your corporate wishes faster than Aladdin's lamp, he transforms chaos into strategic brilliance. He’s the genie you never knew you needed, making agile dreams come true – all with a sprinkle of humor that's truly magical! 🪔🚀😄

You can link with Freddie Brown Jr. on LinkedIn and connect with Freddie Brown Jr. on Twitter. 

Freddie Brown Jr: From Chaos to Clarity, How A Process To Manage The Inflow Of Work to an Agile Team Transformed Their Performance

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode with Freddie, we explore the story of a team that was grappling with conflicting priorities. Freddie stepped in to shield the team and initiated a dialogue with the leadership, who were familiar with agile methodologies. The root cause of the problem seemed to be the absence of a structured process to integrate and prioritize new work that led to shifting priorities. Freddie worked with the stakeholders to create a clear process for leaders to introduce and manage new priorities effectively, without disrupting the team. This story highlights the need for clear processes that manage the “inflow” of work to the team.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Freddie Brown Jr.

Meet Freddie Brown Jr, the Agile Genie! With a magic brain that grants your corporate wishes faster than Aladdin's lamp, he transforms chaos into strategic brilliance. He’s the genie you never knew you needed, making agile dreams come true – all with a sprinkle of humor that's truly magical! 🪔🚀😄

You can link with Freddie Brown Jr. on LinkedIn and connect with Freddie Brown Jr. on Twitter. 

Viktor Didenchuk: Effective, Protective, Result-Oriented, The Traits of a Successful Scrum Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

When describing a great Product Owner and how they work, Viktor focuses first on effective communication; a great PO must clearly articulate what's working and what isn't to the team and stakeholders while fostering a reflective environment. Secondly, protection is essential; they must safeguard the team and product vision amidst constantly evolving technology, resisting the urge to chase every new trend. Finally, being result-oriented is vital; a great PO has a clear understanding of the desired outcomes and end state of the product. Viktor encapsulates this with the mantra, "It's always the leader who is wrong, and it's always the team who wins."

Viktor discusses a common anti-pattern in product ownership: the 'blind PO' who lacks a clear vision. This type of PO is overly preoccupied with politics and managing stakeholder requests, neglecting the broader product vision. They often focus solely on satisfying immediate customer demands, which can work for some but not all scenarios. This approach can lead to team demotivation. Viktor emphasizes the need for POs to reflect, ask probing questions, and truly 'own' the product, considering long-term goals and the product's overall direction, rather than just short-term customer requests.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Viktor Didenchuk

Viktor began his career as a Software Engineer in the mid 2010's, before discovering a passion for coaching and facilitating value delivery. He currently serves as a Scrum Master at Lloyds Banking Group, the UK's largest retail bank, where he contributes to the Agile transformation of a 60,000+ employee organization, navigating and sharing the challenges encountered.

You can link with Viktor Didenchuk on LinkedIn. 

Viktor Didenchuk: Reflect, Review, Succeed, How To Develop Your Own Success Routine As A Scrum Master

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Viktor discusses the definition of success for Scrum Masters, emphasizing the goal of making oneself redundant. For Viktor, success involves the team being self-sufficient in facilitating conversations and functioning effectively without constant guidance. He advocates for regular self-evaluation through 360 feedback and daily journaling to aid in self-development. Assessing team success and reviewing metrics in the scrum of scrums are crucial. Viktor encourages Scrum Masters to develop a personalized success routine, ensuring continuous improvement and effective team leadership.

In this segment, Viktor discusses his preferred retrospective format, emphasizing the importance of relatability and personal connection. He suggests tailoring retrospectives to team interests, like using metaphors. He shares one example where he used two popular movies to represent two competing technical approaches that the team needed to decide on. In retrospectives, he focuses on facilitating discussion, not directing it. Viktor highlights the value of observing and mentioning interesting patterns, and stresses the importance of curiosity about team dynamics and self-reflection.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Viktor Didenchuk

Viktor began his career as a Software Engineer in the mid 2010's, before discovering a passion for coaching and facilitating value delivery. He currently serves as a Scrum Master at Lloyds Banking Group, the UK's largest retail bank, where he contributes to the Agile transformation of a 60,000+ employee organization, navigating and sharing the challenges encountered.

You can link with Viktor Didenchuk on LinkedIn. 

Viktor Didenchuk: Behind the Scenes, Helping A Company Pivot From Enterprise To SaaS, And How To Help Agile Teams Change

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Viktor discusses the transition of his company's focus from an enterprise-centric product to a SaaS offering. The main challenge was establishing an incident management process for the new product. The team sought inspiration from industry giants like Google and Netflix, creating a rulebook and testing the process in real-time. They used OKRs for regular review, gradually involving more staff. Stress factors for users were identified and addressed, including establishing a dedicated Slack channel. A critical hurdle was motivating people to participate, recognizing that incentives vary across individuals. The solution included designing benefits for those managing incidents, acknowledging that the role isn't suited for everyone.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Viktor Didenchuk

Viktor began his career as a Software Engineer in the mid 2010's, before discovering a passion for coaching and facilitating value delivery. He currently serves as a Scrum Master at Lloyds Banking Group, the UK's largest retail bank, where he contributes to the Agile transformation of a 60,000+ employee organization, navigating and sharing the challenges encountered.

You can link with Viktor Didenchuk on LinkedIn. 

Viktor Didenchuk: Leadership Lessons, Managing Agile Team Anxiety Sparked by Rumors

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Viktor shares his experience with a team affected by a rumor about organizational changes. The rumor, lacking official communication, grew and significantly impacted the team's dynamics. Team members felt different and became fearful for their jobs, leading to a decline in Agile values. Over months, the situation worsened, with anxiety amplifying the issue. Viktor emphasizes the importance of addressing rumors promptly, encouraging escalation to leadership for proper handling and making clear the consequences of neglecting such rumors.

Viktor discusses the impact of "The Swordless Samurai," a book detailing the leadership of a historic Japanese ruler. This true story emphasizes timeless leadership principles, highlighting the ruler's role in fostering effectiveness in others. Viktor connects this with his own leadership beliefs, asserting that failures are his responsibility, not his team's. In this segment, we also discuss two other influential books, "Extreme Ownership" and "Radical Candor."

Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Viktor Didenchuk

Viktor began his career as a Software Engineer in the mid 2010's, before discovering a passion for coaching and facilitating value delivery. He currently serves as a Scrum Master at Lloyds Banking Group, the UK's largest retail bank, where he contributes to the Agile transformation of a 60,000+ employee organization, navigating and sharing the challenges encountered.

You can link with Viktor Didenchuk on LinkedIn. 

Viktor Didenchuk: Breaking the Ice, How To Turn a Tough Agile Retrospective Around

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Viktor, shares a challenging experience in conducting retrospectives. He faced difficulty in initiating conversations among engineers, who prefer concrete specifics over discussing feelings. Despite his facilitation skills, Viktor struggled to engage the team. Eventually, by openly admitting his uncertainty and holding space for silence, he encouraged team participation. Viktor shares tips like holding weekly retrospectives, setting up a retro board at the sprint's start, and using current events as facilitation tools, emphasizing that metaphors can significantly aid dialogue.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Viktor Didenchuk

Viktor began his career as a Software Engineer in the mid 2010's, before discovering a passion for coaching and facilitating value delivery. He currently serves as a Scrum Master at Lloyds Banking Group, the UK's largest retail bank, where he contributes to the Agile transformation of a 60,000+ employee organization, navigating and sharing the challenges encountered.

You can link with Viktor Didenchuk on LinkedIn. 

BONUS: Beyond Frameworks, A Vision for Agile Coaching Excellence with Rahul Bhattacharya

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we explore Rahul’s experience with Agile Coaching and how he developed his coaching approach systematically and beyond any frameworks. His latest book is: Coaching Agile: A guide for Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters to build and scale their coach approach, and now available on Amazon. 

Rahul's journey from startup co-founder to Agile Coach is a story of evolution and adaptability. His experience in the corporate world, starting as a product manager, led him to realize the power of Agile methodologies. Rahul emphasizes the importance of a broad perspective, advocating for a framework-agnostic approach in Agile coaching. He shares invaluable lessons about what works and what doesn't, offering a treasure trove of practices that transcend specific frameworks. This holistic approach is crucial for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches who wish to apply the most effective strategies in diverse environments.

Rahul draws a distinct line between the roles of an Agile Coach and a Scrum Master. While a Scrum Master focuses on framework specifics, an Agile Coach takes a more versatile approach, borrowing practices from various frameworks. This differentiation is pivotal for professionals in the field, especially when navigating job roles and expectations. Rahul's book provides a roadmap for understanding these roles better, even as early as during the interview process. His insights on clarifying expectations and preparing for roles are invaluable for anyone aspiring to excel in the Agile domain.

In a striking perspective shift, Rahul highlights the necessity for Agile Coaches to deeply understand the products or services they're working with. This product-centric approach adds substance and context to Agile coaching, enabling coaches to have meaningful conversations about impact and efficiency. Rahul's background in product management becomes a vital asset here, showcasing how product knowledge can dramatically enhance the effectiveness of Agile methodologies. His emphasis on product discovery practices and on-site observations offers a concrete strategy for Agile Coaches to integrate product understanding into their coaching framework.

Rahul's interview is a goldmine of insights for Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters. By focusing on these three key areas – an expansive toolbox, role clarity, and product understanding – Rahul provides a roadmap for professionals to elevate their Agile practices. For more on Rahul's systemic approach and his journey in the Agile world, visit Rahul’s website and connect with him on LinkedIn.

👉Listen NOW and continue the conversation and deepen your Agile knowledge with Rahul's latest book, a must-read for every Scrum Master and Agile Coach aspiring to excel in their field.

About Rahul Bhattacharya

Rahul is a very experienced Agile Coach and Scrum Master, blending his rich experience in agile methodologies with practical insights. His approach emphasizes pragmatism and adaptability, focusing on impactful coaching strategies that nurture continuous improvement and learning in dynamic organizational environments.

Rahul is also the author of Coaching Agile - A Guide for Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters to Build and Scale Their Coach Approach, the book we will be discussing in this episode.

You can link with Rahul Bhattacharya on LinkedIn and connect with Rahul Bhattacharya on Twitter. 

Kulsoom Pervez: From Interference to Empowerment, Overcoming Micromanagement Tendencies in a Scrum Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Kulsoom shares insights on the traits of a great Product Owner (PO), that excelled by staying close to the customer, understanding market needs, and bringing valuable insights to the team. This PO consistently communicated the vision and roadmap, while also being receptive to suggestions from the team. Notably, the PO’s ability to prioritize work effectively involved mastering the art of saying "no." This PO’s strengths included building strong relationships with the team and maintaining an open-minded approach, which facilitated a smooth and productive partnership, making the Scrum Master's role more effective and the overall team dynamic more cohesive and successful.

Kulsoom discusses a Product Owner (PO) that tended to micromanage the team and focused excessively on details, neglecting the broader vision and roadmap. This over-involvement extended to interfering with estimations and pushing work onto the team rather than allowing them to pull it, often losing sight of priorities. Kulsoom advises a non-judgmental approach to understand the root causes of this behavior, such as the PO's work environment, their trust in the team, or underlying challenges they face. She emphasizes the importance of including the PO in retrospectives to build trust and address these challenges effectively.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging.

You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.

Kulsoom Pervez: Fostering Team Collaboration in Scrum, The Essence of Agile Leadership For Scrum Masters

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

When it comes to success for Scrum Masters, Kulsoom focuses on team empowerment and collective success. She questions whether team members are happy and engaged in their work. Kulsoom emphasizes the importance of reminding teams to distinguish between what they can and cannot influence, especially when venting frustrations. She also touches upon the significance of team members owning their responsibilities instead of blaming others. The episode delves into whether team members assist each other collaboratively or try to individually stand out as heroes, underscoring the essence of teamwork in the realm of Scrum Mastery.

In this segment, Kulsoom discusses her favorite agile retrospective format, emphasizing the importance of variety to prevent team boredom. The focus is on 'The Values Retrospectives,' where team members discuss and agree on values that are important to them. This format is instrumental in aligning team actions with their defined values. Kulsoom highlights the critical nature of helping team members understand and embody these values in their work. Additionally, she provides insight into the significance of explaining the concept of values, ensuring every team member has a clear and shared understanding of what they represent.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging.

You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.

Kulsoom Pervez: Creating Confident Teams, A Change Process To Tackle Agile Team Performance And Removing Impediments Continuously

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Kulsoom shares her experience as a Scrum Master tasked with improving a team. She identified key issues like the team's size and unaddressed impediments to delivering stories. Her approach involved building relationships with the team, innovating retrospective methods for a safe space, and partnering with middle management. Key lessons included running impediment surveys to highlight issues to leadership, prioritizing impediments with management, and preparing data for leadership conversations. These strategies led to a more confident team, unafraid to raise impediments, teaching her the importance of assuming positive intent, understanding leadership goals, and making leadership her allies.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging.

You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.

Kulsoom Pervez: The Struggle for Team Unity, And How To Recognize Our Limits As Scrum Masters

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Kulsoom shares her experience with a group of skilled individuals who struggled to function as a team. As their Scrum Master, she noticed a lack of accountability and ownership, issues with completing sprint stories, and a blame culture during retrospectives. The team, marred by tension between developers and QA, created an unhealthy environment. Despite her efforts to revitalize retrospectives and foster change, progress was slow and draining. Eventually, Kulsoom and several team members left the company, leading her to understand the limits of her influence and the importance of self-care and mental health for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches.

Kulsoom delves into how the book "Crucial Conversations" profoundly influenced her role as a Scrum Master. She emphasizes the book's impact in shaping her approach to crucial conversations, vital for anyone in a change agent role like hers. Highlighting the importance of courage and skill, Kulsoom discusses the book's framework for managing critical discussions effectively. She underscores how having a structured approach to conversations is essential for effective communication and problem-solving in agile environments.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging.

You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.

Kulsoom Pervez: Building Trust, Not Agendas, And Learning To Be A Better Scrum Master

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Kulsoom discusses her challenging experience as a Scrum Master with a team new to agile in a scaled agile environment. Facing the departure of the previous Scrum Master, she steps in with determination but quickly adopts an overly directive approach. This causes change fatigue among team members, who were already struggling with a steep learning curve and significant changes in their work methods. Reflecting on this, Kulsoom advises new Scrum Masters to observe and understand a team's dynamics without a pre-set agenda, emphasizing the importance of building comfort and trust, and embracing curiosity over the need to "fix" the team.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging.

You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.

Isshai Kamara: The Making of a Great Product Owner, Learning, Leading, And Succeeding

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

This episode with Isshai delves into the qualities of a great Product Owner (PO). Key attributes include an eagerness to learn, and their ability to craft compelling user stories. These POs are not only available to their team and the Scrum Master but are also deeply committed to the team's success. Their popularity among developers is a testament to their effectiveness, and they regularly check in with team members. Isshai also emphasizes the importance of helping POs build trust capital within the team, highlighting how interpersonal skills and team dynamics play a crucial role in a PO's success.

In this segment, Isshai explores a Product Owner (PO) anti-pattern involving POs with a technical background. These POs often preemptively size stories, overshadowing the input from developers and testers. This behavior led to dissatisfaction among the developers. Isshai suggests effective strategies for addressing this issue, such as encouraging POs to prioritize developers' opinions, utilizing project management principles when interacting with senior team members, referencing authoritative sources on agile practices, aligning with the team on shared goals, and maintaining a focus on supporting the team's needs. These tips aim to foster a more collaborative and respectful dynamic within the agile team.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Isshai Kamara

Isshai Kamara is a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience, specializing in Agile delivery roles and Scrum implementation. Initially a Technologist, he later transitioned into Project and Engineering Management. With 8 years in Agile delivery, Isshai has become an advocate for IT careers, aiding professionals in transitions and conducting bootcamps for tech roles. His extensive experience in Agile methodologies and commitment to IT career development make him a distinguished figure in the tech community.

You can link with Isshai Kamara on LinkedIn and connect with Isshai Kamara on Instagram. 

Isshai Kamara: Empowering Agile Teams and Organizations, Metrics, Maturity, and Mastery

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Isshai emphasizes the importance of learning about, and following organizational criteria, aiding teams in maturing within 3 to 4 months towards self-organization, and contributing to the broader organizational objectives. Isshai also underlines the value of collaboration among Scrum Masters to enhance their collective impact. Key practices include setting context-specific metrics, regular discussions about release timelines and goals, sharing team experiences, and using these insights to guide training or coaching sessions. Additionally, she suggests using tools like JIRA dashboards for effective follow-ups and progress tracking.

Isshai shares her enthusiasm for making retrospectives engaging and enjoyable. Among the various formats she uses, her favorite is the "User Story Awards", which is similar to the Oscar Awards Retrospective.  This unique approach encourages developers to think critically about the user stories tackled during the sprint. Isshai highlights the importance of having an open discussion after selecting the stories, where team members can candidly talk about their experiences. She also emphasizes the use of humor as a tool to address challenging topics, making the retrospective process not only insightful but also enjoyable for everyone involved.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Isshai Kamara

Isshai Kamara is a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience, specializing in Agile delivery roles and Scrum implementation. Initially a Technologist, he later transitioned into Project and Engineering Management. With 8 years in Agile delivery, Isshai has become an advocate for IT careers, aiding professionals in transitions and conducting bootcamps for tech roles. His extensive experience in Agile methodologies and commitment to IT career development make him a distinguished figure in the tech community.

You can link with Isshai Kamara on LinkedIn and connect with Isshai Kamara on Instagram. 

Isshai Kamara: Redefining Government Projects, A Tale of Agile Empowerment

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Isshai shares the challenging transition from a waterfall to an Agile project for a U.S. government initiative. Initially, waterfall methods led to slow testing and limited team involvement in requirement gathering. Shifting to Agile drastically quickened development, reducing the time to demonstrate working software from months to weeks and enabling earlier risk identification. The project was delivered sooner than anticipated. Key to this success was a focus on team-building, close collaboration with organizational support structures, comprehensive training, and a user story writing workshop to enhance team and PO's skills in collecting requirements.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Isshai Kamara

Isshai Kamara is a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience, specializing in Agile delivery roles and Scrum implementation. Initially a Technologist, he later transitioned into Project and Engineering Management. With 8 years in Agile delivery, Isshai has become an advocate for IT careers, aiding professionals in transitions and conducting bootcamps for tech roles. His extensive experience in Agile methodologies and commitment to IT career development make him a distinguished figure in the tech community.

You can link with Isshai Kamara on LinkedIn and connect with Isshai Kamara on Instagram. 

Isshai Kamara: Collaboration as a Cure, Helping Agile Teams Overcome The Missing Product Owner Anti-Pattern

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Isshai discusses challenges faced by her two mobile teams lacking Product Owners (POs). This led to uncertainty about requirements and a sparse backlog. Instead of hiring new POs, Isshai initiated collaboration with existing POs from other teams. She shares tips like integrating tech leads with other POs, setting up meetings for better communication, and considering tech leads as potential POs. Isshai emphasizes transparency about these issues with her teams and stresses the importance of showing them that there is ongoing work and focus on detailing tasks, marking a significant culture shift within the organization.

In this segment, Isshai discusses the transformative impact of Project To Product by Mik Kersten on her journey from a project manager to a more product-focused person. She credits the book for enhancing her understanding of team metrics and providing deeper insights into software development processes. Emphasizing the importance of motivated teams, the book also introduces a unique tool developed by the author, designed specifically for teams concentrating on product development. This tool has been instrumental in Isshai's ability to effectively guide her development teams.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Isshai Kamara

Isshai Kamara is a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience, specializing in Agile delivery roles and Scrum implementation. Initially a Technologist, he later transitioned into Project and Engineering Management. With 8 years in Agile delivery, Isshai has become an advocate for IT careers, aiding professionals in transitions and conducting bootcamps for tech roles. His extensive experience in Agile methodologies and commitment to IT career development make him a distinguished figure in the tech community.

You can link with Isshai Kamara on LinkedIn and connect with Isshai Kamara on Instagram.

Isshai Kamara: Agile Against the Odds, Navigating Resistance and Leading Agile Change

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we delve into the challenging world of Agile implementation with Isshai Kamara, an experienced Agilist and IT professional. Isshai shares her journey at a fintech company post-acquisition, highlighting the resistance she encountered towards Agile methodologies. With anecdotes from her time there, she sheds light on the complexities of introducing Agile in environments where traditional methods prevail and Agile roles are often dismissed. Isshai offers invaluable tips on approaching such transitions positively, initiating conversations focused on overcoming impediments, and aligning with shared goals to foster acceptance. 

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Isshai Kamara

Isshai Kamara is a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience, specializing in Agile delivery roles and Scrum implementation. Initially a Technologist, he later transitioned into Project and Engineering Management. With 8 years in Agile delivery, Isshai has become an advocate for IT careers, aiding professionals in transitions and conducting bootcamps for tech roles. His extensive experience in Agile methodologies and commitment to IT career development make him a distinguished figure in the tech community.

You can link with Isshai Kamara on LinkedIn and connect with Isshai Kamara on Instagram. 

BONUS: Unleashing the Power of Tension (Meetings) in Agile Teams with Sara Clark

Are you an Agile Coach or Scrum Master looking to revolutionize your team dynamics? 

Dive into our latest podcast episode featuring Sara, a pioneer in "Tension Meetings." 

These meetings can transform conflicts into fuel for growth. 

But what exactly are they? How can they reshape your team's future? Keep reading and uncover the secrets to harnessing tension!

Sara's journey from higher education to Agile methodologies led her to discover "Tension Meetings" while working in a volunteer collective.

Despite the initial failure, these meetings proved instrumental in addressing underlying conflicts.

The concept, rooted in Holacracy, begins with the premise that "something feels off," serving 

Imagine a software team sitting down to address their unspoken challenges. Sara provides invaluable tips on setting up these meetings, emphasizing collective problem-solving and approaching tensions with curiosity.

The key? Building trust within the team and creating a non-threatening environment for open dialogue.

Wondering how to facilitate a tension meeting effectively? The podcast episode is packed with insider tips.

Sara shares real-world examples illustrating the profound impact of Tension Meetings on team dynamics and problem-solving.

By carving out space for these discussions, teams can not only resolve current issues but also proactively address future challenges.

Intrigued by the potential outcomes of Tension Meetings? The podcast sheds light on real success stories.

As Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters, it's vital to continuously evolve and embrace innovative practices. Here are your key takeaways from our conversation with Sara:

Identify and Embrace Tensions: Recognize the signs of unresolved tensions and see them as opportunities for growth.

Facilitate with Curiosity and Trust: Learn to guide your team through these meetings with an open mind and a focus on building trust.

Transform Tensions into Team Strengths: Use these meetings to turn challenges into collective goals and future-focused solutions.

For a deeper dive into "Tension Meetings," including practical tips and real-life examples, don't miss our full podcast episode. Hear from Sara herself and start transforming your Agile practices today!

Join our community of Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches to stay updated with the latest trends, insights, and discussions in the world of Agile project management. 🚀

About Sara Clark

Sara brings to us over 15 years of experience facilitating dialogue, training, and healthy culture in highly diverse teams. Her passion lies at the intersection of intercultural communication, liberation, and play. Sara draws from Agile and Next Economy practices to keep value flowing in her public benefit cooperative, Ember Co-op, and in her company, Curious Ways.

Drew Craig: From Dictator, to Collaboration Facilitator, Contrasting Agile Product Ownership stances

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Drew talks about an exemplary Product Owner who embodied seniority and dedication in their role. The standout PO was fully invested, engaged, and present, consistently participating in team discussions. Encouraging problem-solving autonomy, the PO crafted a visionary "what," and allowed teams to contribute the "how." Only intervening when necessary, this PO fostered an environment where teams could excel.

In this episode, Drew addresses Product Owner anti-patterns, recounting a scenario where a dictatorial PO hindered team collaboration. The PO struggled to create cohesion and dismissed ideas from contractors. Using a retrospective, Drew facilitated an open conversation, emphasizing the importance of helping the PO understand the consequences of their actions. Tips include doing a "reset" to redefine team dynamics and ensuring leadership comprehends Agile principles. Drew advocates for objective thinking as Scrum Masters, fostering empathy for PO challenges and encouraging open dialogue with POs about their influences.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Drew Craig

Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems.

You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

Drew Craig: Product Operations Paradigm, And How Scrum Masters Can Help Product Companies Succeed

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Drew defines success for Scrum Masters as the moment when teams, leadership, and the system comprehend the overarching purpose behind agile practices. Success is marked by a shift from struggling to understanding the "why," demonstrating a focus on outcomes, customer satisfaction, and value delivery. Drew highlights the significance of teams engaging in the right conversations and asking pertinent questions. Additionally, he introduces the concept of "product operations" as a current buzzword, advocating for a transition towards product-led organizations. 

In this segment, Drew discusses his favorite retrospective format, the sailboat retrospective. He praises its structured yet open nature that encourages meaningful conversations. The sailboat metaphor simplifies complex ideas, making it relatable for team members. Drew emphasizes the role of these formats as conversation facilitators, particularly noting the sailboat's ability to prompt engagement and participation. He provides tips on the critical role of facilitation and the comfort with silence. 

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Drew Craig

Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems.

You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

Drew Craig: Adapt and Evolve, Navigating Change in Agile Digital Marketing

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Drew shares insights on leading change in a non-technical domain, specifically digital marketing transformation. Recognizing the mismatch in training materials, he advocates tailoring content to the industry's needs. Drew emphasizes the importance of adapting roles, seating layouts, and collaborating with local process teams to align with agile principles. Working closely with leadership, he underscores the significance of feedback loops for refining strategies. The episode explores how a system-wide transformation, including process owners, led to accelerated delivery cycles. 

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Drew Craig

Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems.

You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

Drew Craig: Unravelling an Agile Team's Struggle with Overcommitment, And The Inevitable Consequences

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Drew delves into the common pitfall of teams overloading their backlog, leading to failed sprints and destroyed team morale. The challenge lies in helping teams realize the importance of realistic commitments. Drew suggests analyzing data, considering historical averages, and aligning discussions with product goals and roadmaps. Addressing the fear of reducing commitments due to leadership pressure, he emphasizes the need to collaborate with leadership and focus on data-driven decision-making. 

In this episode, Drew shares pivotal books shaping his career as a Scrum Master. "Drive" by Dan Pink offers clarity with easy-to-understand insights about motivation, grounding practitioners in their roles. Drew appreciates its ability to simplify complex concepts. "Multipliers" by Liz Wiseman provides insights on strengthening teams and shifting from doing to enabling. Drew's takeaway involves pondering, "How can I be a multiplier?" 

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Drew Craig

Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems.

You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

Drew Craig: Empowerment Struggles, The Unintended Consequences of Scrum Masters Focusing On Process Implementation

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, we discuss a story of how sometimes, the process focus for Scrum Masters can lead to trouble. Focused on solving problems through processes, Drew introduced a rigid framework to a new digital marketing team without understanding their unique, team-specific challenges. Unintentionally disempowering the team, Drew realized the need for a reset. This highlights the importance of fostering open communication and understanding a team’s context on their own terms. 

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Drew Craig

Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems.

You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

BONUS: Unveiling True Agility in Project Management, with Johanna Rothman

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

🔥 "Diving Into the Essence of True Agility: A Must-Listen Podcast for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches!" 🔥

Are you tired of buzzwords and want to grasp the real essence of agility in project management? 

Do you feel trapped in the cycle of 'Fake Agility' and yearn for a more effective approach? 

Our latest podcast episode with Johanna Rothman sheds light on these challenges, offering insights that can revolutionize your Agile journey. But that's just a glimpse. Read on, and let's explore the key aspects that could redefine your understanding of Agile methodologies.

Ever wondered why some Agile implementations don't yield the expected benefits?

The concept of 'Fake Agility' is critical in understanding why some teams fail to achieve true agility. It's more than just stand-ups or retrospectives; it's about a culture that focuses on the team rather than individuals. This segment of our podcast delves deep into recognizing and overcoming the pitfalls of superficial Agile practices.

What distinguishes truly agile project management from its less effective counterparts?

True agility involves cross-functional collaboration and frequent delivery of valuable increments. Our guest expert unravels how focusing on team dynamics and flow efficiency can elevate your Agile practice beyond conventional norms.

How can you infuse agility into any project management approach, regardless of its starting point?

The key to enhancing agility lies in understanding your unplanned feedback loops, speeding up feedback cycles, and shifting focus from quantity to quality of work. This part of the podcast offers practical tips on building cross-functional teams and demonstrating value through continuous delivery.

🎧 Discover the Full Spectrum of Agile Mastery!

Don't miss out on the detailed insights and real-world examples discussed in our podcast. Here are your 3 Key Takeaways to ponder:

Identifying and Moving Beyond 'Fake Agility': Learn to spot the signs of superficial Agile practices and steer your team towards more effective, team-centric methodologies.

Embracing the Core of True Agility: Understand the importance of collaboration, small incremental deliveries, and flow efficiency in realizing the full potential of Agile.

Implementing Agility Across Various Approaches: Explore how to adapt and apply Agile principles in diverse project environments, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness.

For an in-depth exploration of these points and to ignite a transformation in your Agile journey, tune into this podcast episode. Your path to mastering true agility starts here!

Join our community of Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches to stay updated with the latest trends, insights, and discussions in the world of Agile project management. 🚀

About Johanna Rothman

Johanna Rothman, renowned as the "Pragmatic Manager," is a highly respected consultant, speaker, and author. Specializing in project management, she guides managers and leaders in adapting agile practices for effective product development. Her expertise in managing high-technology product development offers invaluable insights for navigating the complexities of modern projects.

You can link with Johanna Rothman on LinkedIn and connect with Johanna Rothman on Mastodon. 

Nimi Bello: Backlog Collaboration and Protecting the Team as a PO, Marks of Great Product Owners

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Nimi shares some of the characteristics of a great Product Owner. She emphasizes the importance of a PO taking pride in the prioritization process, actively protecting the team, and involving them in backlog management. The episode highlights instances when a PO supports and safeguards the team, fostering a collaborative environment. Nimi introduces the concept of "three amigos" and underscores the PO's role as an active participant in this group, contributing to effective communication and understanding among team members.

In this segment, Nimi discusses common pitfalls in Product Owner (PO) behavior. Addressing issues like POs who distance themselves from the team or work in silos, she emphasizes the importance of their active involvement. The episode explores the impact on team productivity and quality when a PO is not dedicated to a team or fails to be present in daily meetings. Nimi provides tips on understanding the context affecting POs, conducting research on their behavior drivers, and fostering a "one team" mindset through intentional team building and one-on-one sessions.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Nimi Bello

Nimi Bello is a seasoned Agile professional with a diverse skill set. She currently serves as a Release Train Engineer at Deloitte. With over 8 years of experience, Nimi is an award-winning Creative Director, Principal Agile Consultant, and Strategic Partner. Her expertise lies in sales, technology, and guiding teams through the complex journey of transitioning to Agile methodology. Nimi is a global change agent with a fervor for building and scaling businesses and communities.

You can link with Nimi Bello on LinkedIn.

Nimi Bello: The Vacation Test and Other Self-Assessment Prompts to Assess Agile Team Independence

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In the episode, Nimi explores critical questions for self-assessment as a Scrum Master. From team improvement and autonomy to conflict resolution and collaboration, she delves into self-assessment prompts like "Can I go on vacation?" and "Am I a good Scrum Master?" Nimi emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement, hands-on guidance, and personal development. The episode serves as a guide for Scrum Masters seeking to enhance team performance and their own effectiveness.

In the segment, Nimi explores the effectiveness of the "Start/Stop/Continue" framework for fostering organic team discussions. Highlighting the simplicity and action-oriented nature of this approach, she emphasizes its role in promoting both individual and team reflection. Nimi provides tips, suggesting timeboxing the conversation and embracing silence, recognizing its transformative potential in retrospectives. The episode underscores the value of unplanned, authentic conversations and the bravery that silence can inspire in team members.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Nimi Bello

Nimi Bello is a seasoned Agile professional with a diverse skill set. She currently serves as a Release Train Engineer at Deloitte. With over 8 years of experience, Nimi is an award-winning Creative Director, Principal Agile Consultant, and Strategic Partner. Her expertise lies in sales, technology, and guiding teams through the complex journey of transitioning to Agile methodology. Nimi is a global change agent with a fervor for building and scaling businesses and communities.

You can link with Nimi Bello on LinkedIn.

Nimi Bello: Strategies for Team Cohesion, And How To Build Trust With Agile Teams and Stakeholders

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In the episode, Nimi discusses her role in a complex sales force migration project. Juggling multiple hats as PO, Scrum Master, and project manager, she faced challenges such as resistance to the new system and a lack of team cohesion. Nimi provides valuable tips, emphasizing the importance of team understanding, intentional team building, and fostering a collaborative mindset. We talk about the book "The Speed of Trust" by Covey and share insights on creating trust through personal conversations and shared expectations. Nimi also offers strategies for job-seeking Scrum Masters, drawing inspiration from Zig Ziglar's advice on speaking the value language.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Nimi Bello

Nimi Bello is a seasoned Agile professional with a diverse skill set. She currently serves as a Release Train Engineer at Deloitte. With over 8 years of experience, Nimi is an award-winning Creative Director, Principal Agile Consultant, and Strategic Partner. Her expertise lies in sales, technology, and guiding teams through the complex journey of transitioning to Agile methodology. Nimi is a global change agent with a fervor for building and scaling businesses and communities.

You can link with Nimi Bello on LinkedIn.

Nimi Bello: From Conflict to Growth, Lessons in Coaching as a Scrum Master, Even When Stakes are High!

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In the episode, Nimi talks about a challenging experience where a high-stakes project faced self-destruction due to a lack of psychological safety. The dominant engineering manager stifled team communication, leading to disengagement and reduced collaboration. Struggling as a Scrum Master, Nimi took the initiative to have a difficult conversation with the manager, emphasizing the team's perspective. By fostering understanding and shifting to solution-oriented thinking, the episode highlights the importance of addressing psychological safety issues for team well-being. Nimi shares how this experience propelled her growth as a coach and the significance of proactive communication.

In the segment, Nimi discusses the impact that the books "Drive" by Dan Pink and "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki had on her role as a Scrum Master. Emphasizing motivation and empowerment, Nimi delves into how “Drive” highlights the often-overlooked importance of the key concept of intrinsic motivation, emphasizing its significance for Scrum Masters. Nimi encourages listeners to delve into these influential reads for valuable insights into fostering team motivation and developing crucial interpersonal skills.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Nimi Bello

Nimi Bello is a seasoned Agile professional with a diverse skill set. She currently serves as a Release Train Engineer at Deloitte. With over 8 years of experience, Nimi is an award-winning Creative Director, Principal Agile Consultant, and Strategic Partner. Her expertise lies in sales, technology, and guiding teams through the complex journey of transitioning to Agile methodology. Nimi is a global change agent with a fervor for building and scaling businesses and communities.

You can link with Nimi Bello on LinkedIn.

Nimi Bello: Prioritizing People, Strategies for Helping Agile Teams In Trouble

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Nimi shares her experience leading a struggling team during a complex agile software development project. Amidst challenges like project delays, low team morale, and layoffs, Nimi emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and building strong relationships with team members. She reflects on the realization that the team had very limited control over their environment, and entered a fight-or-flight mode. Some of the tips Nimi shares include fostering open communication, understanding individual communication styles, and prioritizing the team's well-being. The episode highlights the Scrum Master's unique responsibilities in building trust, managing stakeholders, and creating a supportive team environment.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Nimi Bello

Nimi Bello is a seasoned Agile professional with a diverse skill set. She currently serves as a Release Train Engineer at Deloitte. With over 8 years of experience, Nimi is an award-winning Creative Director, Principal Agile Consultant, and Strategic Partner. Her expertise lies in sales, technology, and guiding teams through the complex journey of transitioning to Agile methodology. Nimi is a global change agent with a fervor for building and scaling businesses and communities.

You can link with Nimi Bello on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: Priority Overload, When Product Owners Are Overwhelmed, So Are the Agile Teams!

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this segment, Josh highlights how a great Product Owner is characterized by a learning mindset and a collaborative approach. The PO Josh describes, actively sought support from the Scrum Master, fostering a shared vision for teamwork. Conducting one-on-one sessions with team members, she prioritized listening and connection. Notably, she consistently validated delivery ideas with the team.

In this segment, Josh addresses a common Product Owner (PO) anti-pattern involving new POs handling multiple teams with conflicting priorities. Some PO’s struggled with this challenge, while others embraced the challenge and rose to the occasion. The PO's availability posed difficulties to the team. Additionally, the PO’s inability to prioritize led to everything being labeled as "top priority." Josh advises collaborative efforts with stakeholders to ensure adequate time allocation for POs supporting multiple teams.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Josh Lambert

Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.

You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: Enabling A Psychological Safe Place, The Pillar of Scrum Master Success

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Josh delves into the essence of success for Scrum Masters, posing questions on facilitation skills, active team engagement, and the creation of a psychologically safe environment. Emphasizing the need for continuous practice, he suggests evaluating success by the team's participation in planning, refinement, and events. Transparency in showcasing the Scrum Master's contributions and a focus on psychological safety stand out as key indicators.

In this episode, Josh emphasizes the significance of retrospectives, deeming them the most crucial team event. His favorite format, "It's a 10!", involves a 10-column scorecard for team members to evaluate their sprint performance. Questions like "How do you think we did?" and "What would have gotten you to a 10?" encourage open dialogue. Additionally, he suggests periodic retrospectives on the retro itself, using three self-assessment questions to enhance facilitation skills.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Josh Lambert

Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.

You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: Introducing Estimation Consistency To An Agile Team With The Help Of Cycle Time Metrics

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Josh shares his experience initiating change within a high-performing team. Silent observations revealed inconsistent cycle times and unstable story points. Recognizing a lack of focus and attention during story sizing, he implemented an internal sprint review and emphasized the impact on the Product Owner's decisions. Collaborating with the PO, a shared message strengthened planning consistency. Eventually, the team achieved shorter cycle times, and addressed bottleneck issues.

[IMAGE HERE] As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Josh Lambert

Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.

You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: Strategies for Improved Team Collaboration in Agile Teams

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Josh shares a team's struggles – newly formed, but spanning distant timezones, and facing communication issues. Individual work overshadowed teamwork, and this was made worse by very unclear responses from a team member that was not meeting their sprint goals. Frustration peaked on the final day of one of the Sprints. Reflecting on that story, Josh advocates transparent communication, urging team members to share when help is needed. He stresses the importance of a working agreement when seeking help and proposes conducting psychological safety assessments and focusing on team well-being.

In this episode, Josh recommends "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins for Scrum Masters. He highlights its enduring value, providing continuous support for navigating challenges. Drawing from a team member's experience feeling trapped in a "hamster wheel," Josh emphasizes the book's relatable stories, offering preparation for similar situations.

[IMAGE HERE] Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches - Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!  

About Josh Lambert

Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.

You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: T-Shaping Agile Teams, To Ensure Survival and Success When A Team Member Leaves

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode with Josh, we explore a high-performing team facing challenges. Despite excellent collaboration and goal achievement, knowledge silos arose due to a distributed application ownership among different individuals. When a senior developer announced their departure, it became clear the team would not be able to take on the extra responsibility. With the lessons from this story, Josh advises sharing real-life stories with the team, to highlight potential problems with siloed-ownership of code, and advocates "T-Shape the team" for broader skill sets, and suggests swarming on stories to address resource gaps. He also suggests the use of a skills matrix for effective knowledge sharing, and visualizing the skill gaps.

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Josh Lambert

Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.

You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.

BONUS: The Future Of Agility, Experiment Driven Development, With Vasco Duarte

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Merry Christmas, everyone! As we bid farewell to 2023, we present the final BONUS episode of this Christmas week—a glimpse into what we believe is the future for every Agile team out there. 

Brace yourselves for a deep dive into the heart of agility: learning at the speed of experimentation! Specifically, we'll explore the exciting realm of Experiment-driven development, a game-changer poised to reshape how teams approach learning and development. Don't forget, each episode this week complements the Coach Your Product Owner e-course, accessible at bit.ly/coachyourpo.

Throughout this week, we've delved into five crucial topics that every Scrum Master should master, with each topic complementing a module in the Coach Your PO e-course. Today's focus is on The spectrum of experimentation—a concept that promises to revolutionize the way teams learn and evolve.

In previous episodes, we emphasized that writing and deploying software is the slowest and most expensive way to learn about what adds value to our product and business. Recognizing this, we introduced the idea of paper-prototype-based usability tests as a means to define and run experiments in 24 hours or less. However, this is just one facet of the vast landscape of experimentation.

Why does it matter? Not all experiments and hypotheses are created equal. While some ideas could lead to a 10x improvement in our product, others may offer incremental gains that are challenging to quantify. The key is to align the effort spent on validating hypotheses with their potential impact.

Enter the experiment spectrum—a versatile range of experiments designed to collect information spanning from minutes to months. Let's explore some options based on time scales:

On the Hour Scale (Minutes):

User Interviews: Direct conversations with potential users.

Usability Tests: Quick assessments of user interaction.

Paper Prototype Sales: A creative experiment—sell the paper version of the app to gauge interest.

On the Day or 24-Hour Scale:

All of the Above: Intensify by including more interviews or tests.

Customer Surveys: Quick insights if you have a means to reach your audience.

Sales Calls with Existing Customers: Conduct a "sales pitch experiment" to validate core adoption/sales hypotheses.

On the Week or Month Scale:

All of the Above: Scale up for more comprehensive data.

Landing Page Tests: Experiment with different landing page variations.

Email List Tests: Leverage existing mailing lists for experiments.

Podcast Episodes and YouTube Videos: Engage with a wider audience.

Running Software in Production: The traditional approach but still a valuable part of the spectrum.

This spectrum acts as a strategic tool, ensuring teams don't over-invest in validating hypotheses that might not have a significant impact on their goals. Imagine how much unnecessary code could be avoided if teams could quickly validate assumptions!

Remember, an Agile principle is to "Maximize the work not done," and that the cheapest software to operate is the one that is not developed. Code is a liability, and confidence in its value must be established before investing in development, deployment, and maintenance.

As Scrum Masters, we are well aware that experimentation is not limited to products—it extends to our processes. Teams cannot improve unless they are constantly learning and experimenting. One powerful approach is self-experimentation, where teams start by experimenting with their process before venturing into product experiments. This builds confidence and familiarity with the concept of running experiments.

Today's episode focused on the evolution from learning to Experiment-driven development. Key takeaways include:

Understanding the experiment spectrum—a range of experiments designed for different time scales.

Examples of various experiment types, from quick-hour experiments to those spanning weeks.

The importance of running experiments with processes before transitioning to product experiments.

All this week's episodes are companions to the Coach Your PO e-course, available at bit.ly/coachyourpo. Related modules include:

Version 1, Module 4: Customer Needs – A valuable concept for assessing the potential impact of hypotheses.

Version 1, Module 6: Quick Prioritization Techniques – Techniques applicable not just for backlogs but also for prioritizing assumptions and experiments.

Version 2, Module 2: Setting up Product Goals – A crucial step before running experiments.

For more details or to purchase the Coach Your PO e-course, visit bit.ly/coachyourpo.

If personalized coaching is your preference, contact us at coaching@oikosofy.com.

As we conclude this special week of bonus episodes, we invite you to reach out for more information about our products and consulting services. Remember, a rising team lifts all products!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! See you next week for another regular week of episodes.

About Vasco Duarte

Vasco is a leading voice in the agile community, known for his contributions to the development of agile methodologies and practices. He is the co-founder of Agile Finland and the host of Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, the most popular Agile podcast in the world, which has more than 10 000 000 unique downloads. He is also the author of “NoEstimates: A novel look at how Agile can transform software development, making it both more sustainable, as well as incredibly profitable.” Vasco is a keynote speaker at many conferences and events, sharing his knowledge and experience with the agile community. With his passion and expertise in agile, Vasco has made a significant impact on the way software development is done today, helping organizations to become more efficient, flexible, and responsive to changing requirements.lYou You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Twitter.

BONUS: Unleashing Agile Experimentation, Accelerating Learning Cycles With 24h Experiments, With Vasco Duarte

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Merry Christmas, everyone! In today's Christmas week BONUS episode, we're diving into the world of Agile experimentation, specifically exploring how to enable 24-hour experiments—a topic that promises to revolutionize the way we approach product development. As we explore this exciting subject, remember that each episode this week is a companion to the Coach Your Product Owner e-course, accessible at bit.ly/coachyourpo.

This week's episodes are designed to equip Scrum Masters with essential tools to assist their Product Owners in mastering five key areas. Today, we unravel the secrets of conducting rapid experiments that speed up your learning and development cycles.

Let's start by revisiting the Lean Startup methodology and its famed Build-Measure-Learn cycle. Lean Startup emphasizes that the purpose of "building" is not merely to deliver software but to validate hypotheses. Before running an experiment, it's crucial to define what you're trying to achieve, as discussed in Monday's episode on how to define value.

Taking Amazon’s website as an example, suppose a team aims to boost the conversion rate for users who have added items to their cart. The hypothesis could be: "Removing shipping costs from the checkout overview will result in a higher conversion rate for people who've added an item to their cart." This hypothesis, or belief, becomes the trigger for experimentation.

Once the hypothesis is clear, it's time to design the experiment. Think of it as crafting a story, but with a focus on experimentation. Here's a template to structure your experiment:

Title: Increase Conversion Rate for People Who've Added an Item to the Cart by Removing Shipping Costs from the Checkout Overview.

We Do: Specify the actions to set up the experiment.

We Expect: Clearly state the anticipated outcomes.

Data We Collect: List the crucial data points needed for analysis.

Conclusion: Outline the lessons learned and set a date for analysis.

This structured template ensures clarity and sets the stage for a comprehensive understanding of the experiment.

Before we start brainstorming stories and features that would need to be implemented by the development team, we should think about running experiments in 24 hours or less. We do this, because we want to avoid one of the major sources of waste in our processes: doing work that would not need to be done at all in the first place!

As we explore the experiment above, we define the key question as, "Would a person not shown shipping costs be more likely to complete a purchase after adding an item to the cart?"

To achieve faster learning, consider alternatives to software changes. In this episode, we explore some concrete alternatives to writing and deploying software when it comes to answer the key question defined above. 

One example we explore is: conducting usability tests using paper prototypes with a small group. Through qualitative analysis and user feedback, you can gain confidence in your hypothesis without investing time in extensive software modifications.

In summary, today's episode tackled critical aspects of designing and running experiments, emphasizing the importance of learning. Key takeaways include:

Lean Startup's Build-Measure-Learn cycle focuses on validating hypotheses.

Experiment design involves specifying actions, expected outcomes, data collection, and drawing conclusions.

The concept of 24-hour experiments emphasizes the need for rapid learning.

All episodes this week complement the Coach Your PO e-course, available at bit.ly/coachyourpo. Related modules include:

Version 2, Module 8: Critical Documents for the PO Role – Utilize Impact Mapping to identify assumptions and expectations for designing experiments.

Version 2, Module 9: Collecting Feedback Faster – Explore methods for collecting feedback at various stages of product development, laying the groundwork for experiment-driven development.

In Version 1, Module 3, we delve into Actionable Metrics—an indispensable tool for anyone looking to run successful experiments.

For more details or to purchase the Coach Your PO e-course, visit bit.ly/coachyourpo.

If personalized coaching is your preference, contact us at coaching@oikosofy.com.

Continue your journey of learning, keep supporting your team, and join us for the final episode tomorrow!

See you tomorrow!

About Vasco Duarte

Vasco is a leading voice in the agile community, known for his contributions to the development of agile methodologies and practices. He is the co-founder of Agile Finland and the host of Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, the most popular Agile podcast in the world, which has more than 10 000 000 unique downloads. He is also the author of “NoEstimates: A novel look at how Agile can transform software development, making it both more sustainable, as well as incredibly profitable.” Vasco is a keynote speaker at many conferences and events, sharing his knowledge and experience with the agile community. With his passion and expertise in agile, Vasco has made a significant impact on the way software development is done today, helping organizations to become more efficient, flexible, and responsive to changing requirements.lYou You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Twitter.

BONUS: Helping Product Owners Make Decisions Quickly With Experiments, And Lean Startup, With Vasco Duarte

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope your holiday season is filled with joy and festive cheer. As we continue our Christmas week BONUS episodes, today's focus is on empowering Product Owners (POs) to quickly make informed decisions based on the definition of value and value metrics. 

As usual in this year’s BONUS week of episodes, this episode is a crucial companion to the Coach Your Product Owner e-course, accessible at bit.ly/coachyourpo.

While defining and measuring value are vital, our ultimate objective as Scrum Masters is to expedite the decision-making process. The pace of software development is directly correlated with the speed at which POs, stakeholders, and the team make decisions. Today, we discuss how Scrum Masters can help their teams, PO’s and stakeholders, make informed decisions faster.

Quick decision-making not only accelerates development but also contributes to learning faster, and discovering what does not need to be done at all! This aligns with Agile's principle of maximizing the work not done.

Understanding the obstacles to swift decision-making, we identify two types of obstacles:

Lack of Information: Relevant information is crucial for decision-making, and when it is missing it makes decisions slow, or impossible at all.

Timely Information: Having information at the right time ensures decisions align with current needs, information that is delivered too late does not help us avoid working on useless backlog items, among other things.

Let's delve into addressing each of these challenges.

Define Value: As discussed on Monday, defining the value for products is the first step in collecting the right information.

Measure Value: Tuesday's episode covered measuring value through metrics, providing valuable insights for decision-making.

Experimentation: Today, we discuss the process of experimentation to collect information efficiently. Real-world examples illustrate how experiments reveal the right metrics, emphasizing the importance of evaluating whether the collected information aids decision-making.

Strategic Metrics vs. Day-to-Day Metrics: As discussed in yesterday’s episode, distinguish between strategic metrics (top-level indicators) and day-to-day metrics (granular, changing metrics). These day-to-day metrics enable daily experiments and timely decision-making.

Metrics Tree: Introduced in yesterday’s episode, the Metrics Tree tool helps decompose top-level metrics into lower-level, day-to-day metrics. This tool facilitates running experiments that deliver the necessary information for informed decision-making.

In conclusion, today's episode highlighted the significance of quick and adaptive decision-making for the Product Owner role. The key takeaways include:

Ensure you're collecting the right information.

Collect that information swiftly, even within 24 hours (more on that in tomorrow’s episode).

All episodes this week are companions to the Coach Your PO e-course, available at bit.ly/coachyourpo. Today’s episode is a complement to the following modules:

Version 1, Module 8: Defining the Perfect Sprint Goals – emphasizes using metrics for decision-making.

Version 2, Module 02: How Scrum Masters Can Onboard a New or Beginner Product Owner – discusses goal setting and metrics.

Version 2, Module 03: How to Work with a Skeptical PO – highlights the importance of requirements discovery in decision-making.

For more details, visit the Coach Your PO e-course page at: bit.ly/coachyourpo.

If live coaching aligns better with your needs, reach out to us at coaching@oikosofy.com.

Continue your learning journey, keep supporting your team, and join us for the next episode, where we discuss how to setup experiments that you can run in 24h or less!

About Vasco Duarte

Vasco is a leading voice in the agile community, known for his contributions to the development of agile methodologies and practices. He is the co-founder of Agile Finland and the host of Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, the most popular Agile podcast in the world, which has more than 10 000 000 unique downloads. He is also the author of “NoEstimates: A novel look at how Agile can transform software development, making it both more sustainable, as well as incredibly profitable.” Vasco is a keynote speaker at many conferences and events, sharing his knowledge and experience with the agile community. With his passion and expertise in agile, Vasco has made a significant impact on the way software development is done today, helping organizations to become more efficient, flexible, and responsive to changing requirements.lYou You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Twitter.

BONUS: Helping the PO Measure Value, Unwrapping Metrics Mastery with Vasco Duarte

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Merry Christmas, dear listeners! We hope your festive season is filled with joy and warmth. Today marks another special BONUS episode in our Christmas week lineup, and we're diving into the crucial topic of helping Product Owners measure value. If you missed our previous episode on defining business value, be sure to check it out as today's content builds upon those insights.

This episode, like all others this week, is a companion to the Coach Your Product Owner e-course, accessible at bit.ly/coachyourpo.

Ever envisioned driving a familiar road blindfolded? Many teams find themselves in a similar predicament, knowing their backlog and delivery process well but lacking clarity on their goal. A backlog of items, as emphasized yesterday, is not a goal.

While some teams may define goals, many stumble when it comes to measuring them early and consistently. Aligning with the Agile Manifesto, this episode emphasizes why continuous delivery of valuable software needs to be complemented with the same continuous measurement of value!

In this episode, we discuss the distinction between leading and lagging indicators. Leading indicators provide insights into future events, while lagging indicators validate that the product is delivering value. Explore the significance of both in making informed decisions.

Building on yesterday's discussion about understanding the company's strategy, we explore the transition from strategic metrics (lagging indicators like revenue) to day-to-day metrics. This transition is essential for ensuring daily value delivery and supporting short-term, customer-focused experiments.

In this segment, we discuss the Metrics Tree technique which Vasco learned from Chris Matts.

Product Dashboards emerge as a crucial tool to keep teams focused on the right metrics throughout the development process. These dashboards visualize product goals, the target customer, current and future sprint goals, and key metrics. They serve as a cornerstone for team accountability, fostering self-management and autonomy.

In this episode, we discuss a Product Dashboard similar to the one illustrated below: 

In today’s episode, we covered the following steps to help the PO measure value:

Define value (discussed in the previous episode).

Define appropriate metrics for the defined value.

Consider both leading and lagging indicators.

Ensure a balance of strategic and day-to-day metrics for decision-making.

Build a product dashboard with the PO and the team to enhance self-accountability and self-management.

Explore these concepts further in the Coach Your PO e-course:

Module 3 (Version 1.0): Setting up ACTIONABLE metrics, distinguishing between ACTIONABLE and Vanity Metrics.

Module 2.0: Scaling up the Product Owner role for multiple teams and products, featuring insights into Product Dashboards and Vision.

Module 09: Techniques for quick feedback and leveraging process metrics critical for the discussed product dashboard.

For more details on the Coach Your PO e-course, visit bit.ly/coachyourpo.

If personalized coaching suits your needs, reach out to us at coaching@oikosofy.com.

Keep learning, keep helping your team, and we'll catch you in the next episode!

About Vasco Duarte

Vasco is a leading voice in the agile community, known for his contributions to the development of agile methodologies and practices. He is the co-founder of Agile Finland and the host of Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, the most popular Agile podcast in the world, which has more than 10 000 000 unique downloads. He is also the author of “NoEstimates: A novel look at how Agile can transform software development, making it both more sustainable, as well as incredibly profitable.” Vasco is a keynote speaker at many conferences and events, sharing his knowledge and experience with the agile community. With his passion and expertise in agile, Vasco has made a significant impact on the way software development is done today, helping organizations to become more efficient, flexible, and responsive to changing requirements.lYou You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Twitter.

BONUS: How To Help Your Product Owner Define Value, with Vasco Duarte

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Merry Christmas, everyone! This is the first of 5 BONUS episodes for this Christmas week, each of these episodes complements one or more modules of the Coach Your Product Owner e-course available at bit.ly/coachyourpo.

In this episode, we delve into one of the crucial aspects of the Product Owner role: defining, measuring, and leveraging Business Value. 

We start the episode with an anecdote about training Product Owners. Many of those POs faced the common challenge of delivering from a well-defined, high-pressure backlog, which led them and their teams to "be a slave to the backlog."

Those PO’s understood during the training, that having a crystal clear definition of value turned the decision-making process into a more straightforward one.

Not every company has a crystal-clear strategy. And having a clear strategy is critical to be able to have conversations about what value means for a specific organization. In this episode, we also talk about how we can help PO’s facilitate conversations with key stakeholders to align the product with the company's success metrics.

Eventually, once the strategy for the organization, and the product are clear, we need to turn the company's strategy into tangible, measurable goals for the product. In this episode, we walk through an example, we learn about Luke, the Scrum Master, assisting Leya, the ambitious PO, in reducing call center wait times through strategic experiments.

Key Steps:

Understand Company Strategy

Link Product to Strategy and Goals

Define Specific, Measurable Metrics

This episode is a companion, and a complement to the following Coach Your PO e-course modules:

Module 2 (Version 2.0): Onboarding New Product Owners

Module 8: Critical Documents and Artifacts for Product Owners (featuring impact mapping)

Module 3 (Version 1.0): Metrics That Drive Product Success

To learn more about the e-course, and to purchase it, visit bit.ly/coachyourpo.

If you think that getting coaching is a better option yourself, you can contact us at coaching@oikosofy.com

Keep learning, keep helping your team, and have a wonderful Christmas!

About Vasco Duarte

Vasco is a leading voice in the agile community, known for his contributions to the development of agile methodologies and practices. He is the co-founder of Agile Finland and the host of Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, the most popular Agile podcast in the world, which has more than 10 000 000 unique downloads. He is also the author of “NoEstimates: A novel look at how Agile can transform software development, making it both more sustainable, as well as incredibly profitable.” Vasco is a keynote speaker at many conferences and events, sharing his knowledge and experience with the agile community. With his passion and expertise in agile, Vasco has made a significant impact on the way software development is done today, helping organizations to become more efficient, flexible, and responsive to changing requirements.lYou You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Twitter.

Sofia Katsaouni: The Pitfalls of Multiple Product Owners For One Team, And A Solution That Worked

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Sofia explores the qualities of a great Product Owner (POs), highlighting their guidance, collaborative problem-solving with the team, and how they shielded the team from interference. Trust-building is a key aspect, achieved by not imposing solutions and avoiding unilateral communication of deadlines. Sofia offers a tip on helping POs communicate "no" kindly to stakeholders. Additionally, she discusses the effective involvement of stakeholders, emphasizing onboarding and expectation-setting before demos.  

In this episode, Sofia shares an early-career experience with dual Product Owners (POs) who were also team managers, causing chaos and confusion. She identifies the anti-pattern of having two POs without alignment, leading to an environment where the team felt constrained. Sofia provides tips on resolving this issue, advocating for a single PO, clarifying role responsibilities, and utilizing the PO proxy pattern to help coordinate and align stakeholder participation.

[IMAGE HERE] Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Sofia Katsaouni

Sofia is a dedicated Agile and Organizational Coach who places people and their needs at the forefront. Transitioning from electrical engineering, she applies analytical skills to empower high-performing teams. With an emphasis on trust and psychological safety, Sofia enables startups and scale-ups to foster human-centric, performance-driven cultures.

You can link with Sofia Katsaouni on LinkedIn. 

Sofia Katsaouni: Adapt and Thrive, A Success Perspective For Scrum Masters And Agile Coaches

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

In this episode, Sofia defines success for Scrum Masters as achieving team self-organization by fostering independence and ownership. Emphasizing adaptability in the evolving dynamics of organizational living systems, she advises focusing on changes and working to create acceptance. Sofia shares a practical tip of viewing the Kanban board from right to left. Success, to her, is marked by team members raising previously discussed topics, indicating ownership.

In this episode, Sofia discusses a retrospective format focusing on "What happened?," "Impact on you," and "Your learnings." This format effectively separates events from their impact, encouraging diverse team experiences and fostering open communication. Sofia shares a retrospective involving an MVP release, highlighting how team members' perspectives enriched the discussion.

[IMAGE HERE] Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox! 

About Sofia Katsaouni

Sofia is a dedicated Agile and Organizational Coach who places people and their needs at the forefront. Transitioning from electrical engineering, she applies analytical skills to empower high-performing teams. With an emphasis on trust and psychological safety, Sofia enables startups and scale-ups to foster human-centric, performance-driven cultures.

You can link with Sofia Katsaouni on LinkedIn.