“Be bold … it takes courage to do things differently.” In this episode, Adam talks to Alena Keck and Silke Eggert from Vodafone about their journey toward digital transformation and Lean Portfolio Management. Hear about the challenges, opportunities, and the cultural shift needed to implement participatory budgeting. The group also discusses why it’s important to have a culture that allows for experimentation and fun, the value of attending conferences and events as a team, and why it’s...

Middle managers often feel lost, including within a SAFe organization. In this episode, Konrad Swistelnicki shares three points to summarize how middle managers can support teams, people, and the organization on a daily basis. Like what you hear? Connect with Konrad on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How is moving a couch the perfect metaphor for joint problem-solving and joint cognition? Gene Kim explains in this episode. Like what you hear? Connect with Gene on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

"We chase job titles, and then we chase salary, and we chase status, but we don't chase our version of happiness and success." In this episode, Adam talks to Adele Leah, a personal branding expert and career coach, about personal and professional growth. The two discuss why a personal brand is valuable, why evolving your career requires continuous growth, and the importance of finding happiness in work. The conversation touches on having clarity about your skills, strengths, and values, and...

If you’re an indirect leader, for example, a Release Train Engineer (RTE) or business owner, how can you ensure your intent is accurately communicated to the people doing the work? In this episode, Carl Starendal, SAFe® Fellow, shares proven science from Sweden about giving orders from an indirect leadership position. Hint: it involves the how, the what, and the why. Like what you hear? Connect with Carl on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

In this episode, Ali Hajou, an SPCT and self-proclaimed Agile nerd, shares his take on the many elements contributing to the challenges and evolving landscape for organizations producing physical products. Like what you hear? Connect with Ali on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Leadership involvement can make or break any Agile transformation. In this episode, Alena Keck, head of the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) at Vodafone shares four detailed tips to help you keep leaders informed and keep the transformation headed in the right direction. Like what you hear? Connect with Alena on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How can you help an existing Agile Release Train (ART) be successful and ensure that any new ARTs you launch can do the same? Heidi Hatch, Agile coach and iSPCT candidate shares her tips. Hint: leadership plays a big part. Like what you hear? Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.c 

“I got to teach a group of high school kids some Agile basics. The kids went through a couple of iterations to design a classroom. Then they had to give feedback. And it was funny how some of them were afraid to say anything. So I told them, don’t hold back, this is Agile, you let it loose because feedback is good.” In this episode, Adam talks to Karen Lewison, a senior events manager who is part of the team that designs and executes the SAFe® Summits. Based on her background in marketing and...

From the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) to Agile teams, collaboration is key to success. In this episode, Eshan Chawla, SPCT candidate, explains where else you can find that theme in SAFe and why it’s critical to solving complex problems. Like what you hear? Connect with Eshan on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

RTEs are very busy people, particularly when it comes to keeping tabs on commitments, such as PI objectves, features, and the work that teams committed to during PI Planning. Good news! SPCT candidate and former RTE Diego Groiso with Cprime has two amazing tips to help RTEs like you track all the stuff to work smarter. Like what you hear? Connect with Diego on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“If you aren’t clear on what your values are and the way that you think about answering questions or making decisions, that doesn’t empower people.” In this episode, Adam talks to Andrew Hall, co-founder of No Story Lost, a company that turns people’s life stories into personalized coffee-table books. The two discuss Andrew’s professional history as business-consultant-turned-entrepeneur to make the world a better place, the difference between academic lessons versus actual lessons learned...

More often than not, team members estimate story points based on time—something we’re advised to avoid. Jeff Wilson, iSPCT candidate with RTX explains why and shares a key tip to help teams correctly and realistically estimate their story points. Like what you hear? Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here. Read the Framework article on Stories here.

Agile estimation is a balancing act and it’s important to understand the larger purpose behind it. Amogh Joshi with Advance Agility, a Scaled Agile Gold Partner, shares his tips to achieve that balance. Like what you hear? Connect with Amogh on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“[Middle managers] are the only ones who have certain keys to enable engagement in their organization, and they have unique abilities to create trust.” In this episode, Adam interviews Mikael Broomé, an SPCT candidate, and enterprise coach and trainer at Think Flow, about the critical role of a middle manager in an Agile transformation. The two discuss topics including the challenges around people and human dynamics, the importance of leading by example, and an upcoming article about the role...

How well does your ART structure its features for the next PI? Harry Narang, a coach and consultant with Skillbook Academy, offers tips to craft great features and shares real-world examples. Like what you hear? Connect with Harry on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

When making decisions in product development, how do you decide whether to take them or delegate them? And what does delegating mean in context? In this episode, Stefan Becker, SPCT candidate and Agile coach with KEGON AG, shares his approach and a unique tool to help you move the needle from centralized decision-making to fully delegated. Like what you hear? Connect with Stefan on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“What are the right ways that we can change that organizational wiring so that people can actually do work easily and well? That's really the goal and if you can make that happen, that is the key to high performance.” In this episode, Adam talks to Gene Kim, author of The Phoenix Project and The Unicorn Project, researcher, DevOps enthusiast, and founder of IT Revolution. The two discuss topics including the concept of the danger zone and the winning zone in organizations, the challenges and...

A key reason to organize around value is to get products to customers faster than your competitors. But the principle is also valuable when it comes to culture. In this episode, Amogh Joshi with Advance Agility, a Scaled Agile Gold Partner, shares a scenario that resonates with both benefits. Like what you hear? Connect with Amogh on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

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....

“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...

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.