take5IRL Podcast

Are you fed up with productivity clichés that don't deliver? Discover a simple, effective strategy: reduce Work-in-Progress (WIP) and focus on finishing rather than starting. Dive into this approach on the latest episode of the take5IRL podcast, featuring insights from @Pat, @Mike, and @Jeff on how doing less can achieve more—essential for anyone wanting to cut through the noise and enhance th...

Are you faced with budget constraints? Do you have a high-performing team that believes it's outgrown the need for a dedicated Scrum Master? Don't worry; you don’t have to compromise your team's success or bid farewell to the Scrum. Even without a dedicated Scrum Master, you can adopt plenty of strategies to maintain, or even enhance, your team's performance. Curious about how to n...

In recent episodes, we discussed the importance of tracking metrics to measure the effectiveness of your work.  Sounds great, right?  But what metrics are important to measure?  Hint: If your list of metrics starts and ends with Story Points you might be missing something. In this episode @Mike and @Jeff share some of their favorite metrics to measure.

In our recent episodes, we’ve discussed aligning value and creating a visual map of your stakeholders. Now what? In this episode, Mike and Jeff discuss getting stakeholders actively involved, from product definition to delivery. They are probably less involved than you think. Hear how to ensure you have the right people involved, at the right time, and doing the right things.

Are your meetings effective? Are the right people there? Do they all know why they are there? Are you confident that you have alignment across the organization on your product’s direction? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, you might benefit from a stakeholder mapping exercise. In this week’s episode, Jeff and Pat talk through two simple tools to group your stakeholders, allowing you...

In our recent episodes, we emphasized the need to focus on business outcomes in successful Agile organizations. Once business outcomes are prioritized, good Agile coaches focus on the agile practices that support those business outcomes. In this episode, we share some concrete examples of how to do it. To better understand how to map the right Agile practices with your prioritized business outcome...

In our last episode, we delved into Agile Failure Modes. In this episode, Pat and Mike share their expertise on how to avoid these modes by aligning your organization with the most important business outcomes. 

When an organization shifts from traditional practices to an Agile way of working, it faces numerous challenges. However, only a handful of common issues are responsible for the outright failure of Agile transformations. In this episode, Mike and Pat will examine these prevalent failure modes and introduce a framework designed to prevent them.

In our recent episodes, we've explored Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) and its pivotal role in optimizing value delivery for both businesses and stakeholders. LPM shifts from the traditional Project-oriented management to more impactful Product-oriented management.    In this episode, Project Management Professional Patrick and Jeff discuss the key disparities between Project- and Product-mind...

Welcome to part two of our 3-Part Lean Portfolio Management series!    From our previous episode, you now know what Lean Portfolio Management is. The next question is: how do you maximize value with LPM to achieve your business objectives? Tune in to explore how Lean Portfolio Management uses products to deliver value. 

How do you prioritize and allocate resources across various projects to ensure optimal outcomes? How do you ensure alignment between these outcomes and your organization's strategy and business objectives? Tune in to this episode to learn how Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) can help executives, project/product managers, PMO leaders, and key stakeholders bring most the value to business objecti...

Should companies be outsourcing their product development? Join us as we explore the potential solutions for developing core product development. We also explore if it is possible to maintain agility while outsourcing. Tune in to discover the verdict! 

The differences between Agile and Waterfall are well understood, but making them work together is still a challenge. Tune in to hear recommendations on how to integrate Agile and Waterfall teams effectively. 

Psychological safety is foundational in the success of any team, and it becomes even more challenging to establish when work is sent abroad. How can teams create and sustain psychological safety with significant geographical and cultural differences? In this episode, your hosts share their experiences working with dynamic offshore teams, and some tips on increasing that psychological safety. Tune...

A difficult question for organizations is how to maintain an Agile approach while outsourcing development. Outsourcing can have both benefits and drawbacks; tune in to this episode to understand if outsourcing can improve the value your organization delivers. 

As Agile coaches and trainers, we see many of the same behaviors repeat themselves. You can prevent these common problems by understanding why Agile is important in your organization. Hear about common failures in Agile implementations and learn how to avoid them in this episode of the take5IRL podcast.

Before changing their "way of working", organizations should know first what business outcomes they want to achieve - which will be unique to each organization. Discover why focusing on Agile practices alone could lead you astray from the ultimate goal: achieving tangible and strategic business success (as well as determining which outcomes are most important in your organization). Fulfi...

In this episode, Mike, Jeff and Pat predict 2024 trends in the Agile world. Gain valuable insights into the shift towards skills-based training and the role it plays in business success in today's fast-paced and ever-changing landscape. Hear why achieving business outcomes takes priority over following any specific Agile framework. Most importantly, understand how to Take Care of Business…

We are thrilled to announce that Pat Campbell has joined agilityIRL as a Partner. More importantly, he’s the newest member of the take5IRL podcast! Ever wonder how an entire organization can become agile? Pat sheds some light on this challenge, emphasizing the importance of bridging the gap between individual teams and the overarching organizational structure. Discover how Pat, through the lens of...

Definition of Done is one of the most misunderstood concepts for people attending our Scrum training classes. It’s probably also understood by people in your organization. In this episode, Mike and Jeff share how they explain it as Scrum trainers, with metaphors drawing from chicken sandwiches and cocktails. If you hunger or thirst to explain how Definition of Done differs from requirements or Acc...

Not all stakeholders are the same. To be a great Product Owner, you must understand their needs and segment them accordingly. Tune in to this episode as Jeff and Mike share strategies in ways Product Owners can manage and build relationships with their stakeholders, delivering more value with less friction. 📌 Improve your stakeholder management with our upcoming Skills Week training sessions in J...

It’s more than just ordering a Product Backlog. A great Product Owner must have hard skills to make them more effective at working with stakeholders and managing a Product Backlog. Tune in as Mike and Jeff suggest techniques for improving facilitation and breaking down work. 📌 Check out our upcoming Skills Week training sessions to improve your product management! We are offering Professional Scr...

Ever wondered what an Agile Coach really does? Contrary to common misconceptions, they're not the sports coaches barking orders; instead, they're facilitators who ask more questions than provide answers. Good coaches make themselves expendable by mentoring Scrum Masters to take on that accountability. Check out our Agile Coaching services to maximize your team dynamic! https://www.agilityi...

Create focus for your team and get more done by breaking down work. In this episode, Jeff and Mike explore the transformative impact of aligning teams to a Product Vision and creating incremental goals that bring your product toward that vision.

We often get asked… Do Scrum Masters need to be technical? In this episode, Mike and Jeff unravel the technical intricacies that empower Scrum Masters to facilitate seamless communication between Product Owners and Developers. Discover the benefits of a Scrum Master's technical toolkit, which is different than the toolkit used by Developers on their team. ➝ Where can Scrum Masters learn these...