SAFe Business Agility Podcast

A key reason to organize around value is to get products to customers faster than your competitors. But the principle is also valuable when it comes to culture. In this episode, Amogh Joshi with Advance Agility, a Scaled Agile Gold Partner, shares a scenario that resonates with both benefits. Like what you hear? Connect with Amogh on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

What is one of the most important things an organization should do before launching an Agile Release Train? In this episode, Michael Krug, Agile coach and SPCT candidate, explains why assessments are invaluable to determine whether an organization is on the right track with its SAFe implementation. Like what you hear? Connect with Michael on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“When you open yourself up to people and to experiences, the most amazing things can happen.” In this episode, Adam talks to Michelle Jimenez about a unique career journey that ultimately led her to product management. The two discuss the importance of keeping an open mind, why it’s OK not to have all the answers, and the value of taking on new challenges. Michelle also shares her advice for those interested in becoming a product manager. Like what you hear? Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“Don’t come to the table with problems if you don’t have ideas for solutions.” In this episode, Michelle Jimenez, product manager at Scaled Agile, shares her tips for starting positive dialogue and creating a collaborative mindset in tense situations. Like what you hear? Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

In this episode, Benjamin Scheffold, senior manager of Agile transformation at Deloitte shares his top tips for success in the three key phases of a participatory budgeting event. He also explains why preparation, adaptation, communication, and repetition are critical for everyone involved. Like what you hear? Connect with Benjamin on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“I was deeply skeptical [about hybrid training] as an idea. This goes against all I’ve learned …This is going to be a challenge for me, but I said, “Challenge accepted.” Let’s figure out what we need to do.” In this episode, Adam is joined by Carl Starendal and Ola Gedenryd to talk about hybrid training sessions that combine both in-person and online participants. They discuss the challenges and benefits of hybrid training, offering suggestions for the ideal technical setup and providing recommendations for those looking to facilitate their own hybrid training, emphasizing the importance of creating a sense of togetherness and ensuring equal engagement for all participants. Like what you hear? Connect with Carl and Ola on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Identifying value streams is a cornerstone element of the SAFe® Implementation Roadmap for good reasons. In this episode, SPC and SPCT candidate Stephan Khal explains the why behind that strategy and how combining that activity with value stream mapping can produce powerful outcomes for the business. Like what you hear? Connect with Stephan on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

In the spirit of relentless improvement, how do you make your next PI Planning event even better than the last one? In this episode, SPC Marcin Cieslinski offers four key tips to make sure everyone is prepared to plan successfully. Like what you hear? Connect with Marcin on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“Improv as a teaching tool connects people in real-time, in a real way, and it does it magically.” Today’s episode is … a little different. Adam is joined by Erin Diehl, founder and CEO of improve it!, a professional development company helping teams work better together through improvisation. Erin shares her personal journey and how she discovered not only her passion for improv but how it can be used to help others. They discuss the effectiveness of using improv to combat some of the biggest challenges facing businesses today and also share personal stories of burnout and the importance of self-care, especially for leaders. Like what you hear? Connect with Erin on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

In this episode, Helen Fleming, SAFe Coach and SPCT candidate dives into the powerful philosophy of servant leadership, which prioritizes the needs of others to empower them to succeed. Helen shares why servant leadership is experiencing a resurgence at AT&T and describes real-world examples of the effect it’s having inside the company. Like what you hear? Connect with Helen on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Does presenting in front of a large group of people make you anxious? You’re not alone. In this episode, self-proclaimed introvert Robert Dunlap, an SPCT candidate at a telecommunications company, shares his tips to help you overcome your fears and teach a great class. Like what you hear? Connect with Robert on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“AI is not coming for your job. You don't have to fear AI. You have to fear the person who knows how to use AI better than you do.” On today’s episode, Adam sits down with William Kammersell, Director of Product Management at Scaled Agile to discuss technology and AI in the workplace and how to use both to enhance productivity and learning. They talk through their own experiences using AI, how the tools are only as powerful as the data they have access to, and their ideas for how AI might factor into the future of SAFe® Studio. Books mentioned in the podcast include: Deep Work by Cal Newport Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath Like what you hear? Connect with William on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How are your behaviors as a manager or a leader affecting others in your organization? In this episode, Carl Starendal, SAFe Fellow in Sweden, shares his advice to help you model positive behaviors, stay involved when shifting responsibility to someone else (decentralized decision-making), and invest in developing strong relationships with your colleagues during good and bad times. Like what you hear? Connect with Carl on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Organizations that focus too much on shiny new software features often forget about other key elements like technical debt, security, and performance. And that can compromise the software they deliver. In this episode, Lech Babula, iSPCT at Nordea Bank, shares some tips to help you avoid the software death spiral loop and take action. Like what you hear? Connect with Lech on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“We were shipping six linear feet of technical documentation with every system that we sold. And it occurred to me that a lot of what we were documenting was just bad design and challenges using the system. I proposed that we take a look at what documentation we would prefer to write … and adjust the software to match the documentation.” In this episode, Adam talks to Harry Max about user experience design and prioritization. Harry is an executive coach and the author of Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions. The two discuss topics including why prioritization is important in decision-making and planning, how fear can hinder effective decisions, and strategies to improve productivity. Books mentioned in the podcast include: The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander Wiring the Winning Organization by Gene Kim and Steven J. Spear Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Deep Work by Cal Newport. Like what you hear? Connect with Harry on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

Does your organization have a vision? In this episode, Susan Gibson, CEO, cofounder, and SPCT at Temenos+Agility shares her perspective on how vision is critical to execution—and why it’s often missing from organizations’ large change initiatives. Like what you hear? Connect with Susan on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

In this episode, Konrad Swistelnicki, SPCT candidate at Kegon, explains why the evolution of commitment in Agile approaches and in SAFe is a good thing. And why value delivered is really what matters. Like what you hear? Connect with Konrad on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

“Be present. Be engaged. Participate in everything and anything—sit at a round table, talk with an expert one-on-one, and network at the partner marketplace. You never know what you’ll learn.” Twice a year, a small but mighty team of six people plans and executes the SAFe Summit. In this episode, Adam talks to two of those six people, Karen Lewison and Eric Neal, to find out what happens behind the scenes to successfully pull off these popular events. Karen and Eric talk about the challenges and excitement of organizing and hosting the SAFe Summit, and why it’s so important to select the right venue and create a positive attendee experience. They also offer advice for first-time attendees, especially around networking, and share details for both the SAFe Summit Berlin and SAFe Summit Washington, D.C. Like what you hear? Connect with Karen and Eric on LinkedIn. Check out details on the SAFe Summits and other events here. Explore SAFe courses here.

What do you do when you are trying to implement or improve new ways of working but management isn’t hearing your message? Fernando Razo, Enterprise Lean-Agile Coach at Softtek, shares his key tips for navigating the human element of those conversations. Like what you hear? Connect with Fernando on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.

How are cyber-physical systems different than software and what does SAFe look like in that environment? Oliver Wörl, SPC at NTT Data explains and shares a tip for improving that system, one element at a time. Like what you hear? Connect with Oliver on LinkedIn. Explore SAFe courses here.