Troubleshooting Agile

Squirrel, an expert in adversarial perspectives, teams up with Jeffrey to explore how to tackle overly specific directives. They dive into Goodhart's Law, revealing how metrics can backfire when misused, illustrated by a pizza delivery case. The duo emphasizes the need for deeper insights into customer interactions and the significance of effective communication practices, like briefing and back-briefing, to enhance trust. With engaging examples from military history and economics, they encourage listeners to think critically about their business objectives.

A client challenges Squirrel on his directive style when coaching, wondering whether this clashes with his espoused belief in joint design and inquiry. Jeffrey and Squirrel reflect on the crucial differences between being asked for advice and help, and manipulating the situation and information flow to "win" an argument. These considerations turn out to be relevant to product and technical decisions too! SHOW LINKS: - Unilateral control & mutual learning values: https://infed.org/chris-argyris-theories-of-action-double-loop-learning-and-organizational-learning/#_Model_I_and - Coaching Kata: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrother/The_Coaching_Kata.html --- Our book, Agile Conversations, is out now! See https://agileconversations.com where you can order your copy and get a free video when you join our mailing list! We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us at info@agileconversations.com

Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss the fear that drives managers to avoid giving honest feedback, ultimately leading to skilled engineers leaving. They explore the damaging effects of unexpressed frustrations on team dynamics and the importance of open communication. The conversation highlights the need for a culture of transparency to build trust and retain talent. Additionally, they contrast scarcity and abundance mindsets, emphasizing the creation of an open environment to foster better collaboration.

Responding to a listener's question, Jeffrey and Squirrel reflect on the difference between a product owner and a process owner, and how IT projects differ from building products for external users. Unsurprisingly, methods for delivering value and saying no feature prominently! SHOW LINKS: - Project to Product: https://itrevolution.com/book/project-to-product/ - Mik Kersten interview: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/project-to-product-with-mik-kersten - Reengineering the Corporation: https://bookshop.org/books/reengineering-the-corporation-a-manifesto-for-business-revolution/9780060559533 --- Our book, Agile Conversations, is out now! See https://agileconversations.com where you can order your copy and get a free video when you join our mailing list! We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us at info@agileconversations.com

In this engaging discussion, representatives from Jane Street, a renowned prop trading firm, share insights on their successful tech-driven operations. They unveil how top talent recruitment fuels performance across industries, not just trading. The conversation shifts to transforming IT from a cost center into a profit center, revealing the financial benefits of high-quality software. Furthermore, they contrast fast trading feedback loops with the slower cycles in biotech, emphasizing the importance of adapting company mindsets for enhanced profitability.

Exploring feature thinning for better ROI, balancing process improvements, and value-driven feature development. Analogy of 'Ferrari' vs. 'Ford' versions of software. Importance of conversations and incremental ROI enhancements.

Taking iterative development to heart, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss a learning loop topic, Summer Shorts and Learning Loops: OKRs, in five minutes or fewer. Take just a few minutes with us to improve your team's learning and speed! --- Our book, Agile Conversations, is out now! See agileconversations.com where you can order your copy and get a free video when you join our mailing list! We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us at info@agileconversations.com

Taking iterative development to heart, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss a learning loop topic, Summer Shorts and Learning Loops: Retrospectives, in five minutes or fewer. Take just a few minutes with us to improve your team's learning and speed! --- Our book, Agile Conversations, is out now! See agileconversations.com where you can order your copy and get a free video when you join our mailing list! We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us at info@agileconversations.com

Taking iterative development to heart, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss a learning loop topic, Summer Shorts and Learning Loops: Walking the board, in five minutes or fewer. Take just a few minutes with us to improve your team's learning and speed! --- Our book, Agile Conversations, is out now! See agileconversations.com where you can order your copy and get a free video when you join our mailing list! We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us at info@agileconversations.com

Taking iterative development to heart, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss a learning loop topic, Summer Shorts and Learning Loops: Elephant carpaccio, in five minutes or fewer. Take just a few minutes with us to improve your team's learning and speed! --- Our book, Agile Conversations, is out now! See agileconversations.com where you can order your copy and get a free video when you join our mailing list! We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us at info@agileconversations.com