Agile Space Podcast: Programming the Agile Mind with Bradley Foster | Ep.1

Summary

In this enlightening discussion, agile expert Bradley Foster shares his journey from a Boeing engineer to a principal consultant, emphasizing the importance of agile as a mindset over a set of tools. He discusses the evolution of agile practices, including DevOps and value stream mapping, and the potential of AI to enhance project management. Foster also draws parallels between Hawaiian culture and agile principles, highlighting the need for adaptability and collaboration in both.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Agile is a mindset that goes beyond just using certain tools or having a team structure; it's about a way of thinking and operating that values collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
• 🔧 The speaker's journey in agile started with software quality assurance and evolved through various roles like business analyst, project manager, and architect, leading to a deep understanding of agile principles and practices.
• 🛠 The importance of value stream mapping in agile is highlighted, emphasizing the need to consider the entire process from beginning to end, not just individual parts.
• 🏢 Agile is not just for software development; it can be applied across various departments and organizations to foster a culture of efficiency and customer focus.
• 🌐 The integration of AI with agile practices is seen as a significant trend that could enhance analytics, automate routine tasks, and provide deeper insights into project management.
• 🤖 Concerns about the authenticity of AI implementations are raised, with a call for due diligence to ensure that companies are delivering real value and not just leveraging the AI buzzword.
• 🌍 The influence of Hawaiian culture on the speaker's agile philosophy is noted, showing how local context can enrich and inform global practices.
• 📈 The potential for AI to transform the roles of scrum masters and agile coaches by handling mundane tasks and allowing them to focus on more strategic and collaborative aspects of their work.
• 🔄 The necessity for agile transformation to come from the top down, with leadership buy-in being crucial for successful implementation across an organization.
• 📝 The discussion touches on the evolution of software development practices, from traditional waterfall methods to more modern approaches like DevOps and DevSecOps.
• 👥 The importance of considering team dynamics and individual personalities when implementing agile, as well as the potential for AI to assist in creating more effective team interactions and retrospectives.

Q & A

What is Bradley Foster's professional background?

Bradley Foster is a principal consultant and product owner at Worth Agility. He has a background in agile digital transformation and technology strategies, with experience in roles such as business analyst, project manager, software developer, and architect.

How did Bradley Foster get introduced to Agile methodologies?

Bradley Foster's introduction to Agile methodologies began at the Boeing Company where he started in software quality assurance. He was sent to Carnegie Mellon for the Capability Maturity Model for Processes, which he incorporated into his toolbox, and later got involved with Agile through Scrum, eventually becoming a Scrum Master.

What is the significance of the Capability Maturity Model for Processes in Bradley Foster's career?

The Capability Maturity Model for Processes was significant in Bradley Foster's career as it provided him with a structured approach to software development processes, which he later integrated into his Agile practice.

Why did Bradley Foster decide to transition from Scrum to a broader view of Agile?

Bradley Foster decided to transition from Scrum to a broader view of Agile because he realized there was more to Agile than just the team environment. He wanted to explore and implement Agile at an organizational level, focusing on business agility.

What does Bradley Foster think about the Agile mindset?

Bradley Foster believes that Agile is a mindset that empowers people and encourages collaboration. He emphasizes that Agile is not just about using certain tools or having a team; it's about the values and principles that drive the way organizations operate.

How does Bradley Foster view the role of AI in Agile project management?

Bradley Foster sees AI as a tool that can enhance Agile project management by automating mundane tasks, allowing Scrum Masters and Agile coaches to focus on deeper levels of understanding and investigation. He suggests that AI can be used for analytics, creating user stories, and even facilitating better retrospectives.

What are Bradley Foster's thoughts on the current trends in Agile?

Bradley Foster observes trends such as DevOps, value stream mapping, and the integration of AI in Agile practices. He believes these trends are complementary to Agile and can help transform the way Agile is implemented and understood.

How does Bradley Foster approach the cultural aspect of implementing Agile in organizations?

Bradley Foster approaches the cultural aspect of implementing Agile by considering the unique characteristics of each organization. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and nurturing the organization's culture to successfully integrate Agile practices.

What is Bradley Foster's perspective on the future of Agile with the integration of AI?

Bradley Foster is excited about the future of Agile with the integration of AI. He sees AI as a tool that can help Agile practitioners by automating repetitive tasks and providing valuable insights through data analysis, thus enhancing the Agile process.

How does Bradley Foster incorporate Hawaiian culture into his Agile practice?

Bradley Foster incorporates Hawaiian culture into his Agile practice by drawing similarities between the adaptability and collaborative nature of Agile and the traditional Hawaiian culture. He aims to nurture the Hawaiian culture in a way that aligns with Agile principles.

What is Bradley Foster's approach to addressing the challenges of implementing Agile in a traditional environment?

Bradley Foster's approach to implementing Agile in a traditional environment involves starting with individuals, using Agile terminology cautiously to avoid resistance, and gradually introducing Agile practices to encourage a shift in mindset and empower team members.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction and Agile Transformation

The interview begins with a warm welcome to the guest, Bradley Foster, a principal consultant and product owner at Worth Agility. The conversation quickly delves into Bradley's background in agile digital transformation and technology strategies. He shares his journey from software quality assurance at Boeing to various roles including business analyst, project manager, and architect. Bradley's interest in adding value to processes led him to explore the agile mindset beyond just tools and teams, emphasizing the importance of a collaborative approach and business agility.

05:01

🛠 Agile Mindset and Its Evolution

This paragraph explores the evolution of the agile mindset, starting with Bradley's initial exposure to Scrum and his realization of the need to look beyond the tool itself to the underlying principles. The discussion touches on the Agile Manifesto and the importance of interpreting and implementing agile values correctly. Bradley highlights the need for organizations to move away from traditional project management to a more agile approach that empowers individuals and promotes collaboration.

10:01

🔍 Trends in Agile and the Impact of AI

The conversation shifts to current trends in agile, including the integration of AI and its potential to transform project management. Bradley discusses the importance of value stream mapping and the need to consider the entire value chain in agile practices. He also addresses the hype around AI tools, emphasizing the need for genuine AI integration rather than just using the term to market non-AI features.

15:04

🌟 Agile Leadership and the Role of Scrum Masters

In this section, the focus is on the role of agile leaders, particularly Scrum Masters, and how AI might impact their responsibilities. Bradley talks about the potential for AI to handle routine tasks, allowing Scrum Masters to focus on deeper levels of understanding and investigation. He also discusses the importance of asking the right questions to get the most out of AI tools and the potential for AI to assist in creating user stories and facilitating retrospectives.

20:05

🌴 Hawaiian Culture and Agile Implementation

Bradley shares his experiences with implementing agile in the unique cultural context of Hawaii. He discusses the importance of understanding and respecting Hawaiian culture while integrating agile principles. The conversation highlights the need for a nuanced approach to selling and implementing agile in diverse organizational cultures, using Hawaii as an example of the challenges and opportunities in such an endeavor.

25:06

🤝 Conclusion and Reflections on Agile

The final paragraph wraps up the interview with a reflection on the insights shared by Bradley. He expresses gratitude for the opportunity to discuss his experiences and thoughts on agile and AI. The conversation concludes with a mutual appreciation for the dialogue and a recognition of the value of continuous learning and adaptation in the field of agile project management.

Keywords

💡Agile

Agile refers to a set of principles and practices that guide iterative and flexible project management and product development. In the video, Agile is the central theme, with discussions on its implementation, mindset, and evolution over time. The guest, Bradley Foster, discusses his journey into Agile through Scrum and the broader implications of Agile for business and technology strategies.

💡Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is the process of integrating digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how an organization operates and delivers value to customers. The script mentions Bradley's background in Agile digital transformation, indicating his expertise in guiding companies through this process to improve efficiency and innovation.

💡Scrum

Scrum is a framework within Agile that supports the development of complex products with an emphasis on iterative progress through regular 'sprints' and cross-functional team collaboration. Bradley mentions starting with Scrum Master certification and realizing the broader scope of Agile beyond just the Scrum framework.

💡Business Agility

Business Agility is the ability of an organization to effectively manage and adapt to changes in the business environment. It is a concept that goes beyond project management and involves the entire organization. The script discusses Bradley's move from Scrum to focusing on business agility, indicating a shift towards a more holistic approach to Agile practices.

💡DevOps

DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the system development life cycle and provide continuous delivery of value to customers. The script mentions the evolution from InfoSec to DevSecOps, showing the integration of security in the Agile process.

💡Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping is a method for analyzing and improving the flow of materials and information in a production process. In the context of Agile, it helps in visualizing the entire process from customer perspective to internal operations, aiming to maximize value delivery. Bradley discusses the importance of value stream mapping in understanding the full scope of Agile practices.

💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the script, Bradley talks about the potential of AI to transform Agile practices, such as automating the creation of project charters and statements of work, and the importance of ensuring that AI tools deliver real value.

💡NLP (Natural Language Processing)

NLP is a subfield of AI that focuses on the interaction between computers and humans through natural language. Bradley mentions using NLP to anticipate and improve team interactions, such as facilitating more effective retrospectives in Agile teams.

💡Hawaiian Culture

Hawaiian Culture refers to the customs, beliefs, and practices of the native Hawaiian people. Bradley discusses integrating Hawaiian culture with Agile practices, showing how cultural elements can enrich the understanding and application of Agile methodologies in a unique geographical and cultural context.

💡Empowerment

Empowerment in the context of Agile refers to the idea of giving team members the authority and responsibility to make decisions and solve problems. The script mentions empowerment as one of the three pillars of change, illustrating its importance in fostering a collaborative and innovative Agile environment.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. It is a core principle of the Agile manifesto, emphasizing teamwork and communication. The script discusses the importance of collaboration in Agile practices, particularly in the context of Bradley's work in Hawaii.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. The script mentions innovation as a key component of Agile, suggesting that Agile methodologies encourage a culture of continuous improvement and creativity.

Highlights

Introduction of guest Bradley Foster, principal consultant and product owner at Worth Agility.

Bradley's background in agile digital transformation and technology strategies.

Symphony Solutions' direction in the agile world and its accomplishments.

Bradley's journey from software quality assurance to project management and agile methodologies.

The importance of adding value and the role of the Capability Maturity Model in Bradley's early career.

Transition from traditional project management to agile practices and the mindset shift involved.

The concept of business agility and its application across organizations.

Agile as a mindset rather than just a set of tools or team structures.

The prevalence of the misunderstanding of agile principles and the importance of the Agile Manifesto.

Unlocking agility in transformation and the challenges of changing traditional project management mindsets.

The role of leadership in implementing agile methodologies from the top down.

Current trends in agile, including DevOps, DevSecOps, and value stream mapping.

The integration of AI in agile practices and its potential to transform project management.

Concerns about the misuse of the term 'AI' and the importance of delivering real value.

The future duties of Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches with the integration of AI tools.

Bradley's experience with blending Hawaiian culture with agile methodologies.

The importance of organizational culture in the successful implementation of agile.

Final thoughts on the conversation and the value of the insights shared by Bradley Foster.

Transcripts

to everybody good afternoon to everybody

good evening to everybody that's 7 a.m.

in L Ukraine and in hululu it's 6 PM

where our guest is from Hello Bradley

helloha Aloha so uh Bradley Foster is

our today's guest he is principal ja

consultant and product owner at worth

agility and I'm so happy to have you

here today thank you so much for joining

thank you kriana I I so much appreciate

it and um you know we had a little bit

of uh meeting beforehand so um you know

I think we're both uh very enthusiastic

and um you know Symphony Solutions is

definitely um going in the right

direction from all I can tell um but as

you said um you know I've been a

background and agile digital

transformation um and Technology

strategies with companies so um I was

really interested to join this

discussion um especially after looking

at all the accomplishments of uh um uh

Symphony Solutions yeah oh great to hear

thank you so much so you have already

overcome a little bit my question I've

been wondering uh you are in agile um

communities in agile world for so long

how did it come to you that you decided

to go into that way what made yeah no

thank you for asking so I I I'm

realizing that um you know I'm I'm an

engineer by U by education so um you

know I'm always trying to solve problems

um good or bad but uh looking for the

next best um uh solution so um I started

off uh at the Boeing Company where um I

started off in software quality

assurance and inspecting quality into

product um and I don't mind saying that

because theyve they've completely

changed their processes by now but um

you know that was my first introduction

to say oh I'm not really adding value

what can I do to add value um they sent

me to Carnegie melon for the capability

maturity model for processes so oh okay

I'll put this in my toolbox um you know

and went on in in various roles of

business analysts um project manager

software developer um database

development um architect um you know

applying these different ways like like

many of the the great um thinkers in in

the agile space Have you know there's so

many of those individuals but um and I'm

I'm just aspiring to be one at some

point but um yeah so through really

looking at um organizations and how

they're operating and how they could

operate differently um I I got my

project management certification so I I

had that toolbox you know as as framed

as it is but then um I I started

Consulting with an organization that

they were um organizationally agile so

from the from the ground up so um I

didn't have the skills that only read

about it so I started with a scrum

Master ser and then then um got some

practice and then I realized after about

three projects there's still so much

more so I I'm actually taking a step

back along with many others to say

there's scrum you know there's things

that work in in team environments but

there's so much more so you know from

from um several teams in software

development to organizational and then

I'm using that in uh across

organizations um business agility is

what we call it right so um yeah so just

decided to make the transition um and it

just seemed like the the next best step

so um getting into um agile through

scrum but now I'm taking a step back

because I think a lot of people are lost

um in the in the definition of agile

they think because we're using this tool

we're agile or because we have a team

we're agile but as you and I both know

agile is a mindset so it's like oh I

really have to get my head around this

yeah yeah I I do understand your path

just because I when I started that was

me when I started with scrum first

rather than a j first which would be

more logical more far bad way but well

okay it happens to some people when they

start with scrum and then cross back to

Agile and start getting all those values

and changing their mindset uh wi worse

rather than it was supposed to be cool

interesting approach but it fls me so I

do understand what you're talking about

yeah I think it's probably more common

than not and um but you know it's

interesting katrian is that um I gave a

presentation to a um project management

chapter um not too long ago and the

title was um unlocking um agility

basically in transformation so it wasn't

like this is an introduction to Agile

and I did a pre- survey and the majority

of the people said that they oh yeah we

really know what agile

is but they post on the reviews well

well very um successful uh

presentation most of them were going oh

yeah I guess I don't know agile because

you were talking about things that I

didn't even know of and this was a a

lunch and learn so it wasn't a lot of

time but I but based on the response

people were saying oh I'm agile okay

well let's talk agile then yeah and

that's where I was like oh you know I I

love that aha moment when people

Oh you mean I have to give up that

command and control I have to

collaborate I don't just create a plan

in a vacuum yeah yeah and that's all

because agile Manifesto is pretty

limited and agile principles are just 12

of them it's not like 600 pages long

book where you can read and know

everything about agile and become agile

but it's exactly because of different

interpretations and I remember well uh

at least in Ukrainian environment people

usually speaking about project

management they say traditional one and

agile is not traditional one uh but well

yeah comparing waterful and agile but it

has been so long ago uh when people have

been trying to understand and Implement

and uh get all that agile Vision when

when can we start talking about agile as

traditional what do you think yeah no

exactly and and that's what's funny

because um you know and and you know you

and I talked a little bit about kind of

the course of this conversation and and

you know there's there's people doing it

from the ground up I I personally

because I'm passionate about efficiency

and and have have worked environments

early on where oh man this is taking way

too long and we're building quality into

it versus uh or inspecting quality into

it versus building quality so um so you

know where to start um it it really does

come from within it's a mindset and and

and it empowers people so you and I are

thinkers Symphony Solutions are think

outside the box and and it's it's

creating uh it's funny because I'm

actually spending some time um you know

with with uh some podcasts look you know

uh understanding Neuroscience how people

are programmed and knowing that and and

this is a great presentation you know

Symphony probably even uses this but you

know when when people get programmed one

way they think okay you can't teach a

dog uh New Tricks I don't know if you

use that in Ukraine but um but you can

no you totally can especially human you

know oh you you've been doing it this

way but let's let's convince you or show

you the most positive ways of actually

and I I'm showing this but actually

branching out where you're using the

knowledge that you have but you're

building on it with this new way of

thinking you know where you're thinking

of your customer you're thinking of uh

the development you're thinking of the

efficiencies in between you know um

you're you're living the um the the

painful projects that took forever or

that were became dustar and were never

delivered right so it really comes from

here and here where it's not like the

pin mock or safe where oh okay I need to

do this at this point you know I mean

that's all well and good and it applies

to certain organizations there's no

right way or wrong way of doing oh there

is a wrong way of doing agile anything

that's the scope of a mindset but yeah

does that kind of get you you know what

do you think about that uh well uh I

would actually agree with you it's

always interesting to uh communicate

about that matter with more experienced

one just because when I'm asking this I

feel that I'm way too behind the persons

I'm talking to and it's always

interesting to observe your vision so

that's why thank you so much for sharing

it and thank you so much for um making

me richer in understanding of edel so

thanks a lot AB absolutely and I mean

just to just to use my experience you

know coming so in Hawaii we say Hawaii

but um everything continental United

States is a Mainland so um coming to

Hawaii um Hawaii tends to do things um

more conservatively and more traditional

waterfall and that gets back to the

conversation I had last week where oh

that there's still a lot of room for

growth here um but getting people's head

around you know where do you start you

know you can start with an individual

and then not even use the terminology to

create you know an an agile motivation

you know but but more importantly um I

the most successful um implementations

are going to come from the top down and

there's there's great thought leaders

out there that have the experience that

are branching out and just you know um

kind of prophesizing about not not like

a uh a big big five uh Consulting

organization but some of the individuals

that are tried and true saying you know

what as as a um business leader as a

technology leader this is really where

you need to start we need to get our

heads around it so we can um set set the

the uh the goals the the scope the the

intentions the value for for the entire

organization yeah cool so uh coming back

to our preliminary agenda uh so you have

already shared about some trends that

you observe in agile nowadays um could

you summarize a little bit more what are

the ones absolutely and and thank you

for asking because again coming from

traditional um project management for

example and if you're strictly

developing software let's just look at

it from that um perspective um you know

I I've worked several programs where um

information you know it was infos now

it's devops and now it's Dev SEC Ops

right so um with that being said those

are just you know extended parts of the

family and and given my background in

business intelligence I'll Segway

slightly but um in business intelligence

you're always reaching out to the

customer you're understanding you know

what the needs are and you're bringing

that back to the team or integrating the

team but the team is you know is the

entire you know it let's let's say so um

you know uh my my first exposure to you

know um infosec was you know a large

company where um they basically came to

the table but they said well you guys

develop your software and give it to us

and we'll we'll um we'll critique it for

you and I go no no no no we're going to

do this agile and we're very

collaborative so we want you on up front

so you can tell us but it's but it was

interesting because it was a analogy of

who Moved My Cheese because oh no no no

we just wait so it was kind of like what

I was introduced to telling you earlier

where I was inspecting quality in um we

would give them software and I and I

said no no I i' I've lived this I've

watched this movie before and it's not a

good

so um please work with us up front even

if we're working incrementally to

understand what your requirements are

going to be as part of that devic op

steam so so yeah so expanding that um

beyond that and then again you know

really big right now is the value stream

mapping you know what does that entire

value stream look like we're not just

looking at a product in a in a in a

bubble or in a a silo you know we're

looking at you know that the whole value

stream from you know what the customer's

looking for or what we're looking to

Market so agile is just you know it

really is once you you know once you've

drank the Kool-Aid and maybe that's an

old term but and not a very good one at

that but um um once once you become

passionate about the possibilities you

know you can work with HR and marketing

and and the various other organizations

to say Hey you know you you've got your

own internal teams you know so we'll

touch upon that you know kind of

throughout here I bet you know on our

conversation

if uh if to speak about devops I do I do

really like how it is complementary to

Agile when with all their principles

like uh people over process over

Tools in agile Manifesto we have a

little bit different connotation on this

one but here it sounds even more

advances for me so that's why I do

understand what you're talking about

regarding uh DC Ops uh but speaking

about value stram

mapping uh hasn't it always been with

agile being followed like on the same

path isn't that supposed to be so well

you know what and it's funny I'm glad

you ended with it supposed to be because

it's like hey you know when you say

reasonable sense or common sense you

know I think uh Mark Twain said there's

no such thing as common sense there's

reasonable sense so yeah you and I think

um is isn't that always part of it but

if you're a develop Vel oper I've met

any number of developers that just say

give me the requirements or you know

what I know what they want so I'm going

to code it here give this to them you

know so yeah value stream is something

that um you know it's it's not new um

it's not new at all but it's not uh

conceptualized necessarily across the

whole team so if you as an agile leader

coach scrum Master uh business analyst

product owner um you know in whatever

role you're playing you know you're

you're being inclusive to the team to

say look let's let's you know because

right we're all playing on the same

field we want to know what the opponent

looks like we want to know how we work

as a team and this is this is what we're

doing as a team right so um yeah value

stream yeah you would think it would it

was always part of the organization's um

intention but um I'm not sure that it's

always um completely looked at from from

uh Soup To Nuts from beginning to end

right

M okay so as far as I understand um we

may assume that Dev corops Valu stream

mapping uh all those values combined

with agile will continue transforming

agile and what might it look like in the

future with all these current trends

going on yeah and and and you know you

see current trends um with with me um

I've I've been um pretty uh diligent

about AI you know I mean I haven't done

any true engineering forever so it's

maybe taking a little while for my brain

to adapt but um but AI is is really um

going going to change things for the for

the better assuming you know the

intentions are good obviously there's

there's uh um things that could go wrong

and and then there's there's ways of

underutilizing it um I've been in conf U

events where um the speaker is talking

about look you can create a project

Charter look you can create a statement

of work and I'm

going yeah that's that's fine but you

could do that with a template you know

from Google or from your um company's

you know um standard practices right so

um the thing is you you dump That Into

You Know You digitize all that and then

all of a sudden you're doing you know as

an individual you know in various forms

you're you're doing analytics on you

know on those templates for example or

on that information that you're

providing so um I've created and and

I'll share it with you afterwards um but

um I created a um kind of an infographic

for how agile project managers can use

um AI because I was a little bit

frustrated with an event where um the

person was just talking about doing this

but the first thing I'm thinking is

those are all just templates you're

you're completely underutilizing right

you know you can create user stories you

know assuming that you know you you've

you've prompted it correctly and I and I

don't want to get into all that I'm not

sure how far you've come but those are

things that you know maybe symphony is

going to be looking at or or does

already you know saying this is our tool

suite and ai's part of it you know

whether it's um the the the machine

learning or the generative AI or the um

the the natural language processing but

so many aspects and it's exciting you

know I mean I feel like a kid again

where um it's really inspiring me um

know between agile um between agile Ai

and and what is my last it seems like

I've got another thing but you know

pretty much that's my go-to um you know

kind of just saying how well they work

together agile and AI yeah yeah and uh

actually speaking I feel really with the

lots of anticipation of what might come

with us using a AI tools on our everyday

work like I can understand that we May

delegate some trivial tasks to that one

uh but what then we will focus on what

would be deeper uh level of some

understanding and of some kind of

Investigations of our piece of work as

crme Masters as as agile coaches uh so I

would uh happily delegate a AI

preparation of some reports or some on

uh but instead of that time what uh

might be the your duties for uh scrum

Masters for agile coaches when all the

trivial tasks might be partially or

fully done by AI

tools um you know as far as scrum

Masters go you know it's it's funny um

because you know I'm I'm speaking to

another group on uh business analysts

and I've done the same thing for them to

create an infographic to say you know

how you know how their job will change

via AI if you utilize it so you know

from from the beginning you know you um

you know uh you can again for for me

it's about an analytics so you know you

you you can strike um Baseline data you

know based on U you know information

that maybe you would have had to done

before and that's not to say that uh the

the tools uh in the bi space you know as

they were calling it Tableau and click

and some of the other um visualization

tools that they weren't doing it before

but how many project managers or scrum

were doing that I mean I was like one a

few that I knew of that was you know I

you know okay this is my data set so I'm

going to set up these queries but

through AI you know I mean it's it's

it's much quicker than I'm going to do

it and um you know given the you

appropriate prompts you know you can you

can use it to uh anticipate you know

through NLP you can anticipate you can

give it parameters for personas of your

team uh kathana is is this this and this

Brad is this this and this how how to

accomplish the best retrospective for

example um you know okay uh uh you know

we've got uh uh Pavel you know

introduced as a developer um and he's

been very difficult so how can we get

him to engage in um the Sprint planning

you know to be a little bit more vocal

so so again there's any there's so many

slices I'm just kind of looking through

my notes but um yeah that you know again

there's there's just so many ways and

again you you want to look at um ways to

things that were kind of mundane um I

I've shared the role of a product owner

and a scrum master and some engagements

um so I'm you know scratching my head to

create um user stories or you know kind

of the vision but most recently um a

contract I'm on um where I'm acting in

the same role um I'm using AI to help

create you know um uh user stories and

and again it'll it's there's a lot of

repetition in the data so so it's only

as valuable as the question that you're

asking it it'll tell you what you want

to hear but is it telling you what you

need to hear right yeah right right and

uh speaking on AI tools there are lots

of them nowadays but uh what concerns me

most is uh for some of the tools there

is no AI in it even though they say or

name it whatever do AI uh there is no AI

component in it uh what kind of concerns

have you got about

Ai and

agile well you know and it's funny

because you and I have experienced that

and I'm sure Symphony has as well where

um a company will say Hey you know we

want to implement agile we're we're

almost there but um let's do it you know

and then you come aboard and you're

using we'll just say jira for example

yeah okay how are you using jira well

you know we we use it to you know plug

in you know whatever but we've we've

programmed in these Gates and whatnot

well you're kind of dismissing the value

of agile when you're empowering people

encouraging people to make decisions and

and um you know um explore so um yeah so

so it kind it's it's kind of the same

question the way I'm thinking about it

is um you know people were are saying

one thing oh it's

AI but are are they selling are they

selling a name or they selling value and

and that's again you know um some of the

of the drawbacks I see with agile is

that it's it's been oversold in some

areas by name but U but undersold in in

the value and um depending on I'm I'm

spending so much time online and if

there were you know it's it's funny you

know I value free speech so it's

interesting to see oh these people are

going their naysayers saying you know is

agile dead you know um why do why do

standups why do this why do that well if

you're if you're you know implementing

continuous learning and some of those

other aspects that help you um come

closer as a team and collaborate as a

team you you want to do some of these

but but again I think uh a lot of it

gets lost and and I'm sorry to get too

far off track here but I think a lot of

it gets lost in you know this is agile

well no no agile is is more about the

values and principles if you're just

doing these things and then the mindset

a company that's um marketing Ai and not

TR

delivering AI you know maybe it's a

spell checker because um to tell you the

truth I was on a call this morning um

and um sometimes there's a language

barrier but this wasn't in so much um

the platform was in um East uh maybe

Denmark and

um the first question I asked because

they were talking about chatbots I was

telling them I was asking them about

their their data and whatnot they said

oh oh chat bot's only you know a small

aspect of our entire platform so so even

how they were messaging their platform

versus what they were doing with it I've

got to go back and do some reading going

well so are you actually using AI or are

you just using chat Bots which you know

can be learning models but um it it it

there there's a lot of uh smok and

mirrors and um a lot of due diligence

right to be done to to really understand

um you know how people are uh branding

or using AI you know and selling AI yeah

yeah um finishing with the ey thank you

so much for sharing your experience I

think uh we need to move on to the last

question for now H it's been so

interesting to talk to you and I even

can't understand how time goes that fast

yeah our conversation uh I am enjoying

reading your post on LinkedIn and I see

how much uh you are uh engaging Hawaii

culture and haai

traditions and mixing them all with your

experience with your observations and uh

for example those uh series of posts

about three pillars of change

empowerment collaboration and Innovation

including Hawaii context has been

impressing for me it's just so amazing

and I would recommend everybody to read

it uh So speaking on uh

Hawaii um

as a context as the environment you

working in uh how much it helps you how

much enriches you as a agile

expert uh you you mean

um there there's a lot of there's a lot

of ground to still cover in Hawaii and

that's really why I've I've kind of

created that pivot um uh uh and and

thank you for pointing that out um I'm

glad it's not going for not but um yeah

I'm hoping again I'm considered howly so

I'm not native Hawaiian but uh they call

it a brown heart so I have a deep

appreciation for the Hawaiian culture

which is so unique um I I geographically

I'm still a little bit lost with Ukraine

as far as you know the the the most

remot remote places but um Hawaii's got

a very unique um culture um and and it

needs to be nurtured into the kind of

the agile way of thinking and that so

I'm trying to draw the similarities

between um how agile is very much

adaptable to what Hawaii

culture once was and and is and can be

without being too intrusive or being too

presumptive of um you know U using agile

it's it's kind of a different angle um

as I mentioned um there's a lot of

there's a lot of room for growth so I'm

I'm going to learn something um I think

probably next month I'll be presenting

this to another project management group

but it'll be interesting because I'll be

making myself very vulnerable to say

this is how I understand Hawaii culture

this is how I'm uh seeing it what I know

of agile you know please you know feel

free to uh you know release the dogs and

tell me you know I don't know what I'm

talking about but I'm doing the best

because it's such it's such a rich

culture and and and again you can use

the Hawaiian culture as an

organizational culture every

organization is different and that truly

is an honest statement as you know you

know um Educational Systems say we're

unique but well if you're an education

system you're there's slight degrees of

of U difference but you're primarily in

this space but when we look at

organizations and that that's what makes

us um either successful in our um

selling or or implementation of agile is

is considering all of those factors the

the culture the the the motives the the

the outcom of an organization so again

going back to actually I just kind of

that's an aha moment for me looking at

Hawaii as an organization that's very

diverse you know so it's going to take

um a certain finesse and technique to be

able to sell it that way um but yeah no

thank you for noticing that cool yeah

thank you so much H so I think uh we may

finish here so thank you so much for

coming at Ola Hawaii uh and uh thank you

for this experience and joining us as a

guest thanks a lot absolutely and I'm

happy to join anytime um you're you're

so pleasant to talk to and and I love

what symphony is doing and um again

thank you for having me thanks a