Troubleshooting Agile

What happens when enterprise code becomes a perpetual stew with no clear recipe? This discussion explores SOUP, reproducible builds, opaque AI-generated code, mysterious dependencies, and the rising threat of software supply-chain poisoning. It also looks at why mathematical outputs need explainable foundations and how teams can prepare for an approaching tsunami of undocumented software.

Misha Glouberman, a facilitator and writer focused on participatory gatherings, explores what makes conferences genuinely worthwhile. They discuss designing for trust and collaboration instead of passive lectures, why logistics often overshadow connection, and how curated communities, unprogrammed time, autonomy, and honest participation can transform meetings and offsites.

Elisabeth Hendrickson, software engineering leader and author, and Joel Tosi, software consultant and co-author, explore practical exercises from Signals and Levers. They look beyond dashboards to meetings, tests, ticket bouncing, workplace energy, and engagement for meaningful signals. The conversation also examines organizational illusions around predictability, control, and progress, plus ways to dissect crises and uncover ignored realities.

Elisabeth Hendrickson, software engineering leader and testing expert, and Joel Tosi, agile coach, consultant, and author, return to explore Signals & Levers. They discuss Shewhart charts, cycle time, and how variability exposes broken delivery systems. Hear why chasing predictability can backfire, how dependencies and bottlenecks shape outcomes, and how causal models and visual tools help teams test better explanations.

Elisabeth Hendrickson, software engineering author and creator of Agile Engineering Fluency, joins Joel Tosi, a systems-thinking educator and software delivery consultant. They explore how broken systems masquerade as bad estimates, using Shewhart charts, cycle time, and quantitative and qualitative signals to find effective levers. They discuss experiments, variability, scientific humility, and why chasing perfect predictability, especially with AI, can backfire.

A one-lane road becomes a surprising metaphor for workplace communication, where everyone thinks their pace is the right one. The conversation explores empathy, different thinking styles, and why meetings need genuine buy-in rather than rushed decisions. Discover a playful, ice-cream-fuelled “secret word” strategy for making teams more curious about perspectives they may be missing.

Why do teams stop seeing obvious software failures? This conversation explores bug blindness, from QA uncovering a crash with negative numbers to developers missing real-world user behavior. It examines how disconnected teams, shipping pressure, executive frustrations, and even a Braille Rubik’s Cube reveal deeper cultural choices about whether organizations welcome bad news.

Teams bending software rules to get work done may be exposing deeper systemic flaws. The conversation explores normalization of deviance, NASA-style safety tradeoffs, rogue AI agents swapping cheat sheets, and why workarounds deserve investigation rather than automatic suppression. It also examines how to red-team processes and spot unauthorized behavior before it becomes a crisis.

A candid take on consulting tensions and why clients sometimes choose baffling solutions. Practical strategies for handling strong disagreements using the LEAP approach. A push for empathy and pragmatic compromise over moral purity to keep projects moving and relationships intact.

Practical stories for new managers about surviving the first leadership role. Tips on avoiding the trap of doing your team’s work for them. A hands-on 'factory' technique to get teams productive quickly. A short reading list and guidance on using curiosity and situational leadership to match support to each person.