Agile and Project Management - DrunkenPM Radio

In this episode of the podcast Colleen Johnson, CEO of ProKanban joins me to talk all about ProKanban. During the interview we cover how this new organization came about, the ProKanban Guide, the community they have been fostering, and ProKanban Certification. If you aren’t familiar with Kanban, it is another approach to getting work done that fits under the Agile umbrella. It can look like Scrum, but it solves a different problem set and focuses on different aspects of the work. The ProKanban team has put together the ProKanban Guide explaining how it all works. They’ve also been developing a strong online community, training classes, and they’ve begun offering a certification called ProKanban I. In the interview, Colleen and I explore some of the differences between Scrum and Kanban, the ProKanban Guide, their course offering, why they created the certification, and why, in the already crowded field of Agile certifications, this one merits serious consideration. To download a copy of the ProKanban Guide: https://prokanban.org/the-kanban-guide/ To learn more about ProKanban and ProKanban Certification: https://prokanban.org To learn more about Women in Agile: https://womeninagile.org To learn more about Scatterspoke and how it can help you with Retrospectives: https://www.scatterspoke.com Contacting Colleen Twitter https://twitter.com/scrumhive Email: colleen@prokanban.org

When your organization is getting started with Agile Transformation, one of the more challenging questions is how to track progress. For organizations that are accustomed to measuring things, it is easy to get lost in the swamp of distracting metrics that are interesting, but not particularly helpful, as opposed to ones that provide your organization with the information it needs to make choices about how to become more efficient and deliver more value. In this episode of the podcast, Ross Beurmann is back and we explore the idea of what to measure when you get started with Agile Transformation, how to measure it, and how critical it is to make sure that the things you are measuring actually provide you with the information you need to make informed choices. We also discuss the impact that measuring the wrong things can have on your ability to create lasting organizational change and offer tips on how to protect against that. Contacting Ross • Web: http://rossbeurmann.com/ • LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmann/ • Email: ross96h@yahoo.com (Ross has joined me on a few other podcasts. If you’d like to check them out you can find them here: soundcloud.com/search?q=ross%20beurmann)

This week my guest is Scott Ambler. Scott is the Vice President and Chief Scientist of Disciplined Agile at the Project Management Institute. He’s is also the co-founder of Disciplined Agile (DA), the creator of the Agile Modeling method and Agile Data methods, and he is the author of a number of books that focus on software development and Agile. (See links below.) In this episode of the podcast, Scott and I discuss how PMI’s efforts in support of Agile have evolved since August 2019 when PMI acquired Disciplined Agile and Alan Shalloway’s FLEX. We also discuss how the PMBOK is evolving, and we dig into the Project Management Institute’s new Agile certification programs: what they focus on, who they are aimed at, and how they are different from the other Agile certifications. Links: PMI’s Agile Certifications: https://www.pmi.org/certifications/agile-certifications PMI Speaker Request: https://www.pmi.org/about/press-media/speaking-engagements Agile Modeling method: http://agilemodeling.com Agile Data methods: http://agiledata.org Scott’s books: http://www.ambysoft.com/books/ Contacting Scott Disciplined Agile Blog: https://www.projectmanagement.com/blogs/611075/Disciplined-Agile Personal Website: http://www.ambysoft.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/scottwambler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sambler/

Changing behavior is never easy. Whether you are talking about changing a habit at an individual level, or organizationally, there is going to be a struggle and it is easy to get lost in the language of loss… I won’t eat dessert tonight. We won’t over-commit this Sprint. Committing yourself to introduce a new behavior that is a change from your normal habits can be even more daunting because it not only demands you stop doing what you’ve been doing, but you have a new thing you have to do at the same time. I will get up early and exercise before work. We will break down all our work into increments that can be delivered in 3 days or less. Change is demanding. Braden Cundiff has developed a set of practices designed to FLIP the way we approach change and create a greater opportunity for a successful and sustained change. This approach involves reframing how we look at change and creating a scenario where it is easier to say Yes to the change than it is to say No. In this episode of the podcast, Braden explains his Flip model for creating change, why it works, how it works, what the model is based on, and how you can get started using it. Read Flip: Architectonics of Project to Products https://t.co/aQl3a5FY1z Contacting Braden LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3ck7t93

How do I create change in my organization when I don’t have the authority to make it happen? Whether you are trying to kick off an Agile Transformation or introduce some other type of change that will impact your organization beyond your team and/or pay grade, creating change when you don’t feel empowered to do so is not an easy thing. My colleague Jeff Howey and I frequently get questions around this topic in the classes we teach so we invited Sinnika Waugh to join us and share some ideas about ways to initiate change when your inner voice, (or the org chart), is telling you that ain’t your gig. Sinikka Waugh is the Founder of Your Clear Next Step, an organization that provides training, coaching, and support to organizations and individuals with the ultimate goal of offering people a better workday so that when that day is over they are better prepared to truly show up and co-create a better experience at home and in their communities. She is also a PMP and the former VP of Marketing and Communications for the Central Iowa PMI Chapter. In this episode of the podcast, Sinikka joins Jeff Howey and me to help address the question of “How do I create change when I lack agency?” Contacting Sinikka Web: https://www.yourclearnextstep.com Even Better Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4pQoHG1EfT8mqExSIOOmXb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinikkawaugh/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/yourclrnxtstep Contacting Jeff Email: Jeff.howey@leadingagile.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhowey/

In November of 2020, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland released an update to the Scrum Guide. One of the changes they introduced was the Product Goal. This is a change which, to me, seemed like a brilliant way to keep the Product Backlog focused on achieving a measurable outcome, but at the same time, it seemed at odds with how I had come to think about and work with a Product Backlog. For the past few months, I’ve been speaking with Agile and Scrum thought leaders in podcast interviews, trying to get my head around the concept. All of the conversations have helped me deepen my understanding of this topic, but the ones I have had with Don McGreal reshaped how I understand the way that the Product Goal impacts my entire understanding of a Product Backlog and how to work with it. Don McGreal is the VP of Learning Solutions at Improving, the co-Author of The Professional Product Owner book, the co-founder of TastyCupcakes.org, and a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer. He’s also a really nice guy and he was kind enough to spend some time talking with me about the Product Goal. In this interview, Don shares how 4DX has impacts his approach to Product Ownership, working with the Product Backlog, and how it fits with the Product Goal serving as a measurable step towards achieving the Product Vision. As Don and I continue the discussion we explore some of the choices that Product Goal is going to force you to make about how you work with a Product Backlog. For example: If the Scrum Team is focused on one Product Goal at a time, and all the work in the Product Backlog should serve the Product Goal, what do we do with technical debt? If you are trying to get your head around Product Goal, this interview is going to pose some important questions that require you to reconsider how your team (and your organization) works with a Product Backlog, what jobs you are hiring it to do, and how to be disciplined, but not dogmatic in your practice of Scrum. Links - The Scrum Guide (November 2020) https://scrumguides.org - 4 DX: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/ - The Professional Product Owner: https://amzn.to/3eVXkkV - TastyCupcakes: https://www.tastycupcakes.org - Upcoming classes at Improving: https://improving.com/training - Improving's Virtual Events: https://improving.com/virtual-events - Ralph Jocham's Product Goal Canvas: https://effectiveagile.com/download/productgoalcanvas/ Contacting Don - Improving.com: https://improving.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donmcgreal/ - Email: donmcgreal@gmail.com - Twitter: https://twitter.com/donmcgreal

Sanjiv Augustine took a break from putting the finishing touches on his new book From PMO to VMO: Managing for Value Delivery to join me for an interview about Value Management Offices. “A Value Management Office is a cross-functional, cross-hierarchy and cross-silo team of teams.” This is a group with representation from across the organization. It is comprised of individuals who act as “linking pins” that work together to help the organization achieve business agility. During the interview, Sanjiv breaks down how this group advocates for all levels of the organization and can develop a more holistic view of how to help the organization shift towards a more adaptable, self-aware approach to work where voices from all parts of the company have a shared voice in achieving strategic goals. Sanjiv also shares a message of hope for any project managers out there who are “running for their lives” and see agile as a threat to their livelihood. There is still a lot of work to do, possibly even more so if your organization is moving towards agile. Links from the Podcast - You can Preorder Sanjiv’s book From PMO to VMO: Managing for Value Delivery here: https://amzn.to/3heKUFZ (September 7, 2021 Release) - You can learn more about LIthespeed’s webinars here: https://lithespeed.com/toolbox/ Contacting Sanjiv - Web: https://www.sanjivaugustine.com - Lithespeed: https://lithespeed.com - Podcast: Agile Caravansarai http://agilecaravanserai.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjivaugustine/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/saugustine

Scrum.org CEO Dave West discusses the importance of Product Goals in the updated Scrum Guide, offering clarity and purpose to teams. Topics include aligning product goals with the backlog, challenges of setting sprint goals, embracing change in Scrum practices, transparency in Agile, and using assets for team conversations. A new Canvas tool for product goals is also explored for team resilience and focus.

From 2019 to 2021 Melissa Boggs served as Co-CEO and Chief ScrumMaster for the Scrum Alliance. Earlier this year she stepped down from her Chief SM role and took on the position of Vice President of Business Agility at Sauce Labs. AFAIK, Melissa was the Chief ScrumMaster ever so I wanted to check in with her and see what she learned during her time in the role, what advice she could share for those headed down that path, and what new challenges she’s taken on since she started her new gig. What is truly powerful about this interview is how open Melissa is about the things she learned about herself on this journey. She offers a great example of brave vulnerability and shows how, if you are in the business of helping others transform, you have to be willing to develop an inner sense of personal agility as well. Links from the Podcast - Russel Brand Interviews Brene Brown https://youtu.be/SM1ckkGwqZI Contacting Melissa - Scrum Alliance Bio: https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/profile/mboggs2 - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-boggs/ - Twitter: twitter.com/hmngbirdagility - Sauce Labs: https://saucelabs.com/

This episode features an interview with Dan Eberle. Dan is an Agile Coach, working at the New York Times and leading a few Agile-centric communities of practice. I recently attended a presentation Dan gave on Agile Coaching as part of Access Agile's Agile 20Reflect Festival (https://agile20reflect.org). Dan hit on some very impactful topics during the session so, I asked him to join me for an interview about different aspects of Agile Coaching. During the conversation, we discuss different coaching stances, how to develop your skill with employing them, how to measure your success as an Agile Coach, how being an internal coach differs from coaching at a consulting company, some tips for those moving towards a coaching role, and things to watch out for as you head down that path. Contacting Dan: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dan-e-6684a837 Twitter: https://twitter.com/daneberlefilm?lang=en Meetup: Agile-Lean-NYT: New York Times Agile Community of Practice https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/agile-lean-nyt-new-york-times-agile-community-of-practice Insurgent Agility https://www.meetup.com/insurgent-agility/