Meet “Scrum Master” #1 — the miscast one. This person typically comes from traditional roles like: Project Manager Program Coordinator Agile Delivery Manager/Lead Technical Lead “Agile Tool” Expert Some (not all) of these roles are not inherently bad — in fact, they are valuable in the right context. But they are optimized for command-and-control, delivery-focused, … Read more
Agile has become a corporate buzzword. From boardrooms to team stand-ups, “going agile” is cited as the cure for everything from sluggish delivery to low employee engagement. But behind the banners, ceremonies, and coaching titles, many transformations fail to deliver meaningful change. So here’s the question: Is your agile transformation real—or just theater? For many … Read more
In recent years, organizations across industries have ramped up efforts to become “agile”—not just in IT, but across entire enterprises. Yet, many of these initiatives fall flat, not because agility itself is flawed, but because the coaching structures and strategies designed to enable agility are deeply broken. One of the most common patterns is fragmented coaching. … Read more
In the past, professional coaches didn’t have to split hairs when identifying themselves, by their line of work: e.g. being “agile coaches” vs. “product coaches.” While coaching focus areas have always existed—e.g., enterprise, team-level, individual, career, technical, HR, business/product, etc. — seasoned coaches-veterans were expected to be versatile in their capabilities and adaptive in their … Read more
How to Connect with James Gunaca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgunaca https://www.youtube.com/@CoachJamesGunaca https://www.jamesgunaca.com AI Companion-Generated Summary Quick recap James Gunaca, a veteran product manager, shared insights into Amazon’s product operating models and emphasized the importance of adapting strategies to context while acknowledging both successes and failures. He discussed common myths about working at Amazon, clarified the company’s approach … Read more
Download Materials AI Companion Summary Please, note that the transcript below is in its original form and has not been modified, with the exception of removing names of the participants. Please, refer to the transcript, in conjunction with the recording and materials above. Global Scrum PI Planning Discussion Gene welcomed participants to a global, large-scale … Read more
Graphic Materials Used: The following challenges were touched upon: In a rush, to become agile, did your organization adopt an “operating model”, by incorrectly copy-pasting something that has been well known in the industry for year but required a much deeper understanding, before implementing? In a rush, to become product-centric … Read more
Below, are a few BIG questions, for C-level executives that control org. design decisions, budgets, and HR: Why did your agile transformation come to a halt? Why did not your product operating model work, as expected? Why does everything look like an agile theater/circus, with a lot of ‘transactional activities’ but no ROI? In order … Read more
Tweet LinkedIn discussion Welcome to the ‘AGILE THEATHER CHAOS’ meeting! This is a typical situation at a large corporation or government agency that is trying to ‘finish doing agile by EoY, to check the box and claim a victory’: Lots of conflicting priorities, between people that sit above teams and give teams marching orders. … Read more
