“If you don’t have great teams, you’ll never have great ARTs” - Mark Richards

Mark Richards, Ali Hajou, and Niko Kaintantzis join Stephan Neck in the second ‘reprise’ episode after the initial reprise of SPC’s Unleashed with Lean Thinking People and Agile Teams from the Organizational Agility competency - we proceeded with the Dimension of Agile Teams in the Team and Technical Agility competency.

We start by sharing our passion, followed by a deep dive into agile practices to foster the right attitude using Scrum, Kanban, or a hybrid as the team’s core method. Mark reminds us about the giants whose shoulders SAFe’s team stands atop.

Next, we reflect on how “Legends are not made but emerge” by discussing finding the right Scrum Master/Team Coach, as they have a crucial role. We agree that naming or choosing them based on certification isn’t enough. Once you find them, you have to mentor and grow them.

The third topic includes “GOAT Teams”: Team Topologies opened up a fruitful discussion about team collaboration rather than “categorization” and avoiding the binary “Feature teams good, Component teams bad” trap.

Our final topic was the team responsibility wheel with the five focus areas. Our conclusion was that delivering value is the ultimate goal, and all other responsibilities lead to it.

Cast:
Stephan Neck (Moderator)

Niko Kaintantzis

Ali Hajou

Mark Richards

Links:

Team Topologies - Skelton and Pais

“I think a good SPC has to be a coach, too … You have to use the language of the people who have to become agile because agile isn’t the goal. It’s using the agile things to become faster, to become better, to have better user feedback” - Niko Kaintantzis

Stephan Neck and Niko Kaintantzis join Mark Richards in the first ‘reprise’ episode. The initial iteration of SPC’s Unleashed delved into some critical dimensions in a theoretical manner. We felt the need to revisit these dimensions, infusing our unique perspectives and real-life experiences from the field. And what better place to start than with Lean Thinking People and Agile Teams from the Organizational Agility competency?

We kick off by sharing our practical experiences of teaching the SAFe courses to non-technical audiences. Niko enlightens us about ‘Greifin’ (touching or grabbing), and Stephan underscores the significance of linking the audience’s pain points to breathe life into the concepts in their own context.

There’s a natural progression from training to coaching, so the second topic we explore is coaching non-technical people. Stephan’s first ART was actually in HR, so he has some great stories to share. Niko stresses the importance of coaching skills and ‘using the language of the people’ to connect worlds.

Next, we reflect on how valuable the recent evolution of SAFe’s built-in quality article has been in supporting non-technical teams.

Our final topic was the Patterns for Agile Business and Technology. Questioning which of the five patterns was most popular revealed that we have tried making every ART a Business-Enabled ART for years. Niko and Stephan share some great insights about their experiences coaching Agile Executive Teams and Combined Portfolios.

Cast:

Mark Richards (Moderator)

Niko Kaintantzis

Stephan Neck

Links:

Marshmallow Challenge

Pair Drawing Activity

Organizational Agility Article

Built-in-Quality Article

“Not having good DevOps is a lot more expensive than having DevOps” - Mark Richards

In this enlightening podcast episode, Niko takes the reins as the host, guiding Ali, Stephan, and Mark through a rich discussion on the essence of DevOps and its implications for modern organizations.

Niko initiates the dialogue by delving into ownership and collaboration in DevOps. Ali highlights the importance of agreements and ownership within teams, highlighting how these agreements facilitate smooth collaboration between development, operations, and other domains. Stephan chimes in, emphasizing the significance of value stream mapping and its role in fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility within teams.

Mark redirects the conversation toward the early integration of DevOps principles in the development lifecycle. He underscores the misconception of DevOps as solely a production-focused endeavor, advocating instead for its integration right from the outset. Mark shares insights from his experience, emphasizing the importance of practicing DevOps principles during the development, testing, and pre-production stages.

As the discussion evolves, Niko steers the conversation toward the learning journey inherent in DevOps. Stephan articulates the three fundamental ways described in the DevOps handbook: establishing flow, establishing feedback mechanisms, and continual experimentation. Ali adds depth to the conversation by highlighting the importance of resilience and proactive approaches to disaster recovery and business continuity.

The dialogue extends to the cultural shift required for successful DevOps implementation. The panelists agree that DevOps is more than just a set of tools—it necessitates organizational cultural transformation. They emphasize the importance of embracing a people-centric approach, fostering a team-oriented mindset, and aligning goals and practices across the entire value stream.

The key takeaway is that DevOps is not merely about adopting tools with fancy names—it’s about fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and resilience within organizations. The panelists leave listeners with a call to action, urging them to rethink their approach to DevOps and embark on a journey toward organizational transformation.

Cast:
Niko Kaintantzis (Moderator)
Stephan Neck
Ali Hajou
Mark Richards

Book References:

• The DevOps Handbook - by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, & John Willis
• The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win - Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford