Free Customer Academy Courses: Master Agile in the Age of AI

#163. Ready to rethink what it means to build amazing apps in the age of AI?In this episode, I challenge the growing narrative that agile practices and Scrum are obsolete just because Copilot, Claude, Codex or your favourite AI can write code in seconds. Sure, Power Platform lets you create apps from prompts, and AI can spin up test cases and integrations in a flash, but speed without structure is just faster chaos, not real progress.Join me as I dive into why agile principles like transparency, feedback loops, and stakeholder collaboration matter more than ever, especially when you’re working with Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform. I’ll share stories from my nearly two decades in business application delivery, building mission-critical systems for industries where there's simply no room for error. I break down the key areas where AI accelerates delivery but can't replace human judgment, stakeholder alignment, and disciplined prioritization.You’ll hear about some common misconceptions (think skipping estimation and sprint planning entirely!) and the pitfalls that can happen when teams ditch agile for “just vibing it.” I’ll also spotlight the unique, Microsoft Business Apps-focused training and resources available for free from my Customer Academy. Now you, your teams, and even your stakeholders can benefit from real-world agile education at no cost.If you want to master your craft, build apps that organizations trust, and future-proof your career (even while AI changes the game), then this episode is for you. Listen now, and let’s experiment, adapt, and keep building amazing apps together.Keep experimenting 🧪-Neil👋 LET'S CONNECT🌐 Subscribe to Customery Academy newsletter for new episode announcements and special offers🟥 Subscribe on YouTube🟦 Follow on LinkedIn🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky⭐ RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW👍 Rate Amazing Apps👨‍💻 MY ONLINE COURSES🚀 Agile Foundations for Microsoft Business Apps 🏉 Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps 📐 Estimating Business Apps

#162. Unlocking hidden Microsoft partner benefits? Now that’s my kind of secret! In this episode, I spill the beans on how Dynamics 365 and Power Platform partners can get their teams Scrum trained and certified — on Microsoft’s dime, without touching your training budget, thanks to Microsoft Incentive co-op funds.I walk you through what co-op funds are, how to check your eligibility, and exactly how to claim full reimbursement for my Successful Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps course. The course is tailored specifically for your teams building Microsoft business apps, not just any software project. I share stories from the trenches, like $4 million Dynamics implementations and global customer service transformations, to show the practical impact of genuine Scrum on delivery teams, customer satisfaction, and project profitability.You’ll hear testimonials from consulting partners and students who have used these tactics to become Microsoft Partner of the Year winners—and happier, lower-stress teams as well.There’s even an Exam Pass Guarantee (so your team can certify with confidence), plus step-by-step instructions on using those mysterious co-op funds before they expire.Curious if it really works? Microsoft themselves give it the green light—and I’ll show you how to make it happen. Listen to this episode to discover how to turn unused partner benefits into highly skilled, adaptable delivery pros, and set your practice apart. Ready to build amazing apps, supercharge your team, and let Microsoft foot the bill?Book a call with NeilScrum for Microsoft Business AppsHow to get your training investment reimbursed👋 LET'S CONNECT🌐 Subscribe to Customery Academy newsletter for new episode announcements and special offers🟥 Subscribe on YouTube🟦 Follow on LinkedIn🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky⭐ RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW👍 Rate Amazing Apps👨‍💻 MY ONLINE COURSES🚀 Agile Foundations for Microsoft Business Apps 🏉 Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps 📐 Estimating Business Apps

#161. Whether you’re an internal developer working for a Microsoft customer or a consultant working for a Microsoft partner: every Power Platform or Dynamics 365 project you have ever worked on has been underestimated.Because no one wins overestimated projects...

#160. Hamish Sheild is a Microsoft MVP and Power Platform consultant specialising in applying Design Thinking practices to our apps and projects to make them more human-centred. Hamish and I discuss the different activities and artifacts we've experimented with before starting the delivery phase of our Power Platform and Dynamics 365 projects. Join us as we discuss:03:43 Design thinking exercises and goal setting08:45 Inclusion of developers in the discovery phase09:48 Importance of day in the life sessions11:59 Exploration of design sprints17:10 Creating customer and user journey maps18:48 Utilizing user story maps for clarity24:21 The role of prototyping in projects25:11 Developing solution blueprints with Dynamics 36530:18 Size and refinement of initial product backlog32:02 Establishing environments32:48 Business process maps35:35 Crafting stakeholder maps for project successHAMISH SHEILDHamish Sheild on LinkedInAppRisingDesigning Business Applications RESOURCESAvion for user story mappingStoriesOnBoard for user story mappingMiro for visual collaborationRECOMMENDED EPISODES130 Sprint 1 is Done!120 Defining Requirements for Complex Power Apps with Hamish Sheild👋 LET'S CONNECT🌐 Subscribe to Customery Academy newsletter for new episode announcements and special offers🟥 Subscribe on YouTube🟦 Follow on LinkedIn🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky⭐ RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW👍 Rate Amazing Apps👨‍💻 MY ONLINE COURSES🚀 Agile Foundations for Microsoft Business Apps 🏉 Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps 📐 Estimating Business Apps

#159. Should you use a traditional, waterfall approach to build Power Platform apps? In this episode, I break down six situations when you might be tempted to use a waterfall method and share my thoughts on whether that's really the best approach.Highlights00:11 Everyone should try waterfall at least once.02:18 When to adopt a waterfall approach02:53 #1 Predictable and well-defined requirements04:19 #2 Regulated industries05:49 #3 Fixed-price contracts06:59 #4 Small or simple projects08:02 #5 No agile experience08:59 #6 Lots of dependencies10:09 Recap `ResourcesEstimating Agile Business Apps: learn how to quickly, accurately and confidently estimate how long it'll take and how much it'll cost to build your Power Platform or Dynamics 365 app. Cynefin Model: learn how to approach different problems from simple to complex.Successful Scrum for Microsoft Business Apps: learn the Scrum framework, prepare for certification and discover my proven practices for successfully applying Scrum for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.Team Topologies: Matthew Skelton discusses how different team topologies can reduce the impact of dependencies across an organisation.

#158. It's 2025, and I still meet Power Platform and Dynamics 365 professionals that don't know what Scrum is or have an incomplete understanding of what Scrum is. Especially in job interviews!In this short episode, you'll learn:What Scrum really isWhy it's a framework and not a methodologyA simple hack for remembering the 18 components of Scrum🚀 Agile Foundations for Microsoft Business Apps: Learn the basics and benefits about adopting agile approach to building business applications. https://customery.com/foundations

#157. Rethink the role of the scrum master. Two recent events—a thought-provoking article by agile coach Maarten Dalmijn and a leave of absence by Matthew, a beloved scrum master in my team—prompted me to question if scrum masters might be overrated.Comparing scrum teams to sports teams like Ultimate Frisbee, where players self-regulate without referees. Imagine a world where your scrum team operates the same way, holding each other accountable and mastering the game without a dedicated scrum master.You'll learn about Maarten's controversial stance: in startups and scale-ups with fewer organizational impediments, having a scrum master might be unnecessary overhead. Instead, Martin suggests that with a deep understanding of scrum, your team could self-manage effectively.I share my own team's bold experiment—replacing a traditional scrum master with a hybrid scrum master-developer. Spearheaded by Sapan, who has extensive experience in both development and scrum, this experiment offers surprising results. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution for all Power Platform teams. But it does highlight the importance of being open to new practices and continuous experimentation in agile development.Keep experimenting 🧪-NeilRESOURCESMaarten Dalmijn on LinkedInMaarten Dalmijn, 'Are Scrum Masters Too Much Overhead?'

#156. Drawing on the book "Mastering Professional Scrum" by Stephanie Ockerman and Simon Reindl, I outline critical areas for team success, such as creating valuable products and understanding organizational influences. I emphasize five core capabilities needed for continuous improvement: teaching, facilitation, coaching, technical excellence, and servant leadership.I discuss the continuous improvement process recommended by Ockerman and Reindl, which includes self-assessment questionnaires and root cause analysis to address team issues. I highlight the importance of the Scrum pillars—transparency, inspection, and adaptation—and shows how sprint events like planning and review foster a culture of empiricism, allowing teams to run experiments and refine their practices based on real-world outcomes.Celebrating the traits of high-performing scrum teams, I underscore the significance of being cross-functional, self-managing, and collaborative. I touch upon practices that bolster collaboration within these teams, such as backlog refinement and pair programming, while also stressing the freedom scrum teams have to define their workflows within Scrum guidelines.You'll also learn about common challenges, such as the absence of key roles during refinement sessions, and recommends using the Five Whys technique to tackle root causes. I provide practical tips like conducting multiple short refinement sessions to prevent release delays.RESOURCESSimon Reindl on LinkedInStephanie Ockerman on LinkedInMastering Professional Scrum from Amazon (affiliate)Mastering Professional Scrum audiobook on Audible (affiliate)Stephanie Ockerman's site, Agile SocksMastering Professional Scrum on InformIT

#155. Explore the importance of rethinking our approach to building business applications. Discover the benefits of questioning our assumptions and adapting to new information in the dynamic landscape of app development.Unpacking the concept of "thinking like a scientist" and its impact on creating agile business apps.Understanding cognitive entrenchment and how it can hinder our progress in app development.Examining how embracing new tools like Power Automate or Azure Data Factory can outdo outdated practices.Learning from personal experiences and external experts to reassess long-held beliefs about health and productivity.Discovering how to stay open-minded to new methods for building Power Platform and Dynamics 365 apps without losing sight of effective agile approaches.Keep experimenting 🧪-NeilRESOURCESMicrosoft Power Platform Conference, 18 to 20 October 2024Peter Attia’s The Drive podcastOutlive by Peter AttiaPeter Attia’s websiteAdam Grant’s podcastsAdam Grant’s websiteSubscribe to my new Estimating Business Apps podcast mini-seriesEstimating Business Apps is a five-part podcast that will help you quickly, accurately and confidently estimate complex Power Platform and Dynamics 365 apps in minutes. Listen now: https://estimating-business-apps.captivate.fm/listen

#154. Neil Benson takes us on a journey of learning through experimentation. Starting with the historical origins of smallpox inoculation, Neil discusses the importance of conducting experiments to drive innovation and problem-solving. Sharing personal experiences from his biochemistry studies to his current work in building applications with Power Platform and Dynamics 365, Neil emphasizes the value of agile software development and the significance of learning through short bursts of experimentation. He provides insights into real-world experiments with AI Builder and form processing models, highlighting the impact of these experiments on improving business processes. Neil also shares his experimentation with AI features in his own content creation and business operations, encouraging listeners to embrace the mindset of a scientist and continue experimenting. So, tune in to explore the power of learning through experiments and discover how it can accelerate your own journey in building amazing apps.Free Workshop: 3 Secrets to Building Business Apps with ScrumJoin this free interactive workshop to discover the three secrets to successfully using Scrum to build agile apps so you can deliver projects faster, under budget, have more fun, and get promoted.https://customery.com/3secrets