The Delivery Manager Daily

This week on Delivery Manager Daily, I'm joined by Matthew Barrington-Packer — product, delivery and transformation leader, creator of the VOLTS Method, author of Just Fcking Ship It, and host of Deadlines & Detours. Matthew works with teams who are stuck in the fog of delivery: too many meetings, too little decision-making, too much theatre, and not enough shipping. In this conversation, we g...

In today’s episode of Delivery Manager Daily , I break down one of the oldest and most unhelpful arguments in digital delivery: Should we run with process, or without it? The truth is far more nuanced. Too much process kills flow. Too little process creates chaos. Real delivery lives in the messy middle — where structure supports speed without suffocating it. We explore: Why “no process” doesn’t e...

In Episode 83, I break down the exact 90-day plan a high-performing Solutions Director should follow the moment they join a consultancy. No fluff, no corporate theatre — just a practical, commercially sharp walkthrough of how to expose the truth in a delivery organisation, restore control, protect margin, and build a predictable engine for long-term success. I've learnt a hell of a lot in this are...

In this episode of The Delivery Manager Daily , Mario De’Cristofano explores how AI is reshaping the world of delivery — from digital transformation and software pipelines to logistics, forecasting, and real-time decision-making. We unpack what’s really changing, which skills delivery managers will need next, and how AI-driven delivery ecosystems are rewriting the rules of value, flow, and governa...

I wanted to talk about how when organisations want to be truly Agile, it ain't about putting Jira in, mandating its use & bosch - you're Agile. A recent discussion in the pub with a buddy of mine found that he was going through some org challenges, & Jira was being penned as a panacea. Well we've talked about this before right? It's not. So let's find out why. In this short podcast I refer...

🎙️ Episode: Emotional Resilience & The Myth of the Unbreakable Leader In this episode of The Delivery Manager Daily , Mario De’Cristofano explores what emotional resilience really means for modern leaders — and why wellness isn’t a luxury, it’s an operational necessity. From “urgency theatre” and invisible emotional labour to the quiet cost of leadership masks, Mario breaks down how organisati...

In this episode of Delivery Manager Daily , Mario De’Cristofano dives deep into the messy side of professional life: How to understand whether you’re positively or negatively impacting the world around you How to cope with the knob heads at work — and why sometimes, walking away is the smartest leadership move you can make And how to truly understand yourself — your reactions, your triggers, and y...

🎙️ In this episode of Delivery Manager Daily , we dive into some cutting-edge and controversial topics: How AI is shaping vibe coding and why it might change the way teams build software The recent hack at JLR and what it means for the wider cybersecurity landscape Why AI-driven note taking could be more of a problem than a productivity boost …and plenty more insights from the world of delivery an...

Welcome to The Delivery Manager Daily , where today we dive deep into the fast-evolving world of vibe coding – a growing trend where developers build through feel, flow, and intuition rather than rigid specs or sprint-driven structures. We explore: What vibe coding actually is (beyond the memes) The challenges it poses for delivery managers and engineering leads How to strike a balance between flo...

🎙️ Vibe Coding: Empowering Delivery Managers in the AI Era In this episode of The Delivery Manager Daily , Mario DeCristofano delves into the transformative world of Vibe Coding. Discover how natural language prompts are enabling Delivery Managers to prototype ideas swiftly, bridge communication gaps, and accelerate digital delivery. Key Takeaways: Understanding the fundamentals of Vibe Coding The...

In this episode, I lay down the tactical playbook for CTOs operating under pressure in 2025. No budget? No problem. We cover 8 no-fluff, high-impact moves every modern CTO should be executing before asking finance for more runway. From building an AI-first delivery culture to pruning zombie infra, and showing up locally—this is the field guide for tech leaders who deliver. ~~JOIN TELEGRAM FOR FORE...

🎧 Episode: The 30-Minute Stakeholder Reset 🎙️ Delivery Manager Weekly with Mario De’Cristofano Stakeholder drift is real — and it’s deadly for delivery. In this episode, I'll lay out a sharp, 3-step reset framework for Delivery Managers to realign with stakeholders, clarify direction, and restore delivery momentum — all in 30 minutes. 🔍 You’ll learn how to: State the situation without triggering...

🎧 Episode: The 30-Minute Delivery Health Check 🎙️ Delivery Manager Weekly with Mario De’Cristofano Think your delivery is going fine? Prove it — in 30 minutes. In this episode, Mario breaks down a tactical, time-boxed framework every Agile Delivery Manager should have in their toolkit. No fluff. No slide decks. Just a sharp, five-part diagnostic to assess flow, clarity, capacity, stakeholder enga...

🎙️ Delivery Manager Weekly — Episode: Standardised Dev Environments in Sprint 0 Hosted by Mario De'Cristofano In this episode, we dive into why setting up standardised development environments during Sprint 0 is a critical enabler for delivery success. Whether you're leading a new squad, onboarding engineers, or launching a greenfield build — this is foundational work that removes friction and set...

AI projects aren’t coming—they’re already here. Whether it’s chatbots, LLM integrations, or data-driven automation, Delivery Managers are being pulled into artificial intelligence delivery whether they’re ready or not. In this episode, Mario breaks down why AI projects are fundamentally different from traditional software builds, what new skills and frameworks are needed, and how Delivery Managers...

Delivering in Volatile Environments & White Privilege Bias In today’s episode of The Delivery Manager Daily , we tackle two critical challenges in the world of Agile and IT leadership: navigating volatile delivery environments and understanding the impact of white privilege bias in decision-making. 🔹 Delivering in Volatile Environments – Whether it’s market uncertainty, shifting stakeholder p...

🚀 New Episode Alert: The Cloud Exodus – Why Companies Are Moving Back On-Premise 🌍💻 For years, the cloud was the promised land—scalable, flexible, and cost-effective. But now, the tide is turning. Organizations are reassessing their cloud-first strategies, moving critical workloads back on-premise. Why? In this episode of Delivery Manager Daily , we break down the key drivers behind this shift,...

This episode is jam PACKED with information if your a new CS graduate, or wanting to get into the Digital Delivery Manager game in 2025, the things I would do if I were starting fresh. You may want to listen to the episodes below too, as they are all linked & I really hope you enjoy this one. Getting interviews for DM roles & how to do well ( here ) How to become a DM ( here ) The skills y...

In this episode I wanted to talk about two things; Hybrid working - can you effectively do Scrum with new Scrum teams on new projects? This question came about after my talk at Keele, & I thought it was a great question & one which needed unpacking a bit. Running a good kick of meeting (or any meeting) Hands up how many meetings are you in that are an utter disaster? Try of course doing th...

SKIP to approx 17 minutes in for PRACTICAL ADVICE if you're a computer science student, but I was recently asked off the back of a Keele University talk on Agile how I got to do what I'm doing, so I thought I'd record an episode all about it. As always, thanks for listening, please subscribe & share the podcast with your mates who may be interested in this kind of stuff too. Mx Follow Mario De...

In this episode & accompanying blog post , I talk about why being too nice at work can be a problem, especially if you're an Agile leader (or leader of any description). As I've built up my leadership experience over the years to now consider myself 'not too shabby' I wanted to just pick at the edges of a few problems I see at work/client sites & what you can do about it to be better. As a...

In this episode I talk about why after reading a new stat from engprax that a lot of projects were failing due to Agile & even John Kern, one of the Manifesto's forefathers is having 'one last go to try & get people to understand' I think too I could be done with Agile unless, well, you'll have to listen to the podcast won't you! :) As always thanks for listening, join the debate on X ( @m...

In this episode I talk on the notion of digital sustainability, what it is, & why you should care about it as a DM. We're not talking here about running an EV, or recycling, we're talking about what to consider to make your digital products & services more digitally sustainable. I talk about it here on the blog And also, some useful links below' https://carbonagile.com/ https://medium.com/...

In this episode I talk about why I think you may not understand software engineering like you think you do. You can't go & extrapolate from a slice of the discipline to the whole of software engineering, simply it to the point of bastardisation & then expect teams to build good product, can you? Join me & my mate Mark from the pub. Read more about it here https://www.mariosblog.co.uk/y...

In this episode I talk about the things I think you should do, a top 5 list, of when you're brand new to a project, all the things to consider when you're a Delivery Manager or project manager. Take a listen, read the associated blog post https://www.mariosblog.co.uk/top-5-things-you-need-to-do-in-your-first-week-on-a-new-project/ & let me know what you think. M Follow Mario De’Cristofano: 🔗...