Is this Agile? with Dan Neumann and Justin Thatil

Dec 22, 2023

Agility expert, Dan Neumann joins Justin Thatil to discuss the meaning of Agile and its unique features. They explore creativity in Scrum, the importance of autonomy, inspecting and adapting the plan, and the value of an Agile mindset. The podcast also highlights the significance of simplicity and collaboration in Agile development, the need for speed to market and quality, embracing engineering practices, continuous improvement, and safe communication in Agile environments. The chapter closes with reflections on Agile in name only and celebrating diversity.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Creativity and Agility in Scrum

03:19 • 15min

Embracing Simplicity and Collaboration in Agile Development

18:48 • 6min

Speed to Market, Quality, and Embracing Engineering Practices

24:50 • 2min

Continuous Improvement in Agile and the Importance of Safe Communication

27:18 • 3min

Reflections on Agile in Name Only and Celebrating Diversity

30:17 • 4min

This week, Dan Neumann and Justin Thatil discuss Agility: How do you know if you truly are in an Agile environment? In this episode, they explore the meaning of Agile and the different features that make this framework unique, including Creativity, Teamwork, Mindset, Continuous Learning, and Psychological Safety.

Key Takeaways

Does Scrum allow creativity?

The Scrum framework was designed for complex situations where creativity is necessary since there is no “one right way” to solve a problem.

What does it really mean to be Agile?

Agile: Able to move quickly and easily. In the Agile framework, this is a constant guideline; the decisions must flow quickly and easily.
Autonomy is crucially important. Teams need to be self-sufficient to deliver value.
Inspecting and adapting the plan is necessary since a budget needs to be respected.
Agile Teams deliver value throughout the process.
Agile is about an actual team working on an actual problem (thinkers and doers are not working separately on finding solutions).

Agile mindset vs a fixed mindset:

Agilists learn by doing rather than over-analyzing before taking action.
Every Agilist is part of a Team working towards a goal, not a solo player.
By attending their daily Scrum, you can tell if a team is only Agile by name. They always work as a team rather than as individuals doing their jobs.

Alignment! What is really the Team’s approach?

What is the business opportunity the Team is trying to reach?
Effectively managing budgets can enable Agility

Continuous improvement:

There is no lifetime commitment to a particular decision. Instead, adjustments are made according to the needs.
Value progress over an attempt to design for perfection
Encourage ongoing learning

Psychological safety needs to be modeled within the Team, and a context of continuous improvement allows space for speaking up and accepting failures to readjust the course of action.

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