Agents Unleashed

“I think a good SPC has to be a coach, too … You have to use the language of the people who have to become agile because agile isn’t the goal. It’s using the agile things to become faster, to become better, to have better user feedback” - Niko Kaintantzis Stephan Neck and Niko Kaintantzis join Mark Richards in the first ‘reprise’ episode.  The initial iteration of SPC’s Unleashed delved into some...

“Not having good DevOps is a lot more expensive than having DevOps” - Mark Richards In this enlightening podcast episode, Niko takes the reins as the host, guiding Ali, Stephan, and Mark through a rich discussion on the essence of DevOps and its implications for modern organizations. Niko initiates the dialogue by delving into ownership and collaboration in DevOps. Ali highlights the importance of...

“Can you integrate, and do you do that very frequently on a cadence?  Yes, then that generates learning, and so forth, and so forth!  Und so weiter, und so weiter!” - Ali Hajou Why is it important to Develop on Cadence and Release on Demand?  How fast can you learn?  Does it integrate?  Does it work?  Do your customers like it?  In this episode, Ali, Stephan, Niko, and Mark continue in their quest...

"Experiment like a scientist, not a mad scientist" - Mark Richards Have you ever asked yourself, "If Innovation was an animal, which one would it be?" That's how Niko started this episode's journey into the Innovation Culture dimension of SAFe's Continuous Learning Culture competency. It set the scene for an eventful discussion as Mark, Ali, and Stephan shared insights on lessons they'd learned an...

"Team of teams is not a target state, but rather an opportunity for value creation and delivery" - Stephan Neck As an SPC or other agile change agent, how do you bring the Team of Agile Teams dimension of SAFe's Team and Technical Agility competency to life in your organization? In this episode, Ali, Stephan, Niko, and Mark continue in their quest to provide insight and inspiration by sharing thei...

"Scream and shout that you've done good things" - Ali Hajou As an SPC or other agile change agent, how do you help your organization turn Relentless Improvement from something you talk about to something you do? In this episode, Ali, Stephan, and Mark continue in their quest to provide insight and inspiration by sharing their personal journeys and war stories from the field. Mark moderates, as Ste...

"Test it while it feels unfinished. Otherwise, you fall in love with your solution and defend it instead of accepting feedback." - Niko Kaintantzis  As an SPC or agile change agent, how do you support your organization's mastery of Customer Centricity and Design Thinking? In this episode, Ali, Niko, Stephan, and Mark continue in their quest to provide insight and inspiration by sharing their perso...

"At the heart of a learning organization is a shift of mind - from seeing ourselves as separate from the world to connected to the world, from seeing problems as caused by someone or something 'out there' to seeing how our actions create the problems we experience" - Peter Senge As an SPC or agile change agent, how do you bring the Learning Organization dimension of SAFe's Continuous Learning Cult...

"You can build a hut on rotten ground, but not a skyscraper" - Niko Kaintantzis Ali, Niko, Stephan, and Mark are on a quest to help agile change agents, particularly SPCs, grow their skills and impact beyond certification. In this episode, they share insights from their personal journeys with the Built-in Quality dimension of the SAFe Team and Technical Agility competency. Ali hosts Niko, Stephan,...