Episodes

Summary:

 

This week’s episode we follow up the discussion from an earlier episode we recorded with Scott Ambler where he shared his view of why/how the Agile Industrial Complex went off the rails. As hosts, we felt a follow up was imperative, so we discuss the general tone of the session with Scott and try to address the obvious issues with not having a seat at the management table and the critical need for it.

 

We also kick around what the agile road ahead might look like going forward and ponder if previous labels/titles still be applicable.

 

Lastly, we consider the frequently imposed boundaries and limits on what within an organization is changeable and where coaches/consultants can be best engaged in change.

Summary:

 

Are you seeing what we’re seeing? A barrage of Meetup death notifications.

 

Today’s episode we’re joined by good friend, colleague and progenitor of this podcast, Rick Waters.

This is a fun discussion as we delve into what appears to be an agile Meetup extinction event. But is it more than that? Is it even unique to the agile space or something bigger, more fundamental and applicable across numerous interests?

 

We kick around some interesting ideas and perspectives in an attempt to understand the root cause of what we’re observing.

Summary:

 

Our guest this episode is Steve Periera, co-author of Flow Engineering, who in a genuinely insightful session shares with us the background and experiences leading him from value stream mapping to effective approaches that help improve flow efficiency.

 

Steve identifies the problems that flow engineering solves (more done in less time, with less effort, better quality, improved throughput and maximizing ROI). We get into the details of Steve’s book where he discusses his approach to make reducing process friction easily understandable and accessible and:

• The benefits of leveraging value stream mapping in software development
• The critical role of process visibility in improving flow
• The importance of doing flow engineering to solve flow problems by looking at the entirety of the value delivery process

• The hurdles organizations are experiencing that FE solves

• His approach to make reducing process friction easily understandable and accessible

Summary:

 

This episode, hosts Matt, Mike and Jeff, revisit the creation of an assessment without reliance on Agile vernacular.  But with an additional twist – testing the “assistance” of an LLM/Robot.

 

They ran some criteria by the LLM (Perplexity) and asked it to create an assessment unencumbered by Agile terminology to see what kind of first draft it could turn out. The robot Perplexity provided a foundation of dimensions to which Mike added areas rounding it out to 10 and added five measurement (maturity) levels.

 

The subsequent discussion of the 10 dimensions and maturity levels includes thoughts on the value of conducting assessments and ideal approaches to achieve the best outcomes.

Summary:

In this conversation, Scott Ambler discusses his extensive background in the Agile community, the current state of Agile practices, and the need for a shift in focus from process to value. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of executives in Agile transformations and the necessity of governance. The discussion also touches on the challenges of measuring ROI and the potential impact of AI on Agile methodologies. Ambler advocates for a future where Agile practices evolve beyond outdated frameworks and emphasizes the importance of knowledge and skill in the Agile community.

 

In spite of the low brow scatological reference, and the frequently derisive tone, Scott shares his opinion of what’s gone awry in the Agile world. It is interesting and a bit ironic given he was one of the early pioneers. Might have been even more insightful if he had shared how he viewed his role/contribution in the overall “shatting”.

Summary:

 

This week our hosts are all over the place covering a potpourri of items like the merits of Zero Based Budgeting, the Professional Managerial Class, Change Management, Venture Capital, prioritization between mission and profit – all within the orbit of Getting Stuff Done.

 

Matt and Mike share experiences of their initiation into the world of agile. They debate their theories about how the Agile Industrial Complex got into its current state (predicament) and at what point did the mission focus shift to being secondary to profit.

Summary:

 

This episode we talk to Nigel Thurlow, co-author of The Flow System Playbook.  A super interesting session where Nigel does a deep dive sharing his experience  on Flow concepts as he was embedded at Toyota (as well as other organizations).

 

“The Flow System is not a framework” Nigel explains and that the key to all the “competing” approaches is not an either/or but an amalgam of concepts. The magic occurs in the interconnection of Lean and Agile methods, approaches and frameworks.  And per Nigel, “most Agile practitioners and many Scrum practitioners lack a fundamental, deep expertise and understanding in Lean thinking.”

 

Nigel has compiled his perspectives of Flow in his recent book – The Flow System Playbook, which is not actually a playbook per se. Listen in as Matt and Mike simply wind him up and let him roam – free range style.

Summary:

 

In this episode of HTAT, our guest Klaus Leopold – originator of the Flight Levels approach – takes us through the what, why and how of applying his Flight Levels approach.

 

Klaus explains that this is NOT a scaling framework so much as it is a thinking model to overcome the limits of local optimization approaches (sub-optimization) by focusing on three levels (upstream from the team operational level). It’s an effort to connect and align the work of an organization from strategy to execution through iteration and continual improvement.

 

Referencing real-life examples from a German engineering organization, Klaus describes how his approach came to be and continues to evolve.

 

Summary:

This episode we open up the CIO’s Value Stream Management (VSM) Playbook as authored by Mik Kersten and his crew at Planview. This playbook is directed at, well CIO’s of course, desiring and maybe driving toward creating high performing technology organizations within large enterprises. Mik draws from insights and understanding based on a handful of interviewed CIO’s highlighting their priorities and

constraints to running these organizations.

 

There are 12 steps (or concepts perhaps?) of which we were able to dissect only the first 6 due to time limits. But just these 6 take us into some interesting discussions.

 

We plan to take up the remaining 6 steps/concepts in a subsequent session. Stay tuned.

Summary:

This episode we tackle the development of an assessment tool unencumbered by Lean and Agile jargon. We focus on the need (the why) and the what would be valuable in an outcome-based assessment and how might you use it to measure genuine progress towards overarching objectives in coaching engagements.  Lastly, we discuss the limitations of current assessment and measurement tools and how they paint an incomplete picture.