
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

Aug 23, 2023 • 17min
CITCON, Open Space, and Lean Coffee Part I
Get a behind-the-scenes look at Open Space in action from CITCON organiser, learn about the evolution and impact of Continuous Integration, contrast un-conferences with traditional conferences, and explore the concept of stone soup and its connection to open space conferences.

4 snips
Aug 16, 2023 • 14min
Empathy & Compassion in Practice
The podcast discusses the importance of empathy and compassion in communication, emphasizing the value of expanding one's feeling vocabulary. It explores the impact of sharing feelings and apologizing, as well as the benefits of empathetic conversations and trust-building in collaboration and problem-solving.

8 snips
Aug 9, 2023 • 13min
Motivational Interviewing
Empathetic listening works for intervening with addicts and schizophrenics, why don't you try it in conflicts over product features or customer deadlines?
Join us on Troubleshooting Agile to learn how you can incorporate the principles of Motivational Interviewing to improve the outcomes of your conversations, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Motivational Interviewing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivational_interviewing
- LEAP: https://leapinstitute.org/about/
- Speaking with your EAR / 5 Secrets of Communication: https://feelinggood.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-five-secrets-v-1.pdf
- Non Violent Communication: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_Communication
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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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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/

Aug 2, 2023 • 15min
Vague but Valuable - Principles For Tech Team Success with Juan Pablo Buriticá, Part 3
Computers think in 1s and 0s, but the best tech teams welcome ambiguity and profit from vagueness.
Join us on part three of a 3-part series with special guest Juan Pablo Buriticá to learn about his journey of turning heavy machinery auctioneers, Ritche Bro, into a successful tech company, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Juan's article on the capability framework: https://buriti.ca/from-good-to-great-a-capability-framework-for-building-exceptional-product-engineering-teams-a8ca4e9e8f47
- DORA metrics: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/using-the-four-keys-to-measure-your-devops-performance
- Juan's contact info: buritica@gmail.com, @buritica on Twitter
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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/

Jul 26, 2023 • 15min
Vague but Valuable - Principles For Tech Team Success with Juan Pablo Buriticá, Part 2
Computers think in 1s and 0s, but the best tech teams welcome ambiguity and profit from vagueness. Join us on part two of a 3-part series with special guest Juan Pablo Buriticá to learn about his journey of turning heavy machinery auctioneers, Ritche Bro, into a successful tech company, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Juan's article on the capability framework: https://buriti.ca/from-good-to-great-a-capability-framework-for-building-exceptional-product-engineering-teams-a8ca4e9e8f47
- DORA metrics: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/using-the-four-keys-to-measure-your-devops-performance
- Juan's contact info: buritica@gmail.com, @buritica on Twitter
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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/

Jul 19, 2023 • 17min
Vague but Valuable - Principles For Tech Team Success with Juan Pablo Buriticá, Part 1
Computers think in 1s and 0s, but the best tech teams welcome ambiguity and profit from vagueness.
Join us on part one of a 3-part series with special guest Juan Pablo Buriticá to learn about his journey of turning heavy machinery auctioneers, Ritche Bros, into a successful tech company, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Juan's article on the capability framework: https://buriti.ca/from-good-to-great-a-capability-framework-for-building-exceptional-product-engineering-teams-a8ca4e9e8f47
- DORA metrics: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/using-the-four-keys-to-measure-your-devops-performance
- Juan's contact info: buritica@gmail.com, @buritica on Twitter
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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/

Jul 12, 2023 • 11min
Curiosity Flattens The Mountain
Convincing a peer can feel like painfully pedalling up a mountain, but a dose of curiosity can take you through the pass and whizzing down the other side.
Listen to this episode of Troubleshooting Agile to learn more about how to approach your conversations with curiosity - as well as the few occasions when you shouldn’t, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Test-Driven Development for People: https://itrevolution.com/articles/test-driven-development-for-people/
- 8 Behaviours for Smarter Teams: https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/917018/Eight-Behaviors-for-Smarter-Teams-2.pdf
- Pilots snack during emergency: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEf35NtlBLg
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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.

Jul 5, 2023 • 16min
Hurry Sickness
Is your tech team always rushing, but never improving? They may have "hurry sickness.” Listen to this episode of Troubleshooting Agile to discover if being busy is actually crippling your productivity and what you can do to change it, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Hurry Sickness: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/hurry-sickness
- Near Enemy: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/07/change-your-life-near-enemies-buddhism
- Squirrel Squadron: https://squirrelsquadron.com
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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.

Jun 28, 2023 • 14min
Innovation - Follow the Tune Not the Words
Maybe the reason innovation isn't happening is that no one believes you'll really accept failure. But creating some chaos to emphasise risk is OK!
Listen to this episode of Troubleshooting Agile to discover how you can make innovation and failure part of your company culture, with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey.
Links:
- Peacetime CEO vs Wartime CEO: https://a16z.com/2011/04/14/peacetime-ceo-wartime-ceo/
- Previous episode on commoditisation: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/software-isnt-dead
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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.

Jun 21, 2023 • 11min
Software Isn't Dead
Software has become commoditised, but that doesn’t mean there’s a race to the bottom for efficiency. An accessible foundation means what you build on top can be much more ornate.
Listen to this episode of Troubleshooting Agile to discover why Squirrel and Jeffrey hold firm in their views that software isn’t dead!
Links
- Squirrel's commoditization tweet: https://twitter.com/douglassquirrel/status/1668891393874378754
- Wardley Mapping--Chapter 9, charting the future: https://medium.com/wardleymaps/anticipation-89692e9b0ced
--------------------------------------------------
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
Squirrel and Jeffrey 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.