Agile Mentors Podcast

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brian and Richard Cheng discuss the challenges of working in a virtual environment, sharing insights and strategies for maintaining team collaboration and communication. Listen in for practical tips and expert advice on navigating the changing landscape of remote work. Overview In this episode of the "Agile Mentors" podcast, Brian and Richard Cheng discuss the challenges and opportunities of the ever-evolving world of remote work in Agile teams and the role of technology in supporting Agile practices. Listen in as they share their insights on the tools to use, how to maintain team cohesion and collaboration, and the importance of culture and personal connections. You'll find practical tips and inspiring ideas to help you navigate the virtual landscape and thrive in the new normal of work. Listen Now to Discover: [01:14] - Brian introduces Richard Cheng, founder of Agility Prime Solutions, trainer, teaching CSM, product owner, and combat classes. He is also working on a graphic novel about the adventures of a scrum master. He's here today to discuss the challenges of working.‌ [04:16] - Richard highlights the significant shift towards virtual work that was already happening before the pandemic and the adoption of virtual work tools such as Zoom, Miro, and Slack, which made the transition easier during the pandemic. [06:22] - Richard emphasizes the importance of using tools that foster better communication and collaboration rather than replacing them. The tools and policies around them should enable people to work better together rather than create more distance. [07:08] - Richard is relatively agnostic regarding specific tools, but he mentions that he is a huge fan of Zoom for instruction and prefers Miro or Mural for collaboration. [08:03] - Brian tends to use Mural but also acknowledges the benefits of Miro (and shares a fun fact about Miro). [09:42] - Brian advises against letting the tool drive the collaboration process and instead focusing on conversations and collaboration first, then finding tools that enhance that process. [11:00] - Richard agrees with the idea that tools should not drive the team's workflow, but rather the team should drive the tools using the example of Jira™. He advises teams to tailor their tools to support their evolving needs. [12:46] - Brian acknowledges the importance of standardization in big enterprises and advises teams to refer to items in their terms to better align with their workflow. [14:20] - Brian shares why tools that allow deep customization are enormously useful because you can implement a wealth of plugins. [15:01] - The key to keeping it simple—strip it down to the bare bones and then grow it. Richard shares an example from the best Agile shop he ever worked at, The Motley Fool, and their tools, including Bugzilla. [16:00] - Brian shares the sponsor for the podcast, Mountain Goat Software, and the team home software they use for their Agile and Scrum Training. [18:39] - Richard discusses the virtual challenges of creating culture and teamwork, including communication, collaboration, and cross-functionality. [19:15] - The new frontier for companies: experimenting with different methods is essential while adapting methods to make them more effective. [20:46] - Richard discusses the issue with the Scrum guide's statement that Scrum is immutable, stating that once you're an expert, you should take what works and tweak what doesn't, drawing on an analogy about CrossFit, where workouts can be scaled up or down, and suggest that Scrum should be approached similarly. [23:48] - Promoting conversation and collaboration between teams, which is a big issue for many teams in the virtual world. Brian points out that time zone differences can be a problem. People on the other side of the globe must experiment more with asynchronous tools to communicate and collaborate effectively. [24:49] - Collaboration is less about geography and more about times. He promotes time zone friendliness to enable teams to collaborate more effectively and independently. Richard recommends setting up time zone-aligned value streams to improve product and service delivery speed, particularly for organizations with teams in multiple time zones. [26:25] - Brian emphasizes the importance of maintaining company culture in a virtual environment. He recommends virtual show-and-tell sessions to build a deeper connection among team members. [27:51] - Richard suggests that events such as game nights and virtual chocolate tastings can help bring teams and organizations closer together, even in a virtual environment. At the same time, optional in-person events for geographically connected teams can also be a good way to foster a sense of togetherness and culture. [29:15] - To help improve communication and strengthen the team's dynamics, create user manuals for team members: that includes their background, contributions to the team, and [30:37] - As a Scrum Master and Coach, being there and having osmotic communication was a big part of the job. Without it, we have to engineer everything, which can be challenging. [31:30] - Brian acknowledges that technology is rapidly changing but emphasizes the importance of not letting the tool drive the conversation. Instead, he suggests promoting collaboration and enabling teams to work better through policies and practices that bring the team together and rethink those that separate them. [32:56] - You can learn more about Richard and his classes at Agility Prime Solutions or email him at richard.c@agilityprimesolutions.com. [34:24] -Join the Agile Mentors Community for further discussion, and if you have an idea for the show or feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Email Brian. References and resources mentioned in the show: Agility Prime Solutions Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Mural Miro Jira Bugzilla Private Virtual Chocolate Tastings– Bar & Cocoa Join the Agile Mentors Community Scrum Alliance Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Richard Cheng is the founder of Agility Prime Solutions, which provides training programs that focus on Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Product Management. Richard is a founder and was an executive committee member of the Agile Delivery for Agencies, Programs, and Teams (ADAPT), an Agile government task force.

Join Brian and agile coach Bob Galen as they delve into the importance of self-mastery in leadership and coaching, emphasizing self-reflection, emotional intelligence, and the role of mentors. Bob highlights the need for continuous improvement and becoming a 'feedback sponge' to enhance coaching skills and humility.

Karim Harbott joins Brian to talk about the 5 levers of crafting a strong culture in an organization and the critical role of leaders in establishing it. Overview On this episode of the "Agile Mentors" podcast, Karim Harbott joins Brian to discuss the importance of crafting a strong culture in an organization through his 5 Levers for Changing Organizational Culture. Listen in as they discuss the importance of aligning behaviors with the organization's strategy and the often-overlooked but critical role that leaders play in the cultural transformation of organizations. Listen Now to Discover: [01:34] - Brian introduces Karim Harbott, an Agile coach and CST, and highlights his book, “The 6 Enablers of Business Agility” He’s joining Brian to discuss culture change and the challenges associated with it. [02:25] - Karim discusses where to begin to make cultural change. [04:14] - Brian and Karim discuss the challenges of teaching culture and the importance of modeling desired behaviors. [04:47] - Karim explains that behaviors are a key factor in shaping culture and shares that there are five levers for changing the culture of an organization. The first lever is the organization's structure, which can encourage collaboration or silos and is the first thing within your control to influence behavior and how people collaborate. [07:15] - Karim emphasizes the importance of examining the system in place using the analogy of a gardener to explain that leaders need to create an environment that fosters the growth of the desired culture and behaviors. [07:51] - Brian references a quote by Craig Larman highlighting that whatever you're seeing at the moment, your system is designed to output that—for a different output, you gotta change the system. [08:21] - Karim explains that Craig Larman's and Deming's quote that "every system is perfectly designed for the results it's getting" both emphasize the importance of the structure in determining culture. [08:47] - Karin shares the second lever for changing culture, which is that the policies and rules that leaders create can be used to control or influence behaviors. [10:37] - Brian references the "Don't be evil" structure at Google and what it entailed. [11:37] - Karin discusses the importance of weaving high-level values into every part of how the organization operates, even the low-level aspects of the organization, to truly influence behaviors. [12:15] - Karin talks about the third lever of culture change, which is metrics and targets, and notes that what you measure and set as targets speaks volumes about what leadership values in the organization. [14:18] - Measuring intangible things like respect and integrity can be difficult, but it is important to find a way to measure them even though they don’t fit neatly into a dashboard. [15:51] - Brian shares an interesting paradigm they use at Mountain Goat Software, where they set goals with both a visual and emotional aspect to help them determine when they’ve reached their goal. [16:56] - Karim discusses the importance of HR processes as a lever (Lever #4) for influencing and reinforcing behaviors in an organization. [18:27] - Brian shares the sponsor for the podcast, Better User Stories, a one-day live online training course with Mike Cohn to improve your user story writing, so your team can do its best work, faster. [19:12] Brian emphasizes the concept that the company is a team effort, not an individual sport. [20:21] Karim highlights the difference between Henry Ford's production line and a team-based environment using the analogy of chopping onions in the kitchen but being asked to make a tiramisu. [21:30] - If the culture incentivizes individuals to prioritize their own interests over the interests of the team, then there is a problem, and conflicting incentives will lead to failure. [22:21] - Incentivizing individualism over teamwork will lead to failure (and unhappiness among 70% of employees). [23:39] - Karim discusses the fifth lever, which he considers to be the most powerful: leadership behaviors. [26:20] - Actions speak louder than words: Brian speaks about the importance of leadership behavior in promoting a healthy work culture with the example of unlimited vacation policies. [28:23] - Karim talks about the importance of behavioral norms in an organization, citing descriptive and injunctive norms as examples. By using the example of a library, he illustrates how people tend to conform to social norms. [30:39] - Karim shares the two things that are necessary to strengthen a culture; without these, a culture cannot be strong (it's important for leaders to be hypersensitive to this). [31:47] - The disapproval of others can be a powerful tool to make sure people behave the way we want them to behave. [32:47] - Brian shares how the TV show Brain Games demonstrated social norms and people conforming to the crowd. [33:43] - Karim emphasizes the importance of crafting a strong culture as one of the most important things a leader can do and calls for it to be a core leadership capability. [35:46] - Do you have an idea for the show or feedback you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you. Email Brian. References and resources mentioned in the show: Mountain Goat Software's Better User Stories The 6 Enablers of Business Agility: How to Thrive in an Uncertain World The 6 Enablers of Business Agility 5 Levers for Changing Organisational Culture Lead and Disrupt Larman's Laws of Organizational Behavior Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Scrum Alliance Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Karim Harbott is a leadership and business agility expert, entrepreneur, author, and international keynote speaker with over a decade of experience helping organizations with business agility. Karim is one of only a few people globally to hold the Certified Agile Leadership (CAL) Educator, Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST), and Certified Enterprise Coach® (CEC) status.

Chris Li joins Brian to talk about making informed decisions about going out on your own and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. Overview On this episode of "Agile Mentors," Chris Li joins Brian to discuss the journey to becoming an entrepreneur. They dive into everything from the importance of having a clear vision and passion to weighing the benefits of partnerships and investors. Listen in for valuable advice from Chris and Brian on sidestepping the fear of going alone and the crucial things to consider before taking the leap. Listen Now to Discover: [01:08] - Brian introduces Chris Li. [03:13] - Chris discusses the importance of taking stock of your threshold for comfort before determining the next step, especially in the current climate. [05:33] - Brian emphasizes the importance of passion in making decisions about the next steps and recognizing when you've reached the pinnacle of your current position so you can explore other opportunities that align with your passions. [07:05] - Chris shares his journey, from knowing he had an entrepreneurial spirit to finding the right people to help him as he took the leap. [08:51] - Brian highlights the importance of having a network of people to fall back on and the value of mentorship for personal and professional growth. [09:29] - Chris notes that going out on your own looks different for everyone and why it's essential to find the path that works for you and shares an example of someone who took a different route to improve their career. [11:35] - Chris breaks down external and internal factors that can help you determine if you're ready to go out on your own, including the most critical factor to consider. [14:22] - Brian discusses healthcare as a significant factor. [15:15] - Brian discusses the importance of risk tolerance and mapping out income streams and costs to ensure that going out on your own is financially viable. [15:49] - Chris discusses the investment period at the beginning of a move and why having an end goal is essential. [17:37] - Taking stock - what will you have to give up to have this other thing? [18:47] - The importance of a support team to help walk you through ALL sides of the situation—good, bad, and neutral. [21:13] - Brian talks about why developing a backup plan is essential. [21:43] - Chris shares why getting legal advice is vital. [23:23] - Brian emphasizes the importance of hustling when you are your own boss. [24:05] - Chis encourages listeners not to be discouraged by the elements of the process. Starting a business can be a valuable experience (regardless of its outcome). [25:17] - Brian encourages listeners to be realistic about their situation but not to let fear hold them back from pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams. [26:18] - Chris advises listeners to consider all the angles of any new opportunities that may come up, being realistic about their potential value. [29:21] - Brian emphasizes the importance of hustling, working extra hours as an entrepreneur, and considering your own work-life balance priorities. [31:32] - Think about how you will spend your time AND your money: Chris shares some practical things to consider, like how you will spend your time AND your money, and partnerships and securing funding. [35:49] - No matter your choice, you can always change course. [35:56] - Do you have an idea for the show or feedback you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you. Email Brian. References and resources mentioned in the show: Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Scrum Alliance Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Chris Li is the Founder of SparkPlug Agility and a dynamic and enthusiastic IT consultant with more than two decades of industry experience. He specializes in delivering exceptional learning opportunities and is passionate about delivering outstanding speaking engagements, mission-focused insights, and cultivating meaningful partnerships for individuals, teams, and organizations.

Mike Cohn joins Brian to share his experience facilitating story-writing workshops and offers insights on creating effective user stories that deliver value to customers and focus to your team. Overview In this episode of the "Agile Mentors" podcast, Brian is joined by Agile coach and trainer Mike Cohn to discuss the art of writing user stories through story-writing workshops. Mike shares his expertise on the importance of creating user stories, including how to write them effectively and their benefits in the development process. Listen in as Mike provides valuable insights on conducting effective story-writing workshops, including the role of a skilled facilitator, keeping the conversation on track, and how using the INVEST criteria can help you create high-quality user stories that meet the needs of your users. Tune in for practical tips and strategies to improve your user story writing workshops to energize your team while giving them a clear focus on what they need to do. Listen Now to discover: [01:09] - Brian is sitting down with Mike Cohn today to discuss story writing workshops. [01:57] - Mike shares team/stakeholder writing sessions during the early 2000s that morphed into "story writing workshops" to help teams understand what they were doing. [03:37] - Mike explains why he prefers to write 20-30 stories at the start of a quarter, only writing a few new stories during the sprint, then doing another story writing workshop every three months. [05:20] - Brian clarifies that teams don't have to wait for a story writing workshop to write stories. He shares his recommendations for holding story-writing workshops once a quarter to replenish the backlog and "refill the gas tank" with new ideas. [06:03] - Mike expands on the gas tank analogy, explaining that, like filling up a gas tank, teams don't need to wait until the backlog is empty to have a story-writing workshop. [06:52] - Mike shares why he prefers a quarterly approach to story writing for its big-picture view of the coming months. [07:17] - Brian references the 2020 Scrum Guide and suggests using the product goal as the bigger idea to zero in on. [07:32] - Mike agrees with Brian's suggestion of using the product goal as a focal point during story-writing workshops sharing his idea of the importance of something to aim for beyond just the single sprint goal. [07:59] - The importance of focusing a story-writing workshop on a single goal, i.e., setting a product goal for three to six months and using it as the workshop's focus to generate necessary stories. [09:29] - Who should attend a story-writing workshop? Mike offers his suggestions to bring creativity and new ideas and build better products. [11:33] - Mike shares why he believes involving team members in story-writing workshops is a time-saving, worthwhile investment that will improve product outcomes. [12:06] -The tools for a successful story-writing workshop for everyone involved. [13:57] - Mike explains why story-writing workshops might work better online than in person. [17:19] - To keep the conversation on track, having a skilled facilitator for your story-telling workshop is crucial. [17:58] - The importance of having a scrum master or agile coach facilitating story mapping sessions for guidance through any issues with sequencing or organization of ideas. [19:16] - Collectively writing the same story simultaneously vs. brainstorming different stories and then coming together—Mike shares which he prefers and why. [21:34] - Mike shares why saving the story refinement for later is best. [24:05] - The importance of striking a balance between the level of detail in the stories and the time spent on the story-writing workshop. [25:21] - Brian shares a story about an organization he worked with recently at Mountain Goat Software that used the INVEST criteria as a definition of Done to check off every story they wrote. [25:58] - Mike explains the six attributes a team should know to create good user stories. [27:20] - Mike shares why story-writing meetings energize teams, leaving them excited about the product and the upcoming period while giving them a clear focus on what they need to do. References and resources mentioned in the show: How to Run a Successful User Story Writing Workshop Better User Stories Video Course by Mike Cohn 2020 Scrum Guide Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Scrum Alliance Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Mike Cohn is the CEO of Mountain Goat Software and the Co-founder of Agile Alliance and Scrum Alliance. He’s passionate about agile and finds it rewarding when a company really understands agile, commits to doing it well, and succeeds dramatically. Mike’s focus is coaching, training, developing new courses, sharing ideas in his blog posts and tips, and participating in the Agile Mentors Community, especially with the live Q & A sessions.

Kubair Shirazee, Founder of Peace through Prosperity, joins Brian to share his experiences using Agile tools for social and societal transformation, helping to empower marginalized communities and break the cycle of poverty. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, we explore how Agile can be applied outside of software development as a powerful tool for driving societal transformation with Kubair Shirazee, the Founder of the Peace through Prosperity project. Kubair takes us on his journey of using Agile methodologies to empower marginalized communities by supporting business owners in creating long-term solutions that are helping to break the cycle of poverty. Listen in as he shares some of the challenges he has faced in implementing these methodologies and offers listeners detailed information on how to get involved in the Peace through Prosperity Scrum Masters Experience Academy and insight into ways you can make an impact in your community. Listen Now to discover: [01:07] - Brian introduces to UK-based Kubair Shirazee, Agility Coach through Agilitea and Founder of the Peace through Prosperity project that uses Agile to foster social and societal transformation. [02:33] - Kubair discusses how Agile, which emphasizes people and relationships, can be applied to social and societal transformation. [04:43] - Kubair explains how marginalized solopreneurs in conflict zones and developing countries can use Agile principles to maximize their potential. [07:18] - The targeted way entrepreneurs with mobile businesses in marginalized communities use Agile to leverage what they've learned in the past to help them capitalize on future opportunities. [08:42] - How Agile coaching and support helped a barber named Anwar to go from having a beat-up chair on the street to owning a salon. [11:14] - Not just increased revenue—touching the lives of over 2400 marginalized micro-entrepreneurs in 12 short years. [12:57] - Back to Anwar's story, how focusing on the pillars of empiricism and developing a product goal helped him shift his mindset and grow his business. [16:27:] - We don't just hijack people's lives; it's all about creating relationships and collaborating with people to co-create solutions that work for them. [20:21] - How finding out you have the power to write your own story is the first crucial step towards realizing your full potential and overcoming the challenges of marginalization. [21:55] - Brian explains how Agile helps people manage challenging goals in any and every environment. [22:55] -How Peace through Prosperity helps provide long-term, sustainable, and impactful solutions to help create an environment of financial stability. [27:34] - Peace through Prosperity aims to empower marginalized communities to create a better future without resorting to extremism or outside help. [28:42] - The exciting opportunity to get involved with Peace through Prosperity through the Scrum Masters Experience Academy and work with teams in Pakistan, Yemen, and Egypt to gain valuable Scrum experience in just six months. [30:10] - Kubair shares how to become involved with the mission to meet the needs of marginalized communities in your own location (using Peace Through Prosperity's open-source programs). [34:41] - How individuals like Dominique de Cooman, CEO of Dropsolid, are helping fund Peace Through Prosperity and how you can, too. [36:39] - "Scrum is industry agnostic. Scrum is something if we if we all just embrace it, its principles, and its values. It can enrich not just our individual lives, but it can enrich us as an entire community on our pale blue dot."—Kubair Shirazee References and resources mentioned in the show: Peace through Prosperity Agilitea #32: Scrum in High School Sports with Cort Sharp #23 How Agile Works in Education with John Miller #21: Agile Marketing Teams with Stacey Ackerman Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Scrum Alliance Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Kubair Shirazee is a highly experienced Enterprise Agility Coach with over 20 years of experience helping people, teams, and businesses transform using his coaching skills. He has worked with a range of prominent brands in the pharmaceutical and non-profit sectors, including Novartis and Bayer, helping them to improve their product, service development, and operations. In addition to his coaching work, he is also the founder of the Peace through Prosperity project, which leverages Agile methodologies to promote social and societal transformation.

Brad Swanson joins Brian to explore the concept of servant leadership and share actionable takeaways to help you lead with compassion and empathy. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brad Swanson joins Brian to discuss the concept of servant leadership and how it can be applied in an Agile environment. Learn how to create strong personal connections with your team members, the power of asking powerful questions to foster collaboration, and how to be more assertive as a leader while remaining flexible about the process. Listen in as Brad shares three practical ways that listeners can cultivate a servant leadership mindset and build a positive and productive work environment. Listen Now to discover: [01:48] - Brian introduces Brad Swanson, who has the trifecta of certifications with Scrum Alliance: CST, CEC, and CTC. [02:54] - Brad shares his belief that servant leadership involves prioritizing the needs of the team while cultivating a culture of trust and collaboration. [04:43] - Since the 1970s, the servant leadership concept introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf has involved empowering team members rather than seeing them as subordinates. [07:48] - Brian shares his experience playing football and how it relates to management styles, highlighting that a calm and empowering approach can be more impactful than an authoritative one. [09:55] - Brad shares the idea that effective leadership involves the ability to balance and leverage multiple power styles and shares the book "Leadership Agility" by Bill Joiner and Steven Josephs, which emphasizes the importance of situational leadership. [13:30] - Brad shares his perspective on the shift in the last version of the Scrum Guide from using the term "servant leadership" to "true leadership" and why he prefers the term situational leadership. [15:05] - Brian acknowledges that people have a natural predisposition towards being either assertive or accommodating and how stepping outside of one's comfort zone can lead to both personal growth and an expansion of your skill set. [16:05:] - Brad suggests there is a difference between being assertive and directive. [19:38:] - The effectiveness of asking powerful questions to invite collaboration and reach a mutual goal. [20:17] - The key to being more assertive as a leader without attacking the individual (and remaining flexible about the process). [21:55] - Brad shares three ways listeners can implement a servant leadership mentality. [23:35] - Brian shares how to use a notebook to process your thoughts and ideas while giving others a chance to speak up. [24:38] - Brad shares why listening is a skill that requires frequent practice. [25:15] - Why it’s a good idea to keep your team in the loop about the changes you are trying to make in your leadership style. [26:13] - Why being open and transparent about your efforts to improve can help create a learning environment where improvement is both expected and accepted. [27:05] - Why creating strong personal relationships with the people you are leading is crucial to effective leadership and developing the team's skills. [29:05] - Listeners of the Agile Mentor’s Podcast can get a 10% discount on the Certified Agile Leadership class Brad has coming up on March 27th by using promo code friend10. Find out more by visiting Agility 11. [30:34] - Join the Agile Mentors Community to continue the discussion. You can get a free 12-month membership into the community by taking a class with Mountain Goat Software. References and resources mentioned in the show: What is Servant Leadership? "Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness" "Leadership Agility" Agility 11 Certified Agile Leadership - CAL Essentials & Organizations with Brad Beginning March 27, 2023 - Promo Code: friend10 Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Scrum Alliance Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Brad Swanson, Founder and Principal Coach and Trainer at Agility 11 helps organizations achieve sustainable success through Lean and Agile principles. With extensive experience as a trusted advisor to executives and organizations worldwide, Brad holds certifications as a Leadership Agility 360 Coach, Agile Leadership Educator, Scrum Trainer, Enterprise Coach, Professional in Agile Coaching, and LeSS Practitioner.

Dallas Jackson joins Brian to explore the human aspect of work and the challenges that come with prioritizing the team while ensuring everyone is heard. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Dallas Jackson joins Brian to delve into the human side of work and why it's essential to create work that fits people's lives rather than forcing humans to fit the work. They delve into the importance of understanding and appropriately responding to conflict in the workplace as a Scrum Master and prioritizing the team while ensuring everyone is heard. Listen in as they explore the challenges of adapting to change, why prioritizing human factors is essential for driving cultural shifts, and how to create an Agile culture that supports the human element of work. Listen Now to discover: [01:13] - Brian introduces Dallas Jackson, a native Texan, living in New Zealand who is a Teaching Assistant with Mountain Goat Software and certified team coach with Scrum Alliance. [03:18] - Dallas highlights the importance of recognizing individuals as human beings and creating work that fits their lives rather than forcing humans to fit into work. [05:17] - Brian shares the value of remote work to allow individuals to gain insight into each other's personal lives and encourages virtual show-and-tell sessions to foster stronger team bonds. [06:43] - Connecting to foster deeper relationships as a team. [07:42] - Dallas shares how showing her humanity helped her build a connection with colleagues, leading to a development of trust and a better quality of teamwork. [10:41] - Why it's important as a leader to prioritize taking care of employees. [12:21] - Dallas shares why creating a positive environment where people feel cared for and supported is crucial for producing good work. [15:22] -The importance of building connections in team relationships through reciprocity and sharing personal stories, even those unrelated to work. [16:39] - How opening ourselves up allows us to give the best to our fellow humans because we're ALL members of the same tribe—the human race. [18:06:] - Brian shares the importance of understanding and appropriately responding to conflict in the workplace, including avoidance. [21:08] - What about conflict—Dallas shares the importance of playing the long game and how not to handle it as a Scrum Master. [23:39] - How using crucial conversations helps everyone stick with the facts and avoid misunderstandings caused by differing perspectives. [24:43] - Brian shares the mantra he uses with teams to move beyond personal conflicts and focus on finding solutions. [26:08] - Acknowledging that facts are the foundation, but feelings in the workplace matter too. [27:17] - Dallas explains the significance of goldfish memory in conflict management, completing the stress cycle, and prioritizing the team while ensuring everyone is heard. [28:07] - Brian shares why the Scrum Master's job is similar to that of a football coach in that you need to be clued into the emotional temperature of your team. [30:32] - You can't process your way to a better culture—cultural shifts change when we take humans into account. [31:38] - Agile is a philosophy that requires a shift in thinking about work and a departure from following step-by-step instructions and can be a difficult transition for organizations to make. [32:39] - Dallas shares a football vs. rugby analogy about how to help managers make a mindset shift. [34:53] - Brian shares that working with humans requires a different approach than working with machines because repeatability isn't always possible—adaptation is the name of the game. [36:26] - Dallas shares the Cherokee saying that we die a thousand deaths to become our true selves. [37:54] - You can hear more from Dallas at Scrum Australia in March. References and resources mentioned in the show: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Scrum Alliance Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Dallas Jackson is a Teaching Assistant at Mountain Goat Software with a multitude of Scrum and Agile qualifications, including CSM, CSPO, CAL-E.

Join Lance Dacy and Brian Milner as they discuss the use of metrics in an Agile environment to ensure optimal performance without taking things in the wrong direction. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Lance Dacy joins Brian to delve into the intricacies of utilizing metrics in software development to ensure optimal performance while avoiding incentivizing adverse behaviors. Listen in as he walks us through the three tiers of metrics that are crucial for Agile teams to consider in order to stay on course. He’ll share the tools required to gain a holistic understanding of an individual's performance and how leadership styles and stakeholders influence team-level metrics. Plus, a look at the common challenges that teams may encounter during their Agile adoption journey and how to overcome them. Listen now to discover: [01:18] - Lance Dacy is on the show to discuss metrics. [02:09] - Brian asks, are there ‘good’ ways to track performance? [02:32] - Lance shares why Agile doesn’t really lend itself to tracking performance. [03:57] - How to handle performance reviews. [04:32] - Lance shares the best way to measure individual performance. [06:40] - Measuring team contribution vs. standalone rockstar. [07:48] - What Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland say about the completeness of the Scrum Framework and why having a superhero on your team is bad. [09:45] - Lance shares the 3 tiers of metrics to measure when working as an Agile team to be sure their team is going in the right direction. [11:09] - Using tangible business-level metrics such as time to market for products, NPS, and support call volume to evaluate performance. [12:20] - How metrics, such as the number of work items completed per month, and cycle time, can be used to evaluate performance at a product level in an Agile environment. [14:10] - Lance shares standard metrics such as velocity, backlog churn, and work-in-process that can be used to evaluate things at the team level. [14:45] - Brian shares the importance of having a broader perspective to avoid having a distorted view of performance. [16:53] - How using tools such as Ishikawa (fishbone) diagrams can help you identify the root cause of the problem instead of the apparent cause. [17:22] - Individual velocity and other big metrics to avoid. [19:02] - How the balanced scorecard can help managers use ALL the information available to develop a comprehensive understanding of an individual's performance. [19:25] - The detrimental effects of using the wrong metrics to evaluate an individual's contribution. [21:29] - Brian shares the story of how a manager's bug squashing endeavor led to incentivizing the wrong behavior [22:31] - Lance references Stephen Denning's statement and reminds us that assumption testing is what developers do every day. [24:00] - Referencing the State of Agile Report statistics on what's stalling your transformation to Agile. [25:15] - Lance shares a behind-the-scenes look at how team-level metrics are affected by leadership styles and stakeholders. [27:05] - Lance shares the spreadsheet he's been using to track data for a Scrum team for over 5 years to understand why the team is not predictable and what they can do to improve. [31:38] - Got metrics management questions? Reach out to Lance. [31:46] - Why it’s imperative that you think of software development as R&D rather than manufacturing to arrive at the right metrics measurements. [33:26] Continue the conversation in The Agile Mentors Community. References and resources mentioned in the show: Join the More than 24k People Who've Trained to Succeed With Mountain Goat Software Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule #30: How to Get the Best Out of the New Year with Lance Dacy #31: Starting Strong: Tips for Successfully Starting with a New Organization with Julie Chickering State of Agile Report HBR's Embrace Of Agile The Agile Mentors Community Additional metrics resources mentioned by Lance Agile Metrics Business outcomes, product group metrics, unit metrics) KPI/OKR (Business Outcomes) Time to market, NPS, Support Call Volume, Revenue, Active Account, New Customer Onboarding Time, Regulatory Violations) Product Group Metrics Work items completed per unit of time (quarterly) % of work in active state vs. wait state Cycle time of work times (idea to done) Predictability (% of work items that reach ready when planned) Unit metrics Velocity, backlog churn, work in process, team stability Metrics Spreadsheet  Team Size Tracking the size of our cross-functional team (typically Dev and QA), allows us to pair that number with velocity to play “what-if” scenarios in the future. Whether you count half of a person if shared, or whole, keeping it consistent throughout your tracking is what is important. Most teams simply count the number of developers and testers. Team Days Tracking the iteration length is also helpful in understanding a team’s performance. If the team has a 2 week sprint, then usually that is 9 development days of actual work. The 10th day is set aside for sprint review, retrospective, and planning. Committed Tracking what the team committed to completing within a sprint is crucial to understanding their predictability. The are the most uneducated at the beginning of the sprint and tracking what they think they can complete helps us in long term planning. Completed Tracking what the team completed is actually just tracking velocity above, but comparing it what they committed helps us understand their predictability index. Predictability Index (Pi) Software development is complex, risky, and uncertain. A skill that is sought after in this type of environment is predictability. The better we are at understanding what we can accomplish, then finishing what we said we would accomplish builds trust with our management team and customers. If we aren’t very good, tracking this metric often helps us get back to good by committing to less or more depending on our index. Example: Completed Items / Committed Items = Predictability Index (Pi) 25 Story Points / 20 Story Points = 125% 20 Story Points / 25 Story Points = 80% Just because a team has a high Pi, does not mean they are good at predictability. Don’t let high and low numbers fool you, focus on the variance from 100% instead of the actual number. An arbitrary number to shoot for is +/- 15% Pi (85% or 115%). Story Points / Per Day (SPD) Story points per day is just that, tracking how many story points per day of the sprint did we complete (Completed / Team Days). Story Points / Per Day / Per Person (SP/PD/PP) This perhaps is the most useful metric to capture throughout the process. Most of our teams do not have the luxury of maintaining a consistent size or make-up. Inevitably over the course of a few months, the team make-up will change. Once the teams change, velocity has to be reset. In addition, we may actually change our sprint duration over a long period of time (don’t change it each sprint). Once we change sprint lengths, it can jeopardize our pure metrics, velocity has to be reset. However, over all of our teams in a product, if we can capture the SP/PD/PP that our teams complete on average, we can begin to play “what-if” scenarios in long- term planning. Example: Completed / (Team Size * Sprint Days) 24 / (4 * 9) = 0.67 You can then average that number over 4-6 sprints or even the year. Defects While we understand that we won’t ever likely have a zero defect product, it is useful to track how many defects our teams are creating over time. There are usually 2 types of defects, internal and external. Internal Our definition of done should at minimum include that testing is taking place during the sprint with the idea that we would not allow a story to be called DONE if it had remaining defects. As such, an internal defect are the ones that were created while working on a backlog item in the sprint, that we have fixed before calling the item DONE. External External defects are those that have “escaped” our development process and were not discovered during our testing. In a sense, our customer discovered the defect and the work item will become a new backlog item for a sprint. Warranty We should strive to have the warranty concept built into our process. If you bought a car yesterday and the radio fell out, you could take it back and they would fix it fairly quickly. Our customers deserve the same service. Don’t manage a defect backlog, get used to fixing escaped defects immediately, while they are fresh on your mind (right after a sprint). It doesn’t take a long time to fix defects, it takes a long time to find them once identified by a customer. Defects per Story Point Tracking defects per story point help to understand velocity a little better. If you have a team that has drastically increased its velocity, have the defects have increased along with it? Defects per story point help us understand the relationship between a velocity and defects created. Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Lance Dacy, known as Big Agile, is a dynamic, experienced management and technical professional with the proven ability to energize teams, plan with vision, and establish results in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment. He is a Certified Scrum Trainer® with the Scrum Alliance and has trained and coached many successful Scrum implementations from Fortune 20 companies to small start-ups since 2011. You can find out how to attend one of Lance’s classes with Mountain Goat Software here.

Join Julie Chickering and Brian Milner as they provide exclusive insight on utilizing your Scrum training, expanding your expertise, and passing your knowledge on to others. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Julie Chickering sits down with Brian to discuss getting started in the key Scrum roles. They highlight the value of establishing relationships with like-minded individuals for both support and greater success. Plus, a look at some ways to use Scrum outside of the software development arena. Listen in as they guide you through the initial steps you can take when you are just starting out on your Scrum journey and how collaboration and continuing education can aid your career growth and advancement. Listen now to discover: [02:26] - The framework is simple. Then we put people into the mix. Julie shares the most crucial aspect for those starting in key Scrum roles. [04:04] - Brian shares Mike's foundational philosophy for approaching this work from Mike Cohn's popular conference keynote session, Let Go of Knowing. [05:58] - How communities online like The Agile Mentors Community and local groups like DFW Scrum help members achieve more success. [07:02] - How being part of a community was foundational to Brian's Scrum journey. [8:33] - Julie shares her introduction to Scrum and how the connections and support she received from the community were crucial to her growth and advancement. [09:42] - Brian shares his regrets about not getting involved with a community sooner. [11:56] - Brian shares how mentoring is like dating and why taking the time to have the discussions needed to form the foundations for authentic relationships is vital. [13:08] - Read the room. Julie offers guidance on avoiding mistakes while searching for a mentor. [14:46] - How cross-pollination and venturing out to form connections in other industries helps you grow in your own. [15:41] - Being part of a safe community can help you advance your skills while helping others. [16:57] - Julie shares how to get started as a Scrum Master after you've been trained and the overall value of finding the right fit. [18:50] - Successful product ownership requires two key components. [19:16] - Where the rubber meets the road: expanding what you've learned in your training through real-world experience. [20:45] - Start where you are: how applying your Scrum training to other areas beyond software development can help enhance your skills. [22:55] - Brian and Julie share some examples of Scrum hidden in the non-software world, including in education and marketing. [25:32] - How to use your skills to help a nonprofit in your area. [27:11] - Brian explains how A-level classes can help you overcome hurdles as you advance in your career. [28:53] - Learning never stops: the importance of obtaining knowledge for now and later. [29:10] - Julie shares the value of debriefing with someone else. [30:31] - Problem-Solving Leadership (PSL) [31:22] - What classes and tools have you used to advance your skills? We'd love to hear. Reach out to share your experience. References and resources mentioned in the show Let Go of Knowing The Agile Mentors Community DFW Scrum Book Early for Savings on Mountain Goat Software Training Classes Agile Mentors Podcast EP#32: Scrum in High School Sports with Cort Sharp Agile Mentors Podcast  EP#23 How Agile Works in Education with John Miller Agile Mentors Podcast  EP#21: Agile Marketing Teams with Stacey Ackerman Agile Mentors Podcast  EP#31: Starting Strong: Tips for Successfully Starting with a New Organization with Julie Chickering Finding and Becoming Great Mentors and Sponsors with Carla Harris on WorkLife with Adam Grant Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com. This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Julie Chickering, the brains and brawn behind JC Agile Consulting, believes that Lean and Agile practices are packed with potential — to enable positive culture change, business agility, and breakthrough results. Julie is a past president and board member of the Agile Project Management Network (APLN), a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), as well as a traditional Project Management Professional (PMP).