Arguing Agile - podcast cover

Arguing Agile

Brian Orlandoarguingagile.com

We're arguing about agile so that you don't have to! 

We seek to better prepare you to deal with real-life challenges by presenting both sides of the real arguments you will encounter in your professional career.

On this podcast, working professionals explore topics and learnings from their experiences and share the stories of Agilists at all stages of their careers. We seek to do so while maintaining an unbiased position from any financial interest.

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Episodes

AA99 - How to be a More Respected Agile Coach

Do you want to know all the secrets to being a better, more respected Agile Coach? If so, then this podcast is for you! In this episode, Enterprise Agile Coach reveals the secrets of Agile Coaching success to Product Manager Brian Orlando. 0:00 Intro 0:21 Topic Intro 0:36 Have a Vision 3:12 What's a Vision? 5:21 Courage 7:29 Courage, but with Impact 12:17 Asking for Help 13:57 Communicate Like a Doctor 17:25 Scrum Master Coaching Metrics 21:20 Projecting Confidence 24:36 Evidence = Confidence 27...

Feb 10, 202340 minSeason 1Ep. 99

AA98 - Are B2C and B2B Product Management Different Skills?

Do B2C and B2B Product Managers need different skills? Product Manager Brian Orlando kicks this podcast off by telling the story of how he once missed out on an opportunity because of this question. Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel joins to weigh in on this discussion, adding how B2B and B2C might be change the way teams work. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:59 Reading the Post 1:31 Core & Product-Specific Skills 3:09 Skills vs Traits 6:32 Building the Argument 9:32 Feedback 12:34 Contracts 13:49 B2B Stak...

Feb 03, 202358 minSeason 1Ep. 98

AA97 - The What & the How: Two Sides of Software Development

In the agile software development discipline, the customer is represented by two separate yet equally important groups: The Business, who brings WHAT to build, and the team(s), who decide HOW it gets built. These are their stories. Cue the Law and Order "DUN-DUN!" On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about the two cycles that exist in product development, the "what" and the "how." We discuss how they should function in small, medium, and large b...

Jan 27, 202351 minSeason 1Ep. 97

AA96 - Stages of Company Decline, or When Companies Hate Their Customers

In this episode, we take a look at the book, How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins. Using a completely fictitious example ripped directly from the headlines like we're some kind of aspiring crime show writers, we explore how the baffling moves made by our example company, Lizards and Wizards LLC, actually signal the stages of the decline that Collins describes. https://www.jimcollins.com/books/how-the-mighty-fall.html 0:00 Intro 0:24 5 Stages of Company Decline 1:14 Example Company 2:23 Building a ...

Jan 20, 202331 minSeason 1Ep. 96

AA95 - Project-Led to Product-Led (with Product Coach Mike Miller)

Today, we're talking about the things we don't talk about - transformations! On this episode, Product Coach Mike Miller joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to talk about moving from a Project-led organization to one that is more Product-led. 0:00 Failed Intro 0:13 The Real Intro 0:36 Where Did This Come From? 1:44 What's Wrong with Projects? 2:56 Physical Products and Risk Tolerance 7:11 Services that Also Have Products 9:34 Products with Services 11:30 Brian'...

Jan 13, 202350 minSeason 1Ep. 95

AA94 - Don't Say Collaboration

The most successful leaders have the ability to get people working together. Why is it then, so many organizations have cultures where people are discouraged from working together (for example, development teams where they don't peer program)? On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about getting people to work together without using the word collaboration. 0:00 An Interesting Exchange... 1:05 Who Benefits from this Podcast? 2:17 Everything is Prio...

Jan 06, 202355 minSeason 1Ep. 94

AA93 - Being a Positive Advocate for Agile

Do you consider yourself an advocate for agile and for positive change? On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to talk about what makes a good agile advocate. 0:00 Intro - Being a Good Advocate 0:08 Om's Take 1:15 Stormy's Take 2:32 Metrics 3:36 Keeping People Busy 4:54 An Experience (Keeping People Busy) 6:34 Scientific Method, By Another Name 8:42 Being Empowered 11:22 Deeper Thinking on Culture...

Dec 30, 202243 minSeason 1Ep. 93

AA92 - Life without a Scrum Master

Does your team or org have a Scrum Master or Agile Coach? Many do not. Organizations without Scrum Masters have many common challenges and in this episode we discuss those challenges in-depth! Listen as Product Manager and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to discuss what life is like without a Scrum Master. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:23 Metaphors! 2:26 Challenging the Analogy 3:30 Team Development 5:10 Who is Leadership? Small Compan...

Dec 23, 202251 minSeason 1Ep. 92

AA91 - Going from Product Owner to Product Manager

Do you want to be a Product Manager and have been doing the role of Product Owner on a Scrum Team? On this episode, Product Manager and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando to talk about her transition from being a Product Owner (as a job title and role) to being a Product Manager and the difference she has noticed. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:25 Starting with Teams 2:16 Stormy's Experiences with Self Managing Teams 5:26 Brian's Questions... 6:48 Change Triggered by Crisis ...

Dec 16, 202246 minSeason 1Ep. 91

AA90 - Org Culture (with Stormy Dickson)

On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel are joined by Product Manager Stormy Dickson to talk about culture, incentives, and the challenges of trying to change organizations. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:50 Engrained in the Culture 4:52 Pondering Large Companies 7:40 Challenging Organizations 10:31 Big Cultural Red Flags 11:50 Changing Your Organization 13:35 Sidebar on Dunbar's Number 15:08 Start with Yourself 17:52 Bad Apples 20:41 Incentives 23:39 Diversity 25:...

Dec 09, 202247 minSeason 1Ep. 90

AA89 - Agile Interviewing Red Flags (with Tricia Barnes & Surprise Mystery Guest)

Today, we're joined by Product Lead Tricia Barnes and our favorite Scrum Master Surprise Mystery Guest to talk about red flags to watch out for when interviewing for roles on agile teams. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:14 No Scrum Peers in the Interview 1:59 When Product "Runs Things" 3:19 First Scrum Master Hire 6:07 Being "Methodology Agnostic" 7:36 Putting the Interviewer to Work 10:25 Different Perspectives 12:42 Recognizing Burn-Out & Chaos 16:29 Conflating Velocity and Business Value 20:33 Showcas...

Dec 02, 202239 minSeason 1Ep. 89

AA88 - Contracts in Agile Software Development

There's a line in the Agile Manifesto: "Customer collaboration over contract negotiation." This episode will help familiarize you with contracts because contracts are not just something that should be "done by somebody else." 0:00 Topic Intro 0:45 Master Service Agreements 3:13 Three Agreements Types 7:09 Time & Materials 8:58 Fixed Price Contracts & Agile 12:52 Boot-making Example (Fixed Price) 16:24 Grades of Service 18:54 Grades of Service & Agile 20:23 Fixed Price - Penalties 23:...

Nov 17, 202248 minSeason 1Ep. 88

AA87 - Burnt-Out Product Managers

On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel read through and discuss a recent article authored by a (clearly burnt-out) Product Manager. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:28 Reading the Post 3:38 Meaningless Work 8:42 Building the Wrong Thing (aka. Failure) 10:32 Building the Wrong Thing, Continued 13:33 Blame Game 17:28 Burn-out or Failure to Coach? 20:38 Culture Eats Strategy 23:14 Continuous Discovery 27:10 Being Not Good at Anything 29:46 Never Read the Comments 32:09...

Nov 11, 202241 minSeason 1Ep. 87

AA86 - New Product Owners and Product Managers

You've been either hired or promoted as a new Product Manager or Owner. Congratulations! What should you do next? What might you expect? What can you do to ensure success? On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about what it's like to be a new Product Owner or Product Manager. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:35 Why/What 3:59 Starting with Why 6:16 Starting Points 11:27 Crossing the Chasm 14:08 Do You Have the Skills? 19:44 Being a Good Leader 24:07 Starting Fr...

Nov 04, 202249 minSeason 1Ep. 86

AA85 - Deadlines in Agile

Let's talk about deadlines! Why do people say that agile doesn't do deadlines? Why do people commit to dates without engaging the team? Finally, what are better ways to handle deadlines? On this episode, join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel as they talk through deadlines. 0:00 Intro 0:22 Why Deadlines 1:33 Agile Can't Do Deadlines 5:02 Committing when You Can't Deliver 6:58 WIFM 9:22 Seemingly Random Dates 13:17 Sales as an Example 18:34 Roadmap for Sales 21:52 ...

Oct 28, 202249 minSeason 1Ep. 85

AA84 - Stakeholders in the Scrum Events

Have you ever been asked to invite someone outside of the Scrum Team to one or more of the Scrum Team's Events? On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel go event by event to talk about when it is right to invite stakeholders to your Scrum Events, and when it is "not right!" 0:00 Topic Intro 0:20 Daily Scrum, by the Book 2:48 Daily Scrum, the Real World 6:49 Uninvited Guests 9:58 Disciplined & Undisciplined Stakeholders 14:35 Sprint Retrospective 16:5...

Oct 21, 202238 minSeason 1Ep. 84

AA83 - Agile Doesn't Work Here

How many times have you heard "agile doesn't work here?" On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk through the typical reasons (some legitimate, some excuses) for the statement "agile doesn't work here." 0:00 Topic Intro 0:53 Two Common Issues 5:11 Ego and/or Fear 6:51 Leading with Vision 11:07 Fear of Failure 14:31 Institutionalized Inability to Trust 19:25 What can be Done? 22:07 Agile Sponsorship & Enablement 24:29 Middle Managers 28:33 Incent...

Oct 14, 20221 hrSeason 1Ep. 84

AA82 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 3: the Org)

"What does a Scrum Master do all day?" If you are in an organization where you hear this question, you are aware that people are failing to realize that one third of the Scrum Master's responsibilities are about coaching the organization. On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about how a Scrum Master spends their day coaching the organization, or, as Om likes to say, "Coaching Up!" 0:00 Topic Intro 0:33 Coaching the Organization 4:03 What do you ...

Oct 07, 20221 hrSeason 1Ep. 82

AA81 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 2: the Product)

Outside of the daily scrum, what does a Scrum Master do all day? One third of the Scrum Guide's answer to this is "Serves the Product Owner," and that is what this entire episode is about! Join Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson with Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to talk about how a Scrum Master spends their day serving the product owner. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:45 Effective Product Goal Definition 4:51 Clarity in Goal Definition 11:36 Lack of Strate...

Sep 30, 202259 minSeason 1Ep. 81

AA80 - What does a Scrum Master Do All Day (Part 1: the Team)

Outside of the daily scrum, what does a Scrum Master do all day?If you've ever been asked this question - this is the podcast for you! On this episode, Scrum Master Ayo Eyo joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to talk about how Scrum Masters spend their day while serving the team. Special shout out to Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson who just happened to be in the neighborhood and joined us for the last half! = = = = = = = = = = = = Watch it on...

Sep 23, 202244 minSeason 1Ep. 80

AA79 - The Case Against Psychological Safety, with Stormy Dickson

Have you ever been in an organization where psychological safety was ridiculed or derided? On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando to see if a case can be made against psychological safety. 0:00 Topic Intro 1:47 Unearned Autonomy 6:25 Empowered Teams, but Incentivizing Individuals 11:01 A Shield Against Accountability 14:33 Incentives via Consensus 19:46 Transparency in Financials 24:32 Prioritization 30:27 Stormy's Summary 33:50 Dec...

Sep 16, 202238 minSeason 1Ep. 79

AA78 - Building the Wrong Thing, with Senior Scrum Master Ted Wells

Have you ever been handed a feature to build rather than a problem to solve? Have you ever built a feature touted as the next big thing only to find out that it was never used or needed? On this episode, Senior Scrum Master Ted Wells joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel as they talk about building the wrong thing. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:35 Product-Led and Sales-Led Organizations 4:14 Visionary-Led Organizations 6:59 Working Backwards 11:03 Arguing Against 16:10 Ord...

Sep 09, 202257 minSeason 1Ep. 78

AA77 - Technical or Not? Backgrounds of Product Managers or Owners

In Product Management, does having a Technical Background help or not? On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to explore how the background of a Product Manager (or Product Owner) may benefit or hinder. 0:00 Imposter Syndrome 0:35 Start with Why 4:30 Navigating Difficult Situations 8:27 Stormy's Experiences 12:37 Constantly Starting Over 14:49 Making the Transition 17:46 Partnering with Tech Leade...

Sep 02, 202247 minSeason 1Ep. 77

AA76 - Product Owner vs Product Manager

Is there a difference between a Product Owner and a Product Manager? And if the answer is yes (surprise, it is), what is the difference? On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to explore the differences between Product Owners and Product Managers. 0:00 Topic Intro: PO vs PM 0:19 Mike Miller Definition 3:06 Collaboration in Product Roles 6:35 Strategic vs Tactical 12:06 Heirarchy Driven by Incentiv...

Aug 26, 20221 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 76

AA75 - Definition of Done

Beyond what is in the Scrum Guide, how do we work with the definition of done? On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel to explore the definition of done. 0:00 Topic Intro 1:28 Defining Definition of Done 5:14 Breaking DoD 8:44 Contributing and/or Ignoring 13:39 Adapting or Extending the DoD 18:41 Who Prompts a Revision? 20:53 The Hawthorne Effect 23:46 Back to Revisions 25:56 The First DoD 31:25 St...

Aug 19, 202239 minSeason 1Ep. 75

AA74 - Bad Certification Experiences & Maybe Bad Certifications...

Have you had a bad experience with a certification or certification class? On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson discusses her bad experience with the CSPO certification. Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel ask questions and wonder what could be changed within the system to make sure these kinds of things don't happen. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:21 Stormy's Certification Experience 7:26 How Did We Get Here? 14:28 Scrum Master Experience 25:47 Or...

Aug 12, 20221 hr 23 minSeason 1Ep. 74

AA73 - Should Velocity Always Be Increasing, Forever?

Is Velocity a number that should go up and up, forever? What does it mean when Velocity goes down? On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about the ups and downs (pun intended) of Velocity. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:43 Should Velocity Perpetually Rise? 3:03 Let's Argue About: Metrics 7:27 Sustainability and Circling the Drain Faster 12:32 Seeking Justification 15:55 Decreasing Team Size to Speed Up 20:52 Reasons to Increase Velocity 25:42 Standardization...

Aug 05, 20221 hrSeason 1Ep. 73

AA72 - Gantt Charts in Agile Software Development

On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk about Gantt charts. What is a Gantt chart, why do people do them, what purpose do they serve in agile software development, and why they're terrible and you should never do one. 0:00 Introductory Banter 1:00 Topic Intro 2:52 Deciding How We'll Argue 4:05 What is a Gantt Charts and it's History 10:05 Unknown Tasks 15:46 Dependencies 20:50 Changing Plans 24:46 Compiling the Gantt Chart 32:00 Lean Principles &am...

Jul 29, 20221 hr 16 minSeason 1Ep. 72

AA71 - Career Paths to Product Management

On this episode, Product Owner and Registered Nurse Stormy Dickson stops by to discuss her journey to Product. Additionally, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel muse on the different ways people find themselves in Product. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:38 Path to Product 3:27 Assumptions 9:04 First Job PM - Things to Watch 13:36 Trying to See the Other Side 18:38 Journey Starting with Domain Experience 24:09 Discover Users, Build Empathy 35:11 Comparing PMs 37:51 PM vs PO 45:1...

Jul 22, 20221 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 71

AA70 - Working with Finite Resources

On this episode, Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel talk through working within the confines of limited or finite resources. 0:00 Topic Intro 0:22 The Problem 2:42 Team Member Sharing 8:11 Architects 13:12 UI/UX 18:22 Testers 25:50 Faux Fixes 33:19 Team Agility Radar 38:37 Centers of Excellence 41:19 Fixes: Understand Vision 47:49 Fixes: Contractors 51:15 Fixes: Decentralizing 57:13 Wrap-Up = = = = = = = = = = = = Watch it on Youtube Please Subscribe to our YouTube...

Jul 15, 202259 minSeason 1Ep. 70
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