Ask Me Anything: Jac Hughes

Welcome to the Everyday Agile Podcast. This week, Steven Feeney is the guest. Steven is an Independent Agile Coach with a lean start-up and scrum background. Specifically focusing on building great teams that deliver valuable products. ▶︎ Send your community questions to [email protected] Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:54 A Controversial Post on Agile Failures 01:56 Embracing Failure and Learning 04:23 Military Intelligence Experience 13:12 Transition to Corporate Life 14:55 Startup Ventures and Lessons Learned 20:57 Entering the Agile Coaching World 27:27 Humility and Adaptability in Agile 31:45 Establishing First Principles 32:32 Community's Patronising Attitude 34:59 The Importance of Practices 38:34 Agile Coaching Mistakes 43:37 Transition to Acting 53:45 Balancing Career and Passion 58:01 Conclusion and Contact Information The Everyday Agile Podcast brings you interviews with Agile, Product, business and tech folk that you will leave with actionable and relevant advice. ▶︎ Listen to the podcast on: https://open.spotify.com/show/0NGKLeWxDzmQyjzh6jKjO8?si=5Vb_M9KbRM26rWwAvEE5Xg ▶︎ About Everyday Agile We might be little, but we’ve got great, big ideas – and lots of them. Transformative ideas that can make a massive difference to your business, your team and how things run. Revolutionary ideas that give our clients the tools they need to nail the basics, create problem-solving products and smash strategy out of the park. Metamorphic ideas that – okay, you get the point. Recorded and Produced by Liverpool Podcast Studios

As a Transformational Coach, Claudia helps people unlock their potential, guiding them to create meaningful lives that drive positive change. Having transitioned from corporate life to building her business, Claudia understands the challenges of change and the power of taking action. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:12 Claudia's Journey to Becoming a Transformational Coach 01:00 The Intersection of Life and Product Management 02:54 Personal Struggles and Triumphs 05:32 Defining a Transformation Coach 12:34 The Role of Social Media in Building a Coaching Business 25:19 Navigating the Coaching Landscape 37:21 Future Plans and Aspirations 41:28 Closing Remarks and Contact Information Claudia's LinkedIn and website https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiadecarlo/ https://claudiadecarlo.com/

Sam Quayle is a Director at Hyperact. A product development consultancy for start ups and scale ups Here are six quick things about Sam 1️⃣ He is the co-founder and design lead of Hyperact, a product-led tech consultancy that works with visionary tech companies to build products that scale. 2️⃣ Over the last 15 years he has helped some of the biggest brands on the planet solve their customer’s problems through great design and cutting-edge technology, including Google, Disney, Toyota, NHS, BBC, GDS, Sky Betting & Gaming, M&G, Cinch, HSBC, and Sage. 3️⃣ His skillset spans across product design, service design, user research, strategy, product management and designOps. Recently, his main focus has been building teams and strategy. 4️⃣ He has built and scaled user-centred design capabilities in two consultancies. The last, at Infinity Works, he grew from 1 to 50 in under three years. 5️⃣ He's a father of three, including twins. 6️⃣ He believes in the power of cross-functional, customer-obsessed teams. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Sam's Career Journey 02:48 The Birth of Hyperact 03:26 Insights on Product Design 04:31 Challenges in Transformation 08:25 Understanding Design in Tech 11:16 What Makes Good Design? 18:48 Hyperact: The Journey and Challenges 25:18 The Importance of User Research 34:26 Final Thoughts and Contact Information Sam's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-quayle/ https://www.hyperact.co.uk

Mark Walsh is a Liverpool-based technical lead/manager/architect with over 14 years of industry experience spanning multiple companies, including LateRooms, Yodel, LivingLens and Medallia. Mark's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwalsh-liverpool/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:17 Mark's Career Journey 00:55 The Importance of Cross-Functional Teams 03:39 Startup Experience and Wearing Multiple Hats 08:01 Role and Responsibilities of a CTO 10:23 Thoughts on Agile Methodologies 18:27 Managing Technical Teams 24:54 Open Office Spaces and Flow State 26:39 Effective Communication in the Workplace 28:42 Onboarding and Technical Documentation 29:35 Managing People and Personalities 32:06 The Debate on Estimating Work 37:28 Product Mindset vs. Project Focus 43:23 The Startup Experience 44:37 Advice for Aspiring Engineers 47:07 Concerns About AI and Junior Engineers 50:37 Final Thoughts and Mentorship Our Website: https://everydayagile.co.uk/ Jac's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jac-hughes/

Lucy Stafford-Hughes is an accomplished Transformation Consultant / Agile Coach with over 10 years experience in various sectors and a strong track record of effective delivery. Lucy's Linkedin: 👇https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-stafford-hughes-561b9155/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:24 Lucy's Professional Background 02:06 Journey into Agile Transformation 03:18 Challenges and Experiences in Agile 07:02 Mentoring and Supporting Women in Tech 17:50 Public vs. Private Sector in Agile 20:20 Contracting Journey and Advice 22:20 Expanding Beyond Agile 22:47 The Reality of Contracting 23:23 Networking for Opportunities 24:08 Understanding Agile Behaviours 25:30 Addressing Blame Culture 26:41 Coaching and Leadership Challenges 29:18 Drawing Inspiration Beyond Agile 33:04 Personal and Professional Reflections 37:08 Women in Agile and Tech 41:20 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

James Pels - Chief elephant spotter at proven ea and founder a co-organiser of lean-agile Manchester. James has over 20 years of experience helping organisations across various sectors identify and address the things that hold them back. Most people are often aware of these things but don't want to speak about them, hence the elephant spotter tag. He aims to improve organisational performance by using lean, agile, and digital methods and tools to identify and address the root causes of complex and challenging problems. Jame's Socials https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespels/ https://provenea.com/ Episode Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:17 James' Professional Background 01:48 LinkedIn Post on Project Management Failures 03:14 Challenges in Project Management 05:51 James' Career Journey 14:42 Advice for Aspiring Contractors 18:18 Understanding Agile and Agility 23:43 Defining Psychological Safety 25:08 Common Pitfalls in Agile Adoption 26:47 Changing Perspectives on Agile 28:46 Balancing Agile in Traditional Environments 32:46 Inspiration and Daily Routines 34:55 Lean Agile Manchester Meetup 42:42 Upcoming Events and Training Opportunities 47:13 Final Thoughts

Off the back of two guests needing to drop out, an emergency request for questions went out. This video answers those questions. Thank you for sending them in. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Question 1: Transition from Armed Forces to Agile 02:10 Question 2: Pathways for Agile Development 03:33 Question 3: The Agile Job Market 05:11 Question 4: Controversial Agile Beliefs 06:28 Question 5: Modernizing Agile Principles 07:36 Question 6: Essential Scrum Events 08:30 Question 7: IR35 and Agile Practitioners 09:46 Question 8: Supporting Veterans in Agile 11:00 Question 9: Quantum Leap as a Scrum Master 11:42 Question 10: Challenges in Product Delivery Consultancy 13:33 Question 11: Agile vs. Waterfall for Clients 14:52 Question 12: Agile in Complex Manufacturing 16:49 Conclusion

With over 15 years of Agile and Waterfall delivery experience, Tom is a specialist in helping organisations work effectively to maximise the ROI their teams deliver most recently head of delivery at the consultancy Aiimi Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:19 Military Experience and Transition to Civilian Life 02:23 Career Path and Agile Methodology 04:43 Insights on Scrum and Organizational Challenges 08:10 Role and Responsibilities of a Head of Delivery 14:40 Creating Healthy Team Dynamics 17:59 The Importance of Metrics in Team Performance 23:40 Challenges in Measuring Performance 26:00 The Pitfalls of Project Management 26:44 Choosing the Right Metrics 29:39 Introducing a New Venture 34:21 The Entrepreneurial Journey 39:32 Reflections and Future Plans Tom's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwhittam/ Make Team's Faster https://maketeamsfaster.com/

With over 10 years of experience in high performing teams, Elle is a director at an agile consulting firm and Delivery Lead at a Fintech Start-Up funded by the N Brown Group, a leading digital fashion retailer. Chapters: 00:00 Introductions 01:42 Ironman 07:03 Cycling Across the Himalayas 12:49 Transition to Agile Consulting 25:42 Balancing Emotions and Professionalism 28:27 Navigating ADHD in the Workplace 33:25 Core Values and Agile Practices 35:49 Challenges of Hierarchy in Agile Transformation 41:16 Personal Growth and Overcoming Anxiety 51:33 Reflections and Future Directions Elle's Socials https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellehaigh/ Elle's Fundraising Page https://companygiving.unrefugees.org.uk/fundraisers/elisehaigh

Patrick Blain is a Digital transformation and agile delivery specialist, and you love finding the most effective and efficient ways to bring value. This ranges from driving enterprise-level agile & digital transformations to setting individual teams up for success and enabling them to do their best work.