Easy Agile

How do you move from shipping features to delivering real outcomes? In this Easy Agile Podcast episode, COO Mat Lawrence interviews author and consultant Jeff Gothelf about customer-centric OKRs, culture change and the leadership habits that make outcome thinking stick.

What you will learn

• How to write outcome-based OKRs that focus on behaviour change, not task lists
• The “Who does what by how much” framing and why it de-risks delivery
• Practical steps to shift incentives from output to outcome
• Experiments over big bets: smaller, faster loops to learn and scale what works
• Fixing the output trap in planning, metrics and roadmaps
• Tactics leaders can use today: change the questions you ask, rename teams around outcomes, and model transparency
• Psychological safety and autonomy: weekly 3-bullet updates to reduce fear and increase trust
• Real examples: nonprofit campaign testing, handling exec pressure for predictability, and aligning KPIs with OKRs

About the guest

Jeff Gothelf is co-author of Lean UX and Sense & Respond, and author of Who Does What by How Much. He helps product and engineering leaders adopt outcome-centric ways of working.

If this helped, subscribe for more conversations on Agile, product management and outcome-driven leadership.

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

How do real teams adopt AI without losing their people, product focus or ethics? In this Easy Agile Podcast episode, Henrik Kniberg joins Tenille Hoppo to unpack practical AI for product development and engineering. We cover building an AI-ready culture, safe experimentation, curing the code review bottleneck, shrinking the maker-to-user gap and what the next few years of Agile look like with AI in the loop.

What you will learn

• How leaders enable safe AI use and stop shadow AI
• Practical ways teams experiment with AI tools like Cursor and Claude
• Keeping code quality and clean architecture while shipping faster
• Smarter code review workflows with AI support
• Product owners moving from backlog items to small pull requests
• Ethics in practice, including bias and data privacy
• Smaller teams, continuous delivery and the shift from sprints to flow

About the guest
Henrik Kniberg is co-founder & Chief Scientist at Abundly AI (rebranded from Ymnig AI in 2025), where he helps teams use generative AI to build better products, faster. He previously coached at Spotify and LEGO and co-created the widely shared Spotify engineering culture materials. A former Mojang (Minecraft) developer, Henrik also co-founded Hups and GoClimate. He served on the Agile Alliance board and authored Scrum and XP from the Trenches, Kanban & Scrum, and Lean from the Trenches. 

If you liked this episode, subscribe for more conversations on agile, product management, and AI at work.

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

In this episode of the Easy Agile Podcast, Hayley Rodd (Senior Partner Manager at Easy Agile) sits down with Andreas Wengenmayer (Practice Lead for Enterprise Strategy & Planning at catworkx) to tackle the real challenges of scaling agile in modern enterprises. 

If you prefer reading over watching/listening, head here - https://easyagile.com/podcast/aligning-teams-pi-planning-strategic-goal-setting-catworkx 

🎯 Topics covered: 

• Signs your PI planning is misaligned
• Why startups overcomplicate and enterprises stagnate
• The myth of comparing story points across teams
• What “death by KPI” looks like (and how to avoid it)
• How to break high-level strategy into meaningful team objectives
• Tools and tactics to make goals visible, actionable, and motivating
• Real-world examples of what good planning culture looks like

🚨 Think your planning process is working? Think again. 

Join us live on September 4th for an interactive webinar with Andreas and Hayley as they reveal how to turn strategic intent into real team outcomes.

👉 Register now: https://easyagile.com/events/pi-planning-goal-setting-team-alignment

📚 Further reading: 

PI Planning Guide + Free template: https://www.easyagile.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-pi-planning

Easy Agile Programs: https://easyagile.com/products/programs

#EasyAgile #catworkx #PIPlanning #AgileGoals #AgileTransformation #ScaledAgile

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

Ever feel like your retrospectives are stuck in a repetitive loop, producing plenty of discussion but little action? You're not alone. Join Jaclyn Smith, Senior Product Manager at Easy Agile, and Shane Raubenheimer, Agile Technical Consultant at Adaptavist, as they break down exactly why retrospectives often become mere checkbox exercises—and how to transform them into powerful catalysts for genuine improvement.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Common retrospective pitfalls and why teams get disengaged
• How to elevate action items from afterthoughts to first-class tasks
• Strategies to address persistent issues beyond team control
• Practical advice on managing overwhelming improvement initiatives
• Tips for gaining essential leadership buy-in and organizational support

Whether you're a Scrum Master, Product Owner, Agile Coach, or a team member striving for better retrospectives, this discussion provides clear, actionable guidance to help you move from "doing agile" to truly "being agile."

Jaclyn Smith and Shane Raubenheimer also hosted a live, hands-on webinar designed to turn retrospectives into powerful engines for continuous improvement - https://easyagile.com/webinars/retro-action-run-impactful-agile-retrospectives-easy-agile-adaptavist

📚 Further reading:

Improve Sprint Retrospective Action Items: https://www.easyagile.com/blog/improve-sprint-retrospective-action-items

Action-Driven Agile Retrospective Template: https://easyagile.com/benefits/action-driven-agile-retrospective-template

Easy Agile TeamRhythm: https://www.easyagile.com/products/teamrhythm

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

In this episode Caitlin Mackie is joined by Lieschen Gargano Sr, Release Train Engineer at Scaled Agile. They delve into the role of the Release Train Engineer, sharing tips and tricks, FLOW activities, lessons learned and how to get started in the role. With SAFe Summit 2023 just around the corner, Lieschen also takes some time to talk about what she’s most excited about for the event and shared some advice for first time attendees.

If Lieschen's expertise and passion have piqued your interest, be sure to explore the Scaled Agile RTE course. It provides comprehensive training, equipping you with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel as an RTE. (https://scaledagile.com/training/safe-release-train-engineer/)

We hope you enjoy the episode! Share your thoughts and questions on Twitter using the #easyagilepodcast and make sure to tag @EasyAgile. 

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

In this episode Hayley Rodd - Head of Partnerships at Easy Agile is joined by Tony Camacho - 

Technical Director Enterprise Agilityat Adaptavist. They are delving into the highly discussed subject of team alignment, discussing what it means to have synchronized goals, cross-functional collaboration, and a shared agile mindset. 

They also cover the fundamental building blocks to get right on your journey to team alignment, like the power of listening and embracing mistakes as learning opportunities, stressing the importance of following through on retrospective action items + so much more.

We hope you enjoy the episode! Share your thoughts and questions on Twitter using the #easyagilepodcast and make sure to tag @EasyAgile. 

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

Nick Muldoon, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Easy Agile, is joined by Dave West, CEO, and Eric Naiburg, COO, from Scrum.org. In this episode, Nick, Dave, and Eric unpack the current agile landscape, discussing the role of the agile native and emphasizing the importance of building connected teams by flipping the hierarchy and putting leaders in supporting roles.

They emphasize the importance of empowering the people closest to the problem to make the call, and ultimately create an environment for success to happen. 

We hope you enjoy the episode! Share your thoughts and questions on Twitter using the #easyagilepodcast and make sure to tag @EasyAgile. 

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

Dave Elkan, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Easy Agile is joined by Jean-Philippe Comeau Principal Customer Success Advocate at Adaptavist.

JP is passionate about teamwork, meeting new people, presentations of all kinds - loves a microphone and a captive audience, new technologies and most of all problem-solving.

In this episode, JP and Dave are talking about one of the most anticipated events in the tech calendar - Atlassian’s Team23! They’re talking about what to expect, tips for first timers and what they’re hoping to take away from the event.

They also dive into the future of work and the significance of coming together as a team.

We hope you enjoy the episode! 

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

Mat Lawrence, Chief Operating Officer at Easy Agile is joined by Ray Arell. Ray currently works as the Director of Agile Transformations at Dell Technologies, is the host of the ACN Podcast, and the President Of The Board Of Directors for the nonprofit Forest Grove Foundation Inc.

Ray is passionate about collaborative and inclusive leadership, and loves to inspire and motivate others to achieve their full potential. This is exactly what Mat and Ray dive into in this episode. 

Ray and Mat explore the concepts such as inclusive and situational leadership and the connection to agile ways of working, empowering the organisational brain, and fostering authenticity within teams.

This is a fantastic episode for aspiring, emerging and existing leaders! Lots of great tips and advice to share with colleagues and friends and understand the ways we can be empowering and enabling one another. 

We hope you enjoy the episode! 

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile 

Join Nick Muldoon, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Easy Agile as he chats with Maysa Safadi, Engineering Manager at Easy Agile. 

As a woman, growing up in the middle east and being passionate about pursuing a career in the world of tech, don’t exactly go hand in hand. Navigating her way through a very patriarchal society, Maysa talks about her career journey and how she got to where she is today.

Having the odds stacked against her, Maysa talks about challenging the status quo, the constant pressure to prove herself in a male-dominated industry, the importance of charting your own course and her hopes for the future of women in tech. 

This is such an inspiring episode, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

About Easy Agile 

At Easy Agile, we believe great Agile tools should be simple, intuitive, and accessible to teams of all sizes. Founded in 2016, we build Jira-integrated apps that help teams—from startups to scale-ups to enterprises—plan, collaborate, and deliver value more effectively. 

More than 160,000 Agile practitioners use our solutions every month to streamline workflows, improve team alignment, and stay focused on customer needs. Whether you're managing a growing product team or coordinating cross-functional Agile programs, our apps make Agile work easier. 

🔹 Explore our Atlassian Marketplace apps: 

Easy Agile Programs – Scaled Agile planning & cross-team collaboration 

Easy Agile TeamRhythm – Sprint planning, user story mapping & retrospectives 

🚀 Try our apps for free → https://www.easyagile.com/products 

Stay connected with us: 

🌐 Website: https://www.easyagile.com 

📖 Blog: https://www.easyagile.com/blog 

🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/easyagile