The Agile Coach Podcast

HIGHLIGHTS Working as a scrum master in Mayo Clinic and acquiring an Agile mindset Empower your team by not making them excessively reliant on you  Learn how to ask the right questions, then ask some more  How to create transparency in your team  Working with leader to develop an agile mindset  Handling a difficult member in the team  What is the biggest hurdle to success? Good leadership is large...

HIGHLIGHTS A lifetime of learning  What is Kanban?  The Kanban Iceberg: it's not just about sign cards  Explaining Flow What does a flow manager do?  Measuring Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) The Agile Manifesto How to coach a team on XP (Extreme Programming)  On Service Delivery Review  Measuring outcome vs output QUOTES Matt : "It's been really nice to see how different people are doing things and...

In today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite tips we've received from our guests about how to conduct a great retrospective. Topics to be discussed include the five steps of a retro, meeting facilitation and making retrospectives fun. Featuring clips from the following episodes (in order of appearance): Ep. 16 | Agile Team Retrospectives (ft. Meghann Rudolph) Ep. 18 | Inspiratio...

In today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite tips we've received from our guests about what it means to be a business analyst. Topics to be discussed include the role of a business analyst, what a business analyst is expected to know starting out, and how to mitigate risk. Featuring clips from the following episodes (in order of appearance): Ep. 2 | Role of a Business Analyst in...

A common misconception is that agile is a process, but it's not; it's a way of thinking. You're not just repeating steps, you're continuously inspecting and adapting and looking for ways to create a better team and a better product. In today's podcast, we sit down with director of product management, Alex Courtney, and discuss topics such as how to teach kanban, what makes a good agile candidate a...

In February of 2001, seventeen individuals came together to create a people-first approach to software development. These ideas are now known as The Agile Manifesto and have been summarized by twelve principles. In today's podcast, we sit down with Jeremy Aschenbrenner and dissect these principles, looking into how each one compliments the other and the core concept of empathetic product developme...

To become a business analyst, there's a lot you have to learn, even after you've obtained the title and role. Aside from writing user stories and representing the end user for the development team, the role of a business analyst is really what you make of it. You're constantly learning and growing, better understanding the business practices and the people who make up the foundation of the organiz...

In today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite moments from interviews we've had with scrum masters here on The Agile Coach Podcast! Topics to be discussed include scaling scrum, adding value to a new team, psychological safety and unlocking intrinsic value. Featuring clips from the following episodes (in order of appearance): Ep. 13 | Facilitation from a Modern Agile Perspective...

In a product-producing organization, although the vision comes from the top down, the value goes from the bottom up. This is is why empathy for all and a willingness to change are key concepts to display within a business reaching for success. In today’s podcast, we sit down with scrum master Athulya Mohanan and discuss topics such as defining Agile, challenges in Agile transitioning and what it’s...

Scrum is a behavioral framework that stands upon three core pillars: transparency, inspection and adaptation. As a scrum master, it’s important to not only ensure that these pillars apply within your team, but also yourself as a leader as you strive to focus on people first. In today’s podcast, we sit down with scrum master Hari Khanal and discuss topics such as the Agile manifesto, dealing with i...

Having a good understanding of the technical design tools is essential for any good UX (user experience) designer, but their greatest asset is their design mindset which solely focuses on what is best for the customer. While an engineer might think about code efficiency and a product owner might think about what can make the most money for the organization, a designer must balance all this, and at...

After its humble launch from a college dorm room in 2004, Facebook has grown into not just a household name, but a billion dollar company that has dramatically shaped the way we interact. With its dedication to continue innovating better ways of communication and connectivity, it's easy to compare this tech giant to the role of a product manager. Like Facebook, a product manager is dedicated to co...

Like watching any great magician, the work of a professional coach can leave one feeling awestruck. Coaches may seem to effortlessly create solutions out of thin air, but as many of us have come to learn, magic is oftentimes an illusion. When it comes to professional coaching, the solutions don't just magically pop into existence, nor do they come from up the coach's sleeve; the solutions come fro...

Most people don't view empathy as an intrinsic part of leadership; leadership is generally seen as logical where empathy is emotional. However, whether you're working with a small group, a large team or an entire company, each of these configurations consists of the same thing: people, and people are emotionally-driven. Someone might forget what you say to them, but they won't forget how you made...

The software world is amazing. You're essentially just taking what used to be a rock and tricking it into thinking using electricity in a process that, to many, is comparable to magic. But human nature being what it is, it's very easy for this almost mystic power to get to one's head. You begin to obsess over the details, things that you can do and all of the possibilities that exist in the tech s...

You did it. You finally graduated school and are ready to go out into the world and put your expertise to good use. Nevertheless, there is one thing standing in between you and the job of your dreams: the interview. On its face, an interview might seem to be simply a measure of how much you know about a given subject, but in practice, an interview is really more of a measure of how willing you are...

One of the first steps people take on their journey towards their dream job is talking to a recruiter. However... most people have no idea how to do this! In order to properly work with a recruiter, it's important that you first understand how a recruiter thinks. What motivates them? Why do they do what they do? What can you do during your interaction with them that will help land you that job? In...

Launching a Product with a PM Mindset (feat. Nikunj Sharma) | Ep. 20 Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theagilecoach/support

In a world of individual performers, it is easy to forget about the power of the team. One can become so focused on accomplishing the task they were assigned that they overlook how their decisions affect anyone else. However, each of us have unique skills and perspectives that can have a positive impact on what we are trying to get done. A team is more than just a group of people, it's a human sys...

The 12th principle of the Agile Manifesto reads as follows: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.” This principle has traditionally been observed through what are called retrospectives. In many cases, the true intentions of the retrospective are lost as we approach them as nothing more than meetings we hold becaus...

One of Agile's key principles is customer collaboration, and a great way organizations can exhibit this principle is by implementing the Scaled Agile Framework (or SAFe). In SAFe, you're not just working with one team, but many teams, which creates dependencies and a more transparent and collaborative work environment. In today's podcast, we sit down with Agile team facilitator, Hari Khanal, and d...

Although it may at first seem counterintuitive, concepts like vulnerability and courage are more related than you might think. With every act of courage comes risk (be it risk to one's own physical safety, wealth, social standing, etc), and with every risky decision comes vulnerability. Although we are all born vulnerable, no one is born courageous. Courage is a skill that is learned through inten...

If you were to ask six people to describe what makes a product manager, you'd likely get seven different answers. This is because the role of a product manager is like white space; a blank canvas waiting to be filled and defined by your company, the people you work with, and most importantly, you. In today's podcast, we sit down with product manager, Rajsi Rana, and explore how to begin defining y...

As an Agile facilitator, your job isn't just to keep track of time and take meeting notes; it's to encourage conversation and collaboration and guide teams into what's best for them. Ultimately, your goal is not to change people, but rather make them awesome by enabling them to reach their full potential. In today's podcast, we sit down with Senior Agile Coach, Barbara Kryvko, and discuss topics s...

We've all been there. You're invited to some sort of gathering where there are people you haven't seen in awhile. Maybe you've been busy with work or other obligations, but you know that if you go to this event, someone's going to make you feel guilty for not showing up more often. What do you do when that happens? Do you get angry, sad, or maybe defensive? This is where emotional intelligence com...