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

Recently, a small audience was shocked to learn that Product Manager Brian Orlando has no team members in the permanent role of QA (or Testing). On this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando discuss why the audience reacted like Brian just kicked their dog, and what it takes to get a hypothetical team to the same point. 0:00 Topic Intro: We Have No QA 0:26 Th...

On this week's podcast, we're joined by Alex Polyakov . Alex is the CEO and Founder of Project Simple . Alex and his company are on a mission to make Teams better by building the first ever AI Agile Software Management Platform and solving the ever-growing list of problems and frustrations that come with Jira. Go see what Project Simple is all about by visiting them at projectsimple.ai ....

We're reviewing Ron Jeffries article: "Estimation is Evil" from the February 2013 issue of the Pragmatic Programmers magazine. This article is mostly known for being the source most people quote when they say the inventor of story points is sorry he created them, or that the inventor of story points doesn't like story points. We dig into this claim, reading the article and summ...

How do you "sell" management on Retrospectives? This question was posed to the group at a community networking event and we thought it was such a deep question, we'd bring it into the podcast! On this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando discuss ways to bring up retrospectives and way to engrain them into the culture of your organization. 0:00...

In this podcast, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando discuss the most common disagreements, arguments, and spirited discussions that Scrum Masters find themselves in throughout their careers. There were so many topics, we had to split this podcast into two! 0:00 Topic Intro: Most Common SM Disagreements 0:35 Impediment Disagreements 2:59 Using the Definition of Done...

In this podcast, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando discuss the most common disagreements, arguments, and spirited discussions that Scrum Masters find themselves in throughout their careers. There were so many topics, we had to split this podcast into two! 0:00 Topic Intro: Most Common Disagreements 0:34 Today's Framework 0:59 Hourly Estimates 3:04 Relative Es...

In this episode, we explore an article titled "Do Infrastructure Teams Need Product Management." Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel as we discuss the realities of Infrastructure or Platform teams and the reasons they team might or might not have a Product Manager. Click here for the Source Article . 0:00 Topic Intro: Do Infrastructure Teams Need Prod...

On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel discuss the reporting structures of Product Management and dive into an article on the subject by Product Consultant, Jason Knight. https://arguingagile.com/ Jason Knight's Full Article: " Falling in Love with Problems, and who SHOULDN’T Product Management report through? ," published Feb 20, 2023....

On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel discuss the reasons why everything is always priority one in some teams and software development organizations, their experiences in these organizations, and what might be done. https://arguingagile.com/ 0:00 Topic Intro: Everything is Priority One! 0:34 Not Touching This... 2:10 Unclear Product Expectations 7:00...

Dive into the world of Agile software development, quality assurance, and testing in this knowledge and experience-packed podcast episode! Join a former QA Manager turned Product Manager and an Enterprise Agility Coach as we explore key topics around agile development and testing! #AgileDevelopment #QualityAssurance #TestingInAgile #SoftwareQuality #TechDebt #CrossFunctionality #AutomationTesting...

On this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel responds and discusses some typical complaints or gripes with agile practices and agilists in general. 0:00 Topic Intro: Gripes with Agile 0:26 Om's Immediate Response 2:25 Agile Has No Deadlines 5:08 Lack of Product 7:30 Giving Deadlines 9:43 No Documentation 11:47 Formality of Handoffs 16:36 No Long Term Planning 21:31 Systems Design &...

If everybody needs change management, then why are we so bad at it? Today, returning Arguing Agile guest Stormy Dickson stops by for an in-depth discussion on change management, including: Why Having a Coach is a HUGE Bonus A Summary of "Leading Change" by John Kotter (from AA60) Where Change Typically Breaks Down The Importance of Setting and Communicating a Solid Vision The Importance...

Product Manager Brian Orlando has the absolute pleasure of sitting down to talk agile transformations with the dynamic duo of Agility Coaching - William Kremner and Om Patel! Listen as we discuss the pain points that organizations face that lead them to consider agility and as we offer advice on how to overcome these challenges. Pain points aside, we also banter about: Aligning Stakeholders with C...

Offshoring in Software Development 0:00 Topic Intro: Offshoring 0:28 Cost of Labor 3:06 Not So Pure Cost 5:31 Product Quality 9:08 Larger Talent Pool 12:16 Replacing Employees (Attribution) 13:50 Time Zones (24/7 Development) 19:36 Irreconcilable Time Zone Differences 21:37 Less Support Staff 24:30 Missionaries, Not Mercenaries 25:52 Collaboration & Culture 31:19 Partners 33:31 Real Perspectiv...

Are you a Scrum Master or Product Manager serving on multiple teams? Are you feeling overwhelmed, or have you noticed certain problems that you can't quite put a name to? It could be that you've got one team (or a couple teams) too many! On this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando discuss the effects of serving on multiple teams. We discuss some s...

The team constantly scans for impediments. The scrum master should be "causing the removal of impediments." ...but how? In this episode, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando deep dive into the world of impediments. Are impediments the same as blockers? Is a dependency an impediment? How do we deal with organizational design and communication between teams a...

This episode promises to broaden your understanding of the Product Requirements Document's (PRD) significance as you join an experienced agile coach and a seasoned product manager as they deconstruct the PRD in Agile Software Development. Delve into real-world examples like the Amazon Six Pager to understand how these documents contribute to clarity and alignment within the team. Explore the...

Ayo is back to talk about his experience with the same person serving as both Scrum Master and Product Owner. With a different take on this topic, Enterprise Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando explore what to do if you might be in this position rather than the textbook concept of "should" or "can" one person play both roles. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:42 The Textb...

What happens when self organization goes off the rails? Join another riveting episode as your hosts - an agile coach and a product manager  -dive deep into the fascinating world of self-organization within agile teams! From cancelling sprint events to dealing with conflicts, your hosts explore various subjects that impact team dynamics and project success! Discover valuable insights on leadership&...

The CEO of AirBnB Brian Chesky made some (probably unintentional) waves when he announced at Figma's Config 2023 that he had eliminated the role of Product Manager. In this podcast, we watch and respond to the entire talk. We dig past the clickbait and discuss the context behind his remark. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:35 Curtis's Breakdown 1:16 Config 2023 with Brian Chesky: Intro & Ordinary...

Today we're answering more fan mail! In this podcast, we answer Mitch's question by discussing the different software development methodologies available and what happens when management forces a methodology on a team. We cover the pros and cons of each methodology, as well as some of the common pitfalls that can occur when a methodology is forced on a team and we might even share tips f...

With all the layoffs facing agile professionals, Scrum Masters might be looking at open Project Manager positions. If you're a Scrum Master, moving to Project Management - this podcast will walk you through some of what you might expect. 0:00 Topic Intro 1:00 What's a Project Manager 3:22 Position Decline 7:56 The Contracting Market 9:37 Scrum Master Development 13:24 Consultant Agile Co...

Should we all just be promising and committing to dates when asked? Today, we're reacting to an article that seemed to express the opposite opinion of our our Roadmaps episode. On further inspection, we find that it's not exactly what it seemed to be at first glance. Our Roadmaps Episode: AA113 - Debating Outcome-Based vs Output-Based Roadmaps A step back into time about the XBox One Lau...

Have you ever been referred to as an Agile Purist? We have - and today, we're talking about this derogatory label! Who might you hear this from? Why might they say it? What can (and should) you do when you hear it? 0:00 Topic Intro 0:43 Why You Hear It 2:24 Executives 4:39 Pragmatic Management 6:25 Brian's Pushback 7:21 Project Managers 8:49 Product Managers 10:09 Engaging with the State...

Both Product Manager Brian Orlando and Product Manager Tricia Barnes have been recommending to our favorite Special Mystery Guest that she consider transition her career towards Product Management. On this episode, we talk about the benefits, advantages, and concerns of a Scrum Master moving into a Product role. Bonus points if this has been your career journey - we'd like to hear from you in...