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Scrum.org

Scrum.org Community Podcast

Building on last week’s episode on AI and Operating Systems in SMBs, Dave West and PST Yuval Yeret dive into the challenges of scaling small and medium-sized businesses.

Dave shares lessons from growing an organization from a small team to over 100 people—navigating silos, new stakeholders, and keeping teams outcome-focused. Yuval highlights common scaling pitfalls and explores frameworks like EOS, Scaling Up, and D4X, emphasizing vision, strategic goals, and evidence-based management.

Learn how to maintain agility at scale, build cross-functional teams, and create an operating system that drives sustainable growth.

Scaling SMBs Without Losing Agility

AI is forcing organizations to rethink how they operate. In this insightful conversation, Dave West and Yuval Yeret discuss the emerging need for a new organizational “operating system” that integrates AI into strategy, structure, and execution. They highlight the role of product thinking, OKRs, and continuous improvement in turning AI from hype into real business value.

AI and the Implications for your Organization’s Operating System

In this special episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West sits down with Ken Schwaber, co-creator of Scrum, to celebrate 30 years since the initial introduction of Scrum at OOPSLA 1995, from which the paper, The Scrum Development Process was based.

Ken reflects on the origins of Scrum, the cultural challenges faced during early adoption in large organizations, and the critical importance of transparency, honesty, and teamwork. He shares insights into how Scrum has influenced software development practices such as DevOps and continuous delivery, and offers his perspective on AI as a tool to support—rather than replace—human teams.

From early pioneers to the modern evolution of Scrum, Ken shares stories, lessons, and hopes for the future: that Scrum will continue helping people and organizations achieve fulfillment, innovation, and success.

Join us for a thoughtful, candid conversation with one of the foundational voices of Agile.

Reflecting on 30 Years of Scrum: A Conversation with Ken Schwaber

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, host Dave West is joined by Dr. Alan Brown—professor, executive advisor, and expert in AI and digital technologies—to explore how Agile teams can adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Dr. Brown discusses the current state of AI adoption across industries and the need for thoughtful integration of AI into knowledge work. From model and prompt engineering to context and governance, he outlines the four key engineering disciplines that Scrum teams must understand. The conversation also highlights five critical pressure points organizations face—complexity, change management, alignment, value delivery, and people—and how Scrum can help teams respond to these challenges.

Rather than replacing Agile, Dr. Brown argues, AI augments it—opening up new opportunities for delivering value, improving decision-making, and accelerating learning.

Listen now to learn how to harness AI responsibly while staying true to Agile principles.

Adapting Agile for the Age of AI: A Conversation with Dr. Alan Brown

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West and Dimitrios Dimitrelos, Business Agility Lead, Accenture Greece, PST, explore the powerful role incentives play in Agile transformations and the Agile Product Operating Model (APOM). Dimitris shares a striking story of QA teams inflating bug counts to meet performance metrics, highlighting how poorly designed incentives can undermine collaboration.

They discuss strategies for balancing individual and team incentives, the limits of financial motivation, and how organizations can redesign performance management to support true Agile behaviors. Listen to learn practical insights for fostering collaboration, transparency, and sustainable motivation across your teams.

Key Takeaways:

 • How misaligned incentives can derail Agile transformations
 • Balancing individual vs. team incentives for collaboration
 • Understanding motivation beyond money using Herzberg’s theory
 • Practical steps to redesign performance management systems

Aligning Incentives for Agile Success

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Patricia Kong hosts a discussion with Elaine Lin Hering, author of USA Today Best Selling Book "Unlearning Silence," and Ravi Verma, a Professional Scrum Trainer. They examine how workplace culture and cultural norms influence who speaks up and why intentional communication matters.

Elaine explains that silence can be strategic or damaging, depending on context, and emphasizes the need for leaders to create environments where all voices are heard. Ravi shares his experiences with reactive versus reflective decision-making and the importance of transparency. They discuss practical strategies for encouraging voice and the significance of designing inclusive meeting practices.

Tune in to this inspiring episode that anyone can relate to!

Get more insights about Unlearning Silence in this article on the Professional Scrum Unlocked Substack!

About Elaine Lin Hering:

Elaine Lin Hering a facilitator, writer, and speaker. She works with organizations and individuals to build skills in communication, collaboration, and conflict management. She has worked on six continents and facilitated executive education at Harvard, Dartmouth, Tufts, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. She is the former Advanced Training Director for the Harvard Mediation Program and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. She has worked with coal miners at BHP Billiton,
micro-finance organizers in East Africa, mental health professionals in China, and senior leadership at the US Department of Commerce. Her clients include American Express, Chevron, Google, Nike, Novartis, PayPal, Pixar, and the Red Cross. She is the author of the USA Today Bestselling book Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully (Penguin, 2024).

About Ravi Verma:

Ravi Verma is a Public Speaker, Agile Coach, Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer, Evidence Based Management Consultant and Blogger with a passion for helping teams recapture the magic of making I.T. As the Founder and Chief Org Whisperer at The Org Whisperers, Ravi blends ideas from the world of Technology, Entrepreneurship and Organizational Development to develop strong teams and inspiring leaders at all levels of an organization. He recently co-founded his second startup - Al Dente, a platform that helps Agile Coach’s and organizations empirically improve business outcomes in tandem with Agile delivery frameworks like Scrum.

Unlearning Silence: Creating Space for Every Voice at Work

In this recorded episode of a live Ask a PST session held on September 16, 2025, PST Ryan Brook answered a wide variety of challenging questions from Agile practitioners! He explores the importance of vision-setting, accountability, and building a strong agile culture. Ryan shares practical strategies for leading distributed teams, breaking down silos, and addressing challenges such as complacency, unplanned work, and knowledge gaps. Drawing on his unique background as a chemistry teacher, he highlights how planning and decision-making skills translate into effective leadership.

Ask a PST with Ryan Brook - Agile Leadership, Leading as a Scrum Master, Coaching and More!

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the way Product Owners work—from streamlining daily tasks to shaping strategic decisions. In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Ruud Adriaans, Product Owner and Linus Wiggers, Head of AI from Productowner.nl to explore AI’s growing influence on Product Ownership.

They discuss how Product Owners can start small—by identifying time-consuming tasks and experimenting with AI tools—while also taking a bigger-picture view with vision, strategy, and policy. The conversation covers the balance of efficiency and quality, the importance of mastering AI prompting, and the benefits of hands-on experience through hackathons and personal projects.

Catch more insights at the upcoming Product Owner Event in Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands on the 2nd of October 2025!

AI and the Future of Product Ownership

Procurement is often the missing piece in Agile transformations. In this Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Mirko Kleiner, President, Lean Agile Procurement Alliance and Simon Reindl, Professional Scrum Trainer to explore how procurement’s traditional predictive approach can clash with Agile’s iterative nature—and how to fix it. They share how early involvement, transparency, and cross-functional collaboration between procurement, legal, and product teams can unlock greater agility. Learn how to apply Lean Agile Procurement principles, shift toward goal-oriented contracts, and align third-party relationships to deliver better outcomes faster.

Watch related webcast

Bringing Procurement into the Agile Product Operating Model

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West is joined by Magdalena Firlit and Patricia Kong to explore the role of ethics in product management. They discuss why ethical frameworks matter, the impact of transparency and bias, and how ethical decision-making builds trust and resilience.

Here is the link to the referenced white paper.

Ethics in Product Management

In this episode, Dave West, our host and Mik Kersten, CTO at Planview and author of Project to Product discuss the critical shift from project-oriented to product-centric organizations. Mik highlights the disconnect between traditional project-based models and Agile principles, sharing insights from a recent survey. Dave and Mik explore key factors for a successful transition to a product focus, including aligning business and technology planning, managing a portfolio of products, and more. Mik also emphasizes the importance of redesigning quarterly business reviews (QBRs) to link business outcomes with Agile planning. Tune in to learn more and get a sneak peek into the upcoming Project to Product Summit coming up October, where these topics will be further explored by Mik, Dave and many other exciting speakers!

Learn more about the Project to Product Summit virtual event.

Learn more about the Project to Product Summit Executive Experience live event in New York.

Moving to a Product Centric Approach: Insights from Mik Kersten and Dave West

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