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Substack Week: AI in Product Management, Enhancing Product Development Through Artificial Intelligence with Toni Dos Santos
In this Substack Week episode, we explore how artificial intelligence is transforming product management with Toni Dos Santos, co-author of The Product Courier newsletter. From automating routine tasks to enhancing strategic decision-making, Toni shares practical insights on leveraging AI to build better products faster and more efficiently.
From Music to Banking to AI Product Management"I wanted to work in that area to find ways to put innovation to service to the consumers, and making it as invisible as possible."
Toni's journey into AI and product management began in an unexpected place - the music industry. After working as a music producer, his interest in innovation led him to banking, where he discovered the untapped potential of data analytics. His experience working with machine learning and deep learning in banking laid the foundation for his current work with generative AI in product management. The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 sparked his deep dive into applying AI to product management challenges.
Revolutionizing User Story Creation with AI"User stories are a big pain for many product managers, particularly junior ones... The idea is that you provide the AI with a PRD or description of the product, and it's going to write user stories based on best practices."
Toni explains how AI can transform the process of writing user stories by automating the initial drafting while preserving the essential collaborative aspects. He emphasizes that while AI can handle the mechanics of writing, the real value comes from using it as a springboard for deeper discussions with the team. The technology can suggest edge cases, highlight potential gaps, and provide a structured foundation for further refinement.
AI as a Tool for Understanding User Needs"Use all the transcripts, the feedback from user interviews that I have, feed it to AI and retrieve from it the key pain points, the major patterns that it identifies."
Rather than replacing human insight, AI serves as a powerful tool for analyzing user feedback and identifying patterns. Toni shares practical examples of using AI to:
Process and analyze app store reviews at scale
Identify clusters of users with similar pain points
Extract key themes from user interviews
Validate qualitative findings with quantitative data
Strategic Role of AI in Leadership"For product leaders, they should be the ones thinking how AI will affect their work because to define a strategy, to define a roadmap, AI can summarize tons of data, tons of information that you cannot do yourself."
Toni challenges the notion that AI primarily impacts lower-level tasks. He argues that AI's ability to process vast amounts of information makes it particularly valuable for leadership roles. Leaders can use AI to:
Prepare more effective meetings with relevant agendas
Create alignment across different departments
Practice important presentations and interviews
Generate and evaluate strategic options
Best Practices for Getting Started with AI"The best resource is to go into it... get ChatGPT, Gemini, whatever, and just dive into it and try and get learning and start practicing right away."
For product managers looking to incorporate AI into their workflow, Toni emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience. He recommends:
Starting with practical experimentation rather than just theoretical learning
Understanding AI's limitations (20% error rate) and always double-checking outputs
Treating AI interactions as conversations rather than one-off prompts
Focusing on areas where AI can augment rather than replace human judgment
Resources For Further StudyBOOK: Bret King, Bank 3.0: Why Banking Is No Longer Somewhere You Go But Something You Do
Toni’s Product Courier Newsletter
The AI focused episode with Marshall Goldsmith
AI Course by IBM: Armin Ries, free AI course by IBM
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Toni Dos Santos
Toni is a seasoned B2B product strategist with 15+ years of experience, having guided over 250 SMEs and large enterprises. As a former SaaS founder, Toni specializes in accelerating time-to-market, driving sustainable product growth, and aligning product strategies with business goals. His tailored approach empowers leaders to prioritize impactful solutions and boost revenue.
You can link with Toni Dos Santos on Substack.
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Substack Week: The Shared Ownership Challenge, Understanding Clear Accountability in Engineering Teams With Rafa Páez
Welcome to our Substack Week, where we interview thought leaders who publish newsletters on Substack to help you find inspiring voices that drive our community forward. In this episode, we explore the concept of shared ownership and its pitfalls with Rafa Páez, an experienced engineering leader with insights on creating clear accountability in teams.
The Pitfalls of Shared OwnershipIn engineering teams, shared ownership often manifests as ambiguity in responsibility and accountability. Rafa shares a personal experience where assigning two engineers to lead an initiative resulted in nothing getting done, as each assumed the other would take action. This phenomenon highlights how shared ownership without clear accountability can lead to missed deadlines, poor quality deliverables, and team conflicts.
"It might not be my fault because I thought the other person was available, I thought the other person had more time to actually work on that initiative."
Understanding the Bystander EffectThe bystander effect, a psychological phenomenon first identified by social psychologists, explains why people are less likely to take action when others are present. In a team setting, this manifests as members assuming someone else will take responsibility, leading to collective inaction. This effect can significantly impact team productivity and project outcomes.
"Because there are more people there, someone thinks that someone else will take care of that thing, whether it's a project, initiative, or any other action."
The DRI Framework: Creating Clear OwnershipThe Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) concept, popularized by Gitlab and Apple, addresses the accountability gap by ensuring one person is clearly responsible for each significant initiative. This framework emerged after a failed project launch where no clear ownership led to quality issues. The DRI approach creates clear lines of responsibility while maintaining collaborative team dynamics.
"You can have multiple DRIs for different aspects, but at the end, it needs to be one responsible for the overall project."
Implementing DRI SuccessfullyFor leaders implementing the DRI framework, several key considerations are crucial for success. DRIs should be assigned thoughtfully based on skills and experience, with senior team members often better suited for these roles. The framework must be supported by a culture that empowers DRIs to make decisions while maintaining team collaboration.
"DRIs need to be empowered to make decisions. If they are not empowered to make decisions, this role is not going to work because they're going to feel frustrated."
Avoiding Common Anti-patternsWhen implementing the DRI framework, leaders should be aware of potential anti-patterns that can emerge. These include DRIs becoming bottlenecks, erosion of team collaboration, and overuse of the framework for minor tasks. Success requires finding the right balance and ensuring the framework enhances rather than hinders team dynamics.
"Another issue or anti-pattern is the erosion of collaboration - some people might get the wrong concept about DRIs and say 'I don't need to collaborate anymore.'"
Building a Culture of AccountabilityCreating a successful culture of accountability requires clear communication about the DRI role and its implications. Leaders must ensure DRIs are supported while maintaining team collaboration and avoiding the framework becoming overly bureaucratic. The focus should be on enabling effective decision-making and clear ownership while preserving team dynamics.
"Consider the skills when assigning DRIs, support people in this role, and remember that DRI is an organizational agnostic framework that adapts to the organizations we are within."
Resources For Further StudyThe Gitlab handbook article about the DRI concept
The book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
The Engineering Leader newsletter by Rafa Páez
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Rafa Páez
Rafa is a Software Engineer and Engineering Leader with over 20 years of experience, including more than 7 years in leadership positions within fast-paced startups. Based in Spain, he works remotely as an Engineering Manager for Remote. Previously, Rafa worked for companies such as Cabify and Funding Circle. He is passionate about leading high-performing teams and scaling platforms and engineering organizations.
You can connect with Rafa Páez on Substack.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Substack Week: Engineering Strategy, Bridging Technical Excellence with Business Success With Aleix Morgadas
In this Substack Week episode, we explore the critical intersection of engineering strategy and business success with Aleix Morgadas, an engineering strategy consultant focusing on sociotechnical aspects of high-stake business challenges. Aleix shares insights from his experience helping organizations align their technical capabilities with business objectives, while offering practical approaches to developing and implementing effective engineering strategies.
The Genesis of Engineering StrategyPersonal experience sparked Aleix's journey into engineering strategy when he joined a large company and found himself grappling with strategic decision-making in engineering. He identified a crucial gap: while strategy was well-established in product and business domains, engineering organizations often lacked strategic frameworks for participating in key decisions. This realization led him to start writing about his struggles and insights, helping others navigate similar challenges through his newsletter.
"I found that engineering was missing a way to be part of the decision making process, and we needed to be clear on the problems and challenges that engineering organizations face."
Breaking Down the Four-Step ProcessDrawing inspiration from Richard Rumelt's work on strategy, Aleix presents a comprehensive framework for developing engineering strategy. The process emphasizes the importance of understanding organizational context and identifying shared challenges before taking action.
"Solve the shared pains - that's why we need to uncover those pains in the first place."
The framework consists of four key steps:
Context Understanding: Begin by defining your business context, as strategy must align with your specific environment and circumstances
Problem Identification: Focus on understanding current organizational pains and creating alignment around which problems to solve
Direction Setting: Break down larger goals into manageable increments while ensuring actions don't compete with each other
Strategy Execution: Create space for teams to work on strategic initiatives while maintaining autonomy
The Power of Bottom-Up StrategyAleix challenges the traditional top-down approach to strategy development, advocating for a more inclusive process that brings together perspectives from all levels of the organization. This approach recognizes that teams and top-level management often have different visions that need to be reconciled for effective strategy implementation.
"Strategy does not need to be designed top-down. Teams and top-level management have different visions, and we need to be able to bring those together."
Implementation and ExecutionSuccess in engineering strategy requires more than just planning - it demands thoughtful execution and ongoing adaptation. Aleix emphasizes the importance of learning through action and starting with minimal effort initiatives to gain momentum.
"By doing you learn, and doing is critical for strategy. Start with the least effort action you have in mind."
Recommended Resources For Further StudyThe book: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
The blog post: North Star Framework Template & Activity Library
The Jobs to be done Framework
TEMPLATE: The engineering strategy template by Aleix
VIDEO: Aleix’s Engineering Strategy Journey Talk
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Aleix Morgadas
Aleix Morgadas is an engineering strategy consultant specializing in sociotechnical aspects to overcome high-stake business challenges. He regularly shares his knowledge through his blog while leading Teamperature, a SaaS product focused on assessing Team Cognitive Load for healthier teams. He also publishes the Engineering Strategy newsletter on Substack.
You can link with Aleix Morgadas on Substack.
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Substack Week: Bridging the Gap Between Agile Teams and Leadership With Josh Anderson
In this Substack Week episode, we explore the critical challenges and opportunities in the relationship between Agile teams and organizational leadership. Josh Anderson shares insights from his extensive experience in technology leadership and discusses how both sides can work together more effectively.
Understanding the Business-Team Divide"We are part of the business, but many teams separate it out say, 'Oh, that's over there, that's not us.' No, that is us."
One of the most common challenges in organizations is the perceived divide between "the business" and development teams. Josh emphasizes that this separation is an anti-pattern that needs to be addressed. Teams must understand how they create value for customers and how their work connects to the organization's broader mission. The key is asking fundamental questions like "Why do we exist?" and focusing on delivering real value to customers rather than just building features or fixing bugs.
The Art of Communication with Leaders"You have to reach across the aisle... speak in language that they understand, and of course the other side of the aisle has to understand that you may not understand all of the financial acumen or other things that they're throwing out."
Effective communication requires both sides to make an effort to understand each other. Josh highlights the importance of:
Using common language that everyone understands
Being willing to ask for clarification when needed
Explaining technical terms and concepts clearly
Focusing on business value rather than process details
Understanding that it takes approximately seven repetitions for new concepts to be fully absorbed
Learning from Anti-Mentors"That experimental database of things I need to try is getting actively shrunk. So I'm starting to just cross off things. Okay, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that."
Josh introduces the concept of "anti-mentors" - learning valuable leadership lessons from challenging experiences with ineffective leaders. This approach helps:
Build a clear understanding of what not to do
Narrow down the field of potential leadership approaches
Create a stronger foundation for experimentation with new methods
Transform negative experiences into positive learning opportunities
The Leadership Laboratory"Constantly experiment with things. But be super inclusive about those experiments that you're going to run and say, 'Hey, this is who we want to be.'"
Josh emphasizes treating leadership development like product development, using experimentation and feedback loops to improve continuously. Key aspects include:
Setting clear expectations about experiments and intended outcomes
Including team members in the process of change
Giving changes enough time to show results
Being open to adjusting based on feedback
Creating a safe environment for trying new approaches
Recommended Resources For Further StudyThe book: Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet
Josn’s The Leadership Lighthouse Newsletter on Substack
The Meta-Cast Podcast with Josh and Bob Galen
And take a look at KAZI.IO - Josh's consulting business
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Josh AndersonWith over two decades of experience in technology leadership, product innovation, and operational excellence, Josh has worked with many businesses and helped transform them into high-value, product-driven organizations. Josh is also a fellow podcaster at the Meta-Cast with Bob Galen.
You can connect with Josh Anderson on Substack.
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Substack Week: Why Product Management is Broken and How to Fix It With Anton Zaides
In this SPECIAL Substack Week episode, we dive deep into the current state of product management with Anton Zaides, a seasoned software engineer and leader. Anton shares his perspectives on why product management is fundamentally broken and offers practical solutions for organizations looking to improve their product development processes.
The Journey to Engineering Leadership"I started to search for content from other engineering managers and focused on practical insights."
Anton's journey spans 15 years in software engineering, from game development to DevOps and scaling startups. His transition to leadership revealed a gap in practical leadership content, which inspired him to start sharing his own experiences. Drawing from his four years as an engineering leader in a startup, Anton noticed patterns in product management that needed addressing, leading to his viral article on the topic.
The Broken State of Product Management"My team was working on a feature, that got canceled the day after it was released."
Product management faces several critical challenges in today's technology landscape. Anton identifies key issues including the development of unused features, increasing software complexity, and misaligned incentives that discourage innovation. Through his conversations with industry professionals, he discovered these problems were widespread, with teams frequently building features that get canceled or go unused. Despite following Agile methodologies, many organizations fail to properly evaluate feature impact, leading to wasted resources and frustrated teams.
Product Managers vs. Program Managers"The PM spent only 5% of his time on talking to customers."
One of the core issues Anton identifies is the transformation of product managers into glorified program managers. In many organizations, product managers spend most of their time managing JIRA tickets and dependencies rather than engaging with customers and driving innovation. The pressure to deliver on predetermined roadmaps, often dictated by executive teams, leaves little room for challenging assumptions or testing ideas with minimal scope. This shift away from customer interaction and strategic thinking has reduced the product manager's role to primarily managing internal processes.
Fostering Better Product Management"PM's should be like a founder for the product business."
To improve product management, Anton advocates for several key changes:
Offloading program management responsibilities to the team
Trusting product managers to make strategic decisions
Requiring specific industry knowledge and experience
Encouraging face-to-face customer interactions
Moving product managers closer to commercial roles
Involving engineers in customer conversations
Organizational Structure and Communication"The more links you have in the communication chain, the worse the information gets communicated."
Anton proposes a shift towards a more functional organizational structure where Product and Engineering work together more closely. He emphasizes the importance of direct communication between technical teams and customers, warning against over-reliance on data alone. The solution involves bringing everyone closer to the business side and creating stronger networks between organizations and engineers.
Practical Implementation Tips"Get engineers to visit customers."
Key recommendations for improving product management include:
Involving engineers in customer and sales conversations
Giving engineers visibility through release messaging and communications
Establishing strong collaboration between engineering leaders and product managers
Ensuring product managers have deep domain expertise
Creating opportunities for direct customer interaction
Treating product managers as business owners rather than project managers
Recommended Resources for Further StudyAnton’s Article that we review in this interview: “Product Management is broken, a change is coming”
John Cutle’s article on Product Manager’s Responsibilities
Anton’s Article on how to work effectively with your Product Managers
A book recommendation: Empowered by Marty Cagan
An episode of Lenny's podcast with Brian Chesky
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Anton Zaides
Anton Zaides is a seasoned software engineer and leader with 15 years of experience. From game development in Unity3D to leading DevOps and scaling startups, Anton's journey is marked by rapid growth. In 2023, he began sharing insights for engineering managers, amassing 15k newsletter subscribers in under a year. He writes a newsletter called "Leading Developers" that provides practical insights for engineering managers.
You can link with Anton Zaides on Substack.
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BONUS: The Future of Agility, Insights from Industry Research with Simon Powers
Is Agile really dead? What does this wide research from industry reveal?
In this detailed, and insightful episode, we explore the current state and future of agility with Simon Powers, founder of The Deeper Change Academy. Simon shares insights from his comprehensive survey conducted between October and December 2024, which included 311 survey responses, 15 case studies, and 8 in-depth interviews with senior leaders.
The Current State of AgilityThe research reveals that while there's been a decline in traditional agile roles and certifications since October 2023, approximately 70% of organizations continue to invest in agile practices and transformations. However, these initiatives are often being rebranded and restructured, moving away from traditional "agile transformation" terminology.
"Organizations are still embracing agility and moving forward with change, but what they're doing is that the names they're using are changing. People aren't necessarily being employed as agile coaches, but the agile coaching responsibilities are still required within organizations."
Leadership Development and Organizational StructureA critical finding shows that leadership development in many organizations has stalled, creating two distinct organizational patterns:
Organizations focused primarily on operational efficiencies, resulting in decreased agility
Companies that have embraced coaching as a management tool and invested in leadership development
"The culture is very different depending on where you sit. When you're constantly competing against a head count of a developer versus that of a coach, you're less able to take the necessary risks, talk to the right people, do bolder experiments, and have more of an effect within the organization."
The Impact of Funding ModelsThe research identified that the funding model for agile initiatives significantly impacts their success. Centrally funded transformation efforts tend to be more successful than those funded through departmental headcount, as they provide greater authority and ability to drive change across the organization.
"Where people are hired or paid for within the head count, the overwhelming majority - like 90% of people who are in that position - are reporting that they do not have the authority to actually carry out the roles that they have responsibility for."
Collaboration and Remote WorkThe survey revealed interesting insights about optimal collaboration patterns in the post-pandemic era:
The sweet spot for office presence appears to be 2-3 days per week
Full remote work can significantly reduce collaboration effectiveness
Physical presence remains important for developing leadership skills and team dynamics
"Being at home 100% of the time is a big reduction of collaboration and working on things and growing these skill sets that are needed in leadership as well as within the teams."
Future Trends and ChallengesLooking ahead, the research highlights several key areas that will shape the future of agility:
Team structures remain a critical factor in software delivery capability
The need for better strategy tools at senior leadership levels
The importance of breaking down silos in software development
The continued evolution of agile practices to meet increasing complexity
"Organizations are going to need to sort out these problems that we've been slowly solving through agility for the last 20 years. We're just going to be continuing on, but what flavor? I don't know."
About Simon PowersSimon Powers is the founder of The Deeper Change Academy and author of "Change: A Practitioner's Guide to Enterprise Coaching." With over 20 years of leadership experience, Simon empowers HR leaders and department heads to create thriving, human-centered workplace cultures through tailored coaching, strategic advisory, and transformational programs.
You can link with Simon Powers on LinkedIn.
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Mateusz Komander: From Business Analyst to Product Champion, The Impact Of Vision In The PO Role
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
The Great Product Owner: The Empowered Business AnalystMateusz shares an inspiring example of a Business Analyst who embodied the ideal Product Owner traits despite not having the official title. This proxy PO took genuine ownership of the platform, demonstrated strong decision-making abilities by saying "no" to stakeholders when necessary, and actively supported the team's ideas. Their success came from maintaining a clear vision for the product while remaining open to experimentation.
The Bad Product Owner: The Vision-less Decision MakerThe most significant anti-pattern Mateusz observed was a Product Owner lacking a clear vision for their product. This absence of vision made decision-making challenging and complicated the PO's ability to gain support for their ideas. The team struggled with last-minute requirements and a short-term roadmap that didn't provide adequate guidance. To address this, Mateusz suggests using simple visualization tools, focusing on product goals, and maintaining a clean backlog aligned with a 6-month roadmap.
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Mateusz Komander
Mateusz, is a Scrum Master at Heineken, and brings expertise from biotech and airline industries, excelling in Agile delivery and transformations. Skilled in Management 3.0, he fosters self-managed, innovative teams. Mateusz just launched a podcast on organizational transformation, Mateusz highlights how understanding team dynamics beyond the Scrum framework enhances collaboration and effectiveness.
You can link with Mateusz Komander on LinkedIn.
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This is a special episode, where I introduce the "Big Agile Questions" survey and review some of the questions that you've already submitted! Thank you all who did!
You can find the submission form here. Submit your questions, as we will be reviewing these in future episodes!
To join 25,341 other Agilists on our Newsletter (˜1 post/week), visit this page, and join.
The Power of Asking Better QuestionsAt every major turning point in history, from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, progress has begun with asking better questions. The Agile movement itself started with the authors of the Agile Manifesto questioning traditional software development methods.
Now, in 2025, with significant changes in the industry including PMI's acquisition of the Agile Alliance, the community faces a crucial moment to shape its future direction through thoughtful inquiry and reflection.
"Throughout history, the biggest leaps forward have come from people willing to ask difficult, sometimes even quite challenging, questions."
The Future Beyond Agile🎯 Max asks: What comes after the Agile era? Should we enter the ‘SmartOrg’ era, where multiple toolboxes thrive?
The question of what comes after the Agile era emerges as a central theme in the community submitted questions. While Agile has matured over two and a half decades, it continues to evolve beyond its first-generation frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and XP. The focus shifts toward viewing Agile as a broader philosophy that can be adapted locally with different frameworks, while remaining open to new approaches that may emerge, particularly with the advent of AI and other technological advances.
This is only of the many questions we're trying to answer the The Global Agile Summit 2025. We’ll be featuring world-class speakers like:
Jurgen Appelo (Management 3.0) Gojko Adzic (Impact Mapping, Specification by Example) Clinton Keith (Agile for Game Development - EXCLUSIVE REVEAL!) …and many more!At the Summit, we’ll be discussing these BIG Agile questions and working together on real-world, actionable solutions. If you want to be part of this movement, submit your session to share your story—or simply join us in Tallinn!" Go to GlobalAgileSummit.com and submit your session!
"Maybe we need to evolve towards a world where agile is more of a philosophy and that we locally adapt that philosophy to the different frameworks that we have at our disposal today and in the future."
Psychology and Business: Bridging the Gap🎯 Bob Marshall (a previous guest) asks: Why is there so much willful blindness to psychology in business and software development?
The role of psychology in business and software development remains underexplored, despite its crucial importance. Modern understanding of concepts like psychological safety and team dynamics challenges traditional management approaches based on Frederick Taylor's scientific management ideas. The Agile community must continue to incorporate insights from psychology to create more effective and humane workplaces.
"Agile is about people, but sometimes we treat teams, organizations, and even people like machines."
The NoEstimates Approach to Delivery🎯 Andrew Mitchell (a previous guest on the podcast) asks: How can we deliver sooner and meet product deadlines with better forecasting tools?
When faced with the challenge of meeting product deadlines and improving delivery forecasting, the traditional estimation approach has proven ineffective. Vasco's research shows that projects are on average 60% late, with larger projects experiencing even greater delays. The solution lies in shifting from rigid prediction expectations to simpler, more effective forecasting tools that combine historical data with human insights. The key strategy for Agilists is to focus on shorter, smaller projects that deliver to production, supported by practices like continuous integration and continuous delivery.
The NoEstimates movement already shows some options, practical approaches, that we can use to deliver on time. But we are just starting to discover these new approaches. There's more to come.
"If there's one thing we've learned from old school project management, the fading framework that is still the 600 pound gorilla in the room... estimates don't prevent delays."
Leadership in the Age of Specialists🎯 Zvone asks: How can we challenge leaders to step up their involvement while remaining trusted and respected?
The evolution of leadership in Agile organizations presents unique challenges. Leaders must balance involvement with trust, influencing while allowing teams to grow and express their potential. The community needs to develop coherent frameworks and tools specifically for leaders, similar to how Scrum serves development teams or product discovery serves product owners.
In this segment, we refer to David Marquet and his work with Turn The Ship Around! A must-read book for all Agile leaders.
"Leaders are working with teams of specialists, people who know more about the work that they're doing than their leaders do. And that's okay because the leader shouldn't be doing that work."
Executive Engagement and Transformation🎯 Liat Feren asks: How can we engage executives in Agile transformation?
Understanding and engaging with executives requires speaking their language and focusing on outcomes rather than frameworks. Success stories from the Global Agile Summit demonstrate how organizations can transform when executives are properly engaged and understand the value proposition of Agile approaches.
"Executives love outcomes. They don't really care for frameworks."
Submit your questions to our BIG Agile Questions survey! Let's continue to explore the future of Agile together!
About Vasco DuarteVasco Duarte is a thought leader in the Agile space, co-founder of Agile Finland, and host of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, which has over 10 million downloads. Author of NoEstimates: How To Measure Project Progress Without Estimating, Vasco is a sought-after speaker and consultant helping organizations embrace Agile practices to achieve business success.
You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn and connect with Vasco Duarte on Substack.
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Mateusz Komander: Understanding Team Expectations - The Key to Scrum Master Success
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
For Mateusz, success as a Scrum Master starts with understanding team expectations. He emphasizes the importance of regularly asking teams "What do you expect from me as your Scrum Master?" The responses not only reveal the team's previous experiences with Scrum Masters but also indicate their maturity level and understanding of the role. By asking this question periodically, Mateusz can track the team's evolution and adapt his approach accordingly.
Self-reflection Question: When was the last time you explicitly asked your team about their expectations of you as a Scrum Master, and how did their answers influence your approach?
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Adapt to Your Team's NeedsMateusz learned through experience that consistently changing retrospective formats can create chaos for teams. He recommends finding a format that works well for your specific team and sticking with it. For some teams, this might be Lean Coffee, while others might benefit from simpler models like "What works well/not so well/needs improvement." The key is to experiment initially, gather feedback after each retrospective, and then settle on what works best for your team.
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Mateusz Komander
Mateusz, is a Scrum Master at Heineken, and brings expertise from biotech and airline industries, excelling in Agile delivery and transformations. Skilled in Management 3.0, he fosters self-managed, innovative teams. Mateusz just launched a podcast on organizational transformation, Mateusz highlights how understanding team dynamics beyond the Scrum framework enhances collaboration and effectiveness.
You can link with Mateusz Komander on LinkedIn.
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Mateusz Komander: Scaling with Purpose, Managing Agile Team Growth While Avoiding Conway's Law Pitfalls
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Mateusz shares a compelling story about scaling an application development team that started small but grew rapidly. The team implemented a Flight Levels system, breaking into smaller groups of four people maximum to maintain focus and efficiency.
While this approach initially showed promising results, it eventually led to unexpected challenges as teams began forming silos around architectural layers, exemplifying Conway's Law in action. This experience highlighted the importance of carefully managing team identities and considering platform team approaches when scaling.
Self-reflection Question: How can you maintain cross-functional collaboration when scaling teams while preventing natural tendencies toward technical silos?
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Mateusz Komander
Mateusz, is a Scrum Master at Heineken, and brings expertise from biotech and airline industries, excelling in Agile delivery and transformations. Skilled in Management 3.0, he fosters self-managed, innovative teams. Mateusz just launched a podcast on organizational transformation, Mateusz highlights how understanding team dynamics beyond the Scrum framework enhances collaboration and effectiveness.
You can link with Mateusz Komander on LinkedIn.
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Mateusz Komander: When Process Becomes a Prison, Breaking Free from Over-Rigid Agile Team Practices
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Working with an airline scheduling tool development team, Mateusz encountered a situation where rigid processes became a self-imposed prison. Instead of adapting to challenges, the team's response to missed deadlines was to add more process layers, particularly around testing.
The daily standups became status reports rather than collaboration opportunities, with team members focused on appearing busy rather than supporting each other. Through careful intervention, Mateusz helped transform their daily meetings to focus on future collaborations and mutual support needs.
Self-reflection Question: How can you identify if your team's processes are serving as protective measures or becoming barriers to effective collaboration?
Featured Book of the Week: Managing for Happiness by Jurgen AppeloMateusz recommends "Managing for Happiness" by Jurgen Appelo as an essential read for Scrum Masters. This book stands out for its practical combination of tools and real-life examples, helping create better environments for teams' daily work. Its inspirational approach makes it particularly valuable for Scrum Masters looking to introduce new practices and ideas to their teams.
In this segment, we also refer to Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman.
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Mateusz Komander
Mateusz, is a Scrum Master at Heineken, and brings expertise from biotech and airline industries, excelling in Agile delivery and transformations. Skilled in Management 3.0, he fosters self-managed, innovative teams. Mateusz just launched a podcast on organizational transformation, Mateusz highlights how understanding team dynamics beyond the Scrum framework enhances collaboration and effectiveness.
You can link with Mateusz Komander on LinkedIn.
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Mateusz Komander: The True Purpose of Scrum, Enabling Individuals And Interactions
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this insightful episode, Mateusz shares a valuable learning experience from his early days as a Scrum Master in a biotech company. With a small team of five people, he initially believed he could improve upon existing practices by modifying the Scrum framework. However, by skipping crucial ceremonies like daily standups, planning sessions, and retrospectives, hidden team conflicts emerged.
This experience led Mateusz to a crucial realization: Scrum isn't merely about process management, but rather about facilitating meaningful connections and interactions between team members while enabling empirical management.
Self-reflection Question: How might your current understanding of Scrum's purpose be limiting your effectiveness as a Scrum Master?
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Mateusz Komander
Mateusz, is a Scrum Master at Heineken, and brings expertise from biotech and airline industries, excelling in Agile delivery and transformations. Skilled in Management 3.0, he fosters self-managed, innovative teams. Mateusz just launched a podcast on organizational transformation, Mateusz highlights how understanding team dynamics beyond the Scrum framework enhances collaboration and effectiveness.
You can link with Mateusz Komander on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: Beyond Process, How Psychology is Reshaping Modern Leadership with Ari-Pekka Skarp
In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into the evolving landscape of Agile leadership with Ari-Pekka Skarp, an experienced Agile Coach, Psychotherapist, and Organizational Psychologist. Drawing from his unique blend of expertise, Ari-Pekka shares his lessons learned on how leadership has transformed over the past decades and what the future holds for Agile organizations.
The Evolution of Agile and Social Complexity"We replaced authority with collaboration, this was revolutionary."
The journey of Agile adoption over the past 16 years has been marked by two significant developments: technological advancement and increasing social complexity. Ari-Pekka reflects on how Scrum introduced a revolutionary "shared" aspect of collaborative work, fundamentally changing how hierarchies are established in modern organizations. This shift represents a departure from traditional command-and-control structures towards more collaborative approaches.
The Therapeutic Turn in Leadership"Nowadays we are almost talking about the leaders as some sort of therapist."
One of the most significant shifts in organizational dynamics has been the "therapeutic turn" in leadership. Where leaders were once expected to be commanders, today's leaders must embody the qualities of a therapist - demonstrating empathy, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of their team members' well-being. This transformation reflects broader societal changes, with mental health awareness becoming increasingly central to workplace dynamics.
The Rise of Humanistic Leadership"We need a more humanistic leadership, but what does that look like in practice?"
As organizations become more networked and complex, the need for humanistic leadership approaches becomes evident. Ari-Pekka shares his experience as an organizational psychologist, highlighting how traditional role definitions often fall short in addressing modern workplace challenges. The integration of tools from family therapy and other psychological disciplines is becoming crucial for effective leadership.
The Future of Organizations"In order to compete you have to have a very well functioning organization!"
Looking ahead, Ari-Pekka emphasizes the importance of viewing organizations through a psychological lens. He argues that organizational mental health culture and the psychological aspects of work are becoming critical competitive advantages. This perspective extends beyond processes and tools to encompass the holistic growth and well-being of people within organizations.
A New Paradigm for Work"The biggest change was from a mechanistic world-view to a more humanistic world-view."
As Agile evolves beyond its origins as a protest movement, Ari-Pekka explores how organizations are increasingly forming around purposes rather than just profits. He advocates for generative planning processes that foster creativity and human flourishing, suggesting a shift toward viewing work and organizations as social processes rather than mechanical systems.
Leading Through Conversations"Why don't we look at work, organizations as social processes?"
The conversation concludes with a powerful metaphor of leaders as gardeners, nurturing growth and development through meaningful conversations. This approach represents a fundamental shift in how we think about leadership and organizational development, emphasizing the importance of creating environments where people can thrive.
In this segment, we refer to the work of Esko Kilpi, a thought leader and business philosopher who helped introduce complexity to the Agile community.
About Ari-Pekka Skarp
Ari-Pekka is a highly experienced Agile Coach, Psychotherapist, and Organizational Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with organizations. As an author of several books on topics such as Complexity, the mind, and Mindfulness, Ari-Pekka blends deep psychological insight with practical expertise to help leaders and teams navigate the evolving landscape of work.
You can link with Ari-Pekka on LinkedIn and connect with Ari-Pekka on Twitter.
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Chrissy Fleming: The Pressure Conduit, aka The Tornado Product Owner
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
The Great Product Owner: Customer Advocate and Team PartnerA great Product Owner brings customer insights directly to the team and shares access to customers, fostering deeper understanding of user needs. They maintain transparency about their knowledge limits and involve the team in both problem and solution spaces, ensuring comprehensive understanding before diving into solutions.
The Bad Product Owner: The Pressure Conduit, aka The TornadoThis anti-pattern emerges when Product Owners simply transmit leadership's volatility to the team, becoming mere messengers of pressure rather than true product leaders. They fall into "tornado mode," acting as order takers without questioning the "why" behind requests or protecting the team's ability to deliver value each sprint.
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Chrissy Fleming
Chrissy came to Scrum-Mastering via Product Management and a deep love of seeing teams work together. She spent 15 years in the New York tech scene and is currently an Associate Principal in Business Agility with Turnberry Solutions. She also has her own company where she coaches and helps businesses and technologists with their development.
You can link with Chrissy Fleming on LinkedIn.
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Chrissy Fleming: The Role of Trust and Fun in High-Performing Agile Teams
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
For Chrissy, success as a Scrum Master means fostering high-performing teams that solve valuable problems. She emphasizes that while this sounds simple, it requires building trust, establishing accountability, and maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement. A key indicator of success is when teams naturally have fun together, reflecting their comfort and psychological safety.
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Simple and Team-LedChrissy advocates for simple retrospective formats that encourage team participation, particularly those led by team members rather than the Scrum Master. She recommends using tools like Easy Retro and MURAL for remote sessions, emphasizing the importance of individual reflection time before group discussion and creating a safe space by acknowledging personal mistakes.
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Chrissy Fleming
Chrissy came to Scrum-Mastering via Product Management and a deep love of seeing teams work together. She spent 15 years in the New York tech scene and is currently an Associate Principal in Business Agility with Turnberry Solutions. She also has her own company where she coaches and helps businesses and technologists with their development.
You can link with Chrissy Fleming on LinkedIn.
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Chrissy Fleming: From Tasks to Outcomes, An Agile Cultural Transformation Story
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Chrissy shares her experience transforming a sales-led organization from task orientation to outcome focus. By partnering with the head of tech and implementing OKRs, they created meaningful conversations about team goals and progress. Through initiatives like Demo Days and the creation of team "houses," they successfully shifted the organizational culture while ensuring teams felt ownership of their future.
Self-reflection Question: How can you create meaningful opportunities for your teams to shape their own identity and future?
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Chrissy Fleming
Chrissy came to Scrum-Mastering via Product Management and a deep love of seeing teams work together. She spent 15 years in the New York tech scene and is currently an Associate Principal in Business Agility with Turnberry Solutions. She also has her own company where she coaches and helps businesses and technologists with their development.
You can link with Chrissy Fleming on LinkedIn.
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Chrissy Fleming: The Impact of Unaddressed Conflict on Agile Team Health
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Chrissy shares a compelling story about a newly formed team working on retention that struggled with toxic behavior. The presence of a hostile team member created an environment where healthy conflict became impossible, leading to either unhealthy confrontations or complete avoidance. Despite attempts to address the situation, the lack of trust prevented team members from addressing the destructive behavior, ultimately resulting in the team's dissolution.
Self-reflection Question: How do you currently handle toxic behavior in your team, and what steps could you take to build the psychological safety needed for addressing conflicts openly?
Featured Book of the Week: How Toddlers Thrive by Tove KleinHow Toddlers Thrive by Tove Klein explores brain function and human behavior, drawing surprising parallels between toddler development and adult interactions. Chrissy recommends it for its valuable insights into emotional intelligence and human nature, reminding us that in Agile environments, we're fundamentally dealing with human beings and their emotions.
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Chrissy Fleming
Chrissy came to Scrum-Mastering via Product Management and a deep love of seeing teams work together. She spent 15 years in the New York tech scene and is currently an Associate Principal in Business Agility with Turnberry Solutions. She also has her own company where she coaches and helps businesses and technologists with their development.
You can link with Chrissy Fleming on LinkedIn.
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Chrissy Fleming: The Hidden Cost of Combined Scrum Master and Product Owner Roles
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Chrissy shares a critical learning moment from her career when she attempted to juggle both Product Owner and Scrum Master roles simultaneously. This dual role led to a situation where the team began "sandbagging" their estimates due to underlying conflicts with leadership. The situation culminated when a team member completed a supposedly two-month project in just two days, destroying team credibility and ultimately leading to the team's dismissal.
Self-reflection Question: How do you ensure you maintain your authentic voice as a Scrum Master while balancing multiple stakeholder needs?
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Chrissy Fleming
Chrissy came to Scrum-Mastering via Product Management and a deep love of seeing teams work together. She spent 15 years in the New York tech scene and is currently an Associate Principal in Business Agility with Turnberry Solutions. She also has her own company where she coaches and helps businesses and technologists with their development.
You can link with Chrissy Fleming on LinkedIn.
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Antti Horelli: Balancing Product Owner Responsibilities with Team Empowerment
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
The Great Product Owner: Sharing Responsibility with the TeamThe great Product Owner excels by being present and actively sharing knowledge with the team. While the PO role can be overwhelming due to its responsibility to abstract complexity from the team, the best POs find ways to share responsibilities appropriately. They understand that their role goes beyond making decisions and includes enabling the team to participate in the product discovery process.
The Bad Product Owner: The Absent Decision MakerIn this anti-pattern, the Product Owner was only available for planning and sprint reviews due to other commitments. This limited availability severely impacted the team's ability to make progress, especially given the complex nature of software development where requirements are discovered rather than pre-defined. The absence of business knowledge during development led to delays and misunderstandings, highlighting how critical continuous PO involvement is for team success.
For tips on how to help PO’s be more present, check out our Sprint PO Checklist which includes tips on how to lead that conversation and a clear set of questions to go through together with your PO.
Self-reflection Question: How can you help ensure more presence and better collaboration between the Product Owner and the development team?
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Antti Horelli
Antti is an experienced Agile Coach from Finland, dedicated to empowering teams. With a systems-oriented, empathetic approach, he fosters collaboration and effective communication. With decades in IT, Antti transitioned from technical roles to methodology, where he passionately helps people and teams reach their full potential.
You can link with Antti Horelli on LinkedIn.
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Antti Horelli: Achieving Productive Serenity - Sign of Scrum Master Success
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Antti describes success for Scrum Masters through the concept of "productive serenity" - a state where teams maintain high productivity while remaining calm and focused. This is characterized by frequent small discussions, excited but not stressed team members, and the ability to address challenges with serious calmness. The team operates with the mindset of "be quick, but don't hurry," demonstrating maturity in problem-solving and collaboration.
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: The Timeline RetrospectiveThe Timeline Retrospective format is particularly effective for longer deliveries or projects, serving as an excellent reflection tool. Antti emphasizes keeping participants active and encouraging them to share "fuzzy" observations that could be early signals for better decision-making. The format helps teams identify patterns and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Self-reflection Question: How can you help your team achieve a state of productive serenity?
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
Buy Now on Amazon
[The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
About Antti Horelli
Antti is an experienced Agile Coach from Finland, dedicated to empowering teams. With a systems-oriented, empathetic approach, he fosters collaboration and effective communication. With decades in IT, Antti transitioned from technical roles to methodology, where he passionately helps people and teams reach their full potential.
You can link with Antti Horelli on LinkedIn.
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