alignment Archives - Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

BONUS: Why Copying Frameworks Fails—Building Great Product Organizations From the Inside Out, With Marcus Hammarberg and Tore Fjaertoft

Imagine a company that spends a year building an iPad app—and on launch day the product owner says: “Now it’ll be interesting to see if anyone uses it.” In this episode, Marcus Hammarberg and Tore Fjaertoft share why organizations keep installing frameworks like software, why it still doesn’t work, and what they’ve learned from places like Spotify about treating your way of working as a product in itself.

When Copying Without Adopting Becomes the Norm

“It becomes more about following whatever this framework tells you to do, rather than to understand what the problem you’re trying to solve is all about.”

Marcus and Tore met at a consultancy in Malmö and within 15 minutes realized they shared the same frustrations—despite coming from opposite directions. Marcus comes from the ground up as a software developer and coach, while Tore works top-down with leadership teams on product organization design. Both had worked at Spotify and both had seen organizations copy famous frameworks and models without adopting the underlying mindset. The telltale sign, as Tore describes it, is when people focus on compliance rather than being pragmatic—following the manual without questioning whether the way they’re working is actually serving the organization. As Marcus frames it through Cynefin, product development lives in a domain where best practices don’t even exist—only emergent practices that you discover by trying things out.

Treat Your Process Like a Product

“The easiest way for us to explain things has been: take the mindset you use for your product, and then use that same mindset when you’re approaching how you set things up and how you work internally.” Continue reading BONUS: Why Copying Frameworks Fails—Building Great Product Organizations From the Inside Out, With Marcus Hammarberg and Tore Fjaertoft

BONUS: From Combat Pilot to Scrum Master – How Military Leadership Transforms Agile Teams

In this bonus episode, we explore a fascinating career transition with Nate Amidon, a former Air Force combat pilot who now helps software teams embed military-grade leadership principles into their Agile practices. Nate shares how the high-stakes discipline of aviation translates directly into building high-performing development teams, and why veterans make exceptional Scrum Masters.

The Brief-Execute-Debrief Cycle: Aviation Meets Agile

“We would mission brief in the morning and make sure everyone was on the same page. Then we problem-solved our way through the day, debriefed after, and did it again. When I learned about what Agile was, I realized it’s the exact same thing.”

Nate’s transition from flying C-17 cargo planes to working with Agile teams wasn’t as jarring as you might expect. Flying missions that lasted 2-3 weeks with a crew of 5-7 people taught him the fundamentals of iterative work: daily alignment, continuous problem-solving, and regular reflection. The brief-execute-debrief cycle that every military pilot learns mirrors the sprint cadence that Agile teams follow. Time-boxing wasn’t new to him either—when you’re flying, you only have so much fuel, so deadlines aren’t arbitrary constraints but physical realities that demand disciplined execution.

In this episode with Christian Boucousis, we also discuss the brief-execute-debrief cycle in detail.

In this segment, we also refer to Cynefin, and the classification of complexity.

Alignment: The Real Purpose Behind Ceremonies

“It’s really important to make sure everyone understands why you’re doing what you’re doing. We don’t brief, execute, debrief just because—we do it because we know that getting everybody on the same page is really important.” Continue reading BONUS: From Combat Pilot to Scrum Master – How Military Leadership Transforms Agile Teams

Deniz Ari: Why Your Process Changes Are Failing—The Stakeholder Alignment Problem

Deniz explores the challenges of implementing change in organizations, emphasizing that change is always a long and difficult process requiring patience and trust. Drawing on the Change Curve concept, Deniz shares a personal experience trying to improve project visibility by cleaning up backlogs in JIRA for 10 in-flight projects. Despite good intentions, Deniz found themselves as the only person using the tool, with team members and Product Owners using different systems that better suited their specific needs—POs wanting only high-level items while the development team needed to split items into smaller tasks. Through this experience, Deniz learned the crucial importance of having all stakeholders (Product Owners, development teams, and managers) aligned on using the same tool, and understanding the unique perspectives of each group before implementing process changes.

In this episode, we refer to the Change Curve.

Self-reflection Question: What changes have you attempted to implement that failed because you didn’t fully understand the different needs and perspectives of all stakeholders involved?

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About Deniz Ari

Deniz is an innovative, driven professional with expertise in Agile coaching, delivery management, data science, and technology transformation. As a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, Deniz builds high-performing teams, drives strategic execution, and fosters collaboration. Passionate about continuous improvement, they lead cultural shifts, optimize processes, and deliver scalable, high-quality outcomes.

You can link with Deniz Ari on LinkedIn.

CTO Series: Alexander Grosse Shares A Masterclass in Product, Process, and Leadership

In this special BONUS episode from our CTO Series, we learn about leadership and product from Alexander Grosse, a seasoned professional with an impressive track record at companies like Nokia, SoundCloud, and BCG Digital Ventures. Currently serving as the Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) at Veo, Alexander shares insights into his unique role, offering practical advice on how to structure teams, integrate product and engineering functions, and scale effectively during periods of rapid growth. Whether you’re in the tech space or simply interested in effective leadership, this episode provides invaluable lessons on aligning product and tech for optimal results.

The Evolution of the CPTO Role

“Bridging the gap between product and technology is crucial to avoid conflicts and ensure everyone is aligned on the same objectives.”

Alexander begins by explaining the evolution of his role from an engineer to a CPTO, highlighting the challenges he faced in organizations where product and engineering were separated into silos. He discusses how this separation often led to conflicting incentives, ultimately stifling progress and innovation. By combining these roles under one umbrella, Alexander has been able to foster a more cohesive team, incentivized by the same goals and working in unison toward shared outcomes.

“In a startup with limited runway, it’s essential to have one team incentivized by the same numbers. This alignment dissolves conflicts and directs energy towards building the product.”

Leadership Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Continue reading CTO Series: Alexander Grosse Shares A Masterclass in Product, Process, and Leadership

Keir Lumsden: How to Keep Your Agile Team Focused Despite Setbacks, A Lesson In Leading Change

Keir details his experience with a high-performing team that was ready to launch a new product, only to have the funding pulled at the last minute. Despite the setback, the team’s dedication and focus on the product goal became a model for others in the organization. How do you lead a team through change when external factors disrupt your plans? Keir shares tips on acting as if change is needed and ensuring your team remains aligned and focused, even in the face of uncertainty.

Want to Improve Your Change Management Results? Discover the Lean Change Management Approach Today!

As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Keir Lumsden

Keir Lumsden joins us from the UK. A former developer, Keir has been fully immersed in Agile practices for the past 10 years. With a mind that constantly seeks lessons beyond the realm of software development, he enjoys writing and speaking about these insights.

You can link with Keir Lumsden on LinkedIn.