Get Agile Podcast

Get Agile Podcast
Get Agile Podcast

Agile Coaches from ProCognita interview our friends and guests.

  1. 7 MAR

    Get Agile #31 | The hidden costs of async code reviews | Dragan Stepanovic

    “No one wants to review PR that took one week or more to develop,” says Dragan Stepanovic, Principal Engineer who helps companies and teams evolve their engineering culture. In this episode of the Get Agile Podcast, Tomasz Wykowski from Procognita meets with Dragan to deep dive into the unrealized consequences of async code reviews. Dragan shows how developers are often forced to work in isolation and instead of forming one team, they become N teams of one person. Often with different engineering culture and coding practices. Code reviews are industry standard in software development, used in many organizations, but most of them aren’t aware of the hidden costs. As Dragan explains, on one hand engineers prefer small pull requests, which lead to a faster feedback loop, better code quality, a higher likelihood of refactor, and more engagement. On the other hand, small changes generate more waiting time. As a consequence, developers end up with large peer reviews, which are often performed in a rush. “Never had a big PR that didn’t look good to me” says Dragan. They look into alternative approaches, called ‘co-creation patterns’, reducing transaction costs by letting developers work together. Dragan explains how to start, what are the biggest obstacles, and how to overcome them. Learn more about Dragan at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstepanovic/. You can find his article about async code reviews at InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/articles/co-creation-patterns-software-development/ The recordings from the Talk LeSS conference 2024 can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgo9ei2yBfg&list=PLDriDdQlN4CoRscWikngnMB0wNebK6cx9&pp=gAQB  Previous episodes mentioned during the conversation: The interview with Woody Zuill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC3XMPWV5H4&list=PLDriDdQlN4Coumio-67kxTkjeouqn7m64 The interview Tim Ottinger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkiSCLeSSak&list=PLDriDdQlN4Coumio-67kxTkjeouqn7m64  Other resources mentioned in the conversation: Woody Zuill book: https://www.amazon.com/Software-Teaming-Programming-Whole-Team-Approach/dp/B0BLG1QTYK/ Mob Mentality Show by Chris Lucian and Austin Chadwick https://www.youtube.com/@mobmentalityshow and their two Trello boards (Software Profession Resources: https://trello.com/b/1lfMkCOh/software-profession-resources, Companies that Mob/Ensemble Program https://trello.com/b/EFSFnE4W/companies-that-mob-ensemble-program)

    32 min
  2. 30/10/2024

    Get Agile #30 | How do you get people to collaborate? | Jim Benson

    "The longer you put off talking to your colleagues, the more likely it is, that you're going to have integration problems", says Jim Benson in his conversation with Tomasz Wykowski. They start their conversation with The Collaboration Equation, which is “Individuals x Teams = Value. Jim explains that teams are covered by the Agile movement, and Value is discussed in Lean, but the individuals are somehow forgotten - the way they interact, work with each other, help each other, monitor their work, and are self-aware of what they lend to the team and what they gain from it. Jim defines professionals as people wanting to do the right thing at the right time and wanting to do it better next time. He shows how Value Stream Mapping can help them improve by visualizing their work, pain points, emotions, and confusion. The moment they understand how they cause problems to others they can create their own reasons to collaborate and define the right environment to work as professionals. You can learn more about Jim and his services at: https://modusinstitute.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbenson/ https://moduscooperandi.com/  Jim’s four books: The Collaborative Equation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHXDBG25/ Why limit WIP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KRJFS2Y/ Why Plans Fail https://www.amazon.com//dp/B006S3UHGA/ Personal Kanban https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004R1Q642/  Two other books mentioned by Jim during the conversation: Flow by  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi https://www.amazon.com//dp/0061339202 Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374533555 This interview was recorded during ACE! Conference (https://aceconf.com) in Krakow, Poland with support from Pragmatic Talks (https://www.pragmaticcoders.com/resources/pragmatic-talks)  Tim’s talk from ACE! Conference 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3OfAzt4V-M.

    21 min
  3. 26/09/2024

    Get Agile #29 | Why Agile Teams Need Extreme Programming Practices? | Tim Ottinger

    “CI is developers' behavior, it has nothing to do with running Jenkins,” says Tim Ottinger, XP coach from Industrial Logic.  Join Tomasz Wykowski, from ProCognita as he interviews Tim Ottinger about the ongoing relevance of Extreme Programming in modern software development. They look at the state of different XP practices, including TDD, CI/CD, User Stories, Swarming, Pairing, and Teaming. Tim explains why these behaviors are necessary for teams to iteratively develop product, and how they differ from “solo ticket processing” commonly used in software development.  Tim discusses how XP emphasizes working together, prioritization of the work, and the delivery of end-to-end features. He explains that developers know about 1-5% of the codebase and therefore their work must focus on continuous learning. This cannot be limited to the installation of new tools but requires changes in behaviors. Tim shares insights on fostering a culture of continuous improvement and provides valuable resources for teams looking to elevate their agile practices. You can learn more about Tim at https://www.linkedin.com/in/agileotter/, read his posts at https://agileotter.blogspot.com, and visit the Industrial Logic website at https://www.industriallogic.com/.  The Swarm Programming article mentioned in the interview: https://www.industriallogic.com/blog/swarm-programming-with-the-swarm-board/  YouTube Channels mentioned by Tim: Dave Farley Continuous Delivery: https://www.youtube.com/@ContinuousDelivery Emily Bache on TDD: https://www.youtube.com/@EmilyBache-tech-coach  This interview was recorded during ACE! Conference (https://aceconf.com) in Krakow, Poland with support from Pragmatic Talks (https://www.pragmaticcoders.com/resources/pragmatic-talks) Tim’s talk from ACE! Conference 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3SDiRMEWLE

    30 min
  4. 20/08/2024

    Get Agile #28 | Designing organization with Org Topologies | Alexey Krivitsky

    Join Tomasz Wykowski from ProCognita as he sits down with Alexey Kryvitsky, Certified Scrum Trainer, Certified LeSS Trainer, and co-creator of Org Topologies. Together they discuss how to avoid making the implementation of the Agile framework as an organizational goal. Alexey introduces the concept of Org Topologies as a mapping technique to help companies discover where they are, where they want to be, and how to get there. He discusses two dimensions of the map, which are the scope of capabilities and the scope of work. Then he explains each of the four levels on both axis.  They discuss the role of the managers in driving organizational development, how they can set their goals, and how their role and responsibility will change when moving to different parts of the Org Topologies map. Alexey also gives examples of how the tool can be used to discuss where the company is and where it wants to be, and how different Agile frameworks can support this development. Learn more about Alexey at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeykrivitsky/ and watch his talk from ACE! Conference at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fiY53icUqE&list=PL-u-TkA0wpjdf0mlSNQmiLYw4_r3Yn-NQ  About Org Topologies: Org Topologies™, a visual framework-agnostic approach designed to help organizations optimize their structure and processes by focusing on thoughtful organizational design. This helps organizations gain higher levels of adaptability. It provides guides such as Elevating Structures™ to help organizations progress on their transformation journeys with a clear direction toward the target state. Find out more at https://www.orgtopologies.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/orgtopologies/.  This interview was recorded during ACE! Conference (https://aceconf.com) in Krakow, Poland with support from Pragmatic Talks (https://www.pragmaticcoders.com/resources/pragmatic-talks).

    40 min
  5. 18/07/2024

    Get Agile #27 | Intent-Based Leadership | Jenni Jepsen

    Intent-Based Leadership is a way of leading when we give control based on technical competencies and organizational clarity. Created by David Marquet, author of “Turn the Ship Around” it was popularized in the Agile community by Jenni Jepsen. Tomasz Wykowski from ProCognita interviews Jenni, on why Intent-Based Leadership works, and how to apply it. Jenni starts with David’s story on how he learned that one man cannot think for the whole submarine crew. She explains the main concept of Intent-Based Leadership, which is to give intent and take actions, rather than ask for permission and wait. To achieve this, she says, people need to obtain both technical competencies and clarity on the goal.  They discuss how it can be used for both leaders who want more autonomy and responsibility on their teams, and team members who’d like to change the way they’re managed. Jenni describes The Ladder of Leadership which starts with “tell me what to do” and moves up through “I see…”, “I think…”, “I’d like to do…”, and “I intend to do…”. She shows that the last step is when employees don’t have to wait for permission. During the conversation, they look at how leaders can develop their skills and how they can understand their triggers to avoid returning to old behaviors under stress. They cover the development of competencies and how to ensure the right information is available when people are making decisions. Jenni company page: goAgile.dk Her book: TOGETHER – How leaders involve & engage people to get great things done  https://www.amazon.com/TOGETHER-leaders-involve-engage-people/dp/B08NRP13R4 More on Ladder of Leadership: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zOqFe1nTZc David Marquet's website: https://davidmarquet.com His book: Turn the Ship Around! https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Ship-Around-Turning-Followers/dp/B08V4TFFCK/ This interview was recorded during ACE! Conference (https://aceconf.com) in Krakow, Poland with support from Pragmatic Talks (https://www.pragmaticcoders.com/resources/pragmatic-talks) Jenni keynote from ACE! Conference 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyg6wuRAJTs

    37 min
  6. 25/10/2023

    Get Agile #25 | Leadership Agility for better decision making | Pete Behrens

    Tomasz Wykowski from ProCognita meets with Pete Behrens, a Leadership Coach and Founder of the Agile Leadership Journey (ALJ), a community devoted to improving leaders and their organizations. Together they discuss how the Agile Leadership Journey provides its members with a pragmatic approach to leadership and how leaders can think, behave, and make better decisions using different models from ALJ. “There’s no better or worse, there’s more awareness and choice,” says Pete, explaining the Leadership Agility model. He describes three main stages of self-awareness as a leader: Expert, Achiever, and Catalyst. Together, Tomasz and Pete look at each stage's main characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses, analyzing how these leaders behave, make decisions, or create a strategy. Pete explains what hollow leadership is and how leaders shape culture. He also clarifies how reflections help leaders grow and how they can get feedback from peers, using systemic approaches such as 360 reviews, or informal feedback sessions.  Finally, they discuss leaders' behaviors during stress and where the firefighting culture might be coming from.  Two books mentioned by Pete: Managing for Excellence https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Excellence-Performance-Contemporary-Organizations/dp/0471127248 Leadership Agility https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Agility-Mastery-Anticipating-Initiating/dp/0787979139/  Learn more about Agile Leadership Jurney at https://www.agileleadershipjourney.com/ and find Pete's profile at https://linkedin.com/in/petebehrens

    33 min

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