take5IRL Podcast

🎙️ On this episode of the Take5IRL Podcast, @Mike and @Jeff dive into a real-world case from the medical device space where a traditionally hardware-focused organization began shifting toward software-driven product development. With teams coming from different backgrounds, they needed a new way to frame work, align mindsets, and actually function as a cohesive unit. Mike and Jeff share how they g...

🎙️ On this episode of the Take5IRL Podcast, all three co-hosts—@Mike, @Jeff, and @Pat—continue the series S*** We Hate About Agile: Velocity! Pat brings this one to the table as they come full circle in the series. He shares how he started his career loving velocity… but after years of real-world experience, his perspective has completely changed. And yes—he’s got a few things to get off his chest...

🎙️ On this episode of the Take5IRL Podcast, all three co-hosts—@Mike, @Jeff, and @Pat continuing the series of S*** We Hate About Agile: Story Point Edition! Mike opens with a hot take: while he appreciates the theory behind story points, the real-world application often falls apart. In his words… SUCKS! He even floats the idea of replacing them entirely with hours. Jeff pushes the conversation de...

🎙️ On the first episode of Take5IRL Podcast, all three of our co-hosts, @Mike, @Jeff, and @Pat start a new series, S*** We Hate About Agile. Jeff Lee kicks things off by calling out one of his biggest frustrations—those all-too-familiar “Agile is dead” posts flooding LinkedIn. Sparked by the latest wave of hot takes, Jeff challenges the narrative that bad practices equal a broken framework. Is Agi...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike wrap up their series on flow metrics with a deep dive into Little’s Law—a foundational concept for understanding how work really flows through a system. Little’s Law—Work in Progress = Throughput × Cycle Time—shows why delivery slows down even when your team is working non-stop. It’s a law, not just a guideline, and it applies whethe...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike dig into another critical flow metric: wait time—often overlooked, but deeply impactful. Wait time is waste time. Whether it's handoffs, approvals, or stalled work, every pause in your process delays value delivery. And since wait time is part of cycle time, the longer it stretches, the more your delivery slows—and the more frust...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike explore another essential flow metric: throughput—the number of work items completed over a given period of time. They break down how throughput differs from velocity, emphasizing that throughput is an empirical, outcome-based measure, while velocity often reflects planned effort. You’ll also hear why keeping work items small is key...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike explore another key flow metric: cycle time. Cycle time measures the duration from one point in your workflow to another—making it one of the most honest and revealing Agile metrics for productivity. While it needs consistency to be reliable, it also reflects the unique rhythm of each team. They discuss why baselining your current cy...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike dive into one of the most critical—and misunderstood—flow metrics in Agile: Work in Process (WIP). WIP can be a powerful indicator of a team’s progress, but it’s also one of the toughest metrics to define and manage. Without clarity around what constitutes “work,” when it starts, and when it ends, teams risk hiding delays and compoun...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike dig into common fallacies around work processes that often get in the way of effective delivery. Their discussion leads to a deeper look at flow metrics—what they are, why they matter, and how they help organizations move value sustainably through teams. They break down how each of them defines “flow,” what it means for a system to d...

🎙️In this episode of the take5IRL podcast, hosts @Pat and @Mike dive into what it truly means to be an Advanced SAFe Practice Consultant (ASPC)—one of the highest distinctions in the SAFe community. Pat, one of the original 30 trainers worldwide to earn this certification, shares his perspective on how the ASPC designation represents years of hands-on experience, deep practical knowledge, and a pr...

In this episode of Take5IRL, hosts @Pat and @Mike unpack insights from the recent SAFe Agile Summit. Pat shares his key takeaways from the event, including updates to the SAFe “Big Picture” and a growing emphasis on customizing SAFe to fit an organization’s unique needs. This shift aligns perfectly with Pat’s core belief: “Agile is not a straitjacket—it’s a framework.” The conversation covers how...

🎙️ In this episode of Take5IRL, hosts @Jeff and @Mike introduce agilityIRL’s newest course offering: the Certified Agile Regulatory Specialist (CARS) for Teams. This one-day course is a streamlined, developer-focused version of the original CARS training we’ve offered to product leadership teams. It's designed to equip development teams with the knowledge they need to build better products, st...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Jeff and @Pat continue their deep dive into Agile in the medical device industry—this time exploring a new engagement with Client C. After conducting an initial assessment, the team uncovered a familiar challenge: a long tail of QMS (Quality Management System) processes that were slowing down delivery and decision-making. Much like Clients A and B...

In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, hosts @Jeff and @Mike share their experiences working with two different medical device companies—each navigating agile transformation in its own way. They reflect on the key differences between the two clients, including how they approached sprint durations, testing cycles, and approval processes. The conversation highlights what made each engagement succe...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, host @Mike sits down with @Gijs Valbracht, Agile coach and former global leader at ING Bank. This episode dives into the organizational shifts that followed ING’s successful Agile pilot. Gijs shares how leadership addressed challenges across the enterprise—reshaping teams, flattening hierarchies, and creating a culture ready for continuous improvement. L...

🎙️ In Part 2 of this Take5IRL series, host @Mike continues the conversation with @Gijs Valbracht—Agile coach and former global leader at ING Bank—to explore the real-world challenges behind ING’s transformation. This episode dives into the practical barriers that emerged as the organization moved toward Agile, and how team and leadership buy-in became the catalyst for real progress. Gijs shares ho...

🚀 What does it take to lead a true Agile transformation in a global enterprise? 🎙️ In this episode of Take5IRL, host @Mike sits down with @Gijs Valbracht, Agile coach and former global leader at ING Bank, to explore how ING embraced Lean principles to deliver one of the world’s top-rated banking apps—ahead of schedule. Gijs shares how transformation success was rooted in team buy-in, energized le...

🎙️ New Episode: The AI Advantage for Scrum Masters In this episode of our AI Lightning Talks series, host @Mike sits down with @Ben Floyd—Certified Scrum Trainer turned AI expert—to unpack how AI can elevate your role as a Scrum Master and beyond. Learn what AI actually means, how to strategically apply it in your role, and why this course is the foundation for integrating AI into your work for th...

In this episode of our AI Lightning Talks series, host @Mike sits down with @Ben Floyd—Certified Scrum Trainer turned AI expert—to explore how AI is becoming an invaluable ally for Scrum Masters. From boosting creativity in retrospectives to generating fresh coaching strategies, Ben shares practical ways AI can enhance team dynamics and self-coaching techniques. Whether you're a seasoned agile...

🎙️ In this episode of our AI Lightning Talks series, host @Mike sits down with @Ben Floyd—Certified Scrum Trainer turned AI expert—to explore what every Product Owner needs to know about working with artificial intelligence. Ben dives into how Product Owners can use AI not just as a buzzword, but as a practical, powerful tool to drive efficiency and clarity in their work. From refining your backlo...

🎙️ In this episode of our AI Lightning Talks series on the Take5IRL podcast, host @Mike chats with @Ben Floyd—Certified Scrum Trainer and AI innovator—about the growing impact of artificial intelligence on developers. With nearly 40% of developers now being told they need AI skills to stay relevant in their roles, Ben dives into how AI is reshaping development work. He breaks down the tasks AI is...

🎙️In this episode of our AI Lightning Talks series of the Take5IRL podcast, host @Mike chats with @Ben Floyd—Certified Scrum Trainer and AI innovator—about how artificial intelligence is transforming agile practices. Ben shares how AI is helping teams build MVPs faster than ever, shrinking development cycles from two weeks to just one—or even 24 hours. The result? A game-changing opportunity to “t...

🎙️ In this episode of our AI Lightning Talks series, host @Mike sits down with @Ben Floyd—Certified Scrum Trainer turned AI expert—to tackle a pressing topic: How can professionals learn and use AI tools when company policies are still unclear? Ben breaks down how to safely explore AI without risking company data, shares smart ways to build your AI skills even when your organization hasn’t set cle...

🎙️ In this episode of the Take5IRL podcast, our hosts @Mike and @Pat explore agilityIRL’s new partnership with Medical Alley, the nation’s leading network at the intersection of healthcare and innovation. Together, they break down what this collaboration means for agilityIRL clients, how it amplifies the impact of our work, and why Medical Alley is such a powerful ecosystem for transformation. Mik...