Here's This Agile Thing

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".