Subha Kannath

In the latest episode of The Agile Within, Suruchi Patki, an experienced Agile practitioner and Scrum Master, joins me to share three personal accounts where she learned the nuanced skill of saying "no". Suruchi recounts the following three stories and provides practical tips on how to say "no" in a way that builds trust and nurtures a healthy team dynamic: * A stakeholder that requested to immediately add "urgent" work * A team that insisted on skipping the Sprint Retrospective * A team that suffered from an overloaded Sprint backlog The Agile Within can be found on all major podcast apps. Links to listen to this episode will be added to the comments. #Agile #Scrum #ScrumMaster #SayingNo #SettingBoundaries #EffectiveCommunication

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Don't miss my webinar on June 20th. We are going to have a conversation about Hybrid Agile, something that has started gaining momentum in 2023 and it keeps going up !! https://lnkd.in/er4eHrx #RefineM #Agile #Hybrid

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Learn Story points and their importance in Scrum methodology. #storypoints #agile #scrum #velocity https://lnkd.in/ghPM7vzc

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Lets have a discussion about Program Management methods. Not all development projects are best served by a single methodology. Agile has become a standard practice within the software development industry. Common reasons for landing on Agile are independent team planning and execution, relatively low overhead and flexibility to respond to change. But there are several drawbacks to using Agile on large programs, and often a hybrid or even modified waterfall approach will serve these program better. Agile begins to break down in a few scenarios. Agile performs best when dependencies are a single hop - team A depends only on Team B. As dependencies become more layered and matrixed Agile will often fail to prioritize correctly, leading to frequent fits and starts for high level teams, with frequent re-prioritization. Another common case where Agile struggles occurs with hard schedule points, things such as hardware factory builds, regulatory approval lead times, hard targeted launch dates. If you've been in an organization practicing raw Agile on a mixed Hardware / Software project you have surely seen the churn and last minute panic as implicit requirements are discovered mere weeks before a major expenditure activity. It is possible to maintain Agile at the team level, while adding structure in the program office to mitigate these weaknesses. SAFe methodology (scaled agile framework) is one mechanism, which essentially adds a waterfall master plan on top of individual teams running Agile sprints and provides a well understood "in-the-room" planning session. It does have a drawback of requiring pulling large groups together for an all-in planning session, a difficult request for large or geographically diverse organizations. All up planning with constant re-planning is another mechanism which works, but has a high reporting cost. This is essentially a constantly updated waterfall where each team is renegotiating the medium term plan weekly. The short term can remain Agile and the long term looks more waterfall. Apple uses a variant of this method to ship complex programs on-time every time. The draw back here is having a large centralized program management organization. Like SAFe, it struggles with geographic diversity. What are your observations? Have you seen a technique which bridges the weaknesses in Agile and Waterfall?

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The transition from individual contributor to manager can be both exciting and challenging. It requires a significant shift in focus and skillset. While reading an article, I remembered my own transition and the initial challenge of shifting my mindset and delegating more while trusting my team. Learning never ends, and talking to professionals like Mahesh M. Thakur, High Tech Executive Advisor and Coach gives me new perspectives on leadership. #leadership #management #professionaldevelopment

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Picking up from my last post, if we are wasting all that time and money manually gathering insights, why isn’t there any solution? Well, when has anyone asked a PM or EM or PM / Engg Director or VPs - how much time did it take to come up with those insights? Never. 🤷‍♂️ The focus is usually on the insights themselves, not the effort required to obtain them. As a result, the manual processes and inefficiencies remain hidden, and the cycle continues. What if companies knew they were burning billions? 🔥 #Software #Engineering #ProductManagement #Teamwork #Efficiency

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Happy to see an updated Evidenced-Based Management (EBM) guide from Scrum.org. The new edition maintains the foundational EBM concepts while refining the explanations for better understanding and application. Notable updates include a revised subtitle, "Improving value delivery under conditions of uncertainty," which more accurately reflects EBM's purpose. The guide introduces mission and vision framing for strategic goals and acknowledges the potential for multiple strategic goals within larger organizations. Inputs and impacts are categorized as types of measures, while descriptions of the Key Value Areas (KVAs) have been clarified and aligned with different measure types. Enhanced explanations for the "Experiment Loop" and an example measure of employee engagement have been added to illustrate how these concepts help improve value delivery. The revisions emphasize the guide's empirical foundation, enhanced through community feedback. Download the 2024 EBM Guide here: https://lnkd.in/gYd2wBn4.

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A simple soap cake that was packaged in paper packaging now is being packaged in hard plastic, that too just the foam part, not even the liquid part. And going by the looks, this is definitely going to last much shorter than the soap cake, so more frequent plastic generation. When will FMCG companies really think about the massive plastic problem they are creating in the name of selling innovative products ? It almost never seems like they are responsibly creating products that are environmentally friendly.

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Why Some Teams Almost Always Burnout 👇 … ❗️Are you noticing increasing bugs and defects in your deliverables? ❗️Do team members frequently skip breaks or lunch to get work done? ❗️Is there a reluctance among team members to take vacations? ❗️Have you observed a decline in team morale and engagement? ❗️Is there constant pressure on your team to deliver more features? ❗️Do you lack time for learning and professional development? You may have been influenced by a common Scrum myth. 😭 Uncover three compelling reasons to rethink your approach within the guide below. 🔍 🧩 Tired of costly agile certifications that don’t translate to real-world skills? Learn more, pay less. Join the free Agile Ambition newsletter. #velocity #burnout #agilemindset

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Is your software testing approach stuck in the past? Ditch or rethink these 5 old-fashioned techniques for a modern approach.

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Come for sensational hot-takes, stay for the umpteenth conflation of agile with Scrum and absolutist interpretations of clauses in the manifesto. 🤦‍♂️ One thing I note of all these kinds of articles is that they never, ever consider flaws in the host systems of management that contribute to driving the failures. Agile runs right up against a host of faulty practices and dysfunctions that begin to pull it apart and asunder from the very moment it is greenlit, with ignorance abounding everywhere and all at once. Incredible resilience to critical thinking.

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The quality of your sleep is crucial. Life is about balance; if your sleep is off, everything else is affected. When you focus on one area, other aspects suffer. Where you put your attention, energy follows. It's important to balance your energy across all areas of life. Here is thr data from the article. According to the most recent data from the National Health Interview Survey, the proportion of Americans getting no more than six hours a night (the minimum for a good night’s rest for most people) rose from 22% in 1985 to 29% in 2012. An international study conducted in 2017 by the Center for Creative Leadership found that among leaders, the problem is even worse: 42% get six or fewer hours of shut-eye a night.

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🚀 Unlocking the Power of Product Design Sense for TPMs 🚀 In the fast-paced world of technology, the role of a Technical Program Manager (TPM) is crucial in bridging the gap between technical execution and strategic vision. But there's one skill that can truly elevate a TPM's impact: Product Design Sense. 🔍 Why Product Design Sense Matters: - User-Centric Mindset: Understanding user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design helps TPMs ensure that the end product is not only functional but also delightful to use. - Effective Communication: With a strong grasp of design principles, TPMs can communicate more effectively with designers and engineers, fostering a collaborative environment where innovative ideas can thrive. - Strategic Decision-Making: A design-oriented approach allows TPMs to foresee potential challenges and opportunities, leading to more informed decisions that align with both user needs and business goals. - Enhanced Problem-Solving: Design sense encourages a holistic view of problems, enabling TPMs to propose solutions that are both technically sound and aesthetically pleasing. 🎨 Tips to Develop Product Design Sense: - Stay Curious: Regularly explore design trends and principles. Platforms like Dribbble, Behance, and even daily use apps can be a great source of inspiration. - Learn the Basics: Familiarize yourself with basic design tools and terminologies. Understanding the language of design is the first step to effective collaboration. - Engage with Designers: Work closely with your design team. Ask questions, seek feedback, and immerse yourself in their world. - User Feedback: Prioritize user feedback in your projects. Real user insights can guide you toward design decisions that resonate with your audience. - Iterate: Embrace a culture of continuous improvement. Iterative design thinking ensures that your product evolves in line with user expectations. As a TPM, blending technical expertise with a keen design sense can set you apart. It’s about creating products that not only work flawlessly but also captivate and engage users. Let’s strive to build not just products, but experiences. 🌟 #ProductDesign #TechnicalProgramManagement #UserExperience #Innovation #TPMLife #DesignThinking #Leadership

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Join my upcoming courses to learn about #Kanban, #Scrum, and Agile practices like #TDD. #Agile techniques are table stakes for modern companies. *All courses guaranteed to run.* https://lnkd.in/giFD9yAU

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Reforge has a great repository of artifacts that you never have to start your deck from scratch. It allows you to access real work from people who have done it before! Checkout my artifact related to brainstorming published on Reforge. #reforge #productmangement #sharework

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🌟 Mastering the art of presenting to senior executives requires preparation and practice. Their high expectations and limited time demand a concise and impactful approach. Here are some of my key learnings to excel in presentations: ➡ Start with a crisp summary to highlight your key points upfront.  ➡ Clearly articulate the benefits and outcomes your presentation will deliver.  ➡ Be direct and avoid unnecessary details to maintain their focus.  ➡ Practice meticulously to ensure a polished delivery. Honing my leadership skills has been a top priority, with invaluable guidance from Mahesh M. Thakur, High Tech Executive Advisor and Coach. His insights have been pivotal in refining my approach. #presentation #executivepresence #leadership #coaching #learning

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Balaji's view on Outcome Based Plan to do an Agile Transformation, CAF & Agile Mentorship Program (AMP). CAF is my "Customized Agile Framework". Reposting this video based on the request from multiple contacts or connections in my Agile circle. #AgileTransformation #OutcomeBasedPlanning #CustomizedAgileFramework #AgileMentorship #AgileCoach #ScrumMaster #AgileConsultant #AgileLeadership #DigitalTransformation #BusinessAgility #AgileMindset #AgileCommunity #AgilePractices #AgileJourney #ContinuousImprovement https://lnkd.in/g2w25X9T

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This! If your product organization is struggling with a Product Manager/Product Owner divide, and role confusion, read this article. Product Management is what we DO, let's not allow confusion around what we are called. #scrum #productmanagement

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