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In this episode, Peter and David dive into the complexities of organizational change, exploring how agile transformations sometimes discard valuable lessons from past change management practices. They discuss blending systems thinking, behavioral economics, and incremental change approaches to create truly adaptive organizations. The conversation spans concepts like organizational immune systems, the human element in change, and the importance of clear strategy and communication.

This week's takeaways:

• Blindly following capital-A "Agile" transformations can lead to throwing out valuable organizational change management wisdom accumulated over decades.
• Organizations are complex systems, and sustainable change requires understanding human behaviors and making changes at a rate the organizational "immune system" can absorb rather than big disruptive shifts.
• Clear strategic direction combined with empowering teams for continuous bottom-up improvement is critical. Frequent communication and recognizing people as adaptive beings, not just mechanical components, is crucial for effective change.

We love to hear your feedback! If you have questions or would like to suggest a topic related to organizational change management and creating truly adaptive systems, please get in touch with us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com.

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In this episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss the qualities to look for when recruiting and selecting the perfect Product Owner (PO). They delve into the nuances between a Product Owner and a Product Manager role, emphasizing the importance of defining the authority and accountability the PO will have. The conversation explores the essential attributes of an excellent PO, including domain knowledge, understanding business models, data-driven decision-making, effective communication skills, and the ability to navigate various stakeholder demands. They also highlight the significance of storytelling and sharing real-life experiences during the interview process as a strong indicator of a high-caliber PO.

This week´s takeaways:

• Clearly outline the level of authority and accountability the PO will have over the product's success, profitability, and decision-making.
• Look for candidates with relevant domain experience, an understanding of the business models, and the capability to analyze the product's impact on the organization's ecosystem, including costs, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
• During the interview process, pay attention to candidates who naturally share stories and narratives about their experiences, challenges they overcame, and lessons learned. These stories often provide insights into their problem-solving abilities and deep understanding of product ownership.

We love to hear your feedback! If you have questions or would like to suggest a topic related to nurturing exceptional product ownership, feel free to contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com.

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In this episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss how to integrate threat modeling into the secure development lifecycle (SDLC) at scale. They cover the importance of shifting security practices left, and how to establish communication channels between development teams and security experts.

Key takeaways:

• Threat modeling is a security practice that involves identifying and mitigating potential threats to an organization's assets.
• Threat models should be created and maintained early in the SDLC, but don't need to be updated for every minor change.
• A mechanism for ongoing communication between developers and security professionals is essential for effective threat modeling.

Resources:

• Sooner Safer Happier by Jonathan Smart - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50343488
• Larry Maccherone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyS1kmmlA5Y
• Martin Fowler blog https://martinfowler.com/articles/scaling-architecture-conversationally.html

Whether you're diving into DevSecOps or just looking to get a handle on threat modeling at scale, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now as Dave and Peter discuss how to future-proof your organization!