What is one of the most important things an organization should do before launching an Agile Release Train? In this episode, Michael Krug, Agile coach and SPCT candidate, explains why assessments are invaluable to determine whether an organization is on the right track with its SAFe implementation. Like what you hear? Connect with Michael on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here ....
“When you open yourself up to people and to experiences, the most amazing things can happen.” In this episode, Adam talks to Michelle Jimenez about a unique career journey that ultimately led her to product management. The two discuss the importance of keeping an open mind, why it’s OK not to have all the answers, and the value of taking on new challenges. Michelle also shares her advice for those interested in becoming a product manager. Like what you hear? Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn. Ex...
“Don’t come to the table with problems if you don’t have ideas for solutions.” In this episode, Michelle Jimenez, product manager at Scaled Agile, shares her tips for starting positive dialogue and creating a collaborative mindset in tense situations. Like what you hear? Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here ....
In this episode, Benjamin Scheffold, senior manager of Agile transformation at Deloitte shares his top tips for success in the three key phases of a participatory budgeting event. He also explains why preparation, adaptation, communication, and repetition are critical for everyone involved. Like what you hear? Connect with Benjamin on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here ....
“I was deeply skeptical [about hybrid training] as an idea. This goes against all I’ve learned …This is going to be a challenge for me, but I said, “Challenge accepted.” Let’s figure out what we need to do.” In this episode, Adam is joined by Carl Starendal and Ola Gedenryd to talk about hybrid training sessions that combine both in-person and online participants. They discuss the challenges and benefits of hybrid training, offering suggestions for the ideal technical setup and providing recomme...
Identifying value streams is a cornerstone element of the SAFe® Implementation Roadmap for good reasons. In this episode, SPC and SPCT candidate Stephan Khal explains the why behind that strategy and how combining that activity with value stream mapping can produce powerful outcomes for the business. Like what you hear? Connect with Stephan on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
In the spirit of relentless improvement, how do you make your next PI Planning event even better than the last one? In this episode, SPC Marcin Cieslinski offers four key tips to make sure everyone is prepared to plan successfully. Like what you hear? Connect with Marcin on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
“Improv as a teaching tool connects people in real-time, in a real way, and it does it magically.” Today’s episode is … a little different. Adam is joined by Erin Diehl, founder and CEO of improve it!, a professional development company helping teams work better together through improvisation. Erin shares her personal journey and how she discovered not only her passion for improv but how it can be used to help others. They discuss the effectiveness of using improv to combat some of the biggest c...
In this episode, Helen Fleming, SAFe Coach and SPCT candidate dives into the powerful philosophy of servant leadership, which prioritizes the needs of others to empower them to succeed. Helen shares why servant leadership is experiencing a resurgence at AT&T and describes real-world examples of the effect it’s having inside the company. Like what you hear? Connect with Helen on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
Does presenting in front of a large group of people make you anxious? You’re not alone. In this episode, self-proclaimed introvert Robert Dunlap, an SPCT candidate at a telecommunications company, shares his tips to help you overcome your fears and teach a great class. Like what you hear? Connect with Robert on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
“AI is not coming for your job. You don't have to fear AI. You have to fear the person who knows how to use AI better than you do.” On today’s episode, Adam sits down with William Kammersell, Director of Product Management at Scaled Agile to discuss technology and AI in the workplace and how to use both to enhance productivity and learning. They talk through their own experiences using AI, how the tools are only as powerful as the data they have access to, and their ideas for how AI might factor...
How are your behaviors as a manager or a leader affecting others in your organization? In this episode, Carl Starendal, SAFe Fellow in Sweden, shares his advice to help you model positive behaviors, stay involved when shifting responsibility to someone else (decentralized decision-making), and invest in developing strong relationships with your colleagues during good and bad times. Like what you hear? Connect with Carl on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
Organizations that focus too much on shiny new software features often forget about other key elements like technical debt, security, and performance. And that can compromise the software they deliver. In this episode, Lech Babula, iSPCT at Nordea Bank, shares some tips to help you avoid the software death spiral loop and take action. Like what you hear? Connect with Lech on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
“We were shipping six linear feet of technical documentation with every system that we sold. And it occurred to me that a lot of what we were documenting was just bad design and challenges using the system. I proposed that we take a look at what documentation we would prefer to write … and adjust the software to match the documentation.” In this episode, Adam talks to Harry Max about user experience design and prioritization. Harry is an executive coach and the author of Managing Priorities: How...
Does your organization have a vision? In this episode, Susan Gibson, CEO, cofounder, and SPCT at Temenos+Agility shares her perspective on how vision is critical to execution—and why it’s often missing from organizations’ large change initiatives. Like what you hear? Connect with Susan on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
In this episode, Konrad Swistelnicki, SPCT candidate at Kegon, explains why the evolution of commitment in Agile approaches and in SAFe is a good thing. And why value delivered is really what matters. Like what you hear? Connect with Konrad on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here .
“Be present. Be engaged. Participate in everything and anything—sit at a round table, talk with an expert one-on-one, and network at the partner marketplace. You never know what you’ll learn.” Twice a year, a small but mighty team of six people plans and executes the SAFe Summit. In this episode, Adam talks to two of those six people, Karen Lewison and Eric Neal, to find out what happens behind the scenes to successfully pull off these popular events. Karen and Eric talk about the challenges and...
What do you do when you are trying to implement or improve new ways of working but management isn’t hearing your message? Fernando Razo, Enterprise Lean-Agile Coach at Softtek, shares his key tips for navigating the human element of those conversations. Like what you hear? Connect with Fernando on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
How are cyber-physical systems different than software and what does SAFe look like in that environment? Oliver Wörl, SPC at NTT Data explains and shares a tip for improving that system, one element at a time. Like what you hear? Connect with Oliver on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here ....
"If we don’t get the people side … we are not going to be a successful organization going forward.” In this people-focused episode, Adam talks to Fabiola Eyholzer from Just Leading Solutions about the importance of Agile HR and its role in organizational agility. The two discuss the why behind the shift to a more human-centered approach and what being on the cusp of the augmented era means for humans. Fabiola also introduces the Agile HR Explorer course designed to help HR professionals understa...
Tune in as Mahesh Varadharajan, SPCT and SAFe practice lead at KnowledgeHut shares a short story about how having the right person in the right role helped an organization avoid derailing its PI Planning event. Like what you hear? Connect with Mahesh on LinkedIn . Explore SAFe courses here .
The early stages of adopting Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) can feel a bit overwhelming. In today’s episode, Deema Dajani, SAFe Fellow and product management director has some essential advice to help you stay calm and carry on. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here. Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here ....
How can an approach that originated in finance help you better evaluate epics and initiatives in SAFe, particularly around uncertainty and risk? In today’s episode, Adam talks to SAFe Fellow and SPCT Joe Vallone about real options. The two discuss how the approach is best applied at the portfolio level and why it’s useful in evaluating MVPs and in deciding whether to pivot, persevere, or refactor. Read the article mentioned in the podcast. Like what you hear? Connect with Joe on LinkedIn. Explor...
You need to be customer-centric, speaking to customers and validating, but how do you do that? Deema Dajani, Product Management Director at Scaled Agile, Inc., recommends the Double Diamond of Design Thinking. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here . linkedin.com Deema Dajani - Scaled Agile, Inc. | LinkedIn SAFe Business and Portfolio Agility Experiences | Learn more about Deema Dajani's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profi...
Adam is making the most of his time at the 2023 SAFe® Summit Nashville, this time sitting down with Alexis Williams of Atlassian, Josh Fruit with Accenture, and Dana Buttera of Norfolk Southern. They talk about some emerging trends in business and enterprise agility before launching into a thorough conversation about how, together, they’ve successfully helped Norfolk Southern, a centuries-old train company, embrace an Agile way of working by focusing on the people, the problems that need to be s...
Listen to today’s conversation in two languages—the first half in English and the second half in Portuguese. In this episode, Adam talks to economist Marcio Tambelini who is responsible for Agile training at B3 in Brazil, one of the world’s largest stock exchanges. Marcio shares why B3 decided to adopt Agile methodologies, his experience implementing SAFe, and the outcomes that the company has realized around speed, autonomy, and customer satisfaction. He also highlights why he treats value stre...
What’s the best way to get people to love your product when you release it? Deema Dajani, Product Management Director at Scaled Agile has some tips to consider before you even start building it. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here .
On today’s episode, Adam is joined by Richard Knaster, a longtime SAFe® Fellow and a leading voice in the area of value stream management. Richard shares his own journey to SAFe and tells us more about the work he’s doing today: encouraging organizations to embrace SAFe through the adoption of Atomic Habits. And how breaking things down into manageable chunks of work can help anyone achieve their goals—whether it’s eating better and exercising more or successfully completing an Agile transformat...
So, you’re running your first participatory budgeting event and you’re nervous. What’s the best way to demystify the event for everyone involved? Deema Dajani, Product Management Director at Scaled Agile has some suggestions in today’s episode. Like what you hear? Connect with Deema on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here ....
How are you supporting the people who support your people? Whether your organization is on its way or just getting started with incorporating HR into your Agile way of working, Fabiola Eyholzer, CEO of Just Leading Solutions, has some advice to help you on that journey. Like what you hear? Connect with Fabiola on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here ....
