

Product Agility
Ben Maynard
Less Method. More Meaning.The world of Product Discovery and Creation is becoming increasingly challenging due to mistakes and missed opportunities that are prevalent in agile teams, large-scale Scrum and all other agile frameworks. History has shown that when organisations try and scale their product development to more than one cross-functional team, mistakes are made that cut short many chances of getting all possible benefits.The route of this for many is the need for more attention paid to the incredible advancements in Product Management driven by hordes of professional Product People who prove that making their customers happier is not a pipe dream but a hard and fast reality.This podcast exists to explore all topics related to Product and Agility and Coaching. How do you marry the agile principles with Product discovery?Is it really possible to have hundreds of cross-functional teams (or Product Teams) all working from an effectively prioritised single Product Backlog and a dedicated Product Owner?How can you embrace continuous improvement and empirical process control for your product, people and processes?Ever wondered how to overcome the problems people face when trying to scale the Product Owner role and how it relates to Product Management and Product Teams?Baffled by how to define a product in such a way that enables Feature Teams (aka Product Teams) and why doing wrong means you will only ever be stuck with technical teams? Scrum Teams are not compatible with modern product management techniques.Want to know what Product Focus means and how the right focus makes creating a shippable product less painful?Need to get your head around how to blend modern product management techniques with Sprint Planning and Sprint Reviews to achieve Product Increments that cover the entire product?This podcast's original focus was on Scaling Scrum vs Single-Team Scrum and how organisations can reap the benefits of Scrum when working on a larger product but still keeping a single product backlog. We found many Product People liked what we said, and then the penny dropped. This isn't a podcast about scaling Scrum or the limitations of single-team Scrum.This podcast is for Product People & agile advocates who coach or get their hands dirty with Product creation.We promise there is no Taboo topic that we will not explore on your behalf. We aim to transcend the conversations about a single team, Daily Scrums, Scrum Masters and the double-diamond and bring everyone together into responsible teams dedicated to working on the entire product to make their customers happier and their lives more fulfilling.Come and join us on our improvement towards perfection, and give us your feedback (we have a strong customer focus, too), and who knows, perhaps we will discover the magic wand that we can wave over all the broken agile and sudo-products to create a more resilient and adaptable future by bringing the worlds of Product, Agility and coaching together.This podcast has the conversations and insights you need.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 10, 2022 • 34min
Beginnings of Agile and Beginnings Of LeSS Adoptions - Rowan Bunning Part 1 of 2
Send us a textThis conversation is a fascinating insight into what it was like being one of the very early adopters of some of the most impactful agile techniques & Why LeSS Is Scrum Done Right Rowan and I have decades of experience in the agile and what became clear during our conversation was that we got very lucky being around agile in the early days.So who is Rowan? Rowan Bunning is an Australian pioneer of Scrum having become one of Australia's first ScrumMasters in 2003, Australia’s first Certified Scrum Practitioner® (CSP) in 2006 and Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST) in early 2008. With a background in software development, including with eXtreme Programming, he was hired as an Agile Coach by one of Europe's foremost Agile consultancies in 2007.What Did We Speak About?🗝️ What happens when the degrees of separation from the original Agile thinker's increases?🗝️IsTeam Topologies trying to solve problems that Large Scale Scrum chooses not to prioritise addressing?🗝️What is the Scrum little Black Book🗝️ What is the relationship between XP, Smalltalk and Simplicity in organisation design?🗝️What is it like begining a LeSS Adoption when the Organisation's goals do not align with LeSS?🗝️ How does Rowan bring leadership misalignment into the light?🗝️What would Rowan do with a clone of himself?🗝️What is one of the first things that seems to degrade when an organisation gets bigger?🗝️Why is orienting yourself with agile, as a beginner, more challenging these days?Host Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Oct 6, 2022 • 7min
Why Product Owners are Bad For Business
Send us a textWant to have a solid argument for helping people see why fewer Product Backlogs and Product Owners are beneficial? Then this is the episode for you.You can expect to here this and more:Why over-empowerment is a plague and how it leads to Micro Re-PrioritisationThe HUGE effort to bring disparate parts together What is value hide and seek?Want to learn more about Large Scale Scrum from a pro?Then you should check out Sheev's special introductory offer on LeSS Mentoring Circles from the UK's only Certified LeSS Trainer and Coach (Ben aka Me)Related videos that are worth watching:Team Level Product Ownership Kills Agile at ScaleProjects to ProductsWhat are the difficulties when scaling Scrum?]Host Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Oct 3, 2022 • 2min
Dunbar Blunder How The Agile Work Has Got Dunbar’s Number Wrong
Send us a textSo many critical agile ideas have been based around Dunbar's number. What if I told you Team Topologies and SAFe had missed the point?I had a gut feeling that something wasn't right, so I contacted Robin Dunbar, and he set me straight.In this short teaser for my conversation with Certified Scrum Trainer and all round Agile legend Rowan Bunning, I share with how wrong the agile world (well parts of it) have got it.Host Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 28, 2022 • 12min
LeSS Conference 2022 Keynote Reflections with Frederic Siepmann
Send us a textThis year at the LeSS Conferences 2022, eeping with tradition, the two Keynote speeches were from LeSS Creators Bas Vodde and Craig LarmanBas Vodde - Maximizing Dependencies with Interdependent TeamsCraig Larman - TBDFrederic and I got together to reflect on the two keynotes and share our sadness about a certain someone who wasn't there :-(Dr.-Ing. Frederic Siepmann, Corporate Agile Coach at Brainlab, http://www.brainlab.comFrederic on LinkedInHost Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 27, 2022 • 15min
Welcoming The Newest LeSS Trainer Robert Batůšek - LeSS Conference 2022
Send us a textIts always exciting when a mentee achieves something epic.Having mentored Robert through the Certified LeSS Trainer process it was a nothing but joy to meet up with him in Warsaw to talk about that journey and his brilliant case study.Roberts Solarwinds Case Study Robert on LinkedInHost Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 26, 2022 • 46min
Konstantin Ribel - Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) Trainer Interview
Send us a textKonstantin Ribel is an Organisational Design Consultant & Certified LeSS Trainer with nearly a decade of experience.This experience spans both hardware and software in the medical and automotive worlds. Understandably this leads him to have some unique and thought-provoking insights into making multi-team agile really work. There is no better testament to this than his HUGE LeSS Huge case study at BMW Autonomous Driving.He is a great conversationalist and apparently the world's youngest Certified Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) Trainer.It will be no surprise to hear we have a 💥blast💥We of course covered the standard Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) trainer questions:✨ What is your elevator pitch for LeSS?✨ Did you choose LeSSor did LeSSchoose you?✨ What’s the one thing, above all others, you love about LeSS?✨ What was your favorite LeSS adoption?✨ If you could change one thing about LeSS what would it be?Here is a bit of a tease as to what you will hear (just in case the above wasn't enough):🏎️ Agile Convincers Vs. Agile Coaches🏎️ Should people sell Large Scale Scrum?🏎️ What is the difference between owning and renting ideas? 🏎️ Doe's the LeSS community ideal of "owning not renting" jar with the LeSS guidance of "adoption"? 🏎️ Konstantin's love of the purity and elegance of LeSS🏎️How Scrum reduced Bens's Anxiety🏎️What about LeSS that made Konstantin resonate like a tuning fork?🏎️Why did Konstantin have to choose between hardware and software?🏎️What doe's Konstantin believe are the "mechanics" of LeSS?🏎️What feels better a quick fix or a more permanent one?🏎️What has been Konstantisns favorite part of the BMW LeSS adoption🏎️And what was his least? Here are some tasty links for you:🔗Konstantin's Website🔗KHost Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 23, 2022 • 15min
Agile Adoptions, Why Do they Make Us Feel Like Imposters: Artem Bykovets at the LeSS Conference 2022
Send us a textArtem grabbed me at the LeSS Conference 2022 because he wanted to talk about something important to him, turns out it was important to me too.Why do Agile adoptions make agile coaches feel like imposters? And Why is the pull of status quo so hard?There are a few golden nuggets in this chat, Artem is wise beyond his years.Here is what Artem would like you to know about himArtem Bykovets - trainer, LeSS coach, leadership and organizational consultantConducts various trainings, workshops and lectures for companies of various sizes and specializations. Launches and supports companies on the path of organizational & Agile transformation.More than 11 years on the market, worked with teams in the following areas: IT, retail and pricing, gambling, multimedia, hardware, telecom, banks, CRM and others.Founder of Simplesense. and creator of the Simplicity Day conference. Co-organizer of the #AgileWithUkraine initiative.Links:+ https://www.abykovets.com/en + https://www.agilewithukraine.com/+ https://www.linkedin.com/in/abykovets+ https://youtube.com/c/ArtemBykovetsHost Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 22, 2022 • 12min
LeSS Conference Talk in 10 - Błażej Drobniuch: Sprint Review: Our tendency for irrelevant things
Send us a textA talk in 10...Abstract:Let's discuss the crucial aspect of Sprint Review that is often overlooked due to our tendency to focus on irrelevant things.Description:On the talk, you will have an opportunity to participate in a small aquarium simulation based on a real business case of a Sprint Review.Together, we observe and evaluate where and why we spend most of our time.Finally I'll share my LeSS experiment helping to tackle this problem!Already curious?Website https://www.fesle.eu/LeSS talk: https://less.works/conferenza/sessions/2022-less-conference-warsaw-sprint-review-our-tendency-for-irrelevant-things-268His LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drobniuchHost Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 22, 2022 • 12min
LeSS Conference Talk in 10 - Denis Salnikov: Hypergrowth vs LeSS: experience from the trenches
Send us a textA talk in ten...You can find details of the talk hereHypergrowth (or “Blitzscaling” in words of Chris Yeh and Reid Hoffman) has become an obsession and a "by default" path for successful start-ups. It is expected by investors, it is treated as means of producing more outputs by founders and it represents a significant challenge for both the structure and processes. In my talk, I would like to share my story of dealing with such a situation at two start-ups that were adopting LeSS. I will dive into the system dynamics the hypergrowth has produced in both cases, and share the challenges we have faced, experiments we have applied to address or mitigate those and outcomes they led to.Host Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Sep 22, 2022 • 39min
Is LeSS Betamax to SAFe's VHS - Ben Maynard Live From the LeSS Conference 2022
Send us a textThis is the uncut version of the talk Ben gave at the LeSS conference 2022 in WarsawIs Large Scale Scrum (#LeSS) Betamax to #SAFe's VHS (or perhaps S&S LaserDisc)? Betamax was a videotape (remember those) format that was superior to its main competitor VHS. History tells us that the customers mainly cared about cost rather than image, sound and build quality and, to compound this, JVC (creators of the VHS format) allowed anyone, regardless of their manufacturing quality to create VHS machines. The result? VHS was increasingly affordable, proliferated and soon Betamax was gradually resigned to the history books... Join me for an exploration into what the future may hold for LeSS and of the many untold LeSS stories that I have uncovered through the recording of my LeSS Matters podcast.Host Bio Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱! Ben Maynard 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/ 🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard 💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56 iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p Want to come on the podcast? Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80


