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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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Antti Horelli: Balancing Delivery Pressure with Agile Transformation
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 shares his experience leading an agile transformation across three siloed organizations: development, QA/testing, and support. The transformation involved establishing cross-functional teams and implementing visual management through a comprehensive planning wall. Despite initial progress with joint planning days and rolling wave planning, the pressure to deliver led to reverting to traditional project management approaches. This story highlights the challenge of maintaining agile principles while under delivery pressure and the importance of focusing on reliable delivery rather than agile for agile's sake.
Self-reflection Question: How do you balance the need for immediate results with long-term agile transformation goals?
[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: The Challenge of Breaking Silos, And Building Collaborative Agile Teams Remotely
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 shares a story about a team of solo workers who struggled to collaborate effectively. Despite having technical expertise, the team faced challenges in delivering value due to conflicting views on "good tech work" and communication issues. The remote working environment further complicated their interactions, ultimately leading to the team's dissolution. This experience emphasizes the importance of focusing on team cohesion and establishing clear ways of working, especially in distributed teams.
Featured Book of the Week: "Lean, Resolving the efficiency paradox"Antti recommends "This is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox” by Modig et al., an approachable book for its clear explanation of flow efficiency versus resource efficiency in Scrum and Kanban. The book helped him understand the counterintuitive benefits of optimizing for one-piece flow and completing single value-delivering items, offering valuable insights for process improvement.
Self-reflection Question: How can you help your team transition from individual work patterns to effective collaboration?
[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: The Three-Day Sprint Planning Nightmare - Learning from Agile Failure
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, Antti shares a critical learning moment from his early Scrum Master days when a sprint planning session extended to three days due to poor preparation. The team discovered that backlog items were much larger and different than expected, while unexpected background decisions further complicated the planning. This experience highlighted the vital importance of proper refinement work and maintaining clear communication channels about decisions affecting the team.
Self-reflection Question: How do you ensure your team has sufficient context about upcoming decisions while avoiding information overload?
[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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BONUS: Gojko Adzic on Optimizing Products for Long-Tail Users (Agile Online Summit 2024 Replay)
In this BONUS episode, we revisit Gojko Adzic’s insightful interview at the Agile Online Summit 2024. Gojko, an award-winning author and software expert, unpacks the principles behind his latest book, Lizard Optimization, offering a fresh perspective on improving product usability by addressing the needs of long-tail users. From learning from unexpected user behaviors to refining products with a systematic approach, this episode is filled with practical tips for product teams and Agile practitioners.
What is Lizard Optimization?Drawing from his experiences as a product developer, Gojko introduces the idea of Lizard Optimization. He discusses how observing unexpected user behaviors led him to refine his SaaS tools like Narakeet and MindMup. By focusing on usability challenges and unusual patterns, he has turned serendipity into actionable insights.
“Users aren’t stupid—they’re just finding creative ways to get value from your product. Listen to them.”
Gojko explains the inspiration behind the metaphor of the “Lizardman constant,” a concept from a Scott Alexander blog post. He describes how this principle applies to product optimization: understanding and addressing the 4% of surprising, unexplainable behaviors can uncover opportunities for innovation.
“The job isn’t to judge users—it’s to explore why they’re doing what they’re doing and how we can help them succeed.”
The High-Level Process of Lizard OptimizationGojko outlines the systematic process described in his book to leverage unexpected user behavior:
Observe Misuse: Identify how users deviate from expected patterns.
Extract Insights: Focus on one unexpected behavior as a signal.
Remove Obstacles: Help users achieve their goals more easily.
Monitor Impacts: Detect and adjust for unintended consequences.
“Start monitoring for the predictable but unexpected—those hidden gems can unlock your next big feature.”
Practical Advice for Product TeamsFor teams ready to apply these concepts, Gojko emphasizes the importance of expanding observability tools to include product metrics and not just technical ones. He shares how tracking unpredictable user actions can inspire impactful changes.
“About a third of what we do delivers value—focus on finding where unexpected value lies.”
Recommended Resources
To dive deeper into these ideas, Gojko recommends:
Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments by Ron Kohavi
Evidence Guided by Tim Herbig
LizardOptimization.org
“Experimentation and evidence-based decision-making are the keys to building better products.”
Closing Thoughts: “Look for the Unexpected”Gojko’s parting advice for Agile practitioners is simple yet powerful: Look for the unexpected. By embracing surprises in user behavior, teams can transform minor inconveniences into major opportunities for growth.
“The unexpected is where innovation begins.”
About Gojko Adzic
Gojko Adzic is an award-winning author, speaker, and product creator. His books, including Lizard Optimization, Impact Mapping, and Specification by Example, have become essential reads for Agile practitioners and product teams worldwide. Gojko is a 2019 AWS Serverless Hero, the winner of the 2016 European Software Testing Outstanding Achievement Award, and the 2011 Most Influential Agile Testing Professional Award. He has also co-founded several successful SaaS tools, including Narakeet, MindMup, and Votito.
You can link with Gojko Adzic on LinkedIn.
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