
Troubleshooting Agile
Troubleshooting Agile is a problem-solving session for agile teams. Jeffrey Fredrick and Douglas Squirrel look at common problems agile teams face and provide practical, immediately useful advice for getting back on track.
Latest episodes

Jan 10, 2024 • 14min
Butterfly Ideas
Use a shared language to ensure good ideas for your product or team aren't crushed before they get a chance to live. Inspired by Elizabeth Van Nostrand’s article, Jeffrey and Squirrel discuss the concept of “Butterfly Ideas,” on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile.
Links:
- Butterfly Ideas: https://acesounderglass.com/2022/02/04/butterfly-ideas/
- Wiring the Winning Organisation, Gene Kim: https://itrevolution.com/product/wiring-the-winning-organization/
- Six Thinking Hats: https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/
- Brene Brown, Rising Strong: https://brenebrown.com/book/rising-strong/
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Order your copy of our book, Agile Conversations at agileconversations.com
Plus, get access to a free mini training video about the technique of Coherence Building 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
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About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick first met while working together at TIM group in 2013. A decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing organisations through better conversations.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, helping companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes.
You can find out more about his work here: https://douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, author and speaker.
You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/

Jan 3, 2024 • 16min
ChatGPT Teaches Us About Conversations
In this podcast, the hosts explore the use of AI language models for learning difficult conversations and giving helpful feedback. They discuss analyzing a case study, revealing hidden conflicts, and experimenting with chat GPT. They also explore the potential of AI conversation agents as practice partners and coaches. The speakers delve into the challenges of using models like chat GPT for assertiveness and delivering disappointing news, while encouraging listener feedback and discussing the impact on communication and teamwork.

Dec 27, 2023 • 18min
Building a Platform Under Pressure
A listener from a government IT agency shares their team's challenges with incompatible regulations and competing customers. The hosts suggest a difficult path to platform success. They discuss building a valuable product as a single entity versus a platform play, managing multiple demands with limited resources, serialization challenges, and the benefits of stakeholder management in agile software development.

Dec 20, 2023 • 27min
Gene Kim on Winning Organisations Part III: Simplification & Amplification
Gene Kim, Phoenix Project author, discusses simplification and amplification in organizational management. Topics include modularization, communication challenges, social aspects, linearization, and interdependent steps.

Dec 13, 2023 • 22min
Gene Kim on Winning Organisations Part II: Slowification
Phoenix Project author, Gene Kim, is back on Troubleshooting Agile to discuss the groundbreaking theories of organizational management described in his new book, Wiring the Winning Organization.
In this episode (part two of three), Gene describes the “Danger Zone”, and the first of three mechanisms for exiting the high-risk zone: Slowification.
Links:
- Wiring the Winning Organization: https://itrevolution.com/product/wiring-the-winning-organization/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealGeneKim
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realgenekim/
- The MIT Sailing System: https://videos.itrevolution.com/watch/871558334/
- Look Back Less: https://world.hey.com/jason/look-back-less-848e9db0
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About Our Guest
Gene Kim is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, researcher, and multiple award-winning CTO. He has been studying high-performing technology organizations since 1999 and was the founder and CTO of Tripwire for 13 years. He is the author of six books, The Unicorn Project (2019), and co-author of the Shingo Publication Award winning Accelerate (2018), The DevOps Handbook (2016), and The Phoenix Project (2013). Since 2014, he has been the founder and organizer of DevOps Enterprise Summit, studying the technology transformations of large, complex organizations.
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Order your copy of our book, Agile Conversations at agileconversations.com
Plus, get access to a free mini training video about the technique of Coherence Building 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
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About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick first met while working together at TIM group in 2013. A decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing organisations through better conversations.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, helping companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes.
You can find out more about his work here: https://douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, author and speaker.
You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/

Dec 6, 2023 • 18min
Gene Kim on Winning Organisations Part I: The Most With The Least
Phoenix Project author, Gene Kim, joins us on Troubleshooting Agile to discuss the groundbreaking theories of organizational management described in his new book, Wiring the Winning Organization. In this episode (part one of three), Gene talks about his mission to improve the way work is done at the world’s largest organizations, how that led to his collaboration with coauthor Dr. Steven Spear, and their “parsimonious” theories of workplace organization.
Links:
- Wiring the Winning Organization: https://itrevolution.com/product/wiring-the-winning-organization/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealGeneKim
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realgenekim/
- The Idealcast: https://itrevolution.com/podcast/
- High Velocity Edge: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-high-velocity-edge-how-market-leaders-leverage-operational-excellence-to-beat-the-competition-steven-spear/8209849
- The Goal: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-goal-a-process-of-ongoing-improvement-eliyahu-m-goldratt/9895070?ean=9780884271956
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About Our Guest
Gene Kim is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, researcher, and multiple award-winning CTO. He has been studying high-performing technology organizations since 1999 and was the founder and CTO of Tripwire for 13 years. He is the author of six books, The Unicorn Project (2019), and co-author of the Shingo Publication Award winning Accelerate (2018), The DevOps Handbook (2016), and The Phoenix Project (2013). Since 2014, he has been the founder and organizer of DevOps Enterprise Summit, studying the technology transformations of large, complex organizations.
--------------------------------------------------
Order your copy of our book, Agile Conversations at agileconversations.com
Plus, get access to a free mini training video about the technique of Coherence Building 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
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About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick first met while working together at TIM group in 2013. A decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing organisations through better conversations.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, helping companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes.
You can find out more about his work here: https://douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, author and speaker.
You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/

Nov 29, 2023 • 17min
Elders of the Tribe
Effective executives draw on extensive battle scars for guidance and insight. Join your hosts Squirrel and Jeffrey to discover how to learn from the elders, and become one yourself, on today's episode of Troubleshooting Agile.
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Order your copy of our book, Agile Conversations at agileconversations.com
Plus, get access to a free mini training video about the technique of Coherence Building 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
--------------------------------------------------
About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick first met while working together at TIM group in 2013. A decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing organisations through better conversations.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, helping companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes.
You can find out more about his work here: https://douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, author and speaker.
You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/

4 snips
Nov 22, 2023 • 15min
How to Not Do Everything
Tech teams need negative space in scope, like in art. Learn how to prioritize features with the Kano model. Understand reasoning and have open conversations for progress. Engage with questions or examples of challenging situations.

Nov 15, 2023 • 12min
Bench Sweeps
Your niggling worries and minor observations are "bench sweeps", valuable dust that are worth refining into gold. Listen to this week’s episode of Troubleshooting Agile to learn why you shouldn't ignore your gut feelings, with your hosts Squirrel and Jeffrey!
Links:
- Not "Eureka" but "That's Funny": https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/03/02/eureka-funny/
--------------------------------------------------
Order your copy of our book, Agile Conversations at agileconversations.com
Plus, get access to a free mini training video about the technique of Coherence Building 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
--------------------------------------------------
About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick first met while working together at TIM group in 2013. A decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing organisations through better conversations.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, helping companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes.
You can find out more about his work here: https://douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, author and speaker.
You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/

Nov 8, 2023 • 13min
Immediacy and Frequency
Know what users think of your software as soon as it's done - the secret is immediacy and frequency. Listen to today’s episode to find out how daily feedback is absolutely possible, with your hosts Squirrel and Jeffrey on Troubleshooting Agile.
Links:
- Glidepath Indicator: https://agileconversations.com/blog/glideslope/
--------------------------------------------------
Order your copy of our book, Agile Conversations at agileconversations.com
Plus, get access to a free mini training video about the technique of Coherence Building 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
--------------------------------------------------
About Your Hosts
Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick first met while working together at TIM group in 2013. A decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing organisations through better conversations.
Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, helping companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes.
You can find out more about his work here: https://douglassquirrel.com/index.html
Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, author and speaker.
You can connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/