Troubleshooting Agile

Can you drive change in your organisation by accelerating crises? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss Deming’s philosophy and explore how visibility and awareness of issues can bring about necessary change. LINKS - Deming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming - Panel discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu7JMAQggfo - Information radiators: https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/information-radiators/ -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profit

Is your plan to avoid conflict making things worse? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss the Paul and Ted Case Study, the concept of 'easing in,' and what leaders should do instead, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. LINKS - Eight Behaviors for Smarter Teams: https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/917018/Eight-Behaviors-for-Smarter-Teams-2.pdf -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profitable organisations through better communication. Squirrel

Do you document and analyse failure? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey draw inspiration from Donald Knuth's detailed study of his own software mistakes to give you the lowdown on learning from past mistakes, including meaningful postmortems and retrospectives. LINKS: - Knuth's paper: https://yurichev.com/mirrors/knuth1989.pdf - Foundation Failures: https://www.abebooks.com/Foundation-Failures-Szechy-C-Concrete-Publications/20924178050/bd -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for gr

What do you do when you inherit a 20 year old codebase? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey look at an extreme example of legacy software and discuss why it's important to understand past contexts as well as address modern discrepancies. Links: - Brian's Archaeology Tips: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-tips-software-archeologists-brian-reich-n0ase - Ask Why, But Never Answer: https://blog.jbrains.ca/permalink/ask-why-but-never-answer - Macintosh's Backward Capacitor: https://www.downtowndougbrown.com/2024/11/the-capacitor-that-apple-soldered-incorrectly-at-the-factory/ -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they stu

How do you make sure that critical information is preserved over time? Tune in to learn about “reverse smuggling,” lost TV shows, outdated video game formats, and Ron Landley's Petrochemical archaeology, in this week’s episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Grant's article; - Petrochemical archaeology from Ron Landley: https://landley.net/history/mirror/institutional_memory.html - Dr. Who archaeology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_missing_episodes -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united

Can extreme constraints help you think of radically different solutions? In this week’s episode, Jeffrey and Squirrel explore what happens when you point a figurative gun at your team, inspired by Grant Slatton's provocative article 'Algorithms We Develop Software By’ Links: - Grant's article; https://grantslatton.com/software-pathfinding#algorithms-we-develop-software-by - Thinking, Fast and Slow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Independence Day: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-incendiary-questions-douglas-squirrel-seqre/ - Feature thinning: https://agileconversations.com/blog/ford-not-ferrari-feature-thinning-and-roi/ - Oblique Strategies cards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedbac

Would you delete your unfinished work to ensure a fresh start? On this week’s episode, Jeffrey and Squirrel discuss whether using deletion as a tool can provide focus and improvement, with help from Grant Slatton's provocative article 'Algorithms We Develop Software By’ Links: - Grant's article; https://grantslatton.com/software-pathfinding#algorithms-we-develop-software-by - Thinking, Fast and Slow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Independence Day: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-incendiary-questions-douglas-squirrel-seqre/ - Feature thinning: https://agileconversations.com/blog/ford-not-ferrari-feature-thinning-and-roi/ - Oblique Strategies cards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedb

Do you or your team show resistance to change? There are some common ingrained habits that can affect your ability to learn. Find out how difficult conversations, pair programming, and test-driven development can help you create new habits to foster meaningful transformation, in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Karate Kid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Karate_Kid - Shu Ha Ri: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuhari - Wardley mapping: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardley_map -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art

Do you avoid making uncertain predictions in favour of task lists to ensure success? If a fear of being wrong means you can’t embrace uncertainty and learn from mistakes then you’re missing out on the natural discomfort of learning. Find out more about how to combat this in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile Links: - Toyota Kata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kata - Recent Kata episode: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/toyota-kata-a-z - Thinking, Fast and Slow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow - Kathryn Schulz on being wrong: https://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick

When deception overshadows disappointment, severe ethical breaches can occur. Join your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey to discover how clear, honest communication can make sure you’re not dealing with the next Volkswagen emissions scandal, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Goal displacement: https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191843273.001.0001/acref-9780191843273-e-122 - Passive voice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_voice - Normalisation of Deviance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalization_of_deviance - Volkswagen emissions scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Je

Challenging the iron triangle in software development - balancing quality, time and scope. In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss Andy Giese’s recent provocative article 'How to Make Product Give a Shit About Your Architecture Proposal.’ Join us to learn how you can use ‘feature thinning’ and joint design to promote collaborative approaches in situations like this. Links: - Andy G's article: https://gieseanw.wordpress.com/2024/10/09/how-to-make-product-give-a-shit-about-your-architecture-proposal/ - Getting To Yes, on interests and positions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_to_Yes -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in

Boost team results by measuring carefully and using consistent methods to move toward your goal–with “scientific thinking” “the Improvement Kata” and “the Coaching Kata”. In this bumper episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss quality and delivery the Toyota Way. Links: - Toyota Kata: https://public.websites.umich.edu/~jmondisa/TK/Homepage.html - Gemba: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemba Other relevant episodes: - Episode 214 - Get Your Reps In: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/get-your-reps-in -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Ove

Your elaborate spreadsheet that prioritises features isn’t rigorous mathematical analysis and should be a conversation starter not a definitive guide. Find out how to avoid ‘Mathiness’ with Squirrel and Jeffrey in the latest from Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Mathiness article: https://www.votito.com/methods/mathiness -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profitable organisations through better communication. Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and c

Need to transform decision-making in your agile team? In this episode, we discuss how to harness the power of perceptiveness using Jeffrey’s insights from a lecture on the architect Christopher Alexander and the book 'How Emotions Are Made.' Links: How to Become Perceptive: https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/perceptive - Ryan Singer’s Christopher Alexander: A Primer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTckhhKS0k - Book: How Emotions are Made: https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/books/how-emotions-are-made/ - Naive Realism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve_realism_(psychology) - Annie Duke: Thinking in Bets https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35957157-thinking-in-bets -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at https://agileconversations.com/ And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- Ab

Create, nurture, and increase empathy with all your customers, even the ones you didn't know you had! Inspired by Gojko Adzic and his new book Lizard Optimisation, Squirrel and Jeffrey discuss how you can do just that, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: - Gojko’s book, Lizard Optimisation: https://www.amazon.com/Lizard-Optimization-Product-Engaging-Long-Tail/dp/0993088171 - Kahneman Thinking, Fast and Slow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they rem

The products you have today could be 5x more profitable if you found out how customers really use them and tuned accordingly, says Gojko Adzic - and we’re inclined to agree! Find out how to do it on this episode ofTroubleshooting Agile your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey. Links: - Gojko’s book, Lizard Optimisation: https://www.amazon.com/Lizard-Optimization-Product-Engaging-Long-Tail/dp/0993088171 - Gojko Adzic on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gojko/ - Long tail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail - Nassim Taleb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassim_Nicholas_Taleb -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they stud

Junior coders aren't going to be purged, but trained, just like we taught ditch-diggers to drive excavators. Find out why Squirrel thinks Steve Yegge is wrong, on this episode of Troubleshooting Agile. Links: Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit: https://itrevolution.com/product/enterprise-technology-leadership-summit-las-vegas-2024/ - Steve Yegge's talk at ETLS: article https://sourcegraph.com/blog/the-death-of-the-junior-developer , video https://videos.itrevolution.com/watch/1002959965 - Gene Kim at ETLS: https://itrevolution.com/articles/observing-the-impact-of-ai-on-law-firms-software-and-writing-winners-and-losers/ - Patrick Debois at ETLS: https://videos.itrevolution.com/watch/1002959794 -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com --------------------------------

Being radically transparent by reporting progress daily has surprisingly positive effects. Learn how and why to do daily flashes in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey. Links: - PPP reporting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress,_plans,_problems - Wienberg, Becoming a Technical Leader: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/714344.Becoming_a_Technical_Leader - Westrum's generative culture: https://itrevolution.com/articles/westrums-organizational-model-in-tech-orgs/ - Improvement Kata episode: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/toyota-kata-part-ii - Electronic Lab Notebooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_lab_notebook - Squirrel's new podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-insanely-profitable-tech-podcast/id1758772797 -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have

The most obnoxious person in your team may in fact be saving your bacon. Discover why and how to encourage "disagreeable givers" in this episode of Troubleshooting Agile with your hosts, Squirrel and Jeffrey. Links: - Givers and Takers from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2013/04/in-the-company-of-givers-and-takers - Disagreeable Givers: https://www.inc.com/laura-montini/the-most-undervalued-employee-at-any-organization.html - Collaboration Matrix: https://stratechery.com/2013/the-uncanny-valley-of-a-functional-organization/ -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management thr

Talk louder, set limits on your generosity, and learn to disappoint people helpfully. On this website, Squirrel and Jeffery offer advice inspired by Adam Grant on giving and taking in your organisation. Links: - Adam Grant on giving and taking: https://hbr.org/2013/04/in-the-company-of-givers-and-takers -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profitable organisations through better communication. Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, and h