A Burndown chart is an information radiator like Scrum Board. The Dev team is self organized and keep information radiators up to date in order to take ownership of their own progress.

Burndown Chart… Or Not

(A video version of this interview can be found here: https://youtu.be/t86MzxadU_k)

When a long-standing, traditional organization embarks on Agile Transformation, there can be a lot of things that impede the change. When a lot of those things are happening at once, it can seem even more daunting. The good news is that when that happens, some of the things blocking the change can be addressed fairly easily, but some things will be much harder to change. 

In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by my good friend and fellow CST, Chris Li and we talk through some challenges that were sent in by a student of mine. As we walk through the issues we discuss how severe each situation is and how we would each respond to it. 

Here are some of the challenges:
	•	PO can’t or won’t prioritize the backlog
	•	Team members are always taking on special side projects in the company
	•	The team is 35 people spread across several time zones - both on and off-shore
	•	Everyone is working on new products and also supporting up to 30 applications
	•	Everyone is expected to be at 100% utilization at all times.
	•	The Sprints are 4-5 weeks long (the size varies depending on the work to be done)
	•	One hour is allocated for Sprint Planning

There is obviously a lot to work through here. Chris and I did our best to hit all the points.

If you’d like to reach out to Chris directly:
Web: https://www.sparkplugagility.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/realchrisli
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realchrisli/
Email: chris@sparkplugagility.com

An Abundance Of Opportunity W Chris Li

In this edition of Sound Notes, we sit down with two members of our Enterprise Agile Coaching team to answer real questions from students of our last Certified Scrum Training Course in Atlanta. Listen in as Agile Coaches, Robert Sfeir and Adrian Wible speak with Certified Scrum Trainer, Dave Prior to answer questions on cross-functional teams, navigating large-scale migration and experiences in dealing with architects and role changes in agile. 

Agile Coaching Q&A with Certified Scrum Training Students

Lyssa Adkins stopped by after her Stalwarts session to throw down the gauntlet!

During this live interview at Agile 2017 Lyssa talks about her recent trip to Peru where she and her daughter did volunteer jungle conservation work. Her experiences there, and a powerful question she was asked in her session at Agile 2017 led her to a new challenge she is taking on - bringing Agile practices to the people who are working to help solve global problems like saving the rainforests. 

Lyssa also provides an update the Agile Coaching Institute and the work she is doing to help Agile Coaches strengthen their ability to have a deep, meaningful impact in the organizations they are working with. 

If you’d like to learn more about Lyssa check out http://agilecoachinginstitute.com/

Agile 2017 - Lyssa Adkins (Audio Only)

We received a question from someone who has been working as a Scrum Master for awhile and is considering moving into coaching. They just weren’t sure how to tel if it was the correct next step and had a lot of questions about what the job involved, what skills were needed, etc. 
In this week’s podcast, Tim Wise and Dave Prior discuss the role of an Agile Coach, what it involves, the day to day work, what skills are needed and, if you are in that role, some important things to watch out for.


Show Notes
0:08 Interview Begins
00:25 How Tim ended up working in Agile Coaching
03:32 What skills do you need to be an Agile Coach
06:12 What is the job of a coach - at the team and enterprise level?
09:08 What you need to move from being a ScrumMaster (coaching one team) to being a coach of multiple teams
12:33 Is it better to work as a consultant, moving from team to team and seeing lots of ways of making Agile work (and not) or is it better to stick with one team and get them to a high performing state?
14:30 What areas Tim had to focus on to become effective at providing coaching for multiple teams
16:11 Mentoring, school or hard knocks, or surrounding yourself with brilliant people?
18:53 Be wary of “EXPERTS”
19:28 Moving past imposter syndrome 
22:05 Knockaround Guys… 500 fights to consider yourself a legitimate tough guy
23:32 Will coaching camp or certification make you a good coach?
26:07 Always be the student
27:57 Understanding your own coaching shortcomings… and how they may somtimes be strengths
31:00 Practice the skills you need to take risks and be vulnerable
32:00 Avoiding the addiction to pontificating after the team fails
35:15 What does a coach do all day
39:20 How the day breaks down if you are doing team level coaching
40:04 Working with the Executives and using Social Engineering for good
41:41 Two additional skills to work on
43:12 Understanding your own capacity
45:55 How much selling is an Agile Coach required/expected to do
48:28 Building the desire for change
51:54 What does Tim with he had been told about coaching before he got started down the path
53:11  You never know when the seeds will germinate
55:30 Keeping it fresh for yourself
56:38  Getting in touch with Tim
56:57 Scrum Atlanta User Group events
57:41 Interview Ends - Knockaround Guys

Links Mentioned In This Podcast
Agile Coaching Institute http://agilecoachinginstitute.com
Scrum Alliance Certified Team Coach https://www.scrumalliance.org/certifications/ctc-certification
Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach https://www.scrumalliance.org/certifications/cec-certificatio
Scrum Atlanta User Group https://www.meetup.com/agile-38/

Contacting Tim
Email: tim@leadingagile.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwise/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/timswise

Becoming an Agile Coach w Tim Wise

In this podcast Michael de la Maza and Dhaval Panchal talk about their new book “Agile Coaching: Wisdom from Practitioners”. Michael and Dhaval are the co-editors of the book which is full of stories, tips, and advice from experienced, Agile coaches and trainers. In addition to talking about the book, Michael and Dhaval also share their own thoughts on topics around coaching and they offer advice for those who are headed down the coaching path.

SHOW NOTES
01:28 Podcast Begins
02:01 Who is the book for
02:26 What misconceptions do clients have when an Agile coach walks in the door 
03:52 How do you provide coaching in an organization that is not ready for it
05:04 How do you (as a coach) coach yourself when you are trying to work with individuals that do not want your help
07:12 Some tips for getting started with a coaching engagement
10:27 What does it take to become an Agile coach
13:17 What is the job of an Agile coach
13:53 When the client wants to pay large sums for you to MAKE them agile
19:06 When will we evolve past waterfall?
23:41 Do you have to be an expert in Agile to be a good coach? What do you need to do before you can be qualified to be a coach?
29:01 Are there people who should not be coaches?
32:05 Getting in touch with Michael and Dhaval

THE BOOK
Agile Coaching:  Wisdom From Practitioners
http://amzn.to/2fEV31F

TO CONTACT MICHAEL
Michael Email: michael.delamaza@gmail.com
Michael Twitter: https://twitter.com/hearthealthyscr

TO CONTACT DHAVAL
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhavalpanchal/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dhavalpanchal

Agile Coaching: Wisdom from Practitioners w Michael De La Maza And Dhaval Panchal

People spend most of their working lives at work, and Philiy Lander thinks that “It really shouldn’t suck.” As an Agile coach, she dedicates her life energy to making the work place a better place. Two ways she does that are simple yet poorly practiced in today’s busy world: asking questions and actually listening to people. 

Lander shares her growth through the TenWomenStrong program, in particular she has been striving to be clear about her boundaries. She shares a story of working with a very difficult leader that helped her stretch grow in terms of emotional intelligence and self-awareness. 

Philiy Lander’s Words of Wisdom: 
- There is great strength in vulnerability. 
- The true strength of a leader is being unapologetically “you.” 

Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts.

The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared.

Podcast Library: www.womeninagile.org/podcast

Women in Agile website: https://womeninagile.org/

Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninagileorg

Making Work Suck a Little Less - Philiy Lander | 1912

“Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount  of work not done--is essential.” 
~From the 12 Principles of Agile Software https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

It is one of the most basic responsibilities of the Product Owner and one almost every PO struggles with... saying "No" to people who ask for things. A Product Owner who can't say No is going to end up with a Product Backlog jammed full of things that can't be done. This puts the entire organization at risk. At the same time, a PO who is constantly telling Senior Management "No" to all their requests may find themselves "being offered the opportunity to enjoy working at another company." 

So, how do you go say "No" from a position of strength and safety? How do you know that saying "No" is really the right response? What kind of challenges do you need to be ready for? How can you prepare for those uncomfortable moments when you are waiting to see if you will be thanked for your honesty and candor, or told to leave your ID badge with HR on your way out?

In this episode of the Reluctant Agilist, Tim Wise joins me to talk through various aspects of the challenge of saying "No."

Links from the Podcast
Agile Day Atlanta http://agiledayatlanta.com

Books Mentioned 
Turn the Ship Around - L. David Marquet https://amzn.to/2QXOGWD
Leadership is Language - L. David Marquet https://amzn.to/2w2mRFj
Speed of Trust - Stephen Covey Jr. https://amzn.to/3439xgy
7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey https://amzn.to/3bCsDMX

Contacting Tim
Twitter https://twitter.com/timswise
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwise/
Email: Tim@leadingagile.com

Getting Better at Saying No with Tim Wise

Coaching people through an Agile transformation is a complicated thing. People within the organization may want the promise they see Agile offering, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to fight against the change every step of the way. Nobody likes change. It’s uncomfortable and scary and it’s sometimes it’s so much easier to just say, “Yes, this is the most uncomfortable chair/torture device a human could ever be forced to try and sit in, but I know this chair, I know this discomfort, I get how it works and it is easier to sit here than it is to try and change.”

Inspiring them to want to change, standing beside them, and keeping them motivated as they struggle through the change is a big part of the job of an Agile coach and practicing this craft is an art.

This week in the podcast I am joined by two Agile coaches, Ross Beurmann and Christine Converse. Ross and Christine both work as coaches helping organizations with Agile transformation. During the interview, we talk about the differences between coaching executives and coaching team members, how paired coaching works, and why it has become such a powerful approach for them. Along the way, they both offer lots of tips and techniques you can employ whether you are working as an Agile Coach or serving on a team trying to help them, and your organization raise its game with Agile. 

ALSO, this podcast features a brand new theme song for the podcast that was created by Chris DeMakes. If the music or Chris’s voice sounds familiar, that’s because Chris is in the band Less Than Jake. He also has a podcast of his own where he interviews songwriters and producers about the art of creating great music. The podcast is called Chris DeMakes a Podcast and it is definitely worth checking out. https://apple.co/2Jrejyz

Contacting Christine and Ross
If you’d like to reach out to Christine or Ross, here are some ways to reach them:

Christine Converse
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineconverse1/
Email: cepichler@gmail.com

Ross Beurmann
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbeurmannzcea/
Email: ross96h@yahoo.com
Ross has joined me on a few other podcasts. If you’d like to check them out you can find them here: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=ross%20beurmann

The Art of Coaching w/ Christine Converse and Ross Beurmann

In this very special video episode of the podcast, I’m joined by Jesse Fewell, whose new book Untapped Agility is full of insights, tips, and tactics that you can use to help gain support for your adoption of Agile. Jesse and I go way back. We worked together a lot during the initial phases of getting The Project Management Institute and the Scrum Alliance to talk back in 2009-2010. It was great to catch up with him and I highly recommend his new book. 

If you would prefer a video version of this podcast you can find it here:
https://vimeo.com/user18705952/review/511843051/19600ec7cd

You can find Jesse’s book here:
https://amzn.to/2ZaWFTQ

You can contact Jesse here:
Web: https://jessefewell.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessefewell/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessefewell

Untapped Agility With Jesse Fewell 02 - 21

"Be Agile, Be Alive" by Duong Xuân GUIGNOT
All things about how the Agile mindset and Scrum values can make the difference around the World.

LiminalArc is the execution engine trusted by Fortune 100 boards, cloud hyperscalers, and top-tier private-equity firms when the plan must translate into performance. 

Our team of 100+ experts sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the C-suite to cut through organizational drag, and work with your teams to accelerate stalled initiatives to deliver provable ROI. No shelf-bound strategies, no hand-offs; just measurable outcomes from boardroom to front line.

A podcast about Agile and Project Management

The Women in Agile podcast series in support of the growing movement to amplify the work of outstanding women in the Agile community through the Women in Agile Organization. Passionate, creative, and intelligent people from all genders come together in these inspiring conversations to advance equality and inclusion for all.

The Women in Agile podcast series is sponsored by Scrum.org

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