Troubleshooting Agile

What if complaining could be a good thing? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss the benefits of ‘positive complaining’ and how it can be used to strengthen relationships and offer valuable insights into what matters to the person complaining. Links: Trust Conversation (TDD for People): https://itrevolution.com/articles/test-driven-development-for-people/ Co-conspirators episode: https://s...

If you’re using Sinek’s “why, what and how” framework for team collaboration, what do you do when it turns out you’re lacking two out of the three?! In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey talk about their own experience of this, the concept of leaky abstractions, and the importance of shared problem ownership. Links: - Simon Sinek: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ - Somebody Else's Prob...

Should you start a Guild? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss examples of adverse possession, including listener Marcel-Jan’s experience of starting a Python guild within his team, and how you can take similar proactive steps to help build a more engaging and dynamic community of practice. Links: Co-conspirators episode: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/co-conspirators-and-cit...

What does it mean to be a co-conspirator? On the run up to CitCon Auckland 2025, join Squirrel and Jeffrey as they reflect on the event they first met, its history and how ‘co-conspirators’ have been pivotal in their careers and client work. Links: - CITCON ANZ 2025: https://citconf.com/auckland2025/ - Chris Matts Communities of Practise: https://theitriskmanager.com/2015/04/19/communities-of-need...

What does it mean to be a flexible leader? In part two of this two-part episode of Troubleshooting Agile, we welcome back Kevin Eikenberry to talk about ‘flexors,’ approaches to leadership that can help leaders and team adapt more effectively, and develop a mindset of experimentation. Links: - Kevin Eikenberry: http://kevineikenberry.com and http://kevineikenberry.com/gift - Flexible Leadership ht...

What does it mean to be a flexible leader? In this episode of Troubleshooting Agile, we welcome Kevin Eikenberry to talk about complex vs complicated situations, how to experiment rather than sticking to rigid policies, and his new book ‘Flexible Leadership’ Links: - Kevin Eikenberry: http://kevineikenberry.com and http://kevineikenberry.com/gift - Flexible Leadership https://kevineikenberry.com/f...

Is trust the ability to predict someone’s actions? And can it apply to organisations as well as individuals? Join your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey, as they tackle the importance of delivering consistent results to foster trust, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - TDD for People, a method for building trust: https://itrevolution.com/articles/trust-and-test-driven-development-for-peop...

What are the challenges when it comes to implementing Toyota Kata at scale? In this episode of Troubleshooting agile, Jeffrey talks about how they’re using the Improvement and Coaching Katas to foster better structured learning and accountability across multiple teams. Links: - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Shu, Ha, Ri: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuhari - Previous ep...

Why can't I apply for a driving license at 3 AM? Join Squirrel and Jeffrey in discussion on the history and challenges of modernising legacy systems and how delivering incremental improvements can "strangle" the pitfalls of a full rewrite, in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Dafydd Vaughan on DVLA batch systems: https://dafyddvaughan.uk/blog/2025/why-some-dvla-digital-services-dont-...

Does asking for the “dumbest” solutions stimulate the most creative ideas? Join Squirrel and Jeffrey as they answer two listener questions on the theme of boosting creativity, including why you might wear a funny hat to your team warm-up, in this week’s episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Core Protocols Checkin: https://thecoreprotocols.org/protocols/checkin - Dave Snowden on Changing Cloth...

Balancing psychological safety and high standards is crucial for high performance in your tech team. Join Squirrel and Jefferey for a discussion on this, plus the misconceptions around perks and productivity, in this week’s episode of Troubleshooting Agile LINKS - Safety vs standards article: https://www.leadingsapiens.com/psychological-safety-vs-high-standards/ - Challenge article: https://www.no...

Can you drive change in your organisation by accelerating crises? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss Deming’s philosophy and explore how visibility and awareness of issues can bring about necessary change. LINKS - Deming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming - Panel discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu7JMAQggfo - Information radiators: https://www.agilealliance.org/...

Is your plan to avoid conflict making things worse? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss the Paul and Ted Case Study, the concept of 'easing in,' and what leaders should do instead, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. LINKS - Eight Behaviors for Smarter Teams: https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/917018/Eight-Behaviors-for-Smarter-Teams-2.pdf --------------------------...

Do you document and analyse failure? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey draw inspiration from Donald Knuth's detailed study of his own software mistakes to give you the lowdown on learning from past mistakes, including meaningful postmortems and retrospectives. LINKS: - Knuth's paper: https://yurichev.com/mirrors/knuth1989.pdf - Foundation Failures: https://www.abebooks.com/Foundation-Failures-...

What do you do when you inherit a 20 year old codebase? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey look at an extreme example of legacy software and discuss why it's important to understand past contexts as well as address modern discrepancies. Links: - Brian's Archaeology Tips: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-tips-software-archeologists-brian-reich-n0ase - Ask Why, But Never Answer: https://blog.jbr...

How do you make sure that critical information is preserved over time? Tune in to learn about “reverse smuggling,” lost TV shows, outdated video game formats, and Rob Landley's Petrochemical archaeology, in this week’s episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Petrochemical archaeology from Rob Landley: https://landley.net/history/mirror/institutional_memory.html - Dr. Who archaeology: https://en...

Can extreme constraints help you think of radically different solutions? In this week’s episode, Jeffrey and Squirrel explore what happens when you point a figurative gun at your team, inspired by Grant Slatton's provocative article 'Algorithms We Develop Software By’ Links: - Grant's article; https://grantslatton.com/software-pathfinding#algorithms-we-develop-software-by - Thinking, Fast and Slow...

Would you delete your unfinished work to ensure a fresh start? On this week’s episode, Jeffrey and Squirrel discuss whether using deletion as a tool can provide focus and improvement, with help from Grant Slatton's provocative article 'Algorithms We Develop Software By’ Links: - Grant's article: https://grantslatton.com/software-pathfinding#algorithms-we-develop-software-by - Code as liability: ht...

Do you or your team show resistance to change? There are some common ingrained habits that can affect your ability to learn. Find out how difficult conversations, pair programming, and test-driven development can help you create new habits to foster meaningful transformation, in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Karate Kid: htt...

Do you avoid making uncertain predictions in favour of task lists to ensure success? If a fear of being wrong means you can’t embrace uncertainty and learn from mistakes then you’re missing out on the natural discomfort of learning. Find out more about how to combat this in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile Links: - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Recent Kata episode:...

When deception overshadows disappointment, severe ethical breaches can occur. Join your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey to discover how clear, honest communication can make sure you’re not dealing with the next Volkswagen emissions scandal, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Goal displacement: https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191843273.001.0001/acref-9780191843...

Challenging the iron triangle in software development - balancing quality, time and scope. In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss Andy Giese’s recent provocative article 'How to Make Product Give a Shit About Your Architecture Proposal.’ Join us to learn how you can use ‘feature thinning’ and joint design to promote collaborative approaches in situations like this. Links: - Andy G's article...

Boost team results by measuring carefully and using consistent methods to move toward your goal–with “scientific thinking” “the Improvement Kata” and “the Coaching Kata”. In this bumper episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss quality and delivery the Toyota Way. Links: - Toyota Kata: https://public.websites.umich.edu/~jmondisa/TK/Homepage.html - Gemba: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemba Other relevant epis...

Your elaborate spreadsheet that prioritises features isn’t rigorous mathematical analysis and should be a conversation starter not a definitive guide. Find out how to avoid ‘Mathiness’ with Squirrel and Jeffrey in the latest from Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Mathiness article: https://www.votito.com/methods/mathiness -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and...

Need to transform decision-making in your agile team? In this episode, we discuss how to harness the power of perceptiveness using Jeffrey’s insights from a lecture on the architect Christopher Alexander and the book 'How Emotions Are Made.' Links: How to Become Perceptive: https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/perceptive - Ryan Singer’s Christopher Alexander: A Primer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...