Episódios
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BONUS: Martti Kuldma shares how to transform century-old organizations through product-driven agile transformation
In this BONUS episode we explore the remarkable transformation journey at Omniva with CEO Martti Kuldma. From traditional postal services to innovative logistics solutions, we explore how a 100+ year old company embraced product thinking, DevOps practices, and agile transformation to become a competitive force in modern logistics.
Omniva's Digital Evolution—IT as a Revenue Center"We innovated the parcel machine business for a few years, and software has been an area of investment for us - software as a separate vertical in our business."
Omniva represents a fascinating case study in organizational transformation. While many know it as Estonia's post office, the company has evolved into an international logistics powerhouse with significant revenue streams beyond traditional postal services. Under Martti's leadership, the organization has reimagined software not as a support function but as a core revenue driver, positioning itself for the dramatic shifts expected in logistics delivery over the next five years.
The Vision: Physical Mailing as the Next IP Network"The Vision: physical mailing as the next IP network - this will give us a lot more freedom to adapt to changes in delivery demand."
Martti's strategic vision extends far beyond conventional logistics thinking. By conceptualizing physical delivery networks similar to internet protocols, Omniva is preparing for a future where logistics companies leverage their physical infrastructure advantages. This approach addresses the fundamental challenge of fluctuating demand in e-commerce and traditional logistics, creating opportunities for crowd delivery solutions and gig economy integration that capitalize on existing network effects.
Breaking Down Waterfall Barriers"When I came we had waterfall processes - annual budgeting, procurement for software development. It took a couple of weeks to do the first rounds, and understand what could be improved."
The transformation from traditional procurement-based software development to agile product teams required dismantling entrenched processes. Martti discovered that the contractor model, while seemingly cost-effective, created expensive knowledge transfer cycles and left the organization vulnerable when external teams departed. His engineering background enabled him to recruit talent and build sustainable development capabilities that keep critical knowledge within the organization.
Creating Cross-Functional Product Teams"We started to create cross-functional product area teams. We are not going to tell you what you need to build. You are accountable for the logistics efficiency."
The shift from eleven distinct roles in software development to autonomous product teams represents more than organizational restructuring. By empowering teams with accountability for business outcomes rather than just deliverables, Omniva transformed how work gets planned and executed. This approach eliminates traditional handoffs and role silos, creating teams that own both the problem and the solution.
The Product Manager Evolution"For me, the PM is directly accountable for the business results. The final step of the transformation started when I took the CEO role."
Martti identifies a critical challenge in agile transformations: the misunderstanding of Product Manager responsibilities. Rather than falling into delivery or project management patterns, effective PMs at Omniva own business results directly. This shift required company-wide transformation because technical changes alone cannot sustain organizational evolution without corresponding changes in mindset and accountability structures.
Leadership Through Storytelling"My main tool is just talking. All I do is story-telling internally and externally. I needed to become the best salesman in the company."
The transition from technical leadership to CEO revealed that transformation leadership requires different skills than technical management. Martti discovered that his primary value comes through narrative construction and communication rather than direct technical contribution. This realization highlights how senior leaders must evolve their impact methods as organizations scale and transform.
Real-Time Feedback Philosophy"The feedback needs to be given immediately. ‘Last year, in May your performance was not the best’ - this is completely useless feedback."
Martti's rejection of annual reviews stems from practical experience with feedback effectiveness. Immediate, personal feedback creates learning opportunities and course corrections that annual cycles cannot provide. Anonymous 360 feedback systems often dilute accountability and actionability, whereas direct, timely conversations enable meaningful professional development and relationship building.
Essential Transformation Practices"You need to tell the story - and convince people that this transformation is essential and needed. You need to trust and let them make their own decisions."
Drawing from experiences at both Pipedrive and Omniva, Martti identifies three critical elements for leading complex organizational change:
Compelling narrative: People need to understand why transformation is necessary and how it benefits both the organization and their individual growth
Distributed decision-making: Trust enables teams to solve problems creatively rather than waiting for hierarchical approval
Business accountability for engineers: When technical teams understand and own business outcomes, they innovate more effectively toward meaningful goals
The dynamic team formation model used at Pipedrive, where engineers and PMs pitched ideas and assembled mission-focused teams, demonstrates how organizational structure can enable rather than constrain innovation.
About Martti Kuldma
Martti Kuldma is CEO of Omniva, leading its transformation into a product-driven logistics company. A former engineering leader at Pipedrive and CTO at Omniva, he brings deep expertise in scaling teams, agile transformation, and digital innovation. Martti is also a startup founder and passionate advocate for high-impact product organizations.
You can link with Martti Kuldma on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: Patrick James Lynch on Entertainment That Makes Change - Lessons in Product Thinking from Believe Ltd.
In this BONUS episode we explore how Patrick James Lynch, filmmaker, media executive, and rare disease advocate, has built Believe Limited around a powerful mission: entertainment that effects change. Patrick shares his journey from personal experience with his brother's hemophilia to creating award-winning content that empowers rare and chronic disease communities, offering valuable lessons for product managers on human-centered design, stakeholder alignment, and building emotionally viable products.
The Genesis of Entertainment That Effects Change"This is more than a product."
Patrick's journey began with a deeply personal question about his brother who had hemophilia. As an entrepreneur, he set out to respond to an identified need with one product to meet that need, but quickly realized the scope was much larger. His curiosity about what was different between him and his brother led him to understand that he needed to help people like his brother. This realization drove him to create valuable online videos to engage their audience, marking the beginning of Believe Ltd.'s mission of entertainment that effects change.
Essential Product Lessons: Listen, Learn, and Do No Harm"The fact that I am my audience, does not mean that I'm an expert."
Patrick emphasizes the critical importance of conducting thorough needs assessments and truly understanding your community before building products. Key insights include:
Embed yourself in the community you're serving rather than making assumptions
Follow the principle of "listen, learn and do no harm" as your starting point
Involve community engagement as a dedicated role - Believe Ltd. has a VP of community engagement
Define clear phrases that explain the value you deliver to your audience
Use your personal story to establish credibility and relate experiences to your audience
The goal is to get as familiar with your community as possible, then conduct your own research and development based on those deep insights.
Navigating Multi-Stakeholder Complexity"Collaboration only succeeds when all points of view are respected."
Working with patients, funders, healthcare professionals, and pharmaceutical companies requires careful orchestration. Patrick's approach centers on prioritizing the end game and identifying the north star goal that aligns all parties. He emphasizes focusing on combined skills and networks rather than trying to accomplish everything at the start. The key is ensuring that aligning stakeholders becomes a central part of the process, with everyone being accounted for throughout the journey.
Human-Centered Storytelling as Product Strategy"What's the story that shows the value add of your product?"
Patrick advocates for human-centered storytelling as a fundamental product approach. Rather than leading with features or specifications, he suggests crafting stories that demonstrate real value - like how a thermos saved someone's life while hiking. Stories have been humanity's primary communication tool since the beginning of time, and they remain the most effective way to show product value and connect with audiences on a meaningful level.
Being a Value Fundamentalist"At any given moment, if anyone takes a screen grab, and set it against our five core values as a company - you see it's playing out."
Patrick describes himself as a value fundamentalist, meaning that their company's core values are always present in everything they do. This requires courage, including the willingness to say "no" when opportunities don't align with their values. As CEO, he believes in embodying these values consistently, even when it's challenging, because who they are must always be visible in their work.
Balancing Vision with Community Feedback"When you ask the audience for a solution, there's no innovation."
Patrick warns against sacrificing vision simply because you're working closely with your audience. While being in the sandbox with your community is essential, maintaining your original vision for entertainment that changes minds is equally important. He recommends having someone you can bounce ideas off to help maintain this balance, and remembers that all great things start small and are inherently iterative.
Creating Emotionally Viable Products"We can't develop emotional connection by going through a list of features."
Beyond minimum viable products, Patrick focuses on emotional viability - the hook that makes people truly care. Emotional connection cannot be built through feature lists but rather through compelling stories that capture people's imagination. When audiences engage with products outside of direct supervision, storytelling becomes the bridge that helps them discover new uses and applications. This creates a dance between product creators and their audience, leading to better product design.
The Currency of Attention"Attention is the only currency - there's great wisdom in that."
Patrick recognizes that in today's landscape, capturing and maintaining attention is the fundamental challenge. Since everyone is an audience member at different times, this perspective helps inform both strategy and tactics. Products must compete not just on functionality but on their ability to engage and maintain audience interest over time.
As a recommended reading, Patrick suggests that we should read “Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need” to understand how to better tell stories about our products.
About Patrick James Lynch
Patrick James Lynch is a filmmaker, media executive, and rare disease advocate. CEO of Believe Limited and founder of BloodStream Media, he uses his experience with hemophilia to drive award-winning storytelling, health advocacy, and mission-driven content that inspires and empowers rare and chronic disease communities worldwide.
You can link with Patrick James Lynch on LinkedIn and follow Patrick James Lynch’s work on his website.
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BONUS: Zach Goldberg shares how to build high-performing engineering teams and master the startup CTO role
In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into the world of startup leadership with Zach Goldberg, author of The Startup CTO's Handbook. We explore the critical transition from engineering to leadership, the art of balancing technical debt with startup urgency, and the communication skills that separate great CTOs from the rest.
The Genesis of The Startup CTO's Handbook"My original training in software engineering was not enough for being a leader. All the people and leadership skills, I had to learn on my own."
Zach's journey to writing The Startup CTO's Handbook began with a stark realization about the gap between technical training and leadership reality. Despite his classical software engineering background, he discovered that the people and leadership skills required for CTO success had to be self-taught. The book emerged from a growing Google Doc of topics and frameworks addressing the leadership and management challenges that CTOs consistently face - from hiring and performance management to making strategic decisions under pressure. Today, we can either buy the digital/print book on Amazon, or read the book on GitHub.
In this segment, we also refer to the book The Great CEO Within.
Learning to Truly Learn: The Max Mintz Story"Max only cared about my ability to learn - to get curious about something hard. He wanted to help me deal with complexity."
Zach opens his book with a deeply personal story about his mentor, Max Mintz, who fundamentally changed his approach to learning during what he calls "the most impactful single coffee" of his life. Over 1.5 years of conversations, Max taught him that true learning isn't about accumulating facts, but about developing curiosity for hard problems and building the capacity to handle complexity. This lesson forms the foundation of effective CTO leadership - the ability to continuously learn and adapt in an ever-changing technical landscape.
The Three Critical CTO Mistakes"As a CTO, the most important 3 things: people, people, people. Do the people have the right energy, the right passion? Assemble the right team."
Zach identifies consistent patterns in startup CTO failures across his experience. The first and most critical mistake is undervaluing people decisions - failing to prioritize team energy, passion, and the right assembly of talent. The second category involves investment mistakes, particularly the challenge of balancing short-term survival needs with long-term technical goals. In startups, the ROI timespan is exceptionally short, requiring optimization for immediate objectives rather than hypothetical scale. The third mistake is treating technology as religion rather than tools, losing sight of what the business actually needs.
Optimizing for Velocity and Developer Experience"You are optimizing for velocity! What are you doing to help developers get their work done? Look at developer experience as a metric."
Successful startup CTOs understand that velocity - the time from idea to valuable market delivery - is paramount. This requires a fundamental shift in thinking about technology decisions, focusing on features that deliver real customer value rather than technical elegance. Zach emphasizes measuring developer experience as a key metric, recognizing that anything that helps developers work more effectively directly impacts the company's ability to survive and thrive in competitive markets.
The Professional Skill Tree Concept"It's like a character progression in an RPG. When we learn one type of skills, we don't learn other types of skills. We make investments every day and we have a choice on where we learn."
Drawing from gaming metaphors, Zach explains how technical professionals often reach Level 100 in engineering skills while remaining Level 1 in management. The skill tree concept highlights that every learning investment is a choice - time spent developing one skill area means less time available for others. For engineers transitioning to leadership, the key is recognizing opportunities to serve as tech leads, where they can begin setting culture and quality standards while still leveraging their technical expertise.
Balancing Kaizen with Startup Urgency"Pick the high-impact debt, and pay that down. This is not always easy, especially because we also need to pick what debt we don't invest on."
The tension between continuous improvement and startup speed requires sophisticated thinking about technical debt. Using financial analogies, Zach explains that technical debt has both principal and interest components. The key is identifying which debt carries the highest interest rates and can be paid down most quickly, while consciously choosing which debt to carry forward. This approach maintains the healthy tension between quality and speed that defines successful startup engineering.
The Power of Audience Empathy"The single hardest skill, especially for very tech leaders is that of 'audience empathy.' When you explain ideas to people, you usually assume a lot - but they might not."
According to Zach, the most undervalued communication habit for startup tech leaders is developing audience empathy. Technical leaders often suffer from the curse of knowledge, assuming their audience shares their context and understanding. The solution requires deliberately considering what the audience already knows before crafting any communication, whether it's explaining technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders or providing clear direction to team members.
In this segment we refer to the concept of “the curse of knowledge”, a cognitive bias that occurs when a person who has specialized knowledge assumes that others share in that knowledge.
About Zach Goldberg
Zach Goldberg is a seasoned technical entrepreneur, executive coach, and author of The Startup CTO's Handbook. With a founder's mentality and a passion for systems thinking, Zach helps engineering leaders build high-performing teams. He also founded Advance The World, a nonprofit inspiring youth in STEM through immersive experiences.
You can link with Zach Goldberg on LinkedIn, and visit Zach’s website at CTOHB.com.
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BONUS: Tom Gilb on Building True Engineering Culture and Delivering Value Through Evolutionary Methods
In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into the world of true engineering discipline with Tom Gilb, a pioneer who was writing about Agile principles before Agile was even named. We explore his latest book "Success - Super Secrets & Strategies for Efficient Value Delivery in Projects and Programs, and Plans" and uncover the fundamental flaws in how organizations approach project delivery and stakeholder management.
The Genesis of Success-Focused Engineering"People were failing at project deliveries - even when using Agile. I saw there was very little about setting clear goals and reaching them, it had nothing to do with being successful."
Tom's motivation for writing his latest book stems from a critical observation: despite the widespread adoption of Agile methodologies, project failure rates remain unacceptably high. The core issue isn't methodology but rather the fundamental lack of clarity around what success actually means. Tom emphasizes that true success is about achieving the improvements you want at a price you can afford, yet most organizations fail to define this clearly from the outset.
In this segment, we refer to the book How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg who published statistics on the poor performance of projects in general.
Beyond OKRs: The Power of Quantified Multi-Dimensional Objectives"First you need to have a definition of what it means to succeed. And that needs to be multi-dimensional. And you need to clarify what they are."
While many organizations believe they're already quantifying objectives through frameworks like OKRs, Tom reveals significant weaknesses in these approaches. True value isn't just profit—it encompasses multiple dimensions including security, usability, and other stakeholder-specific benefits. The key insight is learning to quantify what needs to be achieved across all critical dimensions, as you simply cannot design for high-quality attributes like security without first quantifying and designing for them explicitly.
In this segment, we talk about Tom’s paper on OKR’s titled "OKR Objectives and Key Results: what's wrong and how to fix it".
The Missing Engineering Discipline"Why is the failure rate of our projects so high?"
Tom identifies a paradoxical problem: engineering organizations often lack true engineering discipline. This fundamental gap explains why project success rates remain low despite technological advances. Real engineering requires systematic approaches to design, stakeholder analysis, and incremental value delivery—disciplines that are often overlooked in favor of rushed implementations.
Stakeholder Analysis: Beyond User Stories"Stakeholders have a requirement - even if we don't know it. They might be people, but also law, contract, policies, etc. They all have requirements for us."
Traditional user-centered methods like user stories can lead to failure when critical stakeholders are overlooked. Tom advocates for comprehensive stakeholder analysis as the foundation of engineering discipline. Stakeholders aren't just people—they include laws, contracts, policies, and other constraints that have requirements for your system. The practical tip here is to use AI tools to help identify and list these stakeholders, then quantify their specific requirements using structured approaches like Planguage.
The Gilb Cycle: True Incremental Value Delivery"Get things done every week, next week, until it's all done. We need to decompose any possible design into enough increments so that each increment delivers some value."
What distinguishes Tom's evolutionary approach from popular Agile frameworks is the focus on choosing the most efficient design and then systematically improving existing systems through measured increments. Each increment must deliver tangible value, and the decomposition process should be aided by AI tools to ensure optimal value delivery. This isn't just about iteration—it's about strategic improvement with measurable outcomes.
Building Engineering Culture: A Two-Leader Approach"There are two leaders: the tech leaders and the management leaders. For management leaders: demand a value stream of results starting next week. To the tech leaders: learn the engineering process."
Creating a true engineering culture requires coordinated effort from both management and technical leadership. Management leaders should demand immediate value streams with weekly results, while technical leaders must master fundamental engineering processes including stakeholder analysis and requirement quantification. This dual approach ensures both accountability and capability development within the organization.
Further ResourcesDuring this episode we refer to several of Tom’s books and papers. You can see this list below
Software Metrics by Tom Gilb
Principles of software engineering management - Also available in PDF
Evo book
About Tom Gilb
Tom Gilb, born in the US, lived in London, and then moved to Norway in 1958. An independent teacher, consultant, and writer, he has worked in software engineering, corporate top management, and large-scale systems engineering. As the saying goes, Tom was writing about Agile, before Agile was named. In 1976, Tom introduced the term "evolutionary" in his book Software Metrics, advocating for development in small, measurable steps. Today, we talk about Evo, the name that Tom used to describe his approach.
You can link with Tom Gilb on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: Solution-Focused Coaching: The Game-Changing Method Every Scrum Master Needs With Ralph Miarka and Veronika Jugwirth
In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into solution-focused coaching with Ralph and Veronika, co-authors of "Solution Focused Coaching For Agile Teams." This conversation explores how to shift from problem-solving to solution-building, helping Agile teams thrive through a forward-looking approach that empowers teams to find their own path to success.
Understanding Solution-Focused Coaching"Solution focus, focuses on the goal itself. We are not talking about 'how', but first start with 'what we want to achieve'."
Solution-focused coaching represents a fundamental shift from traditional problem-solving approaches. Rather than diving into root cause analysis and retrospectives focused on what went wrong, this methodology centers on the future and desired outcomes. It operates as a communication system that recognizes the complexity of modern work environments where simple cause-effect relationships don't always apply. In engineering, root causes make sense when dealing with predictable systems, but in complex organizational dynamics, solution-focused coaching acknowledges that we often can't identify clear root causes and instead focuses on creating a "preferred future."
In this segment we refer to Solution-focused brief therapy and the Cynefin model.
The Power of Not-Knowing"Instead of suggesting solutions, we should start by asking questions. The “Not-knowing position” is about accepting this."
The "not-knowing position" challenges coaches and leaders to resist the urge to immediately diagnose problems and offer solutions. When someone shares their story, they're not sharing the version we think we know. This approach transforms coaching conversations by starting with questions like "What difference would it make for you to solve this problem?" This shift toward asking questions about a positive future can even help identify advocates among those who initially resist change, creating unexpected allies in transformation efforts.
Everyone as an Expert"When we help teams change by themselves, they change much faster."
The principle that "everyone is an expert in their situation" fundamentally changes how coaches approach team dynamics, especially during periods of pressure or conflict. Instead of imposing external solutions, this approach involves asking teams what they already like about their current practices. For example, when observing daily standups with their natural diversity of approaches, focusing on what teams appreciate about their existing practices creates a foundation for sustainable change. Teams that discover their own path to improvement implement changes more rapidly and with greater commitment than those following prescribed solutions.
The Miracle Question Technique"What would be a very small first sign that tells you that there was a small miracle during the night?"
The Miracle Question emerges from real coaching conversations where clients express that "only a miracle can help." Rather than dismissing this statement, solution-focused coaches embrace the client's language to create powerful exploration opportunities. The technique involves asking teams to imagine their situation after a small miracle has occurred overnight, then identifying the first small signs they would notice. This approach helps teams explore possibilities and envision concrete steps toward their preferred future, making abstract goals tangible and achievable.
Unlearning the Fix-It Mentality"Don't work by yourself in the problems of others, let them work."
For Agile practitioners trained to identify and fix problems, solution-focused coaching requires a significant mindset shift. Instead of jumping into problem-solving mode, coaches must learn to hold space for solutions to emerge naturally from the team. This involves trusting that team members are experts in their own situations and developing strong questioning skills. Coaches and Scrum Masters need to clarify their own goals and resist the urge to solve problems for others, instead creating conditions where teams can work through challenges themselves.
Practical Questions for Immediate Implementation"What do we want to achieve? What is our goal, and why?"
Teams can immediately begin incorporating solution-focused approaches by bringing specific questions into their regular ceremonies. Key questions include exploring what the team wants to achieve and understanding the underlying purpose behind their goals. Additionally, asking "What works already?" helps teams build on existing strengths rather than focusing solely on problems. Confidence-building questions like "How confident are we?" and "What would make you more confident?" create opportunities for teams to identify specific actions that would increase their likelihood of success.
About Ralph and Veronika
Ralph Miarka is an Agile coach, trainer, and co-author of the book that is our topic for today's episode: Solution Focused Coaching For Agile Teams. Ralph helps teams thrive through solution-focused coaching. With a background in engineering and leadership, he bridges structure and empathy to spark real change.
You can link with Ralph Miarka on LinkedIn.
Veronika Jungwrith is a coach, consultant, and facilitator, Veronika blends solution-focused coaching with leadership development. Her work empowers individuals and teams to navigate complexity with clarity, meaning, and lasting impact.
You can link with Veronika Jungwrith on LinkedIn.
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Deniz Ari: Why Great Product Owners Listen—Communication Lessons from Product Ownership Extremes The Great Product Owner: The Power of Clear Communication
Deniz describes a truly exemplary Product Owner who excelled through outstanding communication skills. This PO was an exceptional listener who maintained openness throughout all interactions. They ensured the team thoroughly understood requirements and priorities, always clearly articulating the rationale behind decisions. With a well-defined product vision and transparent prioritization process, this PO successfully bridged the gap between the development team and clients. Deniz emphasizes how this clear communication style naturally fostered team motivation, as everyone understood not just what they were building, but why it mattered.
The Bad Product Owner: The Tyrant PODeniz shares a challenging experience with a problematic Product Owner during what initially appeared to be a straightforward public sector migration project with adequate budget and timeline. Despite these favorable conditions, the situation deteriorated when the PO began pushing the team to work overtime, overstepping boundaries by questioning architectural decisions, and inappropriately assuming Scrum Master responsibilities. Described as a "tyrant" or "despot," this PO exhibited extremely poor communication skills and preferred dictating rather than collaborating. When Deniz attempted to address these issues, the situation became so toxic that it affected Deniz's health, ultimately leading to their decision to leave the project. The PO subsequently claimed no Scrum Master was needed. Deniz reflects that sometimes the best option is to recognize when a situation cannot be changed and to move on.
Self-reflection Question: What boundaries would you establish with a dominant Product Owner, and at what point would you decide that the situation cannot be improved?
[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 Deniz Ari
Deniz is an innovative, driven professional with expertise in Agile coaching, delivery management, data science, and technology transformation. As a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, Deniz builds high-performing teams, drives strategic execution, and fosters collaboration. Passionate about continuous improvement, they lead cultural shifts, optimize processes, and deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes.
You can link with Deniz Ari on LinkedIn.
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Deniz Ari: Stakeholder Management Rhythms for Successful Scrum Masters
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 Deniz, successful Scrum Masters create environments with positive team dynamics, easy communication, and a focus on continuous improvement that leads to valuable deliverables. The key indicators include whether team members can speak freely, whether there's trust between team members, and if the team feels like "a safe place to fail." Deniz recommends admitting your own mistakes in front of the team to model vulnerability, continuously observing team interactions, and noticing whether teams openly discuss obstacles. For stakeholder management, Deniz suggests establishing regular catch-up calls with leaders to keep team messages in the conversation and setting up routine discussions with stakeholders to maintain alignment.
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: The Worst RetroDeniz shares a playful yet effective retrospective format called "The Worst Retro," conducted using a MURAL board. The session begins with an energy/mood check to establish the team's current state. Then it moves into three key sections: what team members remember from the sprint, how they could make the next sprint worse, and finally deciding what actions to take next. Deniz explains that the power of this approach lies in using humor to discuss serious problems—by asking how to make things worse, team members can indirectly highlight what's already not working. This format creates an informal, relaxed environment where people feel comfortable addressing challenging topics that might otherwise remain unspoken.
Self-reflection Question: How might introducing an element of humor or "reverse thinking" help your team discuss problems they've been avoiding in traditional retrospective formats?
[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 Deniz Ari
Deniz is an innovative, driven professional with expertise in Agile coaching, delivery management, data science, and technology transformation. As a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, Deniz builds high-performing teams, drives strategic execution, and fosters collaboration. Passionate about continuous improvement, they lead cultural shifts, optimize processes, and deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes.
You can link with Deniz Ari on LinkedIn.
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Deniz Ari: Why Your Process Changes Are Failing—The Stakeholder Alignment Problem
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.
Deniz explores the challenges of implementing change in organizations, emphasizing that change is always a long and difficult process requiring patience and trust. Drawing on the Change Curve concept, Deniz shares a personal experience trying to improve project visibility by cleaning up backlogs in JIRA for 10 in-flight projects. Despite good intentions, Deniz found themselves as the only person using the tool, with team members and Product Owners using different systems that better suited their specific needs—POs wanting only high-level items while the development team needed to split items into smaller tasks. Through this experience, Deniz learned the crucial importance of having all stakeholders (Product Owners, development teams, and managers) aligned on using the same tool, and understanding the unique perspectives of each group before implementing process changes.
In this episode, we refer to the Change Curve.
Self-reflection Question: What changes have you attempted to implement that failed because you didn't fully understand the different needs and perspectives of all stakeholders involved?
[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 Deniz Ari
Deniz is an innovative, driven professional with expertise in Agile coaching, delivery management, data science, and technology transformation. As a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, Deniz builds high-performing teams, drives strategic execution, and fosters collaboration. Passionate about continuous improvement, they lead cultural shifts, optimize processes, and deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes.
You can link with Deniz Ari on LinkedIn.
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Deniz Ari: Security Team Breakdown—The Devastating Impact of Poor Product Ownership
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.
Deniz shares the story of a security project with a team of eight experienced, senior engineers working on mission-critical systems. Despite initial motivation and clear architectural solutions, the team soon exhibited signs of negative behavior including complaints and criticism. The root cause traced back to frequent Product Owner changes—several within less than a year—and poor client management. Instead of shielding the team, the PO directly transferred stress from clients to the team, demanded overtime, and created unnecessary tension by bringing unfiltered conflicts to the team and requesting excessive details. Deniz emphasizes the importance of avoiding unnecessary tensions, being more political when necessary to protect the team, and being mindful of tone in written communications.
Self-reflection Question: In what ways might you be failing to set proper boundaries in your role, and how could establishing clearer limits improve both your effectiveness and your team's performance?
Featured Book of the Week: Boundaries by Henrik CloudDeniz recommends "Boundaries" by Henrik Cloud, a book about human relationships and personal limitations. The book addresses crucial questions: Does your life feel out of control? Do you keep saying yes to everyone? Are you taking responsibility for others' feelings and problems? Have you forgotten your own limitations? Deniz explains how this book helped them learn to say "no" while still considering others' realities and feelings, and understanding why we often struggle with setting boundaries. Deniz highlights that being a Scrum Master involves much more than just processes and methods—it requires healthy personal boundaries.
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[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Deniz Ari
Deniz is an innovative, driven professional with expertise in Agile coaching, delivery management, data science, and technology transformation. As a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, Deniz builds high-performing teams, drives strategic execution, and fosters collaboration. Passionate about continuous improvement, they lead cultural shifts, optimize processes, and deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes.
You can link with Deniz Ari on LinkedIn.
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Deniz Ari: How Intense Delivery Pressure Destroyed Team Trust, Culture, and Brought Burnout
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 in the public sector, Deniz faced a challenging situation during a particularly busy winter period when the client wanted to combine multiple major initiatives simultaneously: migration, new features, and security improvements. This led to an oversized team of 25 engineers, which ultimately caused significant problems. The pressure to continuously deliver became overwhelming, breaking team trust and leaving members feeling abandoned. Several team members left, the team culture disintegrated, and cases of burnout emerged. After this difficult experience, Deniz conducted a comprehensive retrospective to process what happened and provide feedback to management about the dangers of excessive pressure in Scrum environments.
Self-reflection Question: How might you recognize the early warning signs of team burnout before it reaches a critical point, and what boundaries would you establish to protect your team?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Deniz Ari
Deniz is an innovative, driven professional with expertise in Agile coaching, delivery management, data science, and technology transformation. As a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, Deniz builds high-performing teams, drives strategic execution, and fosters collaboration. Passionate about continuous improvement, they lead cultural shifts, optimize processes, and deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes.
You can link with Deniz Ari on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: Marcelo Calbucci reveals Amazon's secret innovation framework that transforms product development!
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 BONUS episode, we explore "The PRFAQ Framework" (visit also the website) with author Marcelo Calbucci. He shares how Amazon's innovative approach to product development can be adapted by founders, product managers, and teams across industries. Learn how this powerful methodology creates alignment, clarifies vision, and ensures customer-centricity in product development.
The Origins of PRFAQ"I learned the PR FAQ method at Amazon and realized this is a great tool that would be valuable for founders and product leaders."
Marcelo Calbucci shares how his experience at Amazon introduced him to the PRFAQ framework—a structured approach to product ideation and development. He explains how this methodology transformed his thinking about innovation and why he felt compelled to share it with a wider audience through his book. The framework addresses a critical gap he observed in how teams approach product development, often lacking the clarity and customer focus needed for success.
Understanding the PRFAQ Framework"PR FAQ stands for press release and frequently asked questions—it's a method to talk about and define a vision for the product."
The PRFAQ framework is a six-page document with a highly prescriptive structure. Marcelo breaks down the components:
Page 1: A press release announcing the product
Page 2+: Customer FAQ addressing potential questions
Page 3+: Internal FAQ covering implementation details
This document serves as the foundation for product development, helping teams align on vision and strategy before diving into execution. Marcelo emphasizes that the framework forces teams to articulate the "why" behind their work, not just the "what" and "how."
The Alignment Challenge"Challenge: pick a few people from your organization, ask each one 'why are we doing this?' Chances are you will get a different answer from different people."
One of the most significant challenges in product development is the lack of alignment across teams. Marcelo highlights how common it is for team members to have different understandings of product goals and strategy. Without a shared vision, teams risk building features that don't solve the right problems or address customer needs effectively. The PRFAQ framework creates alignment by documenting and socializing product vision in a consistent format that encourages discussion and feedback.
Practical Implementation Tips"Use the PRFAQ as a textual document, instead of a PowerPoint presentation—the discipline of writing helps clarify thinking."
Marcelo offers several practical tips for implementing the PRFAQ approach effectively:
Write things out in paragraphs rather than bullet points
Consider writing the FAQs before the press release
Use the document as a tool for discussion, not as a polished deliverable
Conduct review sessions with peers, team members, and stakeholders
Focus on substance over style—the goal is to discover feedback
He emphasizes that the act of writing forces clearer thinking and exposes gaps in logic or understanding that might otherwise remain hidden.
The Amazon Way"At Amazon, every product starts with a PRFAQ. It starts with someone having an idea. The first thing they do is to write the PRFAQ."
Marcelo provides insight into how Amazon implements this framework across the organization. Every product initiative begins with a PRFAQ document that articulates the vision and strategy. Teams spend time discussing and refining this document before moving into execution. This methodical approach allows Amazon to get early feedback on ideas, helping to identify potential issues before significant resources are invested. The framework has been a cornerstone of Amazon's ability to innovate consistently across diverse product areas.
Customer-Centricity in Practice"Here’s one lesson about product leadership: understand the problems better than even the customer understands them."
The customer-centric nature of the PRFAQ framework is one of its greatest strengths. By forcing teams to anticipate customer questions and articulate benefits from their perspective, the framework ensures products are built to solve real problems. Marcelo explains that sometimes the "customer" might be internal, but the principle remains the same—deeply understanding the problems before proposing solutions. This approach has proven particularly effective at Amazon, where customer obsession is a core value.
Learning from the Book Development Process"In interviewing teams using the method, I discovered that the problem was convincing the whole team about the PRFAQ method."
Interestingly, Marcelo applied the PRFAQ framework to the development of his own book. Through this meta-application, he discovered that the biggest challenge wasn't explaining the method itself but convincing entire teams to adopt it. This insight shaped the book's approach—making product strategy discussions less academic and more practical. He focused on providing concrete examples and templates that teams could immediately apply to their work.
Resources for Deeper Learning"Read examples first, pay attention to how you write the phrases in the document."
For listeners wanting to explore the PRFAQ framework further, Marcelo recommends starting with examples to understand the tone and structure. His book website offers resources and templates to help teams implement the framework. He emphasizes that seeing the framework in action is often more valuable than theoretical discussions, which is why he includes numerous examples in his book and supplementary materials.
About Marcelo Calbucci
Marcelo Calbucci is a founder, product and engineering leader, and innovation expert passionate about solving customers' biggest challenges through software. With over two decades of experience, he has launched dozens of products across industries and mentored nearly a thousand founders and professionals, shaping the future of product development and innovation.
Marcelo Calbucci is the author of "The PRFAQ Framework: Adapting Amazon's Innovation Framework to Work for You," which describes Amazon's PRFAQ method—a strategic approach designed to refine and present new product ideas by focusing on customer-centric narratives.
You can link with Marcelo Calbucci on LinkedIn and connect with Marcelo Calbucci on Substack.
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Simina Fodor: Why the 'Why' Matters—Product Owner Communication Lessons
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: Transparency and Customer FocusThis exemplary Product Owner shaped Simina's entire view of product management and even inspired her to consider a future transition to that role. Despite not having a traditional product background (coming instead from support), this PO demonstrated exceptional openness to both giving and receiving feedback. They consistently explained the logic behind decisions, sharing the "why" that motivated their priorities. What truly set them apart was bringing customer perspectives and use cases directly to the team, helping developers understand the features through the lens of personas and user scenarios. The PO's transparency extended to their own professional journey, openly sharing how they grew into the role, which created an atmosphere of continuous learning and development.
The Bad Product Owner: The Ghost CommanderThis experienced Product Owner approached the role with a command-and-control mindset carried over from previous Project Management experience, believing that backlog grooming was "beneath them." Essentially a ghost to the team, they avoided retrospectives while issuing constantly shifting priorities with little explanation or logic. The PO would issue commands and demand immediate responses without considering consequences, creating a toxic environment that threatened to destroy team morale. Simina recommends coaching such Product Owners on agile mindset principles and seeking leadership support when necessary to prevent team deterioration.
Self-reflection Question: How can you effectively bridge the gap between command-and-control Product Owners and teams seeking more transparency and collaboration?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Simina Fodor
Simina is a career rebel with a passion for bold moves. From HR to Agile delivery, she's ditched the rulebook to inspire others to build careers that ignite passion. No apologies, no detours—just fearless pivots and real talk about creating work that truly fires you up.
You can link with Simina Fodor on LinkedIn.
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Simina Fodor: The Courage to Question—Signs of a Healthy Agile Team
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 Simina, Scrum Master success goes far beyond facilitation skills – it's about what happens when you're not in the room. True success means creating a self-sustaining team that maintains healthy practices even in your absence. Simina looks for indicators like: Do team members feel safe raising concerns regularly? Can they push back with the Product Owner and offer suggestions? Do they proactively ask for the "why" behind requests instead of blindly following directions? She emphasizes that successful teams raise dependencies early in the sprint, have the courage to plan work with other teams, and handle integrations independently. The ultimate test of Scrum Master effectiveness is whether the team continues to thrive even when you step away for a few days.
Self-reflection Question: What specific behaviors would indicate that your team has reached a level of self-sustainability that would allow you to step back?
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Start/Stop/ContinueSimina advocates for the simplicity of the Start/Stop/Continue retrospective format. After experimenting with numerous complex approaches, she found that sometimes the most straightforward formats yield the best results. This classic structure cuts through noise and focuses teams on what truly matters: what new practices they should begin, what isn't working and should stop, and what's effective and should continue. Simina appreciates how this format's simplicity makes it accessible and easy to follow, allowing teams to concentrate on meaningful conversation rather than getting lost in complicated retrospective mechanics.
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Simina Fodor
Simina is a career rebel with a passion for bold moves. From HR to Agile delivery, she's ditched the rulebook to inspire others to build careers that ignite passion. No apologies, no detours—just fearless pivots and real talk about creating work that truly fires you up.
You can link with Simina Fodor on LinkedIn.
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Simina Fodor: Building Bridges—How Cross-Department Champions Drive Agile Adoption
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.
Simina shares her experience leading an enterprise Agile transformation from her position in Project Management. Rather than pushing for immediate, wholesale change, she started small - seeking out interested colleagues, sharing case studies from other companies, and gradually building internal support. This patient approach took years before the organization officially embraced Agile and Scrum, but created a strong foundation of champions across departments. When business needs finally demanded faster releases and better responsiveness to change, Simina had already established a community of practice ready to support the transition. She began with a single pilot team implementing just daily standups, which then expanded into a full Agile program that ultimately facilitated her transition from Project Manager to Scrum Master.
Self-reflection Question: How might building informal networks and starting with small changes create a more sustainable foundation for organizational transformation than top-down mandates?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Simina Fodor
Simina is a career rebel with a passion for bold moves. From HR to Agile delivery, she's ditched the rulebook to inspire others to build careers that ignite passion. No apologies, no detours—just fearless pivots and real talk about creating work that truly fires you up.
You can link with Simina Fodor on LinkedIn.
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Simina Fodor: How Leadership Communication Can Destroy Team Morale
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.
Simina recounts working with a diverse, remote team on a high-visibility project to retire legacy systems under strict deadlines. The team made sacrifices, working overtime and through vacations to meet the challenging timeline. When Simina recommended team bonuses to recognize their extraordinary efforts, leadership not only rejected the request but publicly announced that overtime was simply "expected" as part of the job. This single communication destroyed the team's trust, leading to disengagement, dropped velocity, missed deadlines, and team members skipping Scrum events. Simina highlights how quickly team dynamics can collapse when leadership dismisses extra effort and fails to acknowledge team contributions.
Self-reflection Question: How might you advocate for proper recognition of your team's extraordinary efforts when leadership views such work as simply expected?
Featured Book of the Week: The Making of a Manager by Julie ZhuoSimina recommends "The Making of a Manager" by Julie Zhuo, a book she initially dismissed because she wasn't in a management role. However, upon reading it, she discovered numerous parallels between effective management and Scrum Mastery. The book's message that managers don't need to know all the answers resonated deeply with her, reinforcing the importance of understanding humans first before implementing processes. Despite not being an Agile-specific book, Simina found its people-focused approach incredibly valuable for her Scrum Master practice.
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Simina Fodor
Simina is a career rebel with a passion for bold moves. From HR to Agile delivery, she's ditched the rulebook to inspire others to build careers that ignite passion. No apologies, no detours—just fearless pivots and real talk about creating work that truly fires you up.
You can link with Simina Fodor on LinkedIn.
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Simina Fodor: From Corporate to Startup—Navigating the Scrum Implementation Gap
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, Simina shares a critical failure story from her transition from corporate settings to a startup environment. Believing she had all the necessary tools and experience, she attempted to scale up Scrum practices too quickly with developers who weren't familiar with the framework. Instead of starting with fundamentals and understanding where team members were in their Agile journey, she made assumptions based on her corporate experience. Simina emphasizes the importance of a proper discovery phase for Scrum Masters when joining new teams, especially in dynamic startup environments where roles are still evolving and significant change is occurring.
Self-reflection Question: How might your previous experiences be creating blind spots when you join a new team or organization?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Simina Fodor
Simina is a career rebel with a passion for bold moves. From HR to Agile delivery, she's ditched the rulebook to inspire others to build careers that ignite passion. No apologies, no detours—just fearless pivots and real talk about creating work that truly fires you up.
You can link with Simina Fodor on LinkedIn.
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CTO Series: Jussi Mononen on the Human Side of Software Development and Technical Leadership
In this CTO Series episode, we explore the intersection of technology and people with Jussi Mononen, CTO of CarbonLink. Drawing from his extensive experience as an Agile practitioner and technical leader, Jussi shares valuable insights on effective software development, technical strategy alignment, and the critical human elements that drive successful technology implementations.
The Transformative Power of Agile"It's all about people."
Jussi's journey as a technology leader was fundamentally shaped when he discovered Agile methodologies. Coming from a background of waterfall-like approaches to software development, the introduction of Agile principles opened up a broader perspective that transformed his view of the profession. What began as technical work creating billing software evolved into a deeper understanding of the collaboration challenges in problem-solving. This shift helped Jussi develop a more humanistic and holistic approach to software development, recognizing that the human dynamics are often more complex than the technical challenges themselves.
Every line of code eventually becomes a liability, as software is maintained over decades
Software is only truly "done" when you remove the plug and it no longer exists
Direct communication with customers is essential for understanding the real problems that need solving
Balancing Technical Strategy with Business Needs"Be careful what you choose in terms of technology as you need to maintain it forever—hopefully."
Creating a technical strategy that aligns with business objectives while remaining adaptable requires careful consideration of both immediate and long-term factors. Jussi emphasizes the importance of considering maintainability over a decade-long horizon while organizing technology stacks that don't limit organizational agility.
When selecting technologies, consider whether you can find people already familiar with your tech stack
Evaluate whether your technology choices allow you to fulfill the responsibilities your customers pay you to handle
Be prepared to abandon technologies that aren't working, despite the sunk cost
Structure your technical organization to maximize speed and adaptability
Fostering Collaboration Between Tech and Business"It's not about 'who wins,' it's about making good decisions."
Effective collaboration between technical and business units is built on foundations of respect and trust. As a self-described optimist about humanity, Jussi approaches cross-functional work by giving respect to colleagues and trusting them to make sound decisions within their domains of expertise.
Listen carefully to people and make a genuine effort to understand their perspectives
Focus on making well-considered decisions rather than striving for theoretical "best" decisions
Remember that people develop software, not processes or tools—maximize each team member's potential
Create environments where differing viewpoints are valued as inputs to better decision-making
Strategic Roadmapping and Adaptability"We constantly seek information about what might be changing."
Maintaining a clear vision of the future while remaining adaptable is a critical balancing act for technology leaders. Jussi's approach involves maintaining a rolling two-quarter roadmap that provides directional clarity while incorporating new information and signals from various sources.
Review and revise roadmaps weekly to incorporate new information
Use tools like Trello to maintain lists of priorities and possibilities
Actively seek diverse signals about changing requirements and technologies
Use the roadmap to communicate investment priorities to stakeholders like the board
Overcoming Complex Technical Challenges"Someone needs to give enough love to the items in the backlog."
The most significant challenge in Jussi's career came during a 4.5-year project reimplementing critical university systems that had been in use for over 20 years. This complex undertaking highlighted the importance of people skills alongside technical capabilities when managing diverse stakeholders with conflicting needs.
Be prepared to handle conflicting needs and requirements from different stakeholders
Establish a shared direction before attempting to solve detailed technical challenges
Recognize that many critical challenges in large projects are about people, not technology
Give proper attention to backlog items to ensure they receive the consideration they deserve
Leadership Philosophy and Learning"Choose the context more accurately. Involve yourself with people you look up to."
Rather than pointing to a single book that influenced his approach to technical leadership, Jussi emphasizes the importance of context and learning from those around you. His leadership philosophy centers on carefully selecting environments with admirable people and absorbing knowledge through direct experience and observation.
Understand the specific context you're operating in before applying generic principles
Surround yourself with people whose approach and values you respect
Learn continuously from the practical experiences of peers and colleagues
About Jussi Mononen
Jussi is a problem solver, programmer and business-to-technology translator. People side of software systems development, as he often says: "it's all about people".He has both tech and people street cred, being a long time Agile practitioner, and now the CTO of a promising scale-up in Helsinki: CarbonLink.
You can link with Jussi Mononen on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: From Waterfall to Flow—Rethinking Mental Models in Software Delivery With Henrik Mårtensson
In this BONUS episode, we explore the origins and persistence of waterfall methodology in software development with management consultant Henrik Mårtensson. Based on an article where he details the history of Waterfall, Henrik explains the historical context of waterfall, challenges the mental models that keep it alive in modern organizations, and offers insights into how systems thinking can transform our approach to software delivery. This conversation is essential for anyone looking to understand why outdated methodologies persist and how to move toward more effective approaches to software development.
The True Origins of Waterfall"Waterfall came from the SAGE project, the first large software project in history, where they came up with a methodology based on an economic analysis."
Henrik takes us on a fascinating historical journey to uncover the true origins of waterfall methodology. Contrary to popular belief, the waterfall approach wasn't invented by Winston Royce but emerged from the SAGE project in the 1950s. Bennington published the original paper outlining this approach, while it was Bell and Tayer who later named it "waterfall" when referencing Royce's work. Henrik explains how gated process models eventually led to the formalized waterfall methodology and points out that an entire generation of methods existed between waterfall and modern Agile approaches that are often overlooked in the conversation.
In this segment we refer to:
The paper titled “Production of Large Computer Programs” by Herbert D. Benington (direct PDF link) Updated and re-published in 1983 in Annals of the History of Computing ( Volume: 5, Issue: 4, Oct.-Dec. 1983)
Winston Royce’s paper from 1970 that erroneously is given the source of the waterfall term. Direct PDF Link.
Bell and Thayer’s paper “Software Requirements: Are They Really A Problem?”, that finally “baptized” the waterfall process. Direct PDF link.
Mental Models That Keep Us Stuck"Fredrik Taylor's model of work missed the concept of a system, leading us to equate busyness with productivity."
The persistence of waterfall thinking stems from outdated mental models about work and productivity. Henrik highlights how Frederick Taylor's scientific management principles continue to influence software development despite missing the crucial concept of systems thinking. This leads organizations to equate busyness with productivity, as illustrated by Henrik's anecdote about 50 projects assigned to just 70 people. We explore how project management practices often enforce waterfall thinking, and why organizations tend to follow what others do rather than questioning established practices. Henrik emphasizes several critical concepts that are often overlooked:
Systems thinking
Deming's principles
Understanding variation and statistics
Psychology of work
Epistemology (how we know what we know)
In this segment, we refer to:
Frederik Taylor’s book “The Principles of Scientific Management”
The video explaining why Project Management leads to Coordination Chaos
James C. Scott’s book, “Seeing Like a State”
Queueing theory
Little’s Law
The Estimation Trap"The system architecture was overcomplicated, and the organizational structure followed it, creating a three-minute door unlock that required major architectural changes."
Henrik shares a compelling story about a seemingly simple feature—unlocking a door—that was estimated to take three minutes but actually required significant architectural changes due to Conway's Law. This illustrates how organizational structures often mirror system architecture, creating unnecessary complexity that impacts delivery timelines. The anecdote serves as a powerful reminder of how estimation in software development is frequently disconnected from reality when we don't account for systemic constraints and architectural dependencies.
In this segment, we refer to Conway’s Law, the observation that explicitly called out how system architecture is so often linked to organizational structures.
Moving Beyond Waterfall"Understanding queueing theory and Little's Law gives us the tools to rethink flow in software delivery."
To move beyond waterfall thinking, Henrik recommends several resources and concepts that can help transform our approach to software development. By understanding queueing theory and Little's Law, teams can better manage workflow and improve delivery predictability. Henrik's article on coordination chaos highlights the importance of addressing organizational complexity, while James C. Scott's book "Seeing Like a State" provides insights into how central planning often fails in complex environments.
About Henrik MårtenssonHenrik Mårtensson is a management consultant specializing in strategy, organizational development, and process improvement. He blends Theory of Constraints, Lean, Agile, and Six Sigma to solve complex challenges. A published author and licensed ScrumMaster, Henrik brings sharp systems thinking—and a love of storytelling—to help teams grow and thrive.
You can link with Henrik Mårtensson on LinkedIn and connect with Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter.
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BONUS: Software Engineers are Paid to Solve Problems, Not Write Code! With John Crickett
In this BONUS episode, we explore a thought-provoking LinkedIn post by John Crickett that challenges a fundamental misconception in software engineering. John shares insights on why engineers should focus on problem-solving rather than just coding, how to develop business context understanding, and why this shift in perspective is crucial in the age of AI.
Beyond Writing Code: Understanding the True Value of Software Engineering"A lot of us come to software engineering because we care about building, and missed the goal: solving a problem for a customer."
John Crickett explains the fundamental disconnect many software engineers experience in their careers. While many enter the field with a passion for building and coding, they often lose sight of the ultimate purpose: solving real problems for customers. This misalignment can lead to creating technically impressive solutions that fail to address actual business needs. John emphasizes that the most valuable engineers are those who can bridge the gap between technical implementation and business value.
In this section, we refer to John’s Coding Challenges and Developing Skills websites.
The Isolation Problem in Engineering Teams"We have insulated people from seeing and interacting with customers, perhaps because we were afraid they would create a problem with customers."
One of the key issues John identifies is how engineering teams are often deliberately separated from customers and end-users. This isolation, while sometimes implemented with good intentions, prevents engineers from gaining crucial context about the problems they're trying to solve. John shares his early career experience of participating in the sales process for software projects, which gave him valuable insights into customer needs. He highlights the Extreme Programming (XP) approach, which advocates for having the customer "in the room" to provide direct and immediate feedback, creating a tighter feedback loop between problem identification and solution implementation.
In this segment, we refer to the book XP Explained by Kent Beck.
The AI Replacement Risk"If all you are doing is taking a ticket that is fully spec'ed out, and coding it, then an LLM could also do that. The value is in understanding the problem."
In a world where Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly capable of generating code, John warns that engineers who define themselves solely as coders face a significant risk of obsolescence. The true differentiation and value come from understanding the business domain and problem space—abilities that current AI tools haven't mastered. John advises engineers to develop domain knowledge specific to their business or customers, as this expertise allows them to contribute uniquely valuable insights beyond mere code implementation.
Cultivating Business Context Understanding"Be curious about what the goal is behind the code you need to write. When people tell you to build, you need to be curious about why you are being asked to build that particular solution."
John offers practical advice for engineers looking to develop better business context understanding. The key is cultivating genuine curiosity about the "why" behind coding tasks and features. By questioning requirements and understanding the business goals driving technical decisions, engineers can transform their role from merely delivering code to providing valuable services and solutions. This approach allows engineers to contribute more meaningfully and become partners in business success rather than just implementers.
Building the Right Engineering Culture"Code is always a liability, sometimes it's an asset. The process starts with hiring the CTO—the people at the top. You get the team that reflects your values."
Creating an engineering culture that values problem-solving over code production starts at the leadership level. John emphasizes that the values demonstrated by technical leadership will cascade throughout the organization. He notes the counter-intuitive truth that code itself is inherently a liability (requiring maintenance, updates, and potential refactoring), only becoming an asset when it effectively solves business problems. Building a team that understands this distinction begins with leadership that demonstrates curiosity about the business domain and encourages engineers to do the same.
The Power of Asking Questions"Be curious, ask more questions."
For engineers looking to make the shift from coder to problem-solver, John recommends developing the skill of asking good questions. He points to Harvard Business Review's article on "The Surprising Power of Questions" as a valuable resource. The ability to ask insightful questions about business needs, user requirements, and problem definitions allows engineers to uncover the true challenges beneath surface-level requirements. This curiosity-driven approach not only leads to better solutions but also positions engineers as valuable contributors to business strategy.
In this segment, we refer to the article in HBR titled The Surprising Power of Questions.
About John Crickett
John is a passionate software engineer and leader on a mission to empower one million engineers and managers. With extensive expertise in distributed systems, full-stack development, and evolving tech stacks from C++ to Rust, John creates innovative coding challenges, insightful articles, and newsletters to help teams level up their skills.
You can link with John Crickett on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: Beyond Frameworks, A Provocative Guide to Real Agility With Erwin Verweij
In this BONUS episode, we dive into the provocative world of Erwin Verweij's latest book: 'How the f*ck to be Agile?' Erwin shares his journey from frustration to clarity as he witnesses organizations adopting Agile frameworks without understanding their purpose. With candid stories from his coaching experiences, Erwin reveals what happens when teams wake up to real agility beyond dogmatic practices and how organizations can find their own path to meaningful change.
The Wake-Up Call for Agile Adoption"What the f*ck dude! Do you even know what it means? Do you really know what it means?"
Erwin's journey to writing this book began with growing frustration at how companies approach agility. He frequently encountered teams proudly declaring "We're Agile!" or "Our department is Agile" without understanding what that truly meant.
This disconnect between label and understanding became the catalyst for his provocatively-titled wake-up call. Erwin describes his exasperation with organizations adopting frameworks halfheartedly, following mindsets that were completely off track, and ultimately "doing stuff without knowing what they're doing and why they're doing it." The F-word in his book title serves dual purposes - expressing his frustration while also functioning as a power word to wake people up from their complacency.
Breaking Free from Framework Dogma"We're not gonna do Agile. Forget it. And we're not gonna do Scrum, even though you're doing Scrum. Let's look at what really works for you people."
Rather than imposing rigid frameworks, Erwin advocates for teams to discover what actually works in their specific context. He shares a memorable story of tearing down Scrum posters that management had installed, shocking team members who couldn't believe he would challenge the prescribed approach.
In another example, Erwin creatively used a manager's "quarantine" language by posting contamination warnings at a department's entrance with the message: "If you enter this room, you might get contaminated with a new way of working." These disruptive approaches are designed to shake people from blindly following orders and encourage them to think critically about their processes.
Finding Your Own Path to Agility"Any coach who goes into a company with a strict plan and a set approach - don't hire them. They don't have a clue what to do."
After the wake-up call, Erwin focuses on helping teams discover their own effective ways of working. He believes that the key is to observe what's already working well, emphasize those elements, and discard what doesn't serve the team. This approach stands in stark contrast to consultants who arrive with predetermined solutions regardless of context.
Erwin emphasizes that real transformation happens when teams take ownership of their processes, adapt them to their unique needs, and make them their own. He cautions against hiring coaches who come with rigid, predetermined plans, as they often lack the flexibility to address a team's specific challenges.
The Never-Ending Journey of Adaptation"We need to help teams to stay open for the change that is coming."
Erwin stresses that agility is not a destination but a continuous journey of adaptation. The world never stops changing, so teams must remain flexible and open to evolving their approaches. He encourages a mindset of experimentation with phrases like "let's try" and "what could we try" to keep teams responsive to new challenges.
According to Erwin, one of the most powerful ways to foster this adaptive culture is to model the behaviors you want to see in the teams you support. By demonstrating openness to change yourself, you help others embrace the continuous nature of improvement.
Scaling Without Bureaucracy"Work with the system, learn what is needed, iterate."
When discussing scaling Agile across an organization, Erwin questions why companies feel the need to scale in the first place. He uses cities as a metaphor for how complex systems can organize beyond small groups without excessive bureaucracy.
In one organization where he currently coaches, teams have found a pragmatic approach by adopting elements from various frameworks that work for them. They use quarterly planning sessions from SAFe primarily as a networking opportunity that connects everybody and focuses their efforts, even though the planning itself might be "basically bullshit." This practical, results-oriented approach emphasizes what works rather than dogmatic adherence to frameworks.
Software as a Creative Process"Software development is basically figuring out how stuff works. It's a creative process that mostly is being dealt with within the brain of people."
Erwin views software development fundamentally as a creative process rather than a production line. He explains that it's not about "typing as fast as you can" but about thinking, problem-solving, and creating. This perspective helps explain why iterative approaches with small steps work better than trying to plan everything upfront.
Erwin notes that when complex problems become routine, teams might not need the full framework structure, but they should retain the values that help them coordinate effectively. The essence of frameworks like Scrum, he suggests, is simply "start working, figure it out, and see what happens" - an approach that many organizations have become afraid to embrace.
Awakening Organizational Intelligence"We raise children, which is basically programming another human being - it's really complex. And we just take it for granted. And then we go to work, and we don't know how to make decisions anymore."
One of Erwin's most powerful insights is how organizational structures can suppress the natural intelligence and decision-making abilities that people demonstrate in their personal lives. He points out the irony that we navigate incredibly complex systems like raising children or driving in traffic, yet when we arrive at work, we suddenly act as if we can't make decisions without higher approval. This disconnect creates frustration and wastes human potential. Erwin challenges organizations to wake up to this contradiction and create environments where people can bring their full capabilities to work, rather than checking their intelligence at the door.
In this section, we refer to Jurgen Appelo’s Book Management 3.0.
About Erwin Verweij
Erwin is a seasoned Agile Coach, Certified Enterprise Coach, and author of Viking Law and How the f*ck to be Agile?. With 15+ years' experience driving meaningful change, he helps organizations embrace real agility through coaching, transformation, and workshops—cutting through complexity to spark courage, clarity, and action.
You can link with Erwin Verweij on LinkedIn and connect with Erwin Verweij on Twitter.
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