Scrum.org Community Podcast
- Épisodes
- 240
- Parution
- toutes les deux semaines
- Dernier épisode
- 22 Oct 2026
À propos du podcast
Welcome to the Scrum.org Community podcast, a podcast from the Home of Scrum. In this podcast we feature Professional Scrum Trainers and other Scrum Practitioners sharing their stories and experiences to help learn from the experience of others.
Épisodes 240
Managing AI: Accountability, Governance, and the Skills We Never Learned
Is AI just another tool, or something that requires you to manage it? In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West talks with Darrell Fernandes about his paper, “The Hidden Management Gap in AI …
Notes de l’épisode
Is AI just another tool, or something that requires you to manage it? In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West talks with Darrell Fernandes about his paper, “The Hidden Management Gap in AI Adoption.”
Darrell explains why AI sits in a gray area: more than a compiler or a database, but certainly not a human. Because it infers, and may not give the same answer twice, working with it well calls for skills that have traditionally belonged to managers, and that most individual contributors were never given the chance to build.
Drawing on the work of Michael Watkins and Patrick Lencioni, Dave and Darrell discuss:
- Why you remain accountable for AI output, even when you didn’t write it
- The “automation deference” failure mode and how polished output can hide hallucinations
- How regulation and organization size shape where AI governance gaps show up
- Why review bottlenecks can’t simply be escalated to senior leaders
- One simple practice you can start today: writing a RACI before you engage AI in a workflow
Read the paper: https://www.scrum.org/resources/hidden-management-gap-ai-adoption
Ask a Professional Scrum Trainer - Estimation and Planning with Ludwig Harsch
Why are forecasts so often late, or short of what was planned? In this live Ask a Professional Scrum Trainer session, Professional Scrum Trainer Ludwig Harsch answers audience questions on estimation and …
Notes de l’épisode
Why are forecasts so often late, or short of what was planned? In this live Ask a Professional Scrum Trainer session, Professional Scrum Trainer Ludwig Harsch answers audience questions on estimation and planning for Scrum Teams. He draws on his training and consulting work to explain why estimation should be tested and adapted to each team's context, not treated as a universal rule.
Ludwig explains how teams can move from unreliable hour estimates to relative sizing. He discusses when Planning Poker is worth the effort and when a lighter approach fits better. He also covers how to forecast when support work, context switching, and external dependencies eat into capacity. He makes the case for giving stakeholders projected dates with probabilities rather than fixed promises, and explains how Monte Carlo simulations can support that conversation.
In this episode:- Moving from hours to relative sizing, and what "size" should mean
- Using Planning Poker and facilitation to build shared understanding
- Knowing when to stop estimating
- Using AI in estimation without losing team discussion
- Choosing a planning horizon, including for regulated products
- Handling support work, dependencies, and shifting priorities
- Comparing velocity, throughput, and capacity-adjusted metrics
- Why Scrum Teams commit to the Sprint Goal, not a fixed number of backlog items
- Advice for newly formed teams still collecting data
Tune in for some great insights on Estimation and Planning in Scrum.
Agentic Product Development: Governance at the Speed of AI
Matthew Hodgson, founder of Zen X Machina, joins Dave West to unpack the Raptors project, an experiment that started by accident during digital transformation work and grew into a working model for agentic …
Notes de l’épisode
Matthew Hodgson, founder of Zen X Machina, joins Dave West to unpack the Raptors project, an experiment that started by accident during digital transformation work and grew into a working model for agentic teams. Hodgson explains how he built a cross-functional AI team, complete with a Scrum Master agent named Al, and what it took to get the agents to self-organize, adapt sprint by sprint, and catch their own mistakes. The conversation digs into why explicit governance files matter more with agents than with humans, where agents still need human oversight, and why traditional governance models move too slowly for agentic AI. Hodgson also previews ideas from his book, Evolve, on adaptive governance for modern product operating models.
Access the whitepapers that cover the experiment and learnings.Can Versus Should in AI Product Delivery, with David Pereira
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with product leadership expert and Author of Untrapping Product Teams, David Pereira, to explore how AI is transforming product …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with product leadership expert and Author of Untrapping Product Teams, David Pereira, to explore how AI is transforming product delivery. David shares why the shift from estimates to investment matters more than ever, why having the capability to build something doesn't mean you should and how product managers can evolve into true context setters and strategic decision makers. T
he conversation covers the difference between problem space and solution space, why shaky organizational foundations doom AI initiatives the same way they doomed past Agile transformations, and why human judgment, critical thinking, and imagination remain irreplaceable in a world of increasingly capable AI tools. David also discusses his experience training teams, his book and why he believes it's time to bring back the crazy ideas that usually get left on the whiteboard.Learn more about what David has been thinking about on the Untrapping Product Teams Substack and Podcast!
Your AI Teammate Is Ready, Are You? Bringing Intention and Strategy to AI on Scrum Teams
AI is joining teams faster than most organizations have frameworks to support it and that's actually an exciting opportunity, if you approach it thoughtfully. In this episode of the Scrum.org Community …
Notes de l’épisode
AI is joining teams faster than most organizations have frameworks to support it and that's actually an exciting opportunity, if you approach it thoughtfully. In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Scrum.org COO Eric Naiburg and executive advisor Darrell Fernandes pick up where their popular webinar Managing Your AI Teammate left off, tackling the audience questions that didn't make it into the live session.
The conversation draws smart parallels between AI adoption and the cloud journey most organizations have already navigated, explores how to set your team up for secure and effective AI collaboration, and unpacks what it really means to treat AI as a strategic partner rather than just a tool. Eric and Darrell also take on a forward-looking question most teams haven't gotten to yet: how do we use AI efficiently and responsibly, not just effectively?
If your team is starting to work alongside AI (and it almost certainly is), this episode will give you practical language and frameworks to do it with confidence.Rethinking HR from Scratch: How One Company Built a Truly Agile People System
A conversation with Stephan Scholten and Cesario Ramos on transparent salaries, self-organized teams, peer-driven assessment, and what it really takes to design an HR function around people rather than …
Notes de l’épisode
A conversation with Stephan Scholten and Cesario Ramos on transparent salaries, self-organized teams, peer-driven assessment, and what it really takes to design an HR function around people rather than processes.
Most organizations claim to put people first. Their HR systems tell a different story. In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West speaks with Stephan Scholten, Director of People and Organization at Visma Roxit and Cesario Ramos, creator of Creating Agile Organizations, about what happens when you actually redesign HR from the ground up with agile principles at its core.
Stephan and Cesario discuss the radical steps Visma Roxit has taken: eliminating team leaders in favor of self-organization, opening up salary structures for collective input, and running peer-driven assessment processes that give employees genuine ownership over how their roles and compensation are defined. They explore the Theory X versus Theory Y tension that surfaces in nearly every organization attempting this kind of change, the slow and deliberate trust-building required before transparency can work, and how the arrival of AI fits into a system already designed around human interdependence and collective performance.
Whether you are an HR professional, an agile coach, or a leader looking for a real-world example of empowerment done seriously, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical starting points.
You can learn more about this story in the whitepaper titled Designing HR for Agile Organizations.
Rethinking How Organizations Scale with AI
What happens to organizations when the cost of outputs drops to nearly zero? That is the central question Dave West and Dr. Mik Kersten are back to explore in this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast …
Notes de l’épisode
What happens to organizations when the cost of outputs drops to nearly zero? That is the central question Dave West and Dr. Mik Kersten are back to explore in this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast. Mik, the author of the upcoming book Output to Outcome, joins Dave to dig into why so many companies are failing to see meaningful value from their AI investments and why the organization itself has become the bottleneck.
They cover the AI productivity paradox, why complexity is growing faster than outcomes in most large organizations, and what leaders need to do differently. Mik introduces the "outcome loop" as a mental model for leadership, explains why modularity and decentralization are the only structures that scale (in nature or in business), and shares why many organizations are quietly reverting to command-and-control patterns at exactly the wrong moment.
If you work in or lead a Scrum Team, manage a product organization, or are thinking about how AI is reshaping the way we structure and run teams, this conversation will give you a lot to chew on.
Output to Outcome by Dr. Mik Kersten is available for pre-order now, with release on July 14.
The Future of Scrum: Lessons from 17 Years of Give Thanks for Scrum
For 17 years, the Give Thanks for Scrum (GTFS) event in Boston has reflected the evolution of Scrum itself, from early education and experience reports to scaling, business agility, and now AI integration.In …
Notes de l’épisode
For 17 years, the Give Thanks for Scrum (GTFS) event in Boston has reflected the evolution of Scrum itself, from early education and experience reports to scaling, business agility, and now AI integration.
In this episode, Dave West sits down with GTFS founder and Managing Director of Improving Agility, Daniel Mezick to explore how the event began, sparked by bringing Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber together during Thanksgiving week in Boston, and how its themes have evolved alongside the Agile movement.
The 2025 event returned to an in-person format and centered on three critical themes:- Delivering tangible results
- Incorporating AI into Scrum practice
- The evolving role of the Scrum Master
Daniel and Dave discuss why empiricism matters more than ever, how Scrum Masters must understand executive psychology, and what socio-technical design means in an AI-enabled world. They also explore whether large agile frameworks may give way to more focused, empirical approaches.
Looking further into the future, the conversation turns to AI’s expanding role, practical application over hype, and a blended in-person/online format to grow the global community.
If you care about the future of Scrum, stakeholder delight, and navigating uncertainty with empiricism, this episode is for you.From Output to Outcome: How AI Forces a Rethink of Teams, Leadership, and Value
Dave West sits down with Mik Kersten, author of Project to Product and the upcoming Output to Outcome, to explore why AI amplification is exposing the real bottlenecks in how organizations work. Mik shares data …
Notes de l’épisode
Dave West sits down with Mik Kersten, author of Project to Product and the upcoming Output to Outcome, to explore why AI amplification is exposing the real bottlenecks in how organizations work. Mik shares data from over 3,600 value streams showing that development teams account for just 8% of end-to-end delivery time which means making those teams faster with AI doesn't move the needle if the constraints are upstream and downstream.
The conversation digs into why most organizations are measuring the wrong things (hint: token consumption is not a productivity metric), why overlay agile structures have largely failed, and why the answer isn't fewer teams it's more empowered ones. Mik introduces the core models from his new book: the outcome loop, the outcome tree, and seven organizational shifts that together make up a new operating model designed for the age of AI.
Key Takeaways:
- The bottleneck has moved from software delivery to planning, governance, and innovation and most organizations haven't caught up
- Making development teams faster with AI delivers little value if the surrounding system isn't designed around outcomes
- Agile as an overlay structure doesn't work it has to become the primary operating model and the actual org chart
- Empowered, autonomous teams are not optional in an AI-driven world the speed of feedback loops makes half-measures unsustainable
- Leadership roles need to be redefined and incentive structures realigned to match the way teams are actually working
- The theory of constraints still applies in the age of AI the constraint just keeps moving, and finding it is now the critical management skill
Links
Portuguese Edition: Ask a PST AI Focus - Conversa com PSTs: Scrum, o dia a dia e a IA
Neste webcast “Conversa com PSTs: Scrum, o dia a dia e a IA”, dois Professional Scrum Trainers (PSTs) respondem às perguntas da comunidade e exploram como os pilares do empirismo em Scrum: transparência …
Notes de l’épisode
Neste webcast “Conversa com PSTs: Scrum, o dia a dia e a IA”, dois Professional Scrum Trainers (PSTs) respondem às perguntas da comunidade e exploram como os pilares do empirismo em Scrum: transparência, inspeção e adaptação, são aplicados ao desenvolvimento de produtos, e nas situações do quotidiano, profissionais e também pessoais.
Durante a conversa, dois PSTs, Daniel Carrilho e Matheus Reis, irão refletir sobre como a Inteligência Artificial está a transformar a forma como as equipas trabalham, como pode apoiar a tomada de decisões baseada em evidência e de que forma líderes e profissionais podem tirar partido do Scrum para navegar num mundo cada vez mais complexo e assistido por AI.
Context Is the New Currency: AI, Scrum, and the Future of Product Delivery
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Tony Hinkley, Chief Technology Officer for Avanade UK. Tony brings a rare combination of perspectives: seasoned engineer, Professional …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Tony Hinkley, Chief Technology Officer for Avanade UK. Tony brings a rare combination of perspectives: seasoned engineer, Professional Scrum Trainer, and senior technology leader helping some of the world's largest organizations navigate AI adoption. Together, Dave and Tony dig into what AI is really doing to product teams, Scrum practices, and knowledge work at large. This is an honest, experienced, and energizing conversation about where we are, where we're headed, and what it means for everyone who cares about delivering value professionally and sustainably.
Key Takeaways
- AI has disrupted professional services more than almost any other sector because knowledge, the core asset of consulting and IT services, is rapidly becoming a commodity. That's a wake-up call for all knowledge workers.
- Scrum Teams are seeing real productivity gains from AI but those gains have moved the bottleneck. It's no longer about how fast developers can write code. It's about the quality of intent, requirements, and context being handed to the tools.
- The principles behind Scrum haven't changed but how you implement them must. Your Definition of Done, for example, may now be enforced by an agent rather than a person. Are your standards clear and documented enough for that to work well?
- Specialists get significantly better results from AI than generalists. First-principles thinking, clean code habits, and a strong sense of what "good" looks like are more valuable now than ever, not less.
- Context is the new currency. Giving AI tools access to well-structured, well-governed organizational data and standards will unlock far more value than simply upgrading to the latest model.
- Leaders face a real choice: use AI to cut costs, or use it to grow. Tony's strong recommendation is to invest freed-up capacity into the parts of your product organization that have always been under-resourced, strategy, ideation, stakeholder engagement, and product thinking.
- Data governance isn't a dirty word anymore, it's a competitive advantage. Organizations that get serious about data quality, classification, and security will be the ones that get the most from AI. Garbage in still means garbage out, and the consequences are bigger than ever.
- Mid-market companies should pay close attention. AI is leveling the playing field in a meaningful way, giving smaller organizations the ability to punch well above their weight in product delivery.
- If you're feeling uncertain about your place in an AI-enabled world, start by embracing the tools. As Tony puts it: AI won't take your job, but someone who knows how to use it well might.
Leading with Imperfect Feet: Dave Dame on Leadership, Inclusive Design and Embracing Mistakes
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community podcast, Dave West sits down with Dave Dame, Senior Director of Human-Centered Design at Microsoft, to explore the lessons behind his new book, “Leading with Imperfect …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community podcast, Dave West sits down with Dave Dame, Senior Director of Human-Centered Design at Microsoft, to explore the lessons behind his new book, “Leading with Imperfect Feet.”
Dame shares his journey of leadership through the lens of imperfection, emphasizing the value of vulnerability, humility, and learning from mistakes. Drawing on personal experiences, including overcoming the challenges of Cerebral Palsy to walk on the beach, he illustrates how embracing imperfection can empower leaders and their teams.
The conversation dives deep into inclusive design, human factors, cognitive science, and user research, showing how thoughtful, human-centered approaches create better products and more effective teams. Dame discusses how organizations can balance efficiency with creativity and human connection, and why continuous learning and adaptive leadership are essential in today’s fast-changing work environment.
Whether you’re a product leader, designer, or someone striving to lead with empathy, this episode offers practical insights and inspiring stories on how embracing imperfection can drive innovation, inclusivity, and authentic leadership.
Leading with Imperfect Feet is now available for pre-order and will be published in June!Making AI Work: Value, Risk, and Trust in the Age of Intelligent Systems
What does it really take to make AI work, not just technically, but organizationally? In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with Dr. Alan Brown, researcher, advisor, and …
Notes de l’épisode
What does it really take to make AI work, not just technically, but organizationally?
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with Dr. Alan Brown, researcher, advisor, and author of the new book Making AI Work for Britain, to explore the complex realities of AI adoption in large organizations and government.
Drawing on decades of experience in enterprise digital transformation from Rational Software to IBM to advising public sector institutions, Alan unpacks why AI is both an evolutionary step and a fundamental disruption, and why most organizations are struggling to bridge the gap between technological capability and organizational readiness.
Alan and Dave explore how lessons from the UK's digital government journey of consolidating demand, diversifying supply, offer a practical lens for every team navigating AI adoption today. They also dig into three principles Alan believes are at the heart of any disciplined approach to AI: value, risk, and trust and why that last one might be the most transformative idea yet for Scrum Teams.
Whether you're a Scrum Master, Product Owner, or senior leader trying to make sense of AI in your organization, this conversation offers a grounded, thought-provoking framework for moving from pilot chaos to purposeful delivery.Book details can be found at https://futureofai.uk/
Blog: Making AI Work: What Scrum Gets Right and Organizations Get Wrong
Agile Beyond the Enterprise: Coaching the Businesses Next Door with Marina Alex
Most Agile coaches build their careers inside large organizations — but what happens when a new opportunity calls from an unexpected direction? Scrum.org CEO, Dave West, sits down with Marina Alex, an AI & …
Notes de l’épisode
Most Agile coaches build their careers inside large organizations — but what happens when a new opportunity calls from an unexpected direction? Scrum.org CEO, Dave West, sits down with Marina Alex, an AI & modern management expert and Founder of The SWAY Academy, who answered that call. After the enterprise market shifted in 2022, Marina pivoted her practice toward small and medium-sized businesses in Knoxville, Tennessee — and discovered what she describes as a blue ocean: many companies that have never heard of a Sprint, but are ready for one.
Along the way, Marina found that AI has become a natural entry point into these conversations. With most small businesses neither tech-heavy nor equipped with an IT department, the excitement and anxiety around AI opens the door to deeper work around team culture, structure, and customer focus. Rather than leading with frameworks, she leads with outcomes — helping business owners understand that strong teams and clear processes are what make any new technology actually stick.
Marina walks Dave through the mindset shifts, networking strategies, and practical adaptations — from one-week Sprints to sticky-note Retrospectives — that have allowed her to build a thriving practice doing work she loves, serving the local business communities that need her most.
Free Guide from Sway Systems with tips to find new clients
Is AI Actually Making Your Team Better? Q&A Episode 4
In this episode, Eric Naiburg and Darrell Fernandes of Scrum.org tackle a pressing question: How do you measure the impact of AI on your team? from a recent webinar focused on AI as a teammate.They explore how …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode, Eric Naiburg and Darrell Fernandes of Scrum.org tackle a pressing question: How do you measure the impact of AI on your team? from a recent webinar focused on AI as a teammate.
They explore how AI’s role differs across organizations—from ideation and analysis to stakeholder engagement—and why its productivity gains are still evolving. The conversation highlights the importance of combining qualitative insights with quantitative metrics, including flow-based measures like velocity, to assess real impact.
They also discuss the growing responsibility of hiring managers to define AI roles clearly, set expectations, and ensure AI contributes value without disrupting team dynamics. Plus, they share how AI itself can be leveraged to help define roles, recommend metrics, and improve performance measurement.
Beyond the Code: Vibe Coding, AI Agents, and Scaling Autonomy with Tomasz Maj of Odevo
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West sits down with Tomasz Maj, Head of Product Ops at Odevo, to explore how a rapidly growing property management giant is navigating the AI revolution …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West sits down with Tomasz Maj, Head of Product Ops at Odevo, to explore how a rapidly growing property management giant is navigating the AI revolution. Odevo faces a unique challenge: managing a massive, diverse portfolio across the northern hemisphere while balancing centralized scale with local autonomy.
Tomasz pulls back the curtain on "vibe coding"—the democratization of development that allows non-technical staff to build functional tools—and how Odevo balances this "wild west" of innovation with rigorous security and GitHub-backed governance.
Key topics include:- The Operating Model of Diversity: Why Odevo chooses not to have a single "master platform" and how that fuels speed.
- Vibe Coding in the Wild: How accountants and maintenance teams are using AI to solve their own data problems.
- The 5-Step AI Engineer: Inside Odevo’s comprehensive training program, from prompting to agentic development.
- Governance vs. Innovation: How to implement "Module Zero" (legal, GDPR, and security) without killing the creative spirit.
AI on Scrum Teams: Context, Consistency, and Collaboration - Q&A Part 3
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Eric Naiburg, COO at Scrum.org and Darrell Fernandes, Executive Advisor at Scrum.org continue to dive into how to make AI a true teammate in product …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Eric Naiburg, COO at Scrum.org and Darrell Fernandes, Executive Advisor at Scrum.org continue to dive into how to make AI a true teammate in product development while answering questions from a recent webinar on the topic. They explore the importance of creating a context library to store domain-specific knowledge, enabling AI to provide accurate, efficient answers. Learn how consistent definitions, thoughtful prompt engineering, and regular updates to your AI context can improve team collaboration, reduce costs, and empower Scrum Masters to guide effective AI usage.
Ask a PST - Leveraging AI to be a More Effective Scrum Master
If you are a Scrum Master, Agile Coach or in a related role and have questions about how to use AI as a tool to better support your job, teams and organization, this episode is for you!AI has become a core …
Notes de l’épisode
If you are a Scrum Master, Agile Coach or in a related role and have questions about how to use AI as a tool to better support your job, teams and organization, this episode is for you!
AI has become a core capability in product delivery and is transforming every role. Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches have a key part to play in the use of AI and introducing AI to teams, products and organizations, acting as a catalyst for change. Through the proper use of AI tools, Scrum Masters, their teams and organization become more effective. But in what ways can you reap the benefits?
In this Ask a PST session hosted by Patricia Kong, PSTs Miriam Blommers and Said Azarfane took listener questions on how to leverage AI to be more successful as a Scrum Master! Whether you are looking to find ways to improve facilitation, collaboration or solve more challenges, get great advice in this episode on how to make AI a helpful and important part of your toolbox!
The 10x Organization: Redesigning for the AI Era with Org Topologies
In this episode, host Dave West sits down with Alexey Krivitsky and Roland Flemm to explore a systemic approach to enterprise agility and performance. As organizations scramble to integrate AI, many are finding …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode, host Dave West sits down with Alexey Krivitsky and Roland Flemm to explore a systemic approach to enterprise agility and performance. As organizations scramble to integrate AI, many are finding that their current structures—riddled with silos, handoffs, and conflicting mandates—are simply not "fit for purpose".
The authors of the new book they co-authored with Craig Larman, 10x Org Powered by Org Topologies, argue that to stay relevant in an AI-driven landscape, companies need a 10x improvement in adaptability and learning. They introduce Org Topologies (OT): a framework-agnostic method that uses mapping and assessment to make hidden organizational challenges transparent.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The 10x Performance Leap: Why organizations must reshape their structures before rolling out AI capabilities to avoid amplifying global inefficiencies.
- OT Mapping: How to visualize value flows and dependencies to create a shared language for improvement.
- The Mandate Problem: Understanding how organizational mandates impact team autonomy and the speed of delivery.
- Beyond Scaling Frameworks: Why Org Topologies is unique in its ability to map and improve any existing framework, from SAFe to LeSS.
- Practical Experimentation: How to start small with "change experiments" in tribes or release trains to test adaptive practices.
Whether you are a leader navigating a complex digital transformation or a manager looking for a shared language to align your teams, this conversation provides a roadmap for elevating your organization’s performance through systemic design.
The Company as a Product: Applying APOM to the Organizational Capabilities at Dyno Therapeutics
This episode is a must-listen for COOs, Agile Coaches, and Business Leaders who want to bridge the gap between "technical agility" and "business agility."When startups grow, they often bring in "responsible …
Notes de l’épisode
This episode is a must-listen for COOs, Agile Coaches, and Business Leaders who want to bridge the gap between "technical agility" and "business agility."
When startups grow, they often bring in "responsible adults" who implement traditional playbooks in Finance, HR, and Legal. While well-intentioned, these silos often create a "factory mindset" that undermines the very agility that made the company successful.
In this episode, Dave West is joined by Tyson Bertmaring, VP Partnership Success at Dyno Therapeutics and Yuval Yeret, Professional Scrum Trainer, to discuss how Dyno Therapeutics is taking a different path. By applying the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) to General & Administrative (G&A) functions, Dyno is treating its organizational capabilities as a product to be engineered, not a hierarchy to be managed.
What you’ll learn:- The Stewardship Mindset: Moving from local optimization (like chasing $10k in interest income) to systemic value (ensuring vendor reliability).
- The "Two Jobs" Challenge: Balancing "running the business" with "building a better system."
- G&A as a Service: Identifying essential services—like talent acquisition and contracting—and developing them into exceptional "internal products."
- More!
Subscribe to the Professional Scrum Unlocked Substack for more insights on this episode and others!
Scrum, AI, and the Real Costs: Q&A (Part 2)
In Part 2 of this Q&A series stemming from questions in the webinar, Managing Your AI Teammate, Eric Naiburg continues the conversation with Darrell Fernandes, diving deeper into how AI is reshaping the way …
Notes de l’épisode
In Part 2 of this Q&A series stemming from questions in the webinar, Managing Your AI Teammate, Eric Naiburg continues the conversation with Darrell Fernandes, diving deeper into how AI is reshaping the way Scrum Teams work.
Together, they explore practical applications of AI in Scrum — from drafting and refining user stories to strengthening Definitions of Done and improving Gherkin statements. Darrell shares how AI can help teams create clearer, more consistent, and testable backlog items, while also warning against over-reliance.
Eric and Darrell examine AI’s impact on team dynamics, including how meeting-recording tools can summarize conversations, capture action items, and support retrospectives. They also address the human side of adoption: differing mental models, fear of change, and the critical role Scrum Masters play as enablers — not gatekeepers — of AI experimentation.
Finally, they tackle a topic many teams overlook: total cost of ownership. As AI capabilities expand, Product Owners must understand infrastructure, data, and operational costs to avoid unintended financial consequences.
If you're navigating how to thoughtfully integrate AI into your Scrum Team — balancing opportunity, risk, and cost — this episode offers practical insights and grounded guidance.
Scrum Beyond Software: Improving Parent-Teacher Conferences at Carroll School
How can Scrum improve something as complex—and personal—as parent-teacher conferences?In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Andrew Nimmer, Assistant Head of the Carroll …
Notes de l’épisode
How can Scrum improve something as complex—and personal—as parent-teacher conferences?
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Andrew Nimmer, Assistant Head of the Carroll Upper School, part of The Carroll School, an independent Massachusetts school serving students with language-based learning differences. Together, they explore how a cross-functional team of educators and data specialists used Scrum to streamline and improve the parent-teacher conference experience across multiple campuses.
Andrew shares what it’s like to apply Scrum outside of technology, the shift from “one-and-done” projects to continuous product development, and the importance of clear goals, product ownership, and incremental improvement. The result? More aligned communication, better use of student data, and a conference experience that delivers greater value for families and teachers alike.
This conversation offers practical insights for anyone curious about applying Scrum in education—or any non-traditional environment.Agile at Enterprise Scale: Pega’s Journey Beyond Frameworks
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community podcast, Dave West sits down with Brodie Green, Director of Agile Delivery Services at Pega, to unpack Pega’s two-decade-long agile evolution. From early whiteboard …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community podcast, Dave West sits down with Brodie Green, Director of Agile Delivery Services at Pega, to unpack Pega’s two-decade-long agile evolution. From early whiteboard planning to experimenting with various scaling frameworks, Pega has continually adapted its approach as it scaled to over 6,000 employees worldwide.
Brodie shares why Pega ultimately moved to a hybrid agile model, how continuous six-week planning replaced big-room quarterly events, and what they learned about shortening feedback loops across complex product portfolios. The conversation also explores how Pega’s Scrum Masters act as Agile Delivery Leads—shifting the focus from team facilitation to solving complex business problems and driving change at scale.
The episode closes with practical insights on measuring impact, creating effective working agreements, and using AI as a true team-enabling capability rather than just a productivity tool.AI in Scrum: Value, Validation, and the Human Factor (Q&A -Part 1)
In this Q&A episode, Eric Naiburg, COO of Scrum.org, is joined by Darrell Fernandes, Executive Advisor at Scrum.org to explore how AI is showing up in Scrum Teams today—and what it really takes to make it …
Notes de l’épisode
In this Q&A episode, Eric Naiburg, COO of Scrum.org, is joined by Darrell Fernandes, Executive Advisor at Scrum.org to explore how AI is showing up in Scrum Teams today—and what it really takes to make it valuable.
Drawing from questions raised during a recent webinar: Managing Your AI Teammate: Turning AI from Experiment to Strategic Partner, they discuss practical ways teams are using AI as a research assistant, DevOps helper, and development aid. They emphasize why Scrum’s iterative mindset is critical for working with AI, especially given how quickly models, capabilities, and limitations evolve.
The conversation tackles common misconceptions about AI replacing people, the importance of validating AI outputs, and why teams should consider writing a “job description” for AI to clearly define expectations, measures of success, and accountability. Eric and Darrell also explore how AI may automate some work while creating entirely new roles and opportunities for professionals.
This is Part 1 of an ongoing conversation focused on helping Scrum Teams thoughtfully integrate AI while staying grounded in empiricism, collaboration, and value delivery.
Key Learnings- Why there is no single model for integrating AI into Scrum—and why experimentation matters
- How Scrum’s inspect-and-adapt mindset applies directly to AI usage
- Practical examples of AI as a research assistant, DevOps helper, and development tool
- Why teams must validate AI outputs to manage bias, accuracy, and compliance
- How defining a job description for AI helps measure effectiveness and valu
- Why AI is better viewed as a teammate or tool, not a replacement for people
- How AI may eliminate some tasks while creating new roles and opportunities
Links
Webinar - Managing Your AI Teammate: Turning AI from Experiment to Strategic Partner
Whitepaper - The AI Teammate Framework: A Four-Step Framework for Product Teams
Turning Project Chaos into Strategic Focus with Product Portfolio Thinking
How do you manage a large portfolio of initiatives while driving real business value?In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West talks with Nabila Sattar Safdar about her experience leading …
Notes de l’épisode
How do you manage a large portfolio of initiatives while driving real business value?
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West talks with Nabila Sattar Safdar about her experience leading the transition from a project-based to a product-based portfolio. Nabila shares how she reduced a backlog of over 100 projects to 30 strategic initiatives, aligned teams around value streams, and created a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
Listeners will hear practical strategies for:- Partnering with leadership and steering committees to prioritize initiatives
- Using data to inform decisions while balancing learning with delivery
- Investing in team capability and training to close gaps
- Taking a holistic view of people, technology, and customer outcomes
Whether you’re a product leader, Scrum Master, or portfolio manager, this episode offers insights on how to make portfolio management more agile, strategic, and value-focused.The Anatomy of a Product
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with authors Sander Dur and Ryan Brook to explore their new book, The Anatomy of a Product—a practical field guide that uses the …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West sits down with authors Sander Dur and Ryan Brook to explore their new book, The Anatomy of a Product—a practical field guide that uses the human body as a metaphor to demystify modern product management.
Dave, Sander, and Ryan dive into why so many organizations still struggle to define and manage products effectively, and how this book helps bridge the gap between theory and real-world practice. They discuss treating products as living systems, the dangers of “marshmallow backlogs,” the need for evidence-driven decisions, and why continuous care and adaptation are essential for healthy products.
The authors share insights from working with organizations like Miro, unpack common “product diseases,” and offer actionable guidance for Product Owners, product teams, and leaders seeking clarity in today’s complex environment.
Listeners are invited to connect with the authors and join them at their book launch event in Amsterdam on January 13!Key Points
Why the Book?
Clarifies what a product is and offers a practical guide from definition to retirement.
Human Body Metaphor
Products are like living systems—interconnected, adaptive, and influenced by their environment.
Theory vs. Practice
Helps teams apply product concepts realistically, beyond Silicon Valley-style theory.
Insights from real examples
Real-world examples showing how to balance strategy, business thinking, and everyday product work.
Backlog Health
Avoid “marshmallow backlogs” by filtering work through strategic goals and focusing on value.
Validation & Evidence
Emphasizes validating ideas early and aligning efforts to outcomes, not just requirements.
Product Health
Introduces “product diseases” and how to diagnose and prevent common issues.Links:
Ask a PST - Unlocking Self-Management: How Teams Thrive with Autonomy
In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, Lindsay Velecina from Scrum.org sits down with Robb Pieper and Jason Malmstadt of Responsive Advisors to answer the real, practical questions practitioners have …
Notes de l’épisode
In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, Lindsay Velecina from Scrum.org sits down with Robb Pieper and Jason Malmstadt of Responsive Advisors to answer the real, practical questions practitioners have about self-management in Scrum in a live Ask a PST session.
Listeners submitted questions like:- How do you get management to support self-management?
- What should you do when a team resists taking ownership?
- How do you handle a disruptive team member without taking over?
- What metrics show that self-management actually works?
- How can junior Scrum Masters enable self-management when they’re not technical?
- AND MANY MORE!
Robb and Jason tackle these questions head-on, sharing stories from the field, strategies for creating healthy team boundaries, and tools to make decision-making transparent — including Delegation Poker, feedback loops, and working agreements. They also discuss how to tie self-management to real business outcomes to gain leadership buy-in.
Whether you’re just beginning your Scrum journey or coaching mature teams, this episode gives you actionable guidance and small experiments you can start using today.Agile Transformation: From Brewing Innovation to Building Culture
In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, host Dave West speaks with Nathaniel Davis, CEO of Barrel One Collective, and PST Yuval Yeret about applying Agile principles beyond software — into the heart of …
Notes de l’épisode
In this Scrum.org Community Podcast episode, host Dave West speaks with Nathaniel Davis, CEO of Barrel One Collective, and PST Yuval Yeret about applying Agile principles beyond software — into the heart of business operations.
Nathaniel shares his journey from working in a large brewing company to leading Barrel One Collective, a brewing group where he’s working to make Agile the foundation for innovation and entrepreneurialism. Together, they explore how Agile thinking can balance experimentation and consistency, drive outcome-oriented leadership, and shape company culture as a product.
Tune in to hear how organizations can expand their definition of “product” — from beverages to behaviors — and how agility helps leaders continuously learn, adapt, and deliver value.
AI as Your Teammate: The Four-Step Framework for Product Teams
In this episode, Dave West sits down with Darrell Fernandes, executive advisor at Scrum.org to explore the The AI Teammate Framework: A Four-Step Framework for Product Teams, featured in a new whitepaper. They …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode, Dave West sits down with Darrell Fernandes, executive advisor at Scrum.org to explore the The AI Teammate Framework: A Four-Step Framework for Product Teams, featured in a new whitepaper. They discuss how to treat AI like a true teammate—onboarding it with context, guiding interactions through user stories, and establishing governance to manage performance.
Darrell emphasizes the importance of structured AI adoption, comparing it to onboarding human team members, and highlights how a disciplined approach can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and even protect jobs. From writing AI job descriptions to building prompt libraries and governance strategies, this episode offers actionable insights for teams navigating the evolving AI landscape.
Listen now to learn how to bring AI onboard as a true teammate.For more, there is a live webcast coming up next week that will also be available as a recording. Learn more.
Topics covered:
Introduction to the AI Teammate Framework
- Why a framework?
- The need for a structured, holistic approach to AI in teams
AI as a Team Member
- Treating AI like a teammate rather than a tool
- The importance of onboarding and providing context
- Comparing AI onboarding to human onboarding
The Four Steps of the Framework
- Identify AI’s Role – defining the problem and writing an AI “job description”
- Onboard with Context Management – giving AI access to product, customer, and process context
- Interact Using User Stories – structuring collaboration through clear, outcome-based interactions
- Governance and Performance Management – ensuring accountability, compliance, and efficiency
Challenges of Working with AI
- Context management and maintaining prompt libraries
- Balancing AI experimentation with structure
- Cost, scalability, and efficiency concerns
Lessons from the Early Days of Cloud Computing
- Parallels between the AI adoption curve and cloud evolution
- The shift from unregulated enthusiasm to disciplined governance
Future of AI in Product Teams
- The importance of a disciplined, thoughtful approach
- How structured AI collaboration can enhance — not replace — human work
Actionable Next Steps for Teams
- Read the white paper
- Assess current onboarding and management practices
- Apply the four-step framework to integrate AI effectively
Practical Application of the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM)
On this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West welcomes Professional Scrum Trainer Bogdan Onyshchenko to explore the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM). They discuss how APOM offers a holistic …
Notes de l’épisode
On this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West welcomes Professional Scrum Trainer Bogdan Onyshchenko to explore the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM). They discuss how APOM offers a holistic, principle-based approach for product organizations—going beyond Scrum to address team motivation, vendor management, strategic decision-making, and more.
Bogdan shares insights on the importance of transparency, frequent delivery, and self-organization. The episode also gets into balancing prescriptive advice with flexible principles, understanding the “why” behind agile practices, and using APOM as a practical tool for improving outcomes and value delivery.
Listeners will gain practical guidance on applying APOM in their own organizations and learn how this evolving model continues to support teams and leaders in delivering value effectively.Topics covered:
Defining the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM)
Practical Applications of APOM
Balancing Prescriptive and Principle-Based Approaches
The Importance of Understanding the "Why"
Operating Models vs. Frameworks
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