Food for Agile Thought #444: Change Agent to Overpriced Cheerleaders, Instagram-ification of PM, From Gut-Feeling to Scientific Research
Also: Trash 90 % of Your Ideas, Scrum Criticism, Lone Wolf Leader, Ikigai Retro
TL; DR: Overpriced Cheerleaders — Food for Agile Thought #444
Welcome to the 444th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,579 peers. This week, Sam Haynes critiques the dwindling effectiveness of Agile Coaches, shifting from vital change agents to mere overpriced cheerleaders. Maarten Dalmijn criticizes Scrum for providing a blame-shifting ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card, impeding real improvement, while Christiaan Verwijs advocates for scientific research to restore Agile’s credibility and effectiveness. Also, Michael Küsters emphasizes strategic alignment by rephrasing the query “How do we make money?” to uncover different business insights, and Jason Evanish discusses how lone wolves struggle with leadership due to their independence before Fortune Buchholtz introduces Toyota Kata Coaching for Agile teams.
Then, John Cutler warns against the ‘Instagram-ification’ of product management, which he argues sets unrealistic expectations and drives professionals towards unsustainable practices. David Pereira’s interview with Itamar Gilad emphasizes the importance of discarding 90% of ideas, advocating for evidence-based innovation and adaptability to user needs. Ant Murphy offers a stakeholder management approach that uses proposed solutions to uncover real problems, thus enhancing problem understanding without confrontation. Moreover, Manuel da Costa discusses findings from McKinsey’s Product Operating Model Index, highlighting a significant gap in product management practices between top and bottom-performing companies.
Lastly, Shane Hastie interviewed Esther Derby and David Horowitz about the second edition of the Agile Retrospectives book, focusing on data-driven methods and increased engagement for successful retrospectives, and Christina discusses how effective prioritization is often compromised by multitasking myths and distractions. The Ikigai Retrospective exercise uses a Venn diagram to help teams find their collective purpose by aligning their passions and skills with market value and impact. Finally, Aakash Gupta advises strategically using tailored work products in the PM job market to showcase unique insights and fit with company culture, enhancing job prospects.
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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Overpriced Cheerleaders
Sam Haynes (via Medium): The Agile Coach Scam Exposed
Sam Haynes critiques the transformation of Agile Coaches from essential catalysts for Agile adoption to overpriced cheerleaders, questioning their current value in genuinely driving organizational change.
Source: Medium: The Agile Coach Scam Exposed
Author: Sam Haynes
🍋 Lemon of the Week
We are Lemon-free this week.
➿ Agile & Scrum
Christiaan Verwijs (via The Liberators): Why Science Is Essential To Professionalize Our Community
Christiaan Verwijs urges the Agile community to embrace scientific research over personal opinion to elevate the professionalism and effectiveness of Agile practices, combating the decline in Agile’s credibility and application.
Source: The Liberators: Why Science Is Essential To Professionalize Our Community
Author: Christiaan Verwijs
Maarten Dalmijn: Scrum’s Built-in ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card’ Against Criticism
Maarten Dalmijn argues that Scrum’s design, often seen as infallible, inherently deflects blame onto users, creating a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card that discourages genuine critique and improvement.
Source: Scrum’s Built-in ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card’ Against Criticism
Author: Maarten Dalmijn
Jason Evanish (via Get Lighthouse): Why a Lone Wolf Personality Fails Leaders (+ how to fix it)
Jason Evanish argues that the lone wolf’s independence and self-reliance hinder effective leadership; however, they can evolve into true leaders with appropriate support and transformation.
Source: Get Lighthouse: Why a Lone Wolf Personality Fails Leaders (+ how to fix it)
Author: Jason Evanish
Michael Küsters: How do we make money?
Michael Küsters explores how emphasizing different words in “How do we make money?” highlights diverse business aspects, guiding strategic alignment and revealing operational insights for improved revenue generation.
Source: How do we make money?
Author: Michael Küsters
🎓 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class w/ PSFS Certificate — June 25, 2024
The Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills (PSFS) training by Berlin Product People is a guaranteed one-day official Scrum.org class for advanced Scrum practitioners and agile coaches, including the industry-acknowledged PSFS certification. This PSFS training class is in English. This PSFS training class is in English.
Enjoy the benefits of a live virtual immersive class with like-minded agile peers from 09:00–17:30 CEST.
Learn more: 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class w/ PSFS Certificate — June 25, 2024.
Customer Voice: “Great experience — “You reap what you saw.” What I really liked about it was the constant usage of facilitation techniques & Liberating Structures to engage all participants & harness the collective knowledge while reaching the goal of the exercises during the workshop. Therefore, my experience was great because I could really leave with some insights from the whole group that I could apply in my daily work starting the next day. “You reap what you see,” and in this case, it was the collective intelligence of everyone in the training class.” (Source.)
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🎯 Product
🎙 Jason Knight and John Cutler: John Cutler’s Hot Take — The Instagram-ification of Product Management is Driving us Crazy
John Cutler critiques the ‘Instagram-ification’ of product management, arguing it sets unrealistic standards and is detrimental to the field, driving professionals towards unsustainable practices.
Source:🎙 John Cutler’s Hot Take — The Instagram-ification of Product Management is Driving us Crazy
Authors:Jason Knight and John Cutler
📺 David Pereira and Itamar Gilad: Trashing 90% of Your Ideas Is Fundamental to Success
David Pereira interviewed Itamar Gilad, who stresses discarding 90% of ideas to focus on the impactful ones, utilizing evidence-based innovation, and continuously adapting to user needs for product success.
Source: 📺 Trashing 90% of Your Ideas Is Fundamental to Success
Authors: David Pereira and Itamar Gilad
Ant Murphy: Dealing with Stakeholders Coming with Solutions, not Problems
Ant Murphy shares a stakeholder management strategy focused on embracing proposed solutions to uncover underlying problems, thereby enhancing problem understanding without confrontation.
Source: Dealing with Stakeholders coming with Solutions, not Problems
Author: Ant Murphy
(via Effective Experiments): The Product-Process Gap / Leadership Expectation vs Reality
Manuel da Costa highlights that McKinsey’s Product Operating Model Index identifies a significant gap in product management and collaboration between high and low-performing companies. Addressing this gap can notably boost shareholder returns, margins, customer engagement, and brand recognition.
Source: Effective Experiments: The Product-Process Gap / Leadership Expectation vs Reality
📺 Toyota Kata Coaching with Fortune Buchholtz at the 61st Hands-on Agile Meetup
Business and academic leaders advocate coaching as crucial for growth. In Agile, diverse methods like GROW and OSKAR thrive, yet Toyota Kata Coaching emerges as a standout for its simplicity and effectiveness.
In this Hands-on Agile Meetup of May 7, 2024, Fortune Buchholtz explores its potential as a superior Agile coaching tool. Whether confirming its benefits or broadening your coaching repertoire, the recording offers valuable insights.
Watch the video now: Toyota Kata Coaching for Agile Teams & Transformations with Fortune Buchholtz — 61. Hands-on Agile.
🛠 Concepts, Tools & Measuring
🎙 Esther Derby, Shane Hastie, and David Horowitz (via InfoQ): Tips and Techniques for Improving Retrospectives
Shane Hastie spoke with Esther Derby and David Horowitz about the Agile Retrospectives book’s new edition, emphasizing data-driven approaches and engagement for effective team retrospectives.
Source: InfoQ: 🎙 Tips and Techniques for Improving Retrospectives
Authors: Esther Derby, Shane Hastie, and David Horowitz
📖 (via McKinsey & Company): The bottom-line benefit of the product operating model
The authors present a compelling correlation between product operating model maturity and superior business performance, emphasizing how mature product and platform management models significantly elevate profitability, innovation, and customer engagement.
Source: McKinsey & Company: 📖 The bottom-line benefit of the product operating model
Christina Wodtke: Why We Struggle to Prioritize
Christina Wodtke highlights that effective prioritization is often hindered by myths of multitasking, the paradox of choice, and constant distractions, proposing focused, clear objectives and mindful practices as solutions.
Source: Why We Struggle to Prioritize
Author: Christina Wodtke
Paulo Caroli: Ikigai
The Ikigai activity, rooted in the Japanese concept of “a reason for being,” is a Retrospective exercise that uses a Venn diagram to align a team’s passions, skills, market value, and broad impact, effectively uncovering their collective purpose.
Source: Ikigai
Author: Paulo Caroli
🎶 Encore
Aakash Gupta: How to build work products to get jobs
Aakash Gupta emphasizes the strategic use of tailored work products to stand out in the PM job market, highlighting their role in demonstrating unique insights and aligning with company culture to secure interviews and job offers.
Source: How to build work products to get jobs
Author: Aakash Gupta
📅 Training Classes, Meetups & Events 2024
Upcoming classes and events:
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 May 28–29 — Live Virtual Class: Advanced Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM II; English)
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 June 6 — Live Virtual Meetup: Hands-on Agile 62: Backlog Manager to Product Manager: Outputs to Outcomes w/ David Pereira (English)
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 June 13–July 11 — Live Virtual Cohort: Advanced Product Backlog Management Cohort Class(PBM; English)
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 June 25 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Training (PSFS; English)
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 July 3 — Live Virtual Meetup: HoA #63: The Anti-Patterns Canvas — A Tool Session (1) (English)
🖥 💯 🇩🇪 July 9–10 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German)
🖥 🇩🇪 August 27–28 — Live Virtual Class: Professional Scrum Master Training (PSM I; German)
👉 See all upcoming classes here
🗞️ Last Week’s Food for Agile Thought Edition
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Hands-on Agile 61: Toyota Kata Coaching for Agile Teams & Transformations with Fortune Buchholtz
Hands-on Agile 59: Tackling Fake Agility w/ Johanna Rothman
Hands-on Agile 57: Humble Planning w/ Maarten Dalmijn
Hands-on Agile 54: Overcoming Common Product Backlog Management Traps w/ David Pereira
Hands-on Agile 53: An Agile Coaches Guide to Storytelling w/ Bob Galen
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