

Product Agility
Ben Maynard
Less Method. More Meaning.The world of Product Discovery and Creation is becoming increasingly challenging due to mistakes and missed opportunities that are prevalent in agile teams, large-scale Scrum and all other agile frameworks. History has shown that when organisations try and scale their product development to more than one cross-functional team, mistakes are made that cut short many chances of getting all possible benefits.The route of this for many is the need for more attention paid to the incredible advancements in Product Management driven by hordes of professional Product People who prove that making their customers happier is not a pipe dream but a hard and fast reality.This podcast exists to explore all topics related to Product and Agility and Coaching. How do you marry the agile principles with Product discovery?Is it really possible to have hundreds of cross-functional teams (or Product Teams) all working from an effectively prioritised single Product Backlog and a dedicated Product Owner?How can you embrace continuous improvement and empirical process control for your product, people and processes?Ever wondered how to overcome the problems people face when trying to scale the Product Owner role and how it relates to Product Management and Product Teams?Baffled by how to define a product in such a way that enables Feature Teams (aka Product Teams) and why doing wrong means you will only ever be stuck with technical teams? Scrum Teams are not compatible with modern product management techniques.Want to know what Product Focus means and how the right focus makes creating a shippable product less painful?Need to get your head around how to blend modern product management techniques with Sprint Planning and Sprint Reviews to achieve Product Increments that cover the entire product?This podcast's original focus was on Scaling Scrum vs Single-Team Scrum and how organisations can reap the benefits of Scrum when working on a larger product but still keeping a single product backlog. We found many Product People liked what we said, and then the penny dropped. This isn't a podcast about scaling Scrum or the limitations of single-team Scrum.This podcast is for Product People & agile advocates who coach or get their hands dirty with Product creation.We promise there is no Taboo topic that we will not explore on your behalf. We aim to transcend the conversations about a single team, Daily Scrums, Scrum Masters and the double-diamond and bring everyone together into responsible teams dedicated to working on the entire product to make their customers happier and their lives more fulfilling.Come and join us on our improvement towards perfection, and give us your feedback (we have a strong customer focus, too), and who knows, perhaps we will discover the magic wand that we can wave over all the broken agile and sudo-products to create a more resilient and adaptable future by bringing the worlds of Product, Agility and coaching together.This podcast has the conversations and insights you need.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 25, 2022 • 38min
John Coleman - Are Agile Islands the Best Agile Adoption Technique We Don’t Know About?
Send us Fan MailJohn Coleman is a wizened and skills agile leader and practitioner. So when he started talking to me about "Agile Islands" and "Agile Archipelagos" I wondered if success had gone to his head and it was finally his time to come off the boil.NOT THE CASE IT SEEMS!Most of us have heard of agile bubbles made popular by Michael Sahota and the commonly held belief was how do you increase the bubble to consume the entire organisation. What John proposes is something very different and terrifically though provoking. So in this episode, John shares with us his approach to getting organisational agility, just not in the way that many of us had tried and failed to do in the past, by provoking us to ponder:🏝️ Can forming a culture bubble of agility be an evolutionary approach?🏝️ Should we start slowly? Expand carefully? Improve carefully? Or just go hell for leather?🏝️Are the pathways to organizational agility numerous? 🏝️ Should we opt for evolution or revolution?Remember to check out the LeSS Matters community on MeetupHost BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jul 20, 2022 • 5min
Dinesh Sharma - What is Something In The Agile World That Should Have Been BIGGER?
Send us Fan MailHost BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jul 13, 2022 • 5min
Dinesh Sharma - What Will Be The Next BIG THING In Agile?
Send us Fan MailWill Robots take over the earth? Will agile be the catalyst to our demise?Dinesh Sharma doesn't share his thoughts on the annihilation of humankind but in the little podcast nugget he doe's tell us what he think the next big thing in agile will be (nd it is kind of related)Stay up-to-date with us on our social media! LeSS Matters website - https://www.lessmatters.co.uk LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/less-matters-community/?viewAsMember=true Twitter - https://twitter.com/LeSSMattersCommHost BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jul 11, 2022 • 20min
Tim Robinson - To Succeed with Agile, don’t learn about it?
Send us Fan MailTim is an experienced organisational agile coach, I work with individuals, teams, and organisations to help them to improve, he is also (as you would guess) an experienced agile coach, certified trainer and Scrum Master.Tim's agile mindset grew through experience in a startup and it is this agile mindset that helps to drive this conversation...Originally we were going to talk about dependencies, something along the lines of 🤯 "Are they all bad?"🤯"Is it possible or even beneficial to remove all the "red string" (as made famous by SAFe to track dependencies)"But then we got distracted by the rather tantalising topic... Why are some organisations more successful with agile before they know what it is?Is it because, once we learn, for example, Scrum, we are more self-conscious about following the steps as documented rather than just free styling in the moment? Or to put it another way, doe's not knowing about Scrum, SAFe, LeSS, for example, helps us to focus on responding to what is made apparent to us, rather than always going back to the sacred text to tell us what the next step should be?As you listen, perhaps consider this question, Does knowledge over understanding hinder true, in the moment adaptability?Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jul 6, 2022 • 38min
Wolfgang Richter - Large Scale Scrum Trainer Interview
Send us Fan MailDr. Wolfgang Richter is one of the only, if not the only person I know who has a PHD in Agile. He is also a lovely person. In this episode, Wolfgang Richter and host Ben Maynard shortcut spending years researching for a PHD and try and share valuable nuggets all the way through....🎓 What makes an effective elevator pitch🎓The best Agile and Large Scale Scrum elevator pitch yet?🎓 What do Bruce Lee and Large Scale Scrum have in common?🎓Is a "perfect" Definition of Done ever achievable?🎓What is the one thing Wolfgang loves above all others regarding Large Scale Scrum (LeSS)🎓If Wolfgang could change one thing about Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) what would it be?🎓Doe's having too much stuff hinder our ability to perform, as individuals or organisations?🎓What nerdy hobby do Wofgang and Ben have in common?🎓Do we need to go to the agile framework crypt to resurrect some long forgotten, but very good ideas?Stuff that was spoken aboutWolfgang's Large Scale Scrum Case Study - MerkurJIPP.ITJIPP.IT YouTube ChannelThe scaling framework, Limbo, by Kent BeckStay up-to-date with us on our social media! LeSS Matters website - https://www.lessmatters.co.uk LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/less-matters-community/?viewAsMember=true Twitter - https://twitter.com/LeSSMattersComm Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jul 4, 2022 • 24min
Tim Robinson - Dependencies, the consequence of over empowerment or an avoidable waste?
Send us Fan MailTim is an experienced organisational agile coach, I work with individuals, teams, and organisations to help them to improve, he is also (as you would guess) an experienced agile coach, certified trainer and Scrum Master.Tim's agile mindset grew through experience in a startup and it is this agile mindset that helps to drive this conversation...Do dependencies mean that someone has dropped the ball when it comes to your organisational structure? Some think that ZERO dependencies are possible others think that many many dependencies are ok and just need to be managed. Would it hurt you to find out neither is true?Me and Tim explore these topics to help better understand what on earth is going on:🎯 When scaling do organisations forget about the I of INVEST and this is why they design work to that creates avoidable dependencies between teams? 🎯 Do some approaches make condone organisations having dependencies and promote us having centralised dependency management?We talk about other stuff too, but these are the things I thought would get you to listen 😘Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jun 29, 2022 • 16min
Tim Robinson - Should an Agile Organisation Centralise Strategy Or Planning?
Send us Fan MailThe centralisation of strategy and planning is clearly the best idea anyone ever had.I mean, what could go wrong?!💥💥💥💥💥💥Turns out quite a lot 🤨Tim Robinson has some strong opinions on this topic, that's why I loved our conversation.In this natter, we talk about 🎯Does the reduction of queues (like Product Backlogs) naturally lead to more centralised planning and strategy? 🎯How much planning should we divest to teams?🎯Do component teams lead to centralised planning?🎯If you have dependences, is empowerment dangerous? Impossible? Sudo? Even Fake? This is the first of three conversations with Tim, keep those eyes peeled for the next episodes!Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jun 27, 2022 • 10min
Wolfgang Richter - What In the Agile World Should have been BIGGER?
Send us Fan MailDr. Richter has more experience with agile and project management than so many of us and a solid knowledge of approaches to help organisations be agile that spreads far beyond just Scrum and Kanban...So when I asked the question "What in the agile world should have been bigger" his answer came from a deep understanding of what works and what does not work when coaching individuals, teams or organisations through an agile journey.Listen to this and be learn why Wolfgang and I believe that Kanban and Scrum should never be the only options we have. Who is Wolfgang?Dr. Wolfgang Richter is the founder and CEO of JIPP.IT GmbH, an Agile Change Agency. He is a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Certified LeSS Trainer (CLT) and Coach and works with Scrum and Agile Methods since 1998. He and his team specializes in improving processes and structures by using agile methods and principles. Agile Transformations is one of the main activities. The portfolio comprises Software Development, Portal Development, Agile Training, Agile Consulting, and Innovation. Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jun 22, 2022 • 4min
Wolfgang Richter - What is the next BIG thing in Agile?
Send us Fan MailEveryone loves hopping on a bandwagon that will seemingly make them happier, more successful or for some, just richer.For the last 20 years of agile there have been many supposed and actual next big things, so what is next?Wolfgang Richter has over 20 years of experience in working in agile environments (and an agile based PHD to boot) so hearing his answer to this was an education for me (and probably for you too)Who is Wolfgang?Dr. Wolfgang Richter is the founder and CEO of JIPP.IT GmbH, an Agile Change Agency. He is a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Certified LeSS Trainer (CLT) and Coach and works with Scrum and Agile Methods since 1998. He and his team specializes in improving processes and structures by using agile methods and principles. Agile Transformations is one of the main activities. The portfolio comprises Software Development, Portal Development, Agile Training, Agile Consulting, and Innovation. Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

Jun 20, 2022 • 59min
Viktor Grgić - Certified LeSS Trainer Interview
Send us Fan MailViktor Grgić is one of the worlds greatest when it comes to making Product Groups become happy and effective, for years, not months. In this episode, Viktor Grgić and host Ben Maynard talk about:🎓 The Desolation of the Scrum Master - has the agile industry destroyed it?🎓 De-Scale Agile Banking Bubbles - What are they and why are the useful?🎓 One Thing I would Change About LeSS🎓 How Do You Get Tech Debt Prioritized?🎓 Has Finding LeSS Made You less Successful?🎓 Which LeSS Adoption Means the Most To You?🎓 What Do You Love About LeSS?🎓 What Is Scrum Good For?🎓 Perm or Contractor? Which is Best for Agile?🎓Are Some Cultures More Compatible With Agile?🎓Agile Keys to the Bank🎓Scope of LeSS🎓Elevator Pitch for LeSS🎓What is it Like Working @ Odd-e🎓Why Viktor Grgić? never got into C++🎓Has The Productization of Agile RUINED IT For Us All?Stuff that was spoken aboutViktor's Large Scale Scrum - Port of RotterdamThankyou for watching & stay tuned for more wholesome content coming up! Stay up-to-date with us on our social media! LeSS Matters website - https://www.lessmatters.co.uk LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/less-matters-community/?viewAsMember=true Twitter - https://twitter.com/LeSSMattersComm Host BioBen is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes. Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!Ben Maynard🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard💻 https://sheev.co.uk/ Product Agility Podcast 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/ 💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/ 🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagilityListen & Share On Spotify & iTunesSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8pWant to come on the podcast?Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80


