Product Agility

By: Ben Maynard
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  • Summary

  • The world of Product Discovery and Creation is becoming increasingly challenging due to mistakes and missed opportunities that are prevalent in agile teams, large-scale Scrum and all other agile frameworks. History has shown that when organisations try and scale their product development to more than one cross-functional team, mistakes are made that cut short many chances of getting all possible benefits.

    The route of this for many is the need for more attention paid to the incredible advancements in Product Management driven by hordes of professional Product People who prove that making their customers happier is not a pipe dream but a hard and fast reality.

    This podcast exists to explore all topics related to Product and Agility and Coaching.

    How do you marry the agile principles with Product discovery?

    Is it really possible to have hundreds of cross-functional teams (or Product Teams) all working from an effectively prioritised single Product Backlog and a dedicated Product Owner?

    How can you embrace continuous improvement and empirical process control for your product, people and processes?

    Ever wondered how to overcome the problems people face when trying to scale the Product Owner role and how it relates to Product Management and Product Teams?

    Baffled by how to define a product in such a way that enables Feature Teams (aka Product Teams) and why doing wrong means you will only ever be stuck with technical teams?

    Scrum Teams are not compatible with modern product management techniques.

    Want to know what Product Focus means and how the right focus makes creating a shippable product less painful?

    Need to get your head around how to blend modern product management techniques with Sprint Planning and Sprint Reviews to achieve Product Increments that cover the entire product?

    This podcast's original focus was on Scaling Scrum vs Single-Team Scrum and how organisations can reap the benefits of Scrum when working on a larger product but still keeping a single product backlog. We found many Product People liked what we said, and then the penny dropped. This isn't a podcast about scaling Scrum or the limitations of single-team Scrum.

    This podcast is for Product People & agile advocates who coach or get their hands dirty with Product creation.

    We promise there is no Taboo topic that we will not explore on your behalf.

    We aim to transcend the conversations about a single team, Daily Scrums, Scrum Masters and the double-diamond and bring everyone together into responsible teams dedicated to working on the entire product to make their customers happier and their lives more fulfilling.

    Come and join us on our improvement towards perfection, and give us your feedback (we have a strong customer focus, too), and who knows, perhaps we will discover the magic wand that we can wave over all the broken agile and sudo-products to create a more resilient and adaptable future by bringing the worlds of Product, Agility and coaching together.

    This podcast has the conversations and insights you need.
    © 2024 Product Agility
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Episodes
  • From Fluffy Mission Statements to Actionable Strategies: Lessons from Unblock (with Jurriaan Kamer)

    From Fluffy Mission Statements to Actionable Strategies: Lessons from Unblock (with Jurriaan Kamer)
    Nov 21 2024

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    In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, Ben speaks with Jurriaan Kamer, thought leader, consultant, and co-author of Unblock: How to Create Focused and Adaptable Organizations. Jurriaan shares insights from his experience helping organisations overcome bureaucracy, embrace aligned autonomy, and foster true agility at every level.

    If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond vague mission statements and create strategies that work, this episode offers practical advice and actionable frameworks to help you build a more adaptable, focused organization.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Aligned Autonomy in Practice: How to balance alignment with autonomy to empower teams while maintaining organisational focus.
    • The Power of Strategic Intent: Replacing vague mission statements with clear, strategic intent to guide decisions and achieve impactful outcomes.
    • Tackling Harmony Addiction: Why avoiding conflict can harm team growth and how to foster constructive disagreement.
    • From Cascading to Integration: Why traditional strategy rollouts fail and how participatory change can improve engagement and results.

    Practical Tools & Methods:

    • Even Over Statements: A method to clarify trade-offs and prioritise effectively across teams.
    • Self-Alignment Workshops: Ways to involve teams in co-creating strategies that align with organisational goals.

    Quotable Moments:

    • "Strategy isn’t a deck—it’s a cohesive set of choices that enable you to win."
    • "True leadership is about designing systems, not directing traffic."

    Links and Resources:

    • Connect with Jurriaan Kamer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurriaankamer
    • Learn more about Unblock: www.unblock.works

    Host Bio

    Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

    Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

    Ben Maynard

    🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/

    🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard

    💻 https://sheev.co.uk/

    Product Agility Podcast

    🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/

    💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/

    🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility


    Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes

    • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56
    • iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p


    Want to come on the podcast?

    Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

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    47 mins
  • Building Influence through Clear Communication (With Evgeniy Kharam)

    Building Influence through Clear Communication (With Evgeniy Kharam)
    Nov 14 2024

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    In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, Ben sits down with Evgeniy Kharam, author and communication expert, to discuss the underrated art of clear communication and its role in building influence. Drawing on his experience in technical sales and cybersecurity, Evgeniy shares why “soft” skills are anything but soft, and how mastering them can help leaders connect, engage, and drive impact. If you’ve ever struggled to make your ideas stick or felt nervous presenting to a crowd, this episode is packed with insights to help you feel more confident and effective.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Turning Fear into Excitement: How recognising the difference between fear and excitement can make presentations feel manageable—and even enjoyable.
    • Curiosity as a Core Skill: Why maintaining a mindset of curiosity leads to better questions, stronger connections, and a more engaging presence.
    • Communicating with Clarity: Simple strategies to cut through jargon and ensure your message lands with any audience.
    • Breathing and Visualisation Techniques: Practical tools to calm your nerves, increase focus, and improve your presentation flow.


    Practical Tools & Methods:

    Box Breathing: A breathing exercise to help you relax, stay centred, and communicate with ease.

    Building Rapport with “Hooks”: How to find common ground quickly and make authentic connections with anyone.

    Quotable Moments:

    "Communication isn’t about what you say; it’s about what others understand."
    "Empathy isn’t just a ‘soft’ skill—it’s essential to making ideas resonate."

    Links and Resources:

    Connect with Evgeniy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekharam/

    For more on Evgeniy’s work, visit his website at https://www.softskillstech.ca/

    Host Bio

    Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

    Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

    Ben Maynard

    🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/

    🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard

    💻 https://sheev.co.uk/

    Product Agility Podcast

    🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/

    💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/

    🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility


    Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes

    • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56
    • iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p


    Want to come on the podcast?

    Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Avoiding OKR Overload: How to Focus on What Really Matters (With Richard Russell)

    Avoiding OKR Overload: How to Focus on What Really Matters (With Richard Russell)
    Oct 31 2024

    Send us a text

    In this episode of the Product Agility Podcast, Ben sits down with OKR and strategy expert Richard Russell to tackle a challenge many scale-ups face: OKR overload. Richard, with years of experience at Amazon and Google, shares insights on creating effective objectives without overwhelming teams. If you've felt the pain of unfocused, sprawling OKRs, this episode sheds light on simplifying and strengthening your approach.

    Key Takeaways:

    • The Pitfalls of Too Many OKRs: How having excessive objectives dilutes focus and overwhelms teams.
    • Achieving Alignment Without Overload: Why keeping OKRs lean and clear is more impactful.
    • The Role of Strategy: OKRs should be an extension of a well-defined strategy, not a substitute for one.
    • Centralisation vs. Autonomy: Find the balance between a unified direction and team-led execution.
    • Avoiding Task Overload: How to steer clear of overwhelming backlogs and stay focused on impactful outcomes.

    Practical Tools & Methods:

    • Setting Priorities with Fewer OKRs: Limit OKRs to those directly tied to critical outcomes.
    • The Execution Flywheel: Richard’s unique framework that uses strategy, goals, planning, and review for sustainable growth.

    Quotable Moments:

    • "OKRs are meant to guide focus, not create it. Without a clear strategy, they’re just more tasks."
    • "A few strong objectives will take you farther than an endless list of ‘nice-to-haves.’”

    Links and Resources:

    Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: Richard Russell LinkedIn

    Want more insights on OKRs and strategy? Visit Richard’s website at richardrussell.co for resources and tips on practical, lean OKRs.

    Host Bio

    Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

    Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

    Ben Maynard

    🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/

    🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard

    💻 https://sheev.co.uk/

    Product Agility Podcast

    🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/

    💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/

    🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility


    Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes

    • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56
    • iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p


    Want to come on the podcast?

    Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

    Show More Show Less
    48 mins

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