In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Patricia Kong hosts a discussion with Elaine Lin Hering , author of USA Today Best Selling Book " Unlearning Silence ," and Ravi Verma , a Professional Scrum Trainer. They examine how workplace culture and cultural norms influence who speaks up and why intentional communication matters. Elaine explains that silence can be strategic or damaging, depending on context, and emphasizes the need for leaders to create environments where all voices are...
Sep 25, 2025•39 min
In this recorded episode of a live Ask a PST session held on September 16, 2025, PST Ryan Brook answered a wide variety of challenging questions from Agile practitioners! He explores the importance of vision-setting, accountability, and building a strong agile culture. Ryan shares practical strategies for leading distributed teams, breaking down silos, and addressing challenges such as complacency, unplanned work, and knowledge gaps. Drawing on his unique background as a chemistry teacher, he hi...
Sep 17, 2025•59 min
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the way Product Owners work—from streamlining daily tasks to shaping strategic decisions. In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Ruud Adriaans, Product Owner and Linus Wiggers, Head of AI from Productowner.nl to explore AI’s growing influence on Product Ownership. They discuss how Product Owners can start small—by identifying time-consuming tasks and experimenting with AI tools—while also taking a bigger-picture view...
Sep 11, 2025•40 min
Procurement is often the missing piece in Agile transformations. In this Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Mirko Kleiner, President, Lean Agile Procurement Alliance and Simon Reindl, Professional Scrum Trainer to explore how procurement’s traditional predictive approach can clash with Agile’s iterative nature—and how to fix it. They share how early involvement, transparency, and cross-functional collaboration between procurement, legal, and product teams can unlock greater agil...
Sep 04, 2025•46 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Magdalena Firlit and Patricia Kong to explore the role of ethics in product management. They discuss why ethical frameworks matter, the impact of transparency and bias, and how ethical decision-making builds trust and resilience. Here is the link to the referenced white paper.
Aug 21, 2025•34 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Darrell Fernandes to tackle questions from a recent webinar on the Agile Product Operating Model and incentives. Together, they explore how incentive models can either support or derail agility. They dig into real-world challenges like misaligned rewards, hero culture, and scaling with private equity influence—offering practical guidance on creating transparent, flexible, and outcome-focused incentives. Referenced webinar...
Aug 07, 2025•45 min
How do you prove your value as a Scrum Master? What steps can you take as Scrum Master to coach your Product Owner? What are some ways to make Scrum Events more engaging? There is a lot to navigate within the Scrum Master Accountability. PST Bart Versteegen recently answered some burning listener questions about the Scrum Master Accountability. Tune in for great insights!
Jul 30, 2025•1 hr 2 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with Tyson Bertmaring, Head of Partnership Success and Adrian Veres, Chief Scientific Officer from Dyno Therapeutics, a cutting-edge gene therapy startup. They share how Dyno applies the ideas of the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) to complex scientific research—shifting from traditional structures to empowered, cross-functional teams aligned to clear goals. You will hear how Dyno integrates APOM principles such as...
Jul 16, 2025•38 min
Transparency is a core pillar of Scrum—but what happens when the environment punishes openness? In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Professional Scrum Trainer David Spinks joins host Dave West to explore the complexities of transparency in unhealthy organizational cultures. David shares why pushing for full transparency too quickly can backfire, and offers a pragmatic, context-driven approach to building trust and psychological safety over time. Listeners will walk away with stra...
Jul 03, 2025•29 min
In this "Value Delivered" episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West and PST Jay Rahman, Founder of Fractal Systems discuss how agile principles helped a large investment bank turn a struggling multi-million dollar project into a success. By applying Scrum at multiple levels, the organization improved leadership alignment, enhanced collaboration, and reduced risks tremendously—ultimately accelerating delivery and achieving better outcomes. Listen in to discover how Scrum can crea...
Jun 19, 2025•43 min
In this Ask a PST episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, guest host Lindsay Velecina is joined by Professional Scrum Trainer Dominik Maximini to answer listener questions about forecasting and release planning . Dominik shares practical insights on estimation, using burn-down charts, managing dependencies with joint roadmaps, and aligning with stakeholder expectations. He explains why normalizing velocity across teams can be counterproductive and stresses the importance of a clear Definitio...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West and Brendan Mcsheffrey, Managing Partner at Kendall AI explore the Kendall Framework—a method for training AI using principles from lean, agile, and design thinking. They discuss how clear problem definition and context blocks like roles, capabilities, and processes dramatically improve AI accuracy. Learn how Scrum Teams can get better results from AI and make this powerful technology more accessible to everyone....
May 22, 2025•34 min
In this "Value Delivered" episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West speaks with Andre Bohn of ambarics and Professional Scrum Trainer Alex Hardt about how combining Professional Scrum and Kanban helped ambarics streamline ERP software support. Learn how greater transparency, limiting work in progress, and visualizing work item age enabled the team to better manage unplanned work, reduce escalations, and increase customer satisfaction.
May 15, 2025•29 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast , Patricia Kong talks with Professional Scrum Trainer Joanna Plaskonka about why psychological safety is critical for effective Scrum Teams. Joanna explains how it fuels openness, innovation, and accountability—while its absence leads to poor collaboration, low morale, and missed opportunities. Through real-world examples, she dispels common myths and shares how leaders can foster a culture where teams feel safe to take risks, challenge ideas, a...
May 08, 2025•22 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast – Value Delivered Series , host Dave West is joined by Carmit Ophir, Senior Director at StoreDot, and Professional Scrum Trainer Michal Epstein to explore how StoreDot leveraged Professional Scrum to tackle the complex challenges of developing ultra-fast-charging batteries for electric vehicles. Faced with low collaboration and siloed teams of chemists, engineers, and system experts, StoreDot turned to Scrum to foster transparency, cross-functio...
May 01, 2025•35 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, guest host Lindsay Velecina welcomes Professional Scrum Trainer Simon Reindl to answer listener questions from his recent webinar, “ How do the Scrum Accountabilities Work at Scale – Practical Steps for Delivery.” Drawing on years of hands-on experience, Simon breaks down Scaled Scrum and portfolio management, explores how many Scrum Masters you really need, and offers guidance on applying frameworks like Nexus, Scrum at Scale, and even SAFe wi...
Apr 24, 2025•40 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, guest host Lindsay Velecina is joined by Professional Scrum Trainer Joanna Plaskonka to answer lingering questions from her recent webinar on psychological safety in Scrum Teams. Joanna shares practical insights on measuring psychological safety using Amy Edmondson’s model, handling micromanagement, and fostering safe environments even in challenging cultures. From using behavioral questions and action learning to creating psychologically safe ...
Apr 17, 2025•53 min
How does Toyota apply Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) principles to portfolio management? In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West and PST Lucas Smith, Director of Agile Program & Services, Toyota Connected, explore how Toyota Connected structures its funding models, defines product life cycles, and manages dependencies in complex product ecosystems. Learn how Toyota Connected balances agility with control, ensuring product teams can innovate while maintaining strat...
Apr 10, 2025•43 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West and Yuval Yeret , Professional Scrum Trainer and SAFe Fellow explore how the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) can enhance the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). They discuss the shift from a rigid "feature factory" approach to a dynamic "lab" environment that fosters experimentation and value discovery. Yuval highlights the need to evolve SAFe to better support product-oriented organizations, highlighting practical steps like the...
Apr 03, 2025•41 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West and PST Andy Brandt explore the state of Agile transformations and the shift toward the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) as featured in their recently written whitepaper. While Agile has been widely adopted, challenges like misalignment between business strategy and technical execution persist. Andy shares how focusing on products instead of work and starting small with one team can drive meaningful change. They discuss the role o...
Mar 27, 2025•38 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast , Dave West is joined by Professional Scrum Trainer Jay Rahman to explore the evolving landscape of agility in the Middle East. They discuss how rapid digital transformation is driving the need for agility, not just in startups but also in established enterprises. Jay highlights the critical role of leadership in fostering an agile mindset, the importance of strong product thinking, and how organizations can balance speed with adaptability. Tune...
Mar 20, 2025•37 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West chats with Accenture’s Professional Scrum Trainer Dimitris Dimitrelos about how companies and organizations introduce the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM). They explore the shift from project-based to product-based approaches, how APOM integrates business and product development, and the challenges of aligning legacy structures with new ways of working. Dimitris highlights the need for strong C-level sponsorship and cross-function...
Mar 13, 2025•33 min
In this Ask a PST session, Professional Scrum Trainer Mary Iqbal answers questions around the principles of Agile Leadership, offering actionable insights for fostering collaboration, enabling self-managing teams, and driving organizational success in a fast-paced, complex world.
Mar 06, 2025•58 min
In part two of this portfolio management Q&A, Dave West, Yuval Yeret, and Darrell Fernandes tackle the complexities of funding products vs. teams, especially in nonprofits. They explore shifting from work-based to product-based funding, managing technical debt vs. product roadmap progress, and aligning business and technology goals. The discussion highlights the role of initiative owners, evidence-based management, and finance partnerships in driving effective portfolio decisions. They also ...
Feb 27, 2025•53 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave is joined by Yuval Yeret and Darrell Fernandes to answer key questions on Agile product portfolio management from a recent webinar. They explore how to visualize work, reduce work in progress, and prioritize investments using cost of delay. The conversation highlights the importance of quarterly business reviews, aligning initiatives with strategic goals, and leveraging Kanban and Evidence-Based Management. Tune in for practical insights o...
Feb 13, 2025•45 min
In this Ask a Professional Scrum Trainer episode, Patricia Kong moderates a discussion with Simon Flossmann and Stas Pavlov tackling listener questions on the challenges of Product Backlog Management. They explore techniques for prioritization, balancing technical debt, and improving transparency with stakeholders. From leveraging the Kano model and Magic estimation to using tools like Miro and Monte Carlo simulations for forecasting, they provide actionable insights to help teams refine their b...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 1 min
In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, our host Dave West speaks with Bilal Alawiye, Agile Coach Lead at Sanofi’s Accelerator, and Stephen Sykes, co-founder of Scrum Match. Bilal shares how Sanofi’s Accelerator transformed its approach to Scrum Mastery. The discussion highlights challenges like mechanical Scrum and the evolving role of Scrum Masters in fostering a product-focused culture, making their contributions transparent, and addressing business complexities. They explore how Sanofi’...
Jan 23, 2025•41 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West sits down with Sander Dur and Ryan Brook, authors of Solving for Value: A Journey of Ambition and Stupidity . This unique "bar book" combines a fictional story with actionable insights and real-world advice on Scrum and agility. The authors discuss the importance of prioritizing value over process, self-management, and transparency while highlighting common anti-patterns like mindless Scrum adoption, flawed scaling efforts, and rigid ...
Jan 16, 2025•32 min
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Omar Ahmed, a Scrum Master from the UK, shares his inspiring journey from a mechanical engineering background to becoming a Scrum Master. Starting in a defense company with a waterfall-driven culture, Omar recounts how a pivotal encounter during a continuous improvement course introduced him to Scrum. Omar dives into the challenges of transitioning to agile practices, emphasizing the critical roles of team empowerment, psychological safety, and...
Jan 09, 2025•27 min
In this episode of Scrum Master Real Talk , host Dave West chats with Jim Sparks, a Scrum Master from Dayton, Ohio, about his accidental journey into agility. Jim shares how he discovered a passion for servant leadership, the evolution of his role toward delivery accountability, and how he tackles challenges like leading without authority and overcoming resistance to Scrum—especially in government and cybersecurity contexts. Jim’s advice for Scrum Masters is simple yet profound: never stop learn...
Dec 19, 2024•25 min
