Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software

Mike Hall, Agile Authority, discusses the pros and cons of SAFe, emphasizing lean thinking, continuous improvement, and tailored adoption over a one-size-fits-all approach. The podcast explores the significance of waste in Agile practices, the four key steps in implementing SAFe, and the importance of aligning agile strategies with organizational needs.

Dr. Ryne Sherman, expert in personality assessments from Hogan Assessments, joins the Agile Mentors Podcast to discuss how understanding individual strengths and motivations can revolutionize hiring and team-building decisions. They explore the history and development of personality assessments, address objections and concerns, and highlight the role of personality in team dynamics. Gain insights into creating successful teams, boosting productivity, and cultivating a positive work environment.

The podcast discusses the importance of conflict in team dynamics, using the Chernobyl disaster as an example. Various types of conflicts are explored, including relationship and process conflicts. The significance of effective listening and communication styles is highlighted. Joining the Agile Mentors community allows for further discussion on conflict management.

Join Brian and his guest Randy Hale as they delve into the world of Lean Portfolio Management to drive Agile transformations and make informed decisions for greater business success. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian sits down with Agile Transformation Coach Randy Hale to discuss Lean Portfolio Management. Listen in as they explore strategies for navigating organizational culture, redefining metrics, and addressing uncertainty to make informed business decisions and drive successful Agile transformations. Listen Now to Discover: [01:18] - Brian Milner welcomes Randy Hale of Agile Velocity to the Agile Mentors podcast to discuss Lean Portfolio Management. [02:40] - Randy shares the definition of Lean Portfolio Management. [04:07] - The first steps to implement Lean Portfolio Management. [06:41] - How to engage finance and accounting teams in the conversations and emphasize optimizing value delivery. [09:35] - What's broken with traditional budgeting? [10:15] - How Lean Portfolio Management helps organizations more easily align with customer needs and adapt to swiftly changing market conditions. [11:56] - Why traditional budgeting processes often lead to delays in responding to unexpected changes. [14:15] - How cultural factors can hinder an organization's adaptation to changing circumstances. [14:30] - Mountain Goat Software has designed the best training to help you stand out in the market. With live interactive courses and a mixture of lecture time and frequent breakout rooms to keep you engaged every second you're learning. All their courses are designed to give you the skills that agile teams and organizations value. For more information and the class schedule visit Mountain Goat Software today. [16:19] - The key components in Lean Portfolio Management. [18:34] - The value of early detection for proactive responses. [19:31] - Randy discusses the impact of organizational culture on transformation efforts and the importance of adapting processes within a compliance-based culture. [21:26] - Brian and Randy discuss the challenge of selecting meaningful metrics for effective decision-making. [24:48] - Randy highlights the importance of addressing uncertainty and focusing on critical factors using a scenario where a projected $5 million in revenue failed to meet expectations due to unvalidated assumptions. [25:21] - Brian discusses the common-sense principle that the further you are from a future event, the less precise your predictions can be. [26:29] - The million-dollar point of the conversation. [27:01] - The default way of tracking things that is disconnected from reality and the real value of what you deliver. [28:57] - You can connect with Randy at Agile Velocity or via LinkedIn. [30:32] - Don’t forget to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts. If you have feedback or ideas for the show, just email podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com. [31:04] - For further discussion about Lean Portfolio Management or any other topic on the Agile Mentors Podcast join the Agile Mentors Community. References and resources mentioned in the show: Certified Scrum Master Training and Scrum Certification Certified Scrum Product Owner Training Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner® Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts #17: Getting There From Here: Agile Transformations with David Hawks 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. Randy Hale is an Agile Transformation Coach with over a decade of experience guiding companies through Agile transformations. Randy's hands-on knowledge and training have helped businesses of all sizes embrace Agile and Lean thinking for greater success including Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Petco, and Charter Communications.

John Grant, an expert in using Agile methodologies in the legal field, discusses the challenges of communication clarity, the shortage of lawyers, and the importance of prioritization. He explains why the Kanban method is well-suited for legal practices and highlights the value of client-focused strategies in reshaping legal workflows. The podcast explores the implementation of Agile methodologies in the legal space and encourages listeners to take Kanban classes for improved workflow efficiency.

Join Brian and his guest Lance Dacy as they address the interplay (and the skepticism) of combining Agile and data science. Tune in as they explore the art of crafting Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) to create impactful and efficient solutions. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian sits down with Lance Dacy to delve into the nuances of aligning data science with the software development mold while dispelling the myths along the way. Listen in as Lance shares his wealth of experience and insights guiding listeners through the step-by-step process of building MVPs in data science projects and sharing how Agile principles seamlessly apply to both worlds. Listen Now to Discover: [01:13] - Brian introduces Lance Dacy on the Agile Mentors Podcast. Since listeners appreciated the previous data science and agile episode, Lance is here for Part Two, this time discussing how data science fits into the software development mold. [02:00] - Addressing the skepticism of combining agile and data science; Lance has both expertise and practical experience. [02:43] - Lance emphasizes that he understands the “naysayers” concerns but aims to help others comprehend the synergy. [03:05] - Waterfall might be better: sorting out the different perspectives on Agile development and data science. [04:45] - The importance of scoping and architecture in software development projects. [05:15] - Challenging the notion of perfectly defined objectives. [05:46] - Most software projects lack a completely predefined understanding. [06:39] - How Agile's empirical process and mindset of experimentation align with data science. [07:30] - Presenting a real-world MVP example combining business drivers and data science techniques. [08:04] - Clarifying what Agile is—a philosophy based on values, not a step-by-step process. [09:03] - The importance of sustainable pace and productivity in Agile. [10:10] - Introducing the concept of MVP and acknowledging the evolution of data science techniques. [11:00] - Discussing MVP in the context of data science, and aligning it with empirical approach. [11:38] - Highlighting the role of MVP in testing assumptions, mitigating risks, and user feedback. [12:00] - Exploring data science's practical relevance for consumers to forge a relatable discussion. [12:47] -Acknowledging familiarity with technology, uncertain about tactics. [13:00] - Highlighting how AI and data science are pervasive in everyday technology use. [13:29] - Examples of AI data science integration: search engines, online shopping recommendations, social media content, smart homes, and more. [14:42] - Introducing common uses of data science: customer segmentation and marketing techniques. [15:19] - Applying clustering techniques like K means for automated segmentation. [15:34] - Lance shares his paper on supply chain optimization, using an ant colony algorithm. [15:56] - The techniques and purpose of supply chain optimization. [16:23] - Exploring data science applications: collaborative filtering, matrix factorization, neural networks. [16:42] - Clarifying data scientists' approach: not a random process but based on problem-solving with models. [17:18] - Iterative development as a primary reason for MVP in data science. [17:57] - Using real-world performance data for model improvement. [18:21] - Risk mitigation as a critical aspect of MVP: linking risk mitigation to surviving challenges and learning from them. [19:51] - Starting with an MVP reduces risk by avoiding overly complex models without sufficient feedback. [20:19] - Setting stakeholder expectations with an MVP: providing tangible insight into data science trade-offs and early deliverables. [20:39] - Highlighting operational considerations of deploying and maintaining data models, addressing challenges in data pipelines, infrastructure, and monitoring. [22:17] - An MVP approach aligns with Agile principles for data science. [22:35] - Brian clarifies the misconception that MVP means sacrificing quality for speed. [23:30] - Lance agrees, addressing the misconception, and emphasizes MVP's importance in learning and improvement. [23:32] - Have you thought about training with Mountain Goat Software? With classes such as Mountain Goat Software, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) developed by Mike Cohn, and team home software for better interactivity during classes you can’t go wrong. [24:00] - Brian suggests transitioning to walking through a model or example of creating an MVP. [24:07] -A tangible framework for mapping data science work to MVP steps, acknowledging the contextual nature of the process. [24:50] - Lance acknowledges the complexity of the steps, so they’ve been posted below under resources. [25:11] - The importance of problem definition and defining the scope of the MVP. [26:34] - The challenge of gathering and preprocessing data. [27:20] - Selecting a simple model that is easy to interpret and implement for faster training times, easier troubleshooting, and adherence to the principle of parsimony. [29:12] - Using feature engineering to select the most relevant features for the model. [29:33] - Choosing a manageable number of features for the model, rather than attempting to incorporate all available data and avoid overcomplicating or overfitting the model. [30:11] - Lance emphasizes the importance of selecting a simple model and conducting feature engineering based on the insights gained from that model. [30:36] - Training the chosen machine learning model using pre-processed data, typically by splitting the data into training and validation sets. [31:15] - The challenge of evaluating the model's performance and the importance of using the appropriate metrics. [31:34] - The goal: create a model that is good enough for gathering feedback that aligns with the concept of MVP. [31:53] - Lance describes the last step of building an MVP: deploying the MVP by integrating the model into a suitable platform or application. [32:26] - The importance of making the MVP accessible to end users. [33:00] - The crucial feedback loop for making improvements to the model and features, and refining, scaling, or reconsidering the approach. [34:09] - Why you might want to initially deploy a slightly higher-level model. [34:57] - The parallel between the steps of creating an MVP in data science and the principles of Agile. [35:18] - Brian adds that in data science, feedback not only comes from customers and users but also involves analyzing results and outcomes as a form of feedback to refine the model. [35:53] - The importance of relying on scientific expertise to analyze the results of the model and evaluate its accuracy and validity. [36:10] - In data science, the feedback loop also involves analyzing the outcomes and results, similar to the iterative process of receiving user feedback in software development. [37:00] - Lance draws parallels between software development and data science by comparing the process of building software features with the steps involved in creating an MVP for data science. [39:21] - Lance offers some practical examples, beginning with a recommendation system. [41:06] - The decision tree approach and its benefits for stakeholders. [43:00] - Lance talks about churn prediction to gradually incorporate more nuanced data. [43:55] - MVPs for chatbots and the benefits of starting with simple scripted responses in a chatbot MVP. [45:59] - Managing multiple projects. [46:24] - The effectiveness of using logistic regression and decision trees for MVPs. [47:00] - Lance emphasizes the importance of managing stakeholders' expectations. [47:53] - Lance discusses the need to consider the context when interpreting model performance metrics and involving stakeholders in these discussions. [49:16] - The importance of collaboration between data scientists and stakeholders for delivering valuable solutions. [50:11] - Lance draws a comparison between data science and software development in terms of the challenge of coordinating work across different specialized areas. [51:00] - Lance highlights the importance of feedback and iterative adjustments for success. [53:24] - Again, you can find Episode #54: Unlocking Agile's Power in the World of Data Science with Lance Dacy, here. [53:48] - We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and your suggestions for future topics. Just email podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com. If you enjoyed the episode, the best way to support us is to share it with others and subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts. [55:00] - Don’t forget to check out the Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule, including, Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) and Advanced Certified Scrum Master (ACSM) and Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (ACSPO) classes. I'd really love to see you in class! References and resources mentioned in the show: 6 Reasons Why I Think Agile Data Science Does Not Work | by Ilro Lee Why Data Science Doesn't Respond Well to Agile Methodologies Lance’s SMU Paper (Ant Colony Algorithm and Traveling Salesman Problem) #54: Unlocking Agile's Power in the World of Data Science with Lance Dacy Certified Scrum Master Training and Scrum Certification Certified Scrum Product Owner Training Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner® Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Reasons for Quick MVP in Data Science are to support: Iterative Development Feedback Loop Risk Mitigation Setting Expectations Operational Considerations Steps of the MVP: Problem Definition Gather and Preprocess the Data Select a simple model Feature engineering Train the model Evaluate the model Deploy the MVP Collect Feedback Iterate Decision Time Examples of MVP in Data Science (Logistic regression and decision trees are often used as initial models due to their simplicity, interpretability, and relatively quick development time.) Recommendation Systems: Instead of building a complex recommendation engine, a company might start with a simple rule-based system (e.g., recommending the most popular items) to gauge user interest and system engagement. Churn Prediction: An MVP might involve creating a basic model based on a few key features (like usage frequency and customer complaints) to predict which customers might churn. Later versions can incorporate more nuanced data and sophisticated algorithms. Natural Language Processing (NLP): For a chatbot, the MVP might involve scripted responses or basic keyword matching. Once deployed, user interactions can inform the development of more advanced NLP capabilities Conclusion With Rapid MVP, context is crucial with regard to our general benchmarks (F1-Score, ROC-AUC, MAE, RMSE). You should strive to always consider the context of those benchmarks with the problem being solved. In some medical diagnostic tests, even an F1-score of 0.95 might not be good enough due to the severe consequences of false negatives or false positives. We also likely need to compare the model's performance metrics with a simple baseline (e.g., random classifier, mean prediction) to determine how much value the model is adding. Always align the model's performance with business objectives. Even a model with a high ROC-AUC might not be suitable if it doesn't meet the specific precision or recall targets set by the business. Isn’t it better to find ways to know that earlier than later? 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. Lance Dacy is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®. Lance brings a great personality and servant's heart to his workshops. He loves seeing people walk away with tangible and practical things they can do with their teams straight away.

Brian welcomes Maarten Dalmijn, author of Driving Value with Sprint Goals, to discuss the secrets of setting impactful sprint goals, fostering collaboration, and bridging the gap between team objectives and stakeholder expectations for Agile success.

Scott Dunn, an expert on the complex factors in the office vs. remote debate, joins Brian to discuss the pros and cons of returning to the office post-Covid. They explore productivity, work-life balance, leadership styles, personality types, and economic factors. They emphasize the importance of trust, employee satisfaction, and establishing psychological safety in teams. They also address the issues of team accountability and fair distribution of work in the agile world.

Agile Coach Reese Schmit shares tips for breaking recurring anti-patterns in teams and organizations by understanding the 'why' behind Agile practices. They discuss common anti-patterns like robotic daily scrums and unproductive gripe sessions. Emphasizing the significance of inspecting and adapting, they highlight the importance of clear sprint goals and team continuity, as well as recognizing patterns and individuality in organizations. The chapter concludes with a discussion on focusing on the core and expressing gratitude.

In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian welcomes Don McGreal to discuss the revision of the Scrum Guide and the delicate balance between staying true to the core principles of Scrum while allowing for necessary flexibility. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian is joined by Don McGreal, to delve into the topic of revising the Scrum Guide. Don shares some of the behind-the-scenes of the decision-making process, and the rationale behind the crucial revisions that have shaped the latest version of the Scrum Guide. Listen in to gain a deeper understanding of the principles that guide Scrum and how they continue to evolve and the delicate balance between staying true to the core principles while allowing for necessary flexibility. Listen Now to Discover: [01:11] - Brian welcomes us to the show and introduces his guest, Don McGreal, the Founder and Vice President of Learning Solutions for Improving, author of “The Professional Product Owner” and a big name in the Scrum.org community to talk about revising the Scrum Guide. [04:27] - Don shares how he got involved in revising the Scrum Guide. [05:21] - One team, one group focused on the product. [06:57] - What a scrum team consists of now and why they made the change. [08:11]- We don't expect you to have a title on your business card. [08:53] -The switch from role to accountability. [10:51] - Ten people on a team, one Scrum master, one product owner: It's not illegal in Scrum to take on more than one set of accountabilities or have a bigger team but there are risks involved. [12:51] - Three people using Scrum to work through treatments for a child with autism. [13:34] - Why the team decided to stick with the term "developer." [16:22] - Other terms, including "sprint" and 'backlog" that caused debates and why they stuck. [17:39] - Scrum sounds different because it IS. [18:20] - True Leader: the hot-button topic in the scrum guide that people are still debating, and how they landed on their decision. [19:52] - Clarifying the term "serve" and the need for true leaders who empower the team and make things happen beyond just serving. [21:21] - Today’s show is brought to you by Mountain Goat Software's, Advanced Certified Product Owner® Course, which aims to enhance product owners' skills, confidence, and credibility. The course offers lifetime access to materials and interactive software for valuable and enjoyable breakout exercises. Additionally, participants gain access to Mike Cohn's Agile Mentors Community, with 12 months of ongoing coaching and support. [22:00] - The decision to drop the three questions from the Daily and the new approach. [22:47] - A significant addition to the Scrum framework – the concept of a product goal representing the journey towards a vision. [23:40] - The (results-driven) power of the product goal as inspired by “The 4 Disciplines of Execution." and how it’s changed how backlogs are managed and success is measured. [25:00] - Changing the measure of success: measuring success by value rather than checking things off a backlog list. [25:26] - The vision is the big idea-the product goal is the milestone. It's a step towards the vision. [26:21] - In the revised Scrum Guide, the product goal is now part of the product backlog, emphasizing a commitment to achieving objectives with sprint and product goals focusing on the overall goal, not every task, while the Definition of Done ensures the increment's success. [29:28] - Before the new Scrum Guide, teams working on multiple products had debates on having one prioritized backlog or multiple lists. [30:12] - How the introduction of the product goal in the Scrum Guide directed teams towards having one focused direction, (preventing everything from being equally important). [31:06] - How emphasizing one strategic focus helped teams with multiple products alleviate challenges with prioritizing and improved their approach and alignment. [31:43] - Product backlog with mixed products lacks direction. Product goal provides focus without excluding other items. [33:15] - Some of the controversial changes, like making refinement an event and concerns about terminology like "master" in Scrum roles. [34:49] - The term "immutable" in the Scrum Guide means unchanging, which some find bothersome, but it serves to maintain consistency and distinguish genuine Scrum from modified versions. [36:49] - It's immutable, and it isn't suffocating. It's a lightweight framework described in a 13-page document—there's a lot of wiggle room in there—give it a shot and give it its best chance to succeed by following these simple rules. [37:28] - Change it if you must but then stop calling it Scrum. [38:05] - The sacred text about Scrum is meant to be easy to take on, helpful…AND flexible. [39:22] - Learning from the early days: streamlining a 200-300 page document with legal complexities into the current Scrum Guide, while aiming to distill its essence and promote simplicity and accessibility. [40:48] - You can find out more about Don and Improving by visiting their website. Additionally, Don's book, "The Professional Product Owner," can be found on Amazon. [41:07] - If you enjoyed the episode, the best way to support us is to share it with others and subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback is valuable, so feel free to email us by clicking here. References and resources mentioned in the show: Scrum Guides Improving The Professional Product Owner: Leveraging Scrum as a Competitive Advantage Scrum.org The 4 Disciplines of Execution Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner® Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule 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 the 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. Don McGreal is Vice President of Learning Solutions at Improving, and author of the best-selling book: 'The Professional Product Owner: Leveraging Scrum as a Competitive Advantage', and a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer who has authored and taught classes for thousands of professionals around the globe.