Agile Coaches' Corner

Today on the Agile Coaches’ Corner, Dan Neumann is joined by Ryan Dorrell, the Chief Solutions Officer, and one of the co-founders of AgileThought. He leads the strategic design of their portfolio of offerings and services across their practice areas, focusing on understanding what the future looks like for their clients and how they can best serve them

Return guest, Quincy Jordan, is joining Dan Neumann once again! Quincy is a Principal Transformation Consultant and has been with AgileThought for about one year now. Previous to that, he has served as a Principal Consultant and Agile Coach at SCRUMstudy.com for over six years. Quincy’s mission is to help companies and people who are ineffective in their own mission by assisting them in transforming from what they are to what they desire to be.

This week they’re getting their hands dirty and talking about living off the Agile landscape. Quincy explains the differences between Agile “Gardening” vs. Agile “Farming,” where the Agile farming metaphor came from, and key “farming” practices.

 

Key Takeaways

• The background behind the Agile landscape “farming” metaphor:
• • In farming and gardens, there is great attention to detail and a lot of care put into it, similar to the nurturing needed with Agile
• Agile Gardening vs. Agile Farming:
• • What you need depends on the business outcomes you’re trying to achieve
  • Agile farming requires thinking outside of your immediate environment and scaling beyond your environment
  • Inward benefits from agile gardening vs. outward benefits from agile farming
  • One isn’t better than the other but it is important to choose the right tool
• When scaling:
• • Programmers should pull back their vantage point to get a more aerial view, focusing on overall outcomes and things going on in the environment
  • Teams need a vantage point that is an up-close picture to really see all the detail
• Key Farming Practices:
• • Farmers need to actively protect the environment
  • Just like farmers use crop rotation for soil depletion, it is important to rotate teams to avoid transformation (or Agile) fatigue
  • Rotation needs to take place, whether you rotate teams across different functions or rotate within the team
  • Keep the team together regardless of how you’re rotating it
  • When an environment is new, similar to a farm, they have to ready the soil of the environment
  • Preparation is key
  • If you want teams to collaborate well, an accommodating, structured environment needs to be prepared for the team
  • Farmers must be concerned with “where” before “what,” and “timing” before “time”

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Tampa Bay Agile Meetup

SAFe Model

Agile Coaches’ Corner episode: “Communities of Practice with Quincy Jordan”

 

Quincy Jordan’s Book Pick

The Age of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done,

by Stephen Denning

 

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!

Return guest, Quincy Jordan, is joining Dan Neumann once again! Quincy is a Principal Transformation Consultant and has been with AgileThought for about one year now. Previous to that, he has served as a Principal Consultant and Agile Coach at SCRUMstudy.com for over six years. Quincy’s mission is to help companies and people who are ineffective in their own mission by assisting them in transforming from what they are to what they desire to be

In today’s episode of the Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host, Dan Neumann, and his guest, Adam Ulery, will be exploring an experimental mindset.

Adam is one of Dan’s colleagues at AgileThought. Adam is a perpetually curious, continuous learner who is always willing to encourage others to try new things (as he very often does himself). He’s a Sr. Agile Coach and multifamily investor. He’s focused on helping organizations clarify and meet their business outcomes and loves to help companies become resilient, rediscover curiosity, and change their traditional approach to business.

Dan and Adam explore both the ‘experimental’ and the ‘mindset’ side of an experimental mindset, fully explaining what it is, how it’s used, the importance of it, and the benefits. They also highlight how to successfully set out to experiment and some of the key learning that can come from implementing it.

 

Key Takeaways

• What is an ‘experimental mindset?’
  • Trying something new or different to see if it will work with an intention
  • Intentional about what you’re setting out to learn (through a hypothesis) and then measuring results
• How to successfully set out to experiment:
  • Begin with an end in mind (i.e. know what you’re setting out to achieve)
  • Be curious and start asking questions
  • Have a general awareness as a team and notice patterns to identify areas that may need experimenting (i.e. “what would happen if…?”)
  • Begin collecting data to help identify patterns
• The importance of ‘mindset’ in an experimental mindset:
  • Being open and willing to try new things
  • Approaching it with a genuine curiosity
• The benefits of an experimental mindset:
  • The results will always be valuable regardless of the outcome
  • They are small, safe experiments (vs. big, risky bets)
  • Provides valuable learning outcomes that mitigate risk
• Key Learnings:
  • Experimental mindset is being intentional about what you’re setting out to learn
  • It’s important to have an open mind and approach things with a genuine curiosity
  • Identify patterns through collecting data to pinpoint areas that may need experimenting
• Mentioned in this Episode:
• Adam Ulery (LinkedIn)
• Adam Ulery’s Book Picks
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts., by Brené Brown
• Principles: Life and Work, by Ray Dalio
• The Age of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done,
• by Stephen Denning
• Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate: How a Small Investor Can Make It Big, by Brian H. Murray
• 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 today’s episode of the Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host, Dan Neumann, and his guest, Adam Ulery, will be exploring both the ‘experimental’ and the ‘mindset’ side of an experimental mindset, fully explaining what it is, how it’s used, the importance of it, and the benefits. They also highlight how to successfully set out to experiment and some of the key learning that can come from implementing it

In this episode of Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host, Dan Neumann, is joined by his guest, Principal Transformation Consultant and fellow AgileThought colleague, Christy Erbeck. And today, they’re discussing working agreements.

Christy Erbeck is a client-focused executive dedicated to leading strategic change. She has broad domestic and international experience in corporate strategy, change management, program management and leadership communications. As an Industrial & Organizational Psychologist, Christy is a compassionate and courageous collaborator who is passionate about coaching and developing others and aiding organizations in transformation. Her specialties include business agility and change management, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), manufacturing, distribution and service organizations, creating customer and employee-focused strategies, innovation, and much more.

Join Dan and Christy this episode as they have an in-depth discussion about the importance of having a working agreement in place, her tips for setting up a work agreement with a new team, and how to rework a working agreement that has already been established.

Key Takeaways

• The importance of having a working agreement in place:
  • Helps teams work through problems they’re struggling with (such as core working hours, handling conflict, and creating a safe working environment)
  • Helps teams come up with their definition of “normal”
  • Sets a clear path to a future they would like to see with the team
  • It gives people permission to show up fully to the event at-hand
• Christy’s tips for setting up a work agreement with a new team:
  • Give people the time they need to think through what they want to see in the working agreement
  • Eliminate and reduce anxiety by clearly illustrating the process for them
  • Set the stage that it is a safe space to bring their ideas
  • Utilize the facilitation technique, 1-2-4-All (linked below)
  • Boil it down to the core ideas and vet it against messy, tough scenarios
  • Allow the right amount of time to create the working agreement — it is not something that is meant to be rushed through
  • Humor is important — allow the space to have fun
• Christy’s tips for reworking a working agreement that has already been established:
  • Establish what is and isn’t working in the working agreement
  • Figure out why it isn’t working and what the team wants to do differently
  • Ask the questions: is the working agreement serving us or are we serving the work agreement? Is it aligned with our values?

Key Learnings:

• A working agreement reminds teams of their mission
• It helps to create a safe space to share ideas and reminds the team to continue delivering value
• Serves the team in helping them through continued work struggles

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Christy Erbeck
• The Four Quadrants of Agile Testing Agile Conference 2018
• Liberating Structures
• Liberating Structures 1-2-4-All
• Christy Erbeck’s Book Picks
• The Age of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done, by Stephen Denning
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts., by Brene Brown

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 of Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host, Dan Neumann, is joined by his guest, Principal Transformation Consultant and fellow AgileThought colleague, Christy Erbeck. And today, they’re discussing working agreements

Joining Dan Neumann today is one of his AgileThought colleagues, Quincy Jordan.

 

Quincy is a Principal Transformation Consultant and has been with AgileThought for about one year now. Previous to that, he has served as a Principal Consultant and Agile Coach at SCRUMstudy.com for over six years. Quincy’s mission is to help companies and people who are ineffective in their own mission by assisting them in transforming from what they are to what they desire to be.

 

In today’s episode, Quincy explains what exactly a community or practice is, what it can be used for, and why it can be so beneficial to an organization. He also gives his tips on how to effectively use a community of practice as well as how to get it started and incentivize others to show up.

 

Key Takeaways

• What is a community of practice?
• • A group or body of individuals that have a common interest or practice
  • As a group, they come together to finetune their craft
  • Can be formal or informal
  • It is not mandatory and is open to anyone (you only need an interest to show up)
• What can communities of practice be used for?
• • A mechanism for transformation within a company or organization
  • Knowledge transfer across teams
  • Improve and transform the culture
  • Bring teams together and improve communication throughout an organization
• Quincy’s tips on how to effectively use a community of practice:
• • Invite in guest speakers from another community of practice
  • It will only be as effective as it is supported (a sponsor or team is key)
• How to get a community started and incentivize others to show up:
• • Food — seriously!
  • Led by a team (also known as “champions”); not an individual
  • As a “champion,” you gain high visibility within the organization
  • Be conscious of timing — make it convenient for people to show up
  • Get a sponsor on board to help with some of the organizational hurdles
  • Find a suitable location
  • Establish a clear purpose (every time the community meets)

Key Learnings:

• Lead your community of practice as a team; not an individual
• Use your community or practice as a mechanism for transformation
• Remember that it can only be as effective as it is supported, so be sure to find a sponsor and establish a core team of support
• Establish a clear purpose at the beginning of every “meeting” to keep the goal in mind

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Quincy Jordan

A Guide to the Scrum Body of Knowledge, by SCRUMstudy

SCRUMstudy.com

Quincy’s Recent LinkedIn Post

Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling, by Edgar H. Schein

 

Quincy Jordan’s Book Pick

What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People, by Joe Navarro with Marvin Karlins

 

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!

Joining Dan Neumann today is one of his AgileThought colleagues, Quincy Jordan. In today’s episode, Quincy explains what exactly a community or practice is, what it can be used for, and why it can be so beneficial to an organization. He also gives his tips on how to effectively use a community of practice as well as how to get it started and incentivize others to show up.

Today’s episode of Agile Coaches’ Corner is all about full cycle development. Joining your host is Eric Landes — a colleague of Dan’s and a Scrum.org certified professional Scrum trainer.

 

Eric comes from a DevOps background, originally starting 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 tons of experience leading organizations in adopting Agile and Lean frameworks, like Scrum and Kanban. His specialties are in Agile Project Management, Lean Software Development, Enterprise Project Management Implementation, and many more.

 

In this episode, Eric explains what a full cycle developer is, what a full cycle development team looks like, who he sees this model working for, how to take steps towards this model and improving your team, and where to get started. He also gives a ton of recommendations, valuable resources, and actionable tips and tricks you can begin using today.

 

Key Takeaways

• What is a full cycle developer?
• • Your development team has all the skills needed to build, deploy, etc.
  • Responsible for the full software lifecycle
  • Your team owns it from beginning to end
• What to keep in mind when transitioning to Agile or full cycle development:
• • The journey takes a long time and the company needs to support the workers through structure and community
  • A good leader is crucial
• Who does full cycle development work for?
• • It depends on the context — experiment to find out what works for your team
  • Not everybody; different models for different organizations
  • Identifying the problem you’re trying to solve can indicate which model you should use
• Steps to take towards improving your DevOps team:
• • Measure to help drive improvement
  • Monitor things in production so you can give feedback to the team on what’s working and what’s not
  • Implement hypothesis-driven development
• Where to get started on your full cycle development journey:
• • Start with Agile and XP principles if you haven’t already
  • Check out the Netflix Tech Blog
  • Understand the principles and practices of DevOps
  • Be sure to experiment, experiment, experiment

Key Learnings:

• A full cycle developer has a general skill set and is responsible for the whole software lifecycle
• The transition to Agile or full cycle development takes a long time — the company needs to support their workers in this transition through structure and community
• The full cycle developer model doesn’t work for all companies; you should experiment to see what works best for your team
• Drive improvement by measuring data and providing feedback

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

DevOps Enterprise Summit

Eric Landes’ LinkedIn

Full Cycle Developers (Netflix Model)

Woody Zuill’s LinkedIn

“7 Habits of Successful DevOps” (with Sam Guckenheimer)

Implementing Hypothesis-Driven Development

XP Principles

Netflix Tech Blog

edX

 

Eric Landes’ Book Picks

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, by L. David Marquet

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

 

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!