Business Agility Now Podcast

Sometimes, how you frame something can make all the difference. In this episode, Mylène Boutet, Manager of the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) at Amadeus in France, shares how she helped the HR department have a bigger impact on the company's Agile transformation. Like what you hear? Connect with Mylène on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

As your organization progresses through an Agile transformation, how do you make SAFe—and ultimately business agility—stick? In this episode, Baptise Galea, manager of the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) for FedEx in Europe, shares three key tips around people, communication, and culture. Like what you hear? Connect with Baptiste on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

"I had a bet with some folks during an engagement a couple of years ago … that if I ever say 'SAFe says' then I have to do 10 burpees. That's the rule because it's not about dogma. It's about how can we facilitate conversations and find different ways to explore things." In this episode, Adam talks to Tim Jackson, SPCT and Agile coach, who actually learned about Agile and product management from b...

Looking for another tool to add to your coaching toolkit? In this episode, Tim Jackson, SPCT, Agile coach, and trainer, explains the OSCAR coaching model and how to use it to guide a conversation and help people take meaningful action on something that is important to them. Like what you hear? Connect with Tim on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

What's the difference between transaction costs and holding costs? Is working in smaller batch sizes always best? SPC Aishwarya Radhakrishnan with Deloitte explains and shares clarifying examples. Like what you hear? Connect with Aishwarya on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

"How do we get you from a culture of getting things done to a culture of process innovation at the core? We can compute what the opportunity value of a change would be and how speeding up your processes and increasing your throughput … actually relates to real-world value and real-world returns." In this episode, Adam talks to Millie Paniccia, Brian Paniccia, and Devan Corona with TecVeris about t...

It's not uncommon for Agile teams to encounter challenges as they try to improve efficiency in their product delivery flow. In this episode, Mahesh Varadharajan, SPCT and SAFe practice lead at KnowledgeHut explains why this happens and offers some insights and tips on how to overcome those challenges. Like what you hear? Connect with Mahesh on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

How do you talk to a senior leader about why agility is good for your organization? In this episode, SAFe® Strategic Advisor and SPCT Michele Lanzinger shares some key suggestions. Hint: it has a lot to do with language. Like what you hear? Connect with Michele on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

"I think there is magic in SAFe, and it's called Inspect and Adapt because it's such an important moment for an [Agile Release] train at a company to inspect the product delivered." In this episode, Adam talks to Gerben Kollaard, Release Train Engineer (RTE) at the Dutch Tax Authority. The two discuss Gerben's experience switching from the commercial insurance industry to a government context wher...

A lot of changes happen when companies organize and reorganize around value, which can feel overwhelming. In this episode, SAFe® Fellow and SPCT Eric Willeke from Shaping Agility shares his tips for what to focus on and when, as well as four key things to do to achieve flow throughout your portfolio. Like what you hear? Connect with Eric on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

Working in smaller batches increases flow. But splitting a sticky note into smaller pieces doesn't guarantee that those doing the work will achieve business goals. In today's episode, Strategic Advisor and SPCT Rune Christensen explains why and how enabling team members on solid old and new technical practices can be a big advantage. Like what you hear? Connect with Rune on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe...

What can we learn from someone who has spent a large part of his career taking software things and bringing them to the hardware world? A lot it turns out. In this episode of Business Agility Now, Adam talks to SAFe® Fellow and Methodologist Harry Koehnneman. The two discuss topics including the significant challenges the hardware industry faces and why hardware organizations have been slower to a...

Organizations worldwide are creating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to social issues and meet sustainability goals. In today's episode, Odile Moreau, SPCT and strategic and ESG advisor at Scaled Agile, shares how you can use SAFe to achieve those goals. Like what you hear? Connect with Odile on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

If you're a Release Train Engineer (RTE) leading one or many ARTs, it can be challenging to coordinate everything that needs to happen during important events. In this episode, Mahesh Varadharajan shares his tips for leading large groups successfully. Like what you hear? Connect with Mahesh on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

"Be bold … it takes courage to do things differently." In this episode, Adam talks to Alena Keck and Silke Eggert from Vodafone about their journey toward digital transformation and Lean Portfolio Management. Hear about the challenges, opportunities, and the cultural shift needed to implement participatory budgeting. The group also discusses why it's important to have a culture that allows for exp...

Middle managers often feel lost, including within a SAFe organization. In this episode, Konrad Swistelnicki shares three points to summarize how middle managers can support teams, people, and the organization on a daily basis. Like what you hear? Connect with Konrad on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

How is moving a couch the perfect metaphor for joint problem-solving and joint cognition? Gene Kim explains in this episode. Like what you hear? Connect with Gene on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .

"We chase job titles, and then we chase salary, and we chase status, but we don't chase our version of happiness and success." In this episode, Adam talks to Adele Leah, a personal branding expert and career coach, about personal and professional growth. The two discuss why a personal brand is valuable, why evolving your career requires continuous growth, and the importance of finding happiness in...

If you're an indirect leader, for example, a Release Train Engineer (RTE) or business owner, how can you ensure your intent is accurately communicated to the people doing the work? In this episode, Carl Starendal, SAFe® Fellow, shares proven science from Sweden about giving orders from an indirect leadership position. Hint: it involves the how, the what, and the why. Like what you hear? Connect wi...

In this episode, Ali Hajou, an SPCT and self-proclaimed Agile nerd, shares his take on the many elements contributing to the challenges and evolving landscape for organizations producing physical products. Like what you hear? Connect with Ali on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here .

Leadership involvement can make or break any Agile transformation. In this episode, Alena Keck, head of the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) at Vodafone shares four detailed tips to help you keep leaders informed and keep the transformation headed in the right direction. Like what you hear? Connect with Alena on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here .

How can you help an existing Agile Release Train (ART) be successful and ensure that any new ARTs you launch can do the same? Heidi Hatch, Agile coach and iSPCT candidate shares her tips. Hint: leadership plays a big part. Like what you hear? Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here .c 

"I got to teach a group of high school kids some Agile basics. The kids went through a couple of iterations to design a classroom. Then they had to give feedback. And it was funny how some of them were afraid to say anything. So I told them, don't hold back, this is Agile, you let it loose because feedback is good." In this episode, Adam talks to Karen Lewison, a senior events manager who is part...

From the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) to Agile teams, collaboration is key to success. In this episode, Eshan Chawla, SPCT candidate, explains where else you can find that theme in SAFe and why it's critical to solving complex problems. Like what you hear? Connect with Eshan on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here .

RTEs are very busy people, particularly when it comes to keeping tabs on commitments, such as PI objectves, features, and the work that teams committed to during PI Planning. Good news! SPCT candidate and former RTE Diego Groiso with Cprime has two amazing tips to help RTEs like you track all the stuff to work smarter. Like what you hear? Connect with Diego on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here...