Meta-Cast
317 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 31 ratingsBob Galen and Josh Anderson use their decades of coaching experience to power your organization's need for agility and scale. If our 200+ episodes don't have what you need, ask us a question and we'll help you out!
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Episodes
Episode 143 - The Cost of Quality
May 06, 2019 17:27 - 39 minutes - 31.8 MBMany organizations continuously acquire technical debt. A common source of this growing problem is a lack of understanding of the true cost of quality. If your organization can't seem to escape a mountain of poor architectural decisions and/or an underinvested quality approach, this episode is for you! Learn how to educate your peers, executives, and investors about the true cost of quality and hear strategies you can use to start paying down your debt. More from our hosts: Get FRE...
Episode 142 - Performance Management in an Agile Organization
March 05, 2019 06:35 - 36 minutes - 29.6 MBIn response to the following question from a listener, Bob and Josh discuss how to lead an agile team inside of an organization with traditional, individualized performance management. Can these two co-exist? We think so, and this episode helps you answer that question for your organization. What have your experiences taught you? Let's discuss! Hey @bobgalen and @nosrednAhsoJ how about doing a @metahyphencast about being a great Scrum Master/Agile coach in an organization with a perfo...
Episode 141 - Storytelling in Agile, Part 2
January 22, 2019 05:15 - 55 minutes - 44.2 MBOur previous episode introduced the importance of storytelling in agile. Towards the end of the episode, we threw out the idea of returning to this topic with some examples and role-playing to help everyone understand how powerful storytelling can be for you and your teams. So here you go! Bob and Josh cover a handful of common scenarios and arm you with some tools to help you conquer these challenges. What other topics would you like to us discuss in this manner? How have you implemen...
Episode 140 - Storytelling in Agile
January 08, 2019 18:00 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBStorytelling is an integral part of your success as a leader and/or coach. Get some tips and tricks from Bob and Josh as they walk you through the reasons storytelling is so important and then provide you with some insight on how to get better at this key skill. How do you use storytelling to drive change? Let's discuss! Subscribe: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify More from our hosts: Get FREE agile coaching, twice a week, on Josh's new live stream. If you ever wanted to hear how our c...
Episode 139 - The Dynamics of New Teams
December 11, 2018 23:14 - 32 minutes - 26.3 MBA big thanks to Meta-Cast listener and Twitch chat superstar "firessue" brings us a fantastic challenge for this episode. Standing up new teams is hard, but adding teams and engineers to an existing, established team presents a whole new set of challenges. How do you handle the dynamics and tension this can create? Bob and Josh give you tips and tricks to make sure your organizational growth is a consistently positive experience. What tips do you have? What lessons have you learned? ...
Episode 138 - The Agile Questions You Aren't Asking Yourself
November 27, 2018 18:24 - 33 minutes - 27 MBWhat unknowns will sneak up and cost your team dearly? If we knew those answers, life would be a lot easier! Thanks to Laura (AKA laurieblue on our Twitch stream), we were challenged to answer this question. Bob and Josh highlight the questions most software teams are not answering, but they should be answering. Our goal is helping you take a different look at the challenges you and your teams have that may be holding you back. What surprising discoveries have you and your team fou...
Episode 137 - Remote Agile Teams
November 07, 2018 23:10 - 29 minutes - 23.4 MBRemote teams are everywhere. Agile is everywhere. Unfortunately, those two don't always mix well together. We are here to fix that! Thanks to our listener Ryan, from Virginia, for asking us to take on this topic. What tips & tricks do you use to maximize the effectiveness of remote agile teams? Let's discuss! Subscribe: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify More from our hosts: Get FREE agile coaching, twice a week, on Josh's new live stream. If you ever wanted to hear how our co-hosts...
Episode 136 - Fear as an Agile Leader
November 01, 2018 05:13 - 36 minutes - 29.1 MBIt's a special Halloween night episode! Bob and Josh wrap up their series on fear in the agile world with a deep dive into common sources of fear for leaders in the agile world. If you are an agile leader, don't be scared, listen to this episode! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of helping as many agilists as...
Episode 135 - Agile Coaches Are Scary
October 23, 2018 14:30 - 40 minutes - 32.8 MBEpisode 134 dug into common generators of fear that teams experience during an agile transition. Sticking with our scary/spooky theme for October, we decided to turn the tables around and examine how we, as agile leaders, generate fear. As the face of change for your organization, you need to be aware of how your actions will be perceived by those that do not welcome the new processes. Every good coach works to minimize this fear, but some level of fear is inevitable. Learn how you can...
Episode 134 - Fear In The Agile World
October 11, 2018 14:30 - 41 minutes - 33.4 MBHalloween is near, so we decided (thanks to a tip from a listener on Twitter) to dig into the numerous ways fear presents itself in the agile world. Aside from identifying common patterns and situations that generate fear, we offer a few of our tried-and-true tips and tricks for dealing with fear in your role(s). What situations generate fear for you? How have you overcome that fear? Let's discuss! Subscribe: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify More from our hosts: Get FREE agile coachin...
Episode 133 - Troublesome Team Members
September 19, 2018 19:36 - 38 minutes - 30.7 MBNo team is perfect. At some point in your team's evolution a team member will have a string of bad days that cause a significant amount of strife and turmoil in your team. Use this episode to pick up some tips, tricks, and advice on how to handle this situation and get your team back on the path to greatness! Get FREE agile coaching, twice a week, on Josh's new live stream. If you ever wanted to hear how our co-hosts would answer your individual question, this is your chance! Every Tue...
Episode 132 - Just The Right Amount of Agile Process
July 31, 2018 17:44 - 37 minutes - 29.7 MBHow do you know when you have too little/too much process in place? Use this episode to get an understanding of what a "good enough" process looks like for a team of 5 versus a team of 50 so that you and your team can maintain success as you grow. P.S. Did you miss the YouTube video of a recent talk at #Path18 in Columbus, OH? Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49csHWE0Dq8 Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast...
Episode 131 - Can an agile team plan too much?
May 24, 2018 14:30 - 44 minutes - 35.3 MBThis episode's topic comes from a listener via Twitter. Big thanks to @Paul_V_Elia for the great question. @bobgalen and @nosrednAhsoJ you mentioned the possibility of a follow up on #noestimates - I'd like to hear about estimating too far into the future; with high variability, wasteful in my view. Also, org culture, values, trust: correlation to estimate techniques that work there. — Paul Elia (@Paul_V_Elia) May 17, 2018 Taking the lead from Paul, we dig into our views on the diffe...
Episode 130 - Customer Feedback
May 03, 2018 15:30 - 40 minutes - 32.2 MBWhat should you do with customer feedback? Ignore it? Trust it completely? Something in the middle? Bob and Josh dig in and help you understand the best way to use customer feedback to support your team, product, and projects. How do you incoporate customer feedback into the process? Let's discuss! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any w...
Episode 129 - Agile FAQs, Part 2
April 24, 2018 16:30 - 39 minutes - 31.4 MBWith 120+ podcast episodes, hundreds of speaking engagements, and hundreds of teams/companies coached, Bob and Josh have seen just about everything. Using all of that experience, we continue our discussion of some of the most frequently asked questions across everyone we helped. What questions do you field over and over again in your travels? Let's discuss! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by givi...
Episode 128 - Agile FAQs
April 10, 2018 16:30 - 49 minutes - 68.6 MBWith 120+ podcast episodes, hundreds of speaking engagements, and hundreds of teams/companies coached, Bob and Josh have seen just about everything. Using all of that experience, we narrowed down on some of the most frequently asked questions across everyone we helped. What questions do you field over and over again in your travels? Let's discuss! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our P...
Episode 127 - Agile Estimates or No Estimates?
March 26, 2018 16:30 - 40 minutes - 32.2 MBThe relationship between most agile practices, estimates, and the planning those estimates relate to is a tricky one. Many agile practitioners subscribe to the #NoEstimates movement. Bob and Josh dig into the pros and cons of each approach (traditional agile estimation vs a "no estimates" approach). How does your team estimate? Do you estimate at all? Let's discuss... Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes...
Episode 126 - Speaking Truth To Power
March 08, 2018 08:43 - 42 minutes - 34.3 MBSuccessful agile adoptions and transitions require truth, in all directions. Unfortunately, many of us are ill-equipped to speak truth in the most challenging direction: towards power. Use this episode to prepare for the difficult discussions you must have to ensure a successful agile implementation. Our Second Giveaway! Don't miss our second conference registration giveaway. Listen closely to the intro and follow the details to enter your chance to win a free registration to TechWell'...
Episode 125 - Agile Architecture
February 13, 2018 18:05 - 42 minutes - 33.9 MBBob and Josh break down how architecture fits effectively into the agile process. If your organization is struggling to mix appropriate architecture practices into your process and remain agile, this is the episode for you! Our First Giveaway! Don't miss our first conference registration giveaway in this episode. Listen closely to the intro and follow the details to enter your chance to win a free registration to TISQA's 2018 Conference. Good luck to everyone! Help Spread The Word: L...
Episode 124 - Becoming a Conference Speaker
January 31, 2018 17:30 - 53 minutes - 42.6 MBContinuing the discussion from our previous episode, Bob and Josh recall their journeys into conference speaking. We also provide a few lessons learned in hopes of one of our listeners decide to try out speaking at a conference. What are you waiting for? Go submit a talk to your favorite conference! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, ...
Episode 123 - Changing The Conference Landscape
January 11, 2018 17:30 - 44 minutes - 35.8 MBBob has a new role! We cover the changes happening for Bob in his new role as the Program Chair for TechWell and the changes he aims to implement in future conferences. We also dig in a bit to what it takes to become a great conference speaker. Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of helping as many agilists as p...
Episode 122 - Red Hat Agile Day Q&A Session
October 31, 2017 16:30 - 1 hour - 51.3 MBOn October 12th, Bob and Josh hosted a live, unscripted podcast recording session answering the audience's questions in real time. This episode is the recording of that session. We hope you enjoy it and we look forward to answering your questions at a conference near you! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of h...
Episode 121 - Scrum Master Role Confusion
September 28, 2017 16:30 - 31 minutes - 25.4 MBMany organizations overload the scrum master role, causing confusion for both the team(s) and the scrum master themselves. We tackle this issue in response to a question from a listener's question (thanks Tim from Germany). Have you been asked to serve multiples roles in your organization? Are you operating as a scrum master and an organizational coach? We'd love to hear how you are handling the situation in the comments below! Help Spread The Word:Love our content? Help us out by s...
Episode 120 - Management vs. Leadership
September 04, 2017 20:37 - 48 minutes - 38.8 MBBob and Josh revisit a topic from a recent panel they participated in covering the challenges many management roles face in a transition to agile. We talk through the key differences between traditional management and agile leadership. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with this transition, look no further than this episode! How do you define the difference between management and leadership? Start a discussion in the comments below! Help Spread The Word: Love our content? ...
Episode 119 - Stories vs. Tasks vs. Epics
August 15, 2017 06:15 - 41 minutes - 33.3 MBIn our previous episode, we detailed when it is appropriate to create tasks for each of your stories. After listening to that episode, a listener requested some details on the differences between stories, epics, and tasks. So here we go! How does your team use these terms? Share your thoughts, ideas, and preferences in the comments below. Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time y...
Episode 118 - User Stories, Tasks, & Sprint Planning
July 28, 2017 17:22 - 44 minutes - 35.5 MBWhen it comes to planning sprints and their associated user stories, should your team also create, assign, and size individual tasks? Bob and Josh debate this topic and help you streamline your team's sprint planning and execution. Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of helping as many agilists as possible. Thanks for sharing! Sub...
Episode 117 - The Importance of Fun
July 05, 2017 17:00 - 26 minutes - 21.6 MBScrum can be a real drag. After dozens and dozens of sprints, your team looks forward to yet another sprint with all of the same ceremonies. Hooray... How can you make the endless sea of sprints that lay ahead of your team look less dreary? FUN! Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of helping as many agilists as possible. Thanks...
Episode 116 - Is Kanban right for you?
June 20, 2017 17:00 - 34 minutes - 27.9 MBWe've all been there. Scrum is getting old, and you want to try something new. Here comes Kanban to save the day! Maybe not. Kanban sometimes just makes things worse. We help you figure out if Kanban is right for you. Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of helping as many agilists as possible. Thanks for sharing! Subscribe: iT...
Episode 115 - Responsible Leadership
May 25, 2017 17:00 - 38 minutes - 30.5 MBGreat leadership is hard to find. When you boil leadership down to its essence, all you need is a little responsibility. In this episode, learn what great leadership looks like so that you can either grow into a great leader for find a great leader to learn from. Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give, in any way, you empower our mission of helping as many agilists as p...
Episode 114 - Building an Agile Backlog From Scratch
May 09, 2017 17:03 - 35 minutes - 28.6 MBAgile teams perform best when they have a well formed, and continuously refined, backlog. That sounds great, but how do you get there if you don't have a backlog yet?!? How in the world do you get started? This episode gives you everything you need to jumpstart your backlog, and in turn your road to a great implementation of agile. Learn how to build your first stories and how to get your team refining and sizing! Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our po...
Episode 113 - Agile Questions and Answers
April 19, 2017 17:00 - 31 minutes - 25.1 MBWe collected dozens of audience questions from one of our recent speaking engagements. In this episode, we answer them for you, in rapid fire mode. Good luck finding a more answer-packed agile podcast episode out there! Are there other questions you want answered that weren't tackled in this episode? Send us your idea(s) in our contact us form. Heading to TechWell's Agile Dev West this year? If so, make sure you check out our sessions and say hello! Dying to go, but need an extra re...
Episode 112 - Radical Candor
March 29, 2017 18:45 - 40 minutes - 32.4 MBGreat teams, and leaders, build a safe environment where truths are told, even if they hurt a little. How healthy is your team and their relationships? Are truths told in a healthy manner? If there are issues that need to be discussed, but they never get on the table because it is uncomfortable, we help you tackle that with this episode. Learn from our mistakes as you hear some of the hard lessons learned by Bob and Josh throughout their careers. Links discussed/referenced in this ep...
Episode 111 - Middle Management & Agile
March 09, 2017 17:30 - 36 minutes - 29.1 MBAgile adoption is difficult. When you are in middle management during an agile transformation, so many questions are raised. What is my role? How do I effectively lead in this new paradigm? Does anyone need me anymore? We answer all of these questions, and more! Aside from tackling this classic agile challenge, but Bob throws down a HUGE challenge to Josh. Sumo suits. Yes, your two favorite podcast hosts, in sumo suits. Who will win? Let's discuss your views on middle managem...
Episode 110 - Great Agile Backlogs
February 22, 2017 16:22 - 37 minutes - 17 MBIt all starts with a backlog. The health of an agile team correlates directly with the state of its backlog. That all sounds great. How do we get our backlog to be "great"? Listen to this podcast, that's how! We are kidding, or are we? This episode offers a lot of great tips that can help you get your backlogs back on track and making a real difference in your team's performance. Oh, and Bob may have written a thing or two about backlogs... http://rgalen.com/agile-training-news/...
Episode 109 - Building An Agile Brand
February 07, 2017 17:30 - 35 minutes - 16.4 MBLearn the importance of treating yourself as a brand, especially in the agile community. Bob and Josh share their experience, and a few tips, as they walk through their thought processes in building their individual brand, corporate brands, and the brand of this podcast. More importantly, we want for your feedback and ideas on agile brand building. To support the community, we need you to engage with your fellow listeners by sharing your thoughts and ideas using the hashtag #ABB. Let's ...
Episode 108 - Importance of Tempo
January 25, 2017 18:00 - 38 minutes - 17.5 MBWhy is cadence/temp so important to agile success? It is amazing to see how something as simple as a well defined cadence reduces the "noise" of a process and provides focus for teams and individuals. Have you experimented with different tempos? What success stories do you have? Let's discuss!
Introducing The Agile Podcast Network
January 25, 2017 13:30Bob and I started our podcast seven years ago with a simple mission: help others become more effective software professionals through the use of solid agile principles. That's a big mission. We know we can't do it alone. We also know we don't have all of the answers. With the Agile Podcast Network, you are presented with an array of podcasts focusing across the spectrum of your agile needs. Looking for a different view on product ownership? APN has that. Looking for a diverse set of g...
Episode 107 - Bad Cop, Bad Cop: When Agile Isn't Right For You
January 17, 2017 18:00 - 38 minutes - 17.8 MBEven though Bob and Josh believe agile is the right path, there are some situations when trying to "go agile" just might not be right. We take a deep dive into uncovering common indicators that taking on an agile transition in organization would actually be a bad idea. Did we miss anything? Have you run into any of these scenarios? Let's discuss!
Episode 106 - Agile Roles and Responsiblities
December 19, 2016 18:00 - 39 minutes - 18.1 MBHow should you handle roles inside an agile team? Can/should you share responsibilities or is it best to have a bunch of specialists? Bob and Josh share their views on how highly effective agile teams operate and manage the complexities of roles and responsibilities. How does your team handle this? Are you a group of generalists or specialists? Let's discuss! Become a Meta-Cast Partner We recently launched a Patreon campaign to help take us to the next level. Our goal is to start ...
Episode 105 - Excellence as a Product Owner
November 30, 2016 21:50 - 35 minutes - 16.3 MBWhat exactly does a rockstar product owner look like? Would you know one when you see one? After this podcast, that won't be a problem! Bob and Josh dig into what it takes to really be a world class product owner. If you are new to the product owner role, are hiring your first product owner, or are just looking to sharpen your product owner skills, this episode is for you! Did we miss anything or do you disagree with something we defined as key component of greatness is the land of pr...
Episode 104 - Meta-Guest Richard Khor
November 09, 2016 18:00 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBRichard Khor joins Bob and Josh to discuss his agile journey. As the first scrum master at Dude Solutions, Richard provides additional context into the daily like of a scrum master. Learn from someone "in the trenches" exactly what it takes to become a world class agile leader. Become a Meta-Cast Partner We recently launched a Patreon campaign to help take us to the next level. Our goal is to start offering video podcasts and delivering our content into other channels. We need your h...
Episode 103 - Agile Frameworks: when to hold'em and when to fold'em!
October 19, 2016 16:30 - 43 minutes - 19.8 MBIn response to a listener request, we dig deeper in to the approach Josh and the Dude Solutions team uses to select and tweak agile frameworks for their unique problem set. Bob and Josh step through a few frameworks to provide experience and advice on the ways you could/should individualize each. What tweaks have you implemented that worked? Have you implemented any tweaks that didn't work? Let's discuss!!! Become a Meta-Cast Partner We recently launched a Patreon campaign to h...
Episode 102 - How To Give Back To The Agile Community
October 05, 2016 20:39 - 45 minutes - 20.9 MBEveryone started with a base desire to learn agile. Someone reached out, lent a hand, and helped you get up to speed. Maybe it was a blog, a co-worker, or even a podcast, but someone offered you help along the way. In this episode, we provide some ideas on how you can "pay it forward" and lend a helping hand. We know this isn't an exhaustive list, so please share you ideas on twitter or in the comments below. Become a Meta-Cast Partner We recently launched a Patreon campaign to hel...
Episode 101 - Explaining Agile To Non-Software People
September 22, 2016 17:38 - 33 minutes - 15.3 MBWe spend most of our days focusing on agile, writing code, and everything else that goes into delivering world class software. However, agile is applicable well beyond the realm of software engineering. How can you relate agile to family, friends, or anyone else that wonders what you do? Can you explain agile to someone and help them apply it in their daily life? Bob and Josh take a stab at doing just that in this episode. What tips/tricks/stories do you use in this instance? Please ...
Episode 100 - Six Years of Agile Learning
September 07, 2016 16:30 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MBAfter six years (and 100 episodes!) of learning and growing, Bob and Josh take a look back at how they, and their agile opinions, changed over the years. A big thanks to Cory Bryan for the topic idea! @metahyphencast Couple - 1. What's the biggest thing each of you believed 6 years ago that you don't anymore — Cory Bryan (@isCoryBryan) August 10, 2016 @metahyphencast 2. What's something you advised in earlier episodes you recommend changing? — Cory Bryan (@isCoryBryan) August 10, 2016 @...
Episode 99- Good Cop, Bad Cop on SAFe
August 15, 2016 17:30 - 42 minutes - 19.3 MBBob and Josh revisit their "good cop, bad cop" routine and apply it to SAFe. In this episode, Josh takes the side of pro-SAFe, while Bob attempts to persuade Josh that adopting SAFe is not the best approach for this dreamt-up scenario. You be the judge on who is good cop and who is the bad cop! :) REMINDER: Episode 100 is upon us! If you have any topic ideas for our 100th episode tweet using the hashtag #meta100
Episode 98 - Career Paths for Scrum Masters & Product Owners
July 31, 2016 20:00 - 52 minutes - 23.9 MBAs organizations adopt agile, many employees evolve their career to adopt roles such as scrum master and product owner. What do the career paths look like for someone in these roles? Bob and Josh discuss their approaches and strategies for tackling this problem. What do the career paths look like in your organization? We are nearing our 100th episode! If you have any ideas for a BIG topic for number 100, please let us know!
Episode 97 - Continuous Improvement
July 13, 2016 15:30 - 45 minutes - 20.7 MBContinuous improvement is a foundation of agile, but generating a culture that fosters and even requires it can be a bit tricky. Learn how to transform your culture with tips and tricks from Bob and Josh on how they've transformed the cultures of their organizations. What tricks do you have? Let's discuss!
Episode 96 - Frameworks as a Silver Bullet (FaaSB), The Fallacy...
June 28, 2016 16:00 - 39 minutes - 18.2 MBFrameworks, frameworks, frameworks! So many folks are selling one, and everyone else thinks they need one. Bob and Josh rip into the idea that any one framework can be a silver bullet for your situation. Learn how to evaluate what makes sense for you and how to build an agile approach that fits your unique situation.
Episode 95 - Building Self-Directed Teams
May 31, 2016 20:50 - 42 minutes - 19.3 MBIn response to this #meta-question on Twitter... @metahyphencast #meta-question I am reading Mike Cohn's take on coaching teams to be self organizing. Are there any Meta-Casts on this? — John Kaplan (@kaplanapps) May 25, 2016 ... Bob and Josh take a deep dive into what exactly is needed to become a self-directed team and how you, and your team, can become one. We've danced around this topic across numerous episodes, but never took the time to really dig into helping everyone understa...