Agile Coaches' Corner

This week, on the Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host Dan Neumann and his AgileThought colleague, Sam Falco, will be taking a look at the Product Owner role in Scrum! The Product Owner Role sometimes gets overlooked in a lot of discussions around Scrum — yet, they’re one of the most important, complex, and crucial roles. They’re the visionary behind the product. Primarily, their responsibility to the Scrum team is to maximize the value of what the development team creates

This week, Daniel Vacanti is joining the podcast! Daniel is the co-founder and CEO of ActionableAgile, the world’s leading provider of predictive flow analytics for Agile processes. He is also the founder and CEO of Corporate Kanban, the premier Kanban training, coaching, and consulting partner who shows developers how to use their current software delivery processes to shorten software releases. They are among the world's leading experts in applying lean software solutions for all types of enterprises.

 

Today, Daniel Neumann and Daniel Vacanti will be talking all things Kanban. Daniel explains exactly what Kanban is, what it looks like in practice, the data side of Kanban and how it aids in making better decisions, the process of collecting data through Kanban, and the overall benefits of using Kanban. Daniel also gives a thorough walkthrough of how exactly to get started with Kanban starting right where you are.

 

Key Takeaways

What is Kanban?

Kanban is an agile methodology for managing the creation of products

With a focus on continuous delivery, Kanban has an emphasis on getting tasks done while continually improving the process

An important aspect of Kanban is to start with where you are at and not begin with making large changes right away

Kanban is also about making incremental, evolutionary change rather than radical leaps

The data side of Kanban and how it helps:

The metric side of Kanban is a way to bring objectivity into otherwise subjective conversations

Data is used to make better decisions by managing risk better, delivering value more efficiently, continuous improvement, and release planning

The simple process of collecting data through Kanban:

Define ending and starting points of the work process as a team or organization (to know when to start and end measurement)

After that, all you need from a data perspective is the timestamp when an item crosses that start point and endpoint (through this, you can begin to calculate work-in-progress, cycle time, throughput, and start making predictions)

To forecast data, Daniel recommends the Monte Carlo Simulation and cycle time scatter plot — ActionableAgile also does scatter plotting for you (all linked below)

Longterm benefits of collecting data:

Understanding how long it takes for an individual item to go through your process allows you to make accurate forecasts

Benefits of using Kanban:

Gives more accurate answers with a lot less effort than other methods

Uses lay language, which allows you to more clearly speak to your customers

How to get started with Kanban (in summarization):

Start with a basic understanding of your workflow

Define the points in which you consider work to have started and to have finished

Take a timestamp for every single item that goes through this process

Once you have that data, you can calculate cycle time, throughput, work-in-progress, all the flow metrics; and then put them into tools (such as the Monte Carlo Simulation or the cycle time scatter plot)

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Daniel Vacanti (LinkedIn)

Corporate Kanban

ActionableAgile

Agile 2019 Conference

Monte Carlo Simulation

Cycle Time Scatter Plot

The Flaw of Averages: Why We Underestimate Risk in the Face of Uncertainty, by Sam Savage

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts, by Anne Duke

 

Daniel Vacanti’s Book Pick:

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, by Richard Thaler

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Today, Daniel Neumann and Daniel Vacanti will be talking all things Kanban. Daniel explains exactly what Kanban is, what it looks like in practice, the data side of Kanban and how it aids in making better decisions, the process of collecting data through Kanban, and the overall benefits of using Kanban. Daniel also gives a thorough walkthrough of how exactly to get started with Kanban starting right where you are

Today, your host Dan Neumann is joined by AgileThought colleague, John Gravitte, the Director of Quality! John has been in the quality field for about 26 years. He started out doing the testing himself but became a QA Manager in ’99 and began to manage teams, which is when he realized he really had a knack for process improvement, streamlining standards, and efficiency. When he arrived at AgileThought, he was introduced to Agile and it was a perfect fit for his quality-oriented mindset!

 

In this episode, they will be exploring how testing is done on Agile projects; taking a look at some of the challenges, good practices, anti-patterns, and which standards and processes can really enhance Agile. John also provides many key insights and tips on how to go about leveraging quality and using that within Agile teams.

 

Key Takeaways

How to address some of the challenges that come along with testing on Agile projects:

• Use shift left testing (i.e. doing some testing in the development environment to give quick feedback to the developers)
• Implement processes that support quick feedback
• Arrange meetings with developers to understand exactly what they need to know and get clarity on the acceptance criteria
• Have test case reviews and outline the test cases that need to pass prior to coding

How standards and processes can enhance Agility:

• Having a process and a standard documented for a project helps individuals know what they are responsible for
• If the project grows and you have to bring on new talent, having standards comes in handy for pointing newcomers to — especially for younger talent
• It’s not a replacement for thinking; they’re guide rails
• The processes can always be updated when better ways are discovered

How to ensure quality roles keep up with the rapidly changing codebase and evolving feature sets:

• Use test automation which enables those in quality roles to be able to keep up with the changes and rapid delivery
• QA leads should meet with the test engineers one sprint behind to automate the most relevant pieces first and put that into a ‘smoke test’ which saves time

How does automation pay off?

• Risk really builds up if you don’t use automation because there’s no way you can manually verify everything, every time
• The amount of time and the coverage that you get from automation is worth the investment
• As environments get used, data gets cluttered up, so having automation to do the data setup can really enhance quality

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Swagger

Postman

 

John Gravitte’s Book Pick:

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

In this episode, they will be exploring how testing is done on Agile projects; taking a look at some of the challenges, good practices, anti-patterns, and which standards and processes can really enhance Agile. John also provides many key insights and tips on how to go about leveraging quality and using that within Agile teams

 Joining your host, Dan Neumann, today is his AgileThought colleague, Christy Erbeck. Christy is a Principal Transformation Consultant at AgileThought, with over 25 years of experience in domestic and international consulting, training, and coaching, working in both software development and non-product-focused environments, including manufacturing (discrete and process), distribution, and sales and marketing. On top of all that, Christy is also a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator.

Today, Dan and Christy will be discussing Radical Candor based on the fantastic book by Kim Scott of the same name. In her book, Kim courageously shares some of the missteps she has made as a manager in her career and how she created tools and techniques to help others not make the same mistakes she did. Radical candor is all about building new behaviors and new skill-sets that help managers and leaders to create a healthy environment for everyone to work in.

 

Tune in to get Christy’s insight on exactly what radical candor is, what it isn’t, how to begin implementing the radical candor framework and apply it successfully in your workplace!

 

Key Takeaways

What is ‘radical candor’?

• Radical candor is the result of caring personally about people and challenging them directly
• Placing the ‘person’ before the business
• Radical candor shows how to be a successful leader while retaining humanity and creating a healthy environment for everyone to work in

What isn’t radical candor?

• “Telling it like it is” — you’re speaking to a person directly but doing it in a way that shows you do not care about them
• Believing the idea: “If I’m not direct or mean you won’t take the feedback seriously” (AKA obnoxious aggression or ‘front-stabbing’)
• Ruinous empathy (which is when you care without challenging)

What is the radical candor framework?

It is a simple framework illustrated in Kim Scott’s book that teaches leaders how to build better relationships at work, as well as fulfill their three key responsibilities (which are: creating a culture of feedback, building a cohesive team, and achieving results you are all proud of)

What are some important tenets within radical candor?

• Setting boundaries
• Establishing a relationship with the person you want to speak directly to
• Providing feedback right away in an honest, quick, transparent way
• Really understand the people that you work with, care deeply for them, and be willing to ‘dance’ with them (or, ‘be in the arena,’ as Brené Brown would say)

Christy’s tips for beginning to apply radical candor in the workplace:

• Ask for feedback before giving feedback (show your people that you can take it)
• Take action where it’s appropriate (related to that feedback)
• Learn from the feedback you are given — you will grow from it
•  

Mentioned in this Episode:

Christy Erbeck (LinkedIn)

Radical Candor, by Kim Scott

Agile2018 Conference

Sheryl Sandberg

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 25: “Talking Feedback with Christy Erbeck”

SBI Model

Brené Brown

Agile Alliance

Kim Scott’s ‘Radical Candor’ Agile2018 Conference Keynote on Agile Alliance

Radical Candor on Blinkist

Chris Shinkle at Agile2019

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts, by Annie Duke

 

Christy Erbeck’s Book Pick:

The Dance of Connection: How to Talk to Someone When You’re Mad, Hurt, Scared, Frustrated, Insulted, Betrayed, or Desperate, by Dr. Harriet Lerner

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Today, Dan and Christy will be discussing Radical Candor based on the fantastic book by Kim Scott of the same name. In her book, Kim courageously shares some of the missteps she has made as a manager in her career and how she created tools and techniques to help others not make the same mistakes she did. Radical candor is all about building new behaviors and new skill-sets that help managers and leaders to create a healthy environment for everyone to work in

This week, Dan Neumann is joined by AgileThought colleague, Eric Landes, to discuss real vs. fake teams! Landes, who comes from a DevOps background, originally started out as a developer. Currently, he serves as a Senior DevOps Consultant, ALM Director, and Solutions Architect. In his roles, he helps clients deliver value to customers in their software delivery pipeline, and has extensive experience in leading organizations in adopting agile and lean frameworks, like Scrum and Kanban.

 

In today’s discussion about real vs. fake teams, Dan and Eric talk about what distinguishes between the two, the benefits to having a real team vs. a fake one, and how you can help enable teams to move from ‘fake’ to real. Tune in to hear it all!

 

Key Takeaways

What distinguishes a real team vs. a fake team?

Real teams collaborate while fake teams cooperate

Fake teams are groups of individuals that are not behaving together and do not have a shared goal or outcome

Real teams have a collective focus, they are catching defects before they happen, and there are code reviews happening in real-time

Fake teams observe rather than code in real-time (so they end up with really delayed feedback)

Fake teams generally have lots of individuals, working on lots of different problems at the same time (therefore, they’re not really building on each other’s ideas)

Real teams have an interest in continuously improving together, whereas fake teams may have a rockstar or two who go after self-improvement where the rest don’t

Benefits of having a real team:

Faster delivery pattern with higher quality

A real team collaborates and keeps the whole team’s focus in check

It’s a lot more energizing than working in isolation

Benefits of quality and speed and delivery

The focus from the accountability you get from being on a team helps eliminate brain distraction

Happier employees

How to enable teams to move from “fake” to real:

Making coding katas or dojos a regular thing for the team

If you’re management and the team wants to hone their craft, help enable that

Defining the goals for real collaboration beforehand with your team can help enable more effective collaboration

Does the team have a goal that makes sense for them? If they don’t, then start there in establishing one

When you do have a goal for the team, look at the product backlog and make sure it is structured in a way that enables collaboration

In the retrospective, help the team see some things that might be opportunities for improvement that would encourage a collaborative focus

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Eric Landes (LinkedIn)

Agile 2019 Conference

Woody Zuill

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts, by Annie Duke

 

Eric Landes’ Book Picks:

Training from the Back of the Room!, by Sharon L. Bowman

How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority, by Clay Scroggins

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

n today’s discussion about real vs. fake teams, Dan and Eric talk about what distinguishes between the two, the benefits to having a real team vs. a fake one, and how you can help enable teams to move from ‘fake’ to real. Tune in to hear it all!

Today’s guest is Scott Riley, a colleague of Dan Neumann’s and a Delivery Leader at AgileThought. As a Delivery Lead, Scott wears multiple hats and is responsible for the successful delivery or implementation of projects. If anything goes wrong during a project, it is Scott’s job to be able to identify what that issue is and remedy it.

 

In this episode, Dan and Scott are discussing the challenges of bringing agile into a non-agile environment. They talk about the challenges they generally see in work environments transitioned to agile, misconceptions they often hear around agility, the concerns and struggles they often see as organizations are in their agile journey, how to overcome these challenges,  what makes for a successful agile organization, and how AgileThought works with organizations that are getting started on their agile journey.

 

Key Takeaways

Misconceptions Scott often hears around agility:

That being creative, quick, or clever is all it takes to be agile

If there are no rules in place that means you’re being agile

That agile should be implemented because ‘it’s just the new way of doing things’ rather than to solve a problem the organization is facing

Challenges Scott sees in organizations that are in a place of pre-agile adoption:

That there’s no foresight into scalability

They’re not paying attention to how they can sustain things, longterm

Challenges of bringing agile into a non-agile environment:

Fear of change from the organization

That they only bring in aspects of the framework without implementing it fully

That the organization is confused about what is agility from having multiple consultants from different organizations

How to overcome these challenges:

Help the organization and its members to become extremely familiar with the principles of agile

Make sure it’s the path this organization actually wants to go down, by asking the important questions (such as, “Why agile?” and “What problem are we addressing?”)

Do the coordination but not to the detriment of people’s sanity

Concerns and struggles Scott often sees as organizations are in their agile journey:

Struggles with cross-team communication that turns into a game of telephone

Building something with an assumption rather than the true knowledge of what it should be

The uncertainty of self-organizing teams

For a successful agile organization:

It’s important to have a true understanding of the Agile Manifesto and all of its principles

You need open channels of communications between business people and developers who work together daily

Make sure that conversations don’t lead to misdirection

Teach members how to collaborate and bring every decision into a team process

How AgileThought works with organizations that approach them to have a conversation about their agile journey or to improve their agility:

We help by facilitating conversations

We determine where their baseline is and where they want to go

We provide an assessment and then move forward with that

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Scott Riley (LinkedIn)

The Agile Manifesto

Eric Landes (LinkedIn)

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 19: “Eric Landes on Kanban Metrics in the Scrum Framework”

Agile Coaches’ Corner Ep. 22: “The Role of Managers in Agile Organizations with Esther Derby”

Agile + DevOps East (in Orlando, FL)

 

Scott Riley’s Book Pick:

Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland, by Dave Barry

 

Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?

Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!

Email your thoughts or suggestions to [email protected] or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!