92 episodes
LeSS (Large Scale Scrum) Matters Ben Maynard
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- Business
The world of Product Discovery and Creation is becoming increasingly challenging due to mistakes and missed opportunities that are prevalent in agile teams, large-scale Scrum and all other agile frameworks. History has shown that when organisations try and scale their product development to more than one cross-functional team, mistakes are made that cut short many chances of getting all possible benefits. The route of this for many is the lack of attention paid to the great advancements in Product Management driven by hordes of professional Product People who are proving that making their customers happier is not a pipe dream but a hard and fast reality. This podcast exists to explore all topics related to Product, Agility and Coaching. Are you wondering how to marry the agile principles with Product discovery? Curious if it is really possible to have 100's of cross-functional teams (or Product Teams) all working from an effectively prioritised single Product Backlog and a dedicated Product Owner? How you can embrace continuous improvement and empirical process control for your product, people and processes? Ever wondered how to overcome the problems people face when trying to scale the Product Owner role and how it relates to Product Management and Product Teams? Baffled by how to define a product in such a way that enables Feature Teams (aka Product Teams) and why doing wrong means you will only ever be stuck with technical teams? Don't think that Scrum Teams are compatible with modern product management techniques? Want to know what Product Focus means and how the right focus makes creating a shippable product less painful?Need to get your head around how to blend modern product management techniques with Sprint Planning and Sprint Reviews to achieve Product Increments that cover the entire productThis podcast's original focus was on Scaling Scrum vs Single-Team Scrum and how organisations can reap the benefits of Scrum when working on a larger product but still keeping a single product backlog. We found that an increasing number of Product People liked what we were saying, and then the penny dropped. This isn't a podcast about scaling Scrum or the limitations of single-team Scrum. This is a podcast for Product People & agile advocates alike who coach or get their hands dirty with Product creation.So whether you are a Scrum Master or someone who is struggling with enterprise agile and its relationship to modern product management, then we promise there is no Taboo topic that we will not explore on your behalf. Our aim is to transcend the conversations about a single team, Daily Scrums, Scrum Masters and the double-diamond and bring everyone together into responsible teams dedicated to working on the entire product to make their customers happier and their own lives more fulfilling. Come and join us on our improvement towards perfection, and give us your feedback (we have a strong customer focus, too), and who knows, perhaps we will discover the magic wand that we can wave over all the broken agile and sudo-products to create a more resilient and adaptable future by bringing the world or Product, Agility and coaching together. This podcast has the conversations and insights you need.
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Uncovering The Missing Piece In Agile Development: The Importance Of Product Management Techniques with Fred Fowler
Ben & Fred discuss the importance of measuring value in product development and how it can help Product People make rational decisions about where to invest.
Things get interesting when exploring what does value mean, Fred says $ return, Ben parries with an example of a new product that's goal is reaching future parity with its competition to explain how each step taken towards that goal may not necessarily have a dollar return on it.
Key Moments:
00:03:59 Measuring The Value Of A Product: It's All About What Someone Will Pay For It00:06:50 Is Margin important to Value? 00:10:40 Importance Of Iterative Development And Customer Feedback In Scrum00:13:00 Confusion Between Business Analysts And Product Owners Leads To Lack Of Strategic Planning.00:15:40 The Cost Of Overspending In Business: A Common Occurrence In Banking And Beyond.00:18:32 Measuring Value For Rational Decision-Making In Big Corporations00:23:22 Programmers: Great At Coding, Not So Great At Talking To Customers00:26:02 Miscommunication With Offshore Programmers Leads To Wrong Code: A Cautionary Tale00:29:01 The Importance Of Focusing On Needs In Product Backlog00:32:32 Unwrapping The Onion: Using Technical Expertise To Deliver Solutions00:34:38 Product Owner Prioritization And Agile00:38:00 The Importance Of Product Backlog Refinement And Its Role In A Product Led Approach00:39:39 Maximizing Value: The Importance Of Delegating Refinement Work00:42:06 The Value Of Completing A Task00:44:40 Episode Recap
Key Takeaways:
🗝️ The podcast discusses three key factors in business decision-making: revenue, cost, and risk.
🗝️ Fred shares his experience of moving the data centre to a co-location facility to reduce risk, which cost $50,000 but saved a million dollars a year.
🗝️ The importance of measuring value and planning in sprints is also discussed.
Guest Bio
Fred Fowler is the former mayor of Sunnyvale, Ca and an internationally recognized expert on the Scrum Framework. He is certified with a Doctor of Scrum, Professional Scrum Master Level III, and has published two books on Amazon. He also hosts two Advanced Scrum Case Study podcasts, runs a Silicon Valley Professional Scrum meetup group of 2000 members, and recently started a similar group based in Shanghai.
Silicon Valley Scrum (including Links to Fred's books) - https://www.siliconvalleyscrum.com/
Host Bio
Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.
🐦 https://bit.ly/BenMTwit
🔗 https://bit.ly/BenMLinkD
🗎 https://bit.ly/BenMBlg
Stay up-to-date with us on our social media!
📺https://bit.ly/ProdPodYT
🔗https://bit.ly/ProdPodLinkD
🐦https://bit.ly/ProdPodTwit
Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XzuzND iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p
Want to come on the podcast?
Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/ProdPodCn -
The Importance Of Value Measurement In Product Development & Scrum With Fred Fowler
Fred and Ben have a couple of decades of Product & Scrum experience behind them no surprise that in this first episode of 3 they delved into:
The importance of focusing on producing results that turn into dollars and cents rather than just being busyTesting a thought about how similar should every organisation's approach to calculating value be.The challenges of pointing out mistakes and assigning blame in disastrous situationsHow people tend to become defensive when they are told they have been doing something wrong and try to shift the blame onto others.
Here are the Highlights
00:05:04 Measuring Productivity, Not Busyness00:09:11 Blame Game: The Challenge Of Addressing Mistakes In A Defensive Environment00:10:13 Being Selective With Gigs: Saying No To Some And Regretting Others00:14:21 Excitement For A Worthwhile Cause00:16:56 The True Purpose Of Scrum: Creating Valuable Products00:22:09 Scrum: Making Decisions Based On Measured Results00:23:38 The Importance Of Goals In Scrum00:25:48 Should each organisation's value calculation be the same?00:28:23 Episode Recap
Guest Bio
Fred Fowler is the former mayor of Sunnyvale, Ca and an internationally recognized expert on the Scrum Framework. He is certified with a Doctor of Scrum, Professional Scrum Master Level III, and has published two books on Amazon. He also hosts two Advanced Scrum Case Study podcasts, runs a Silicon Valley Professional Scrum meetup group of 2000 members, and recently started a similar group based in Shanghai.
Silicon Valley Scrum (including Links to Fred's books) - https://www.siliconvalleyscrum.com/
Host Bio
Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.
🐦 https://bit.ly/BenMTwit
🔗 https://bit.ly/BenMLinkD
🗎 https://bit.ly/BenMBlg
Stay up-to-date with us on our social media!
📺https://bit.ly/ProdPodYT
🔗https://bit.ly/ProdPodLinkD
🐦https://bit.ly/ProdPodTwit
Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XzuzND iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p
Want to come on the podcast?
Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/ProdPodCn -
Unlocking The Potential Of The Kanban Maturity Model: Achieving Balance, Adaptability, And Customer Satisfaction with Teodora Bozheva
Teodora Bozheva, creator of the Kanban Maturity Model (a brilliant tool for coaches, agile and product alike), where we have been exploring the organizational maturity levels in the model. Is this the 3rd episode of 3, We spoke about pre-empting customer expectations, flow metrics and how to create a superior business.
00:02:12 What it is level three "Fit for Purpose", in the Kanban Maturity Model?00:04:20 Level three is about flow metrics and balancing capacity and demand. What else doe's it bring to the party?00:05:46 Is the goal of maturing in the Kanban Maturity Model to be able to react to changes in the market? Or pre-empt them to achieve their business outcomes and organizational agility?00:06:36 What tools does the Kanban Maturity Model offer to help organisations anticipate their customer or market needs and become a more mature business?00:08:16 Is removing waste always a powerful tool? Perhaps not...00:09:39 Is the evolution and improvement of processes something that is recommended for the later levels of maturity in the Kanban Maturity Model?00:11:04 Are the higher levels reserved for only a few organisations?00:12:10 Where and how can people learn more about the Kanban Maturity Model?00:15:13 Recap on the conversation with Teodora Bozheva Guest Bio
Teodora (https://bit.ly/TeoBzaLD) is the co-creator of the Kanban Maturity Model (the other person being David J. Anderson) a model that helps organisations that want to take an evolutionary approach to improve their culture & management so that they can adapt quickly to customer needs.
Kanban Maturity Model -https://bit.ly/kmmmLM
Berry Academy - https://bit.ly/berrypcs
Kanban University - https://bit.ly/KbnUnilm
Host Bio
Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.
🐦 https://bit.ly/BenMTwit
🔗 https://bit.ly/BenMLinkD
🗎 https://bit.ly/BenMBlg
Stay up-to-date with us on our social media!
📺https://bit.ly/ProdPodYT
🔗https://bit.ly/ProdPodLinkD
🐦https://bit.ly/ProdPodTwit
Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XzuzND iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p
Want to come on the podcast?
Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/ProdPodCn -
Unlocking Success: Exploring The Kanban Maturity Model And Collaboration In Product Development Teodora Bozheva
Over the next two episodes, you'll get to meet a legendary figure in the world of Product Agility - Teodora Bozheva, the co-creator of the Kanban Maturity Model.
Teodora has a proven track record in helping organizations achieve improved levels of adaptability and delivery of products that customers love.
In this 2nd episode, Teodora and Ben delve deep into the early levels of maturity in the Kanban maturity model, explore what it takes to become more customer aligned and many of the vital factors that go into becoming a successful Product Company.
The Highlights
00:02:02 In the Kanban Maturity Model, what does Level 0 look like?00:04:43 In the Kanban Maturity Model what happens at Level 1?00:06:28 When in the Kanban Maturity Model do teams become customer driven?00:09:00 The Problem with Copy and Paste Scrum00:10:21 How can Copy & Paste Scrum help with Product Management?00:13:45 Has Teodora witnessed changes in the types of people that are recruited when a company becomes more customer-centric?00:15:35 How to de-risk recruitment during change
Guest Bio
Teodora (https://bit.ly/TeoBzaLD) is the co-creator of the Kanban Maturity Model (the other person being David J. Anderson,) a model that helps organisations that want to take an evolutionary approach to improve their culture &management so that they can adapt quickly to customer needs.
Host Bio
Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.
🐦 https://bit.ly/BenMTwit
🔗 https://bit.ly/BenMLinkD
🗎 https://bit.ly/BenMBlg
Stay up-to-date with us on our social media!
📺https://bit.ly/ProdPodYT
🔗https://bit.ly/ProdPodLinkD
🐦https://bit.ly/ProdPodTwit
Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XzuzND iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p
Want to come on the podcast?
Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/ProdPodCn -
Product Agility with the Kanban Maturity Model with Teodora Bozheva
Over the next three episodes, you'll get to meet a legendary figure in the world of Product Agility - Teodora Bozheva, the co-creator of the Kanban Maturity Model.
Teodora loves helping companies improve. I loved having her on the show!
Teodora has a proven track record in helping organizations achieve improved levels of adaptability and delivery of products that customers love.
In this 1st episode, Teodora shares all about the model and its positive impact on organizations. I recommend getting a pen and paper ready, as Teofora will share some golden insights!
The Highlights
00:02:31 Who is Teodora Bozheva?00:05:51 A concise and brilliant explanation of Kanban00:07:05 What is the Kanban Maturity Model (KMM)?00:10:55 What are the higher levels of maturity in the KMM?00:12:08 Is the KMM for a part of or a whole organisation?00:14:57 Why maturity (as per the KMM) differs in organisations, and what can be done to make this work00:18:59 What is the accelerant for maturity in an organisation that appears in nearly all levels of the KMM00:19:59 A short and insightful anecdote on applying the KMMGuest Bio
Teodora (https://bit.ly/TeoBzaLD) is the co-creator of the Kanban Maturity Model (the other person being David J. Anderson,) a model that helps organisations that want to take an evolutionary approach to improve their culture &management so that they can adapt quickly to customer needs.
Host Bio
Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.
🐦 https://bit.ly/BenMTwit
🔗 https://bit.ly/BenMLinkD
🗎 https://bit.ly/BenMBlg
Stay up-to-date with us on our social media!
📺https://bit.ly/ProdPodYT
🔗https://bit.ly/ProdPodLinkD
🐦https://bit.ly/ProdPodTwit
Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XzuzND iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p
Want to come on the podcast?
Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/ProdPodCn -
Scaling Product Excellence @ PandaDoc Insider Secrets for Scrum Masters & Agile Coaches
Denis Salnikov is a Head of Agile Practice at PandaDoc. He and Ben explored just what this role means in a company that is successfully using LeSS Huge - https://less.works/less/less-huge.
What themes did we explore?
How does PandaDoc decide how to group the features on their backlog?PandaDoc has managers. What are their tips for making it work?What does a Head of Agile Practices at PandaDoc do on a day-to-day basis?Here are some of the highlights
00:01:38 - How did PandaDoc create Requirement Areas for their Product?00:06:12 - What is area "area leadership" at PandaDoc, and how does it help to maximise the Product Value?00:07:21 - Does the area leadership have any organisational structural relationship within it?00:08:50 - Product owners have been known to inflate the potential value of their area to keep teams, "their Teams," working on it - This is how PandaDoc deal with that00:11:24 - What is the best tip Denis can provide to those wondering how to create an area in LeSS Huge for the first time?00:13:09 - How do reporting lines and organisational structure work with their Product Structure00:15:05 - What is the day-to-day life like for a Head of Agile Practices at PandaDoc? do they have people management responsibility?00:16:39 - Is a Head of Agile at PandaDoc just a Scrum Master?00:19:39 - Denis is proud of his people management skills. How did he develop them?00:20:48 - Sage advice from Denis... you have to hear it!Guest Bios
Denis Salnikov is a certified Scrum Master, Kanban Coach & Agile Coach who has been consulting, coaching, mentoring, and teaching cross-functional development teams, management, and organisations since 2014.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsalnikov23/
Host Bio
Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.
🐦 https://bit.ly/BenMTwit
🔗 https://bit.ly/BenMLinkD
🗎 https://bit.ly/BenMBlg
Stay up-to-date with us on our social media!
📺https://bit.ly/ProdPodYT
🔗https://bit.ly/ProdPodLinkD
🐦https://bit.ly/ProdPodTwit
Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3XzuzND iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p
Want to come on the podcast?
Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/ProdPodCn