Arguing Agile: Product Management, Business Leadership, & Org Design

Does your team struggle with large, complex user stories that don't fit in a sprint? 🤔 In this podcast, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel brainstorm for 10 techniques to split user stories for better flow and faster software delivery. 💡 This episode is all about practical tips to slice stories by: Workflow and valuable user paths  Personas and role...

In this episode, we're joined by Ed Martin to discuss and debate the benefits and challenges of asynchronous daily scrum meetings.  Listen as we explore the reasons teams may want to go async, potential pitfalls to avoid, and best practices to make async standups effective. If your team is struggling with async practices, listen as we explore ways to optimize your async workflow, including: T...

Are you (or management) considering shuffling team members to improve performance? Before you play musical chairs, explore the latest Arguing Agile Podcast (Linked in the comments) for ways to make sure you're using data, not just reacting to hearsay and emotions! Organizational design is difficult - don't just stumble through it. We all know shuffling people between teams can disrupt te...

In this episode of the Arguing Agile podcast, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel are joined by Software Development expert Ed Martin for an exploration how company size affects business agility. We discuss the challenges that arise as organizations scale from 3 people to 30 to 300 and beyond, covering topics like losing the culture of experimentation, orga...

Onboarding New Product Managers In this episode of Arguing Agile, hosts Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel dive into the challenges and best practices around onboarding new product managers.  Topics include: Communicating the company vision, mission and goals  Mapping key players, stakeholders and decision-making processes Aligning the new PM's goals...

In this episode, hosts Hemant (Om) Patel and Brian Orlando are joined by special guest Bob Crews , co-founder and CEO of Checkpoint Technologies. Listen as we dive deep into the critical role quality assurance plays in the agile development process, including: The difference between QA and QC and how they fit into agile  How QA has evolved over the past 20 years The importance of risk analysis as...

What is a product philosophy and why does it matter?  In this insightful episode, Ed Martin joins hosts Om Patel and Brian Orlando to discuss how clarifying your product principles and values can align your team and improve decision-making.  Discover the difference between product philosophy, vision, and principles. Learn practical tips for formalizing your philosophy and applying it to real-world...

"Fail fast" is used so often, it has become a cliché! In this episode, we tackle rebranding the term "fail fast" to "learn fast" within organizational cultures. Is this a step towards promoting psychological safety and open conversations, or does it undermine the essence of embracing failure as a catalyst for growth? Whether you're a leader, manager, or part of a...

In this episode, our favorite special mystery guest joins the podcast for a comprehensive walkthrough of the PI Planning agenda so that our resident Product Manager, Brian, can be "sold" on the idea. SAFe P.I. Planning is a critical event that aligns teams with business objectives and fosters collaboration across the organization... ...or is it? Drawing from extensive experience, we delv...

Standardization. It's the battle-cry of managers, the world, over! This episode explores a parallel track to our Weaponizing Efficiency episode where we explore the dark side of standardization.  In this episode, the hosts share their experiences and insights on topics such as: The potential stifling effects of rigid processes and monocultures on innovation The dangers of groupthink and burea...

Some people say you can't build products without being guided by evidence. Some people say you can't build products without strong intuition. We're arguing about the balance so you don't have to! This episode, we also welcome back friend of the show Alex Polyakov, CEO and Founder of Project Simple. Alex and his company are on a mission to make Teams better by building the first...

In agile software development, everyone loves to say they know what the customer needs... but who do you really need to listen to, and what are they really saying?   This podcast explores the different roles and their interpretations of "customer needs", from product managers to founders to the actual customer! 0:00 Topic Intro: It's What the Customer Needs 0:33 When the Product Man...

Weaponizing Efficiency: Is it really helping your software development, product, and teams? Efficiency is crucial, but at what cost? This episode digs deep into the dark side of "weaponized efficiency" in software development, product management, and team & business agility. We discuss how seemingly well-intentioned practices can stifle creativity, breed fear, and ultimately hurt val...

If your product has a combination of hardware and software, this is the podcast for you! This podcast is all about agile in the manufacturing world with manufacturing expert and consultant to the stars, Clint Murt! Clint joins Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando for an exploration of a realm where just creating great software isn't enough. We quickly d...

Senior Product Coach Mike Miller is back on the Podcast, joining Brian & Om for a fun and lightweight podcast discussion about the unspoken realities of agile software development! Get ready to talk about all those elephants in corners - from the unspoken challenges teams experience, to budgeting woes, to inflated titles, to unclear goals and value propositions! 0:00 Topic Intro: Things You Do...

In this episode, we answer an interview question that Brian has started to notice Product Managers stumbling over: "What are some indicators you would look for to know if an agile team is working effectively?" 0:00 Topic Intro 1:49 Velocity 4:39 Delivery and Forecasting 6:21 Flow Metrics (Cycle Time, Lead Time, WIP) 7:50 Say-Do Ratio 10:17 Different Uses for Say-Do 11:31 Retro Improvemen...

This podcast is your ultimate introduction to the cryptic, mysterious, and sometimes clandestine world of software development finance. Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as they explore the finance-side of the house with special guest and CPA, Newton Owi! Listen as we discuss the ins-and-outs of software-finance, including an explanation of Capex vs...

Have a world-changing product idea but don't know how to get it to users? This no-nonsense episode of the Arguing Agile podcast breaks down the REALITY of building products from the ground up. Listen as two industry veterans discuss market research, MVPs, user feedback, and go-to-market strategies so that you can avoid costly mistakes and boost your chances of success.    0:00 Topic Intro: 0...

Ever wondered about why you hunger for an episode on Release Planning or why Brian's Spotify rant struck a chord? Get the inside scoop at this retrospective feast!  We'll examine the recipes for our most popular content from 2024, revealing the juicy trends and themes that tickled your fancy. Plus, we are giving a sneak peek into future episodes, inspired by your binge-worthy favorites!...

Why Do Incompetent Men Rise to the Top? ️ This week's #ArguingAgile #Podcast tackles Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic's 2013 HBR article on this very real issue with #leadership. Read the Article: https://hbr.org/2013/08/why-do-so-many-incompetent-men 0:00 Topic: Incompetent Men in Leadership 0:37 Ratios of Men to Women in Management 3:03 Management vs Leadership 5:04 We Can't Measure Leader...

Buckle up fellow agilists because this episode we're asking the question - should your next Scrum Master be your Manager? Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando are breaking the working agreement for this week's podcast to review an article posted on Scrum.org by Ryan Ripley titled: "Your Next Scrum Master Should Be Your Manager." Read the Article:...

Is ego the silent assassin in your team's success story? Tag a friend who needs to hear this conversation! In this blistering episode of the Arguing Agile Podcast, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando crack open the Pandora's box of ego in the workplace and its devastating impact on team dynamics, product development, and overall success. A big thank you to...

The question came up recently at a community event: "What Technical Skills Should a Scrum Master Have?" Brian didn't answer the originally posed question, turning it into "What skills should a SM have," and that bugged him so much, he wanted to turn the actual question into a podcast! On this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando disc...

Minimum Viable Product as made famous by Eric Reis in the Lean Startup is barely recognizable and likely unusable due to the proliferation of different concepts associated with the term. Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando discuss and debate what MVP is, what it's supposed to be, and try to discern any usefulness from the jargon that seems to have coopted and r...

HELP! Our Backlog has 500 Bugs and we feel like we're never going to dig ourselves out!!! Remain calm... On this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando walk through how a company or shop might get to this point, and discuss some strategies to help dig yourself out of this deep, dark hole! 0:00 Topic Intro: 500 Bugs in the Backlog 0:28 Initial Reactions 2:...