silos Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

Xmas Special: Breaking Down the Wall Between Product and Engineering With Vasco Duarte

In the second episode of the “5 Wishes for 2025” series, Vasco Duarte tackles one of the most persistent and damaging divides in software development: the wall between Product and Engineering teams. Through stories, metaphors, and real-world examples, Vasco challenges the status quo and paints a vision for seamless collaboration that drives innovation and value.

The Invisible Walls Holding Us Back

“It’s like having the ingredients and the recipe in separate rooms – how are you supposed to cook something amazing?”

Vasco begins by highlighting the invisible barriers that still exist between Product and Engineering teams in many organizations. These divisions stifle innovation and slow progress. Drawing parallels to outdated structures, Vasco recounts the struggle to integrate Product Owners into Scrum teams and how that barely scratched the surface of the larger issue.

He calls for a broader perspective: aligning the creative potential of engineering with the customer insights of product management to unlock real innovation.

Lessons From the Field: Breaking Down Barriers

1. The Experiments-Only Team

“Not the mad scientist kind, but real, product-focused experiments that bring technical innovation and product leadership together.” Continue reading Xmas Special: Breaking Down the Wall Between Product and Engineering With Vasco Duarte

Mike Bowler: Reviving Dysfunctional Teams with Trust and Collaboration

Mike recounts his experience with an extremely dysfunctional team he joined six months into a three-month project. Despite having code, there were no meaningful deliverables due to internal conflicts and fractured dynamics. Mike shares the practical techniques he employed to build trust, including individual conversations, pairing exercises, and ensemble programming to break down silos. He highlights the importance of fostering trust through collaborative activities such as team lunches, which create a foundation for improved teamwork and communication.

Self-reflection Question: What activities can you initiate to build trust and collaboration in a team?

Featured Book of the Week: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Mike recommends Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman as a pivotal introduction to human behavior and decision-making. The book’s explanation of the two systems of thinking—fast, intuitive thought and slower, more deliberative reasoning—provides insight into why individuals behave the way they do. Mike finds it essential for understanding team dynamics and behavior changes, making it a powerful tool for any Agile practitioner.

The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends…

🔥 In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching! 🔥

Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.

🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.

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About Mike Bowler

Mike Bowler is a seasoned Agile coach and trainer with 25 years of experience. He specializes in technical practices, workflow optimization, leadership coaching, and the neuroscience of human behavior. Mike’s expertise includes guiding teams in technical execution and fostering psychological safety.

You can link with Mike Bowler on LinkedIn.

Sofi Simonyan: From Silos to Synergy: Building Remote Relationships With Distributed Agile Teams

Sofi assumed connecting with her remote team would be easy since she had prior experience in a distributed team environment. However, as she was starting a new job in a new country during the pandemic, Sofi quickly learned it wasn’t that simple. She faced unexpected challenges, like team silos and surprising escalations during retrospectives. Sofi realized she needed to invest more in personal connections and understanding cultural backgrounds. Her journey underscores the importance of building relationships and fostering team collaboration, especially in remote settings.

The inspiring story of how a failing hospital turned things around with Agile and Lean

Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story – How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Sofi Simonyan

Sofi is a Scrum Master with 6 years of experience in tech startups and a diverse work background. Passionate about people, her mission is to build teams where active listening and growth mindset are essential values. Currently on maternity leave, Sofi practices agility in a completely different dimension.

You can link with Sofi Simonyan on LinkedIn and connect with Sofi Simonyan on Twitter.

Johannes Andersen: Disjoint Silos, The Illusion of Teamwork and How it Affects Agile Coaches’ Work

In this segment, Johannes reflects on his transition from a business unit to an HR position, which initially seemed promising due to the team-based approach they embraced in HR. However, he soon discovered that the HR team lacked unity, with various small roles not functioning cohesively as a team. Tasked by his manager to enhance the HR team’s effectiveness, Johannes found himself dedicating much of his time to internal issues rather than organizational improvement. The core issue was the absence of a shared goal, leading to misalignment and lack of collaboration within the team, effectively making them “disjoint silos” rather than a unified force. We discuss Vasco’s mnemonic of “One Team, One Goal” andthe importance of aligning around a single, shared goal to foster true teamwork.

Featured Book of the Week: “The Goal” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

In this segment, Johannes discusses how “The Goal” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt profoundly influenced him. Appreciating its novel-based approach, he found it uniquely effective for teaching new concepts, allowing readers to empathize with the learning process. Johannes admires the book’s focus on outcomes and its clarity on defining a company’s “goal,” highlighting its system thinking approach as a critical aspect of understanding and solving organizational problems.

Transform Your Agile Teams with Hard-Earned Lessons from Super-Experienced Scrum Masters

Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches – Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!

About Johannes Andersen

Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics.

You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: Strategies for Improved Team Collaboration in Agile Teams

In this episode, Josh shares a team’s struggles – newly formed, but spanning distant timezones, and facing communication issues. Individual work overshadowed teamwork, and this was made worse by very unclear responses from a team member that was not meeting their sprint goals. Frustration peaked on the final day of one of the Sprints. Reflecting on that story, Josh advocates transparent communication, urging team members to share when help is needed. He stresses the importance of a working agreement when seeking help and proposes conducting psychological safety assessments and focusing on team well-being.

Featured Book for the Week: “Coaching Agile Teams” by Lyssa Adkins

In this episode, Josh recommends “Coaching Agile Teams” by Lyssa Adkins for Scrum Masters. He highlights its enduring value, providing continuous support for navigating challenges. Drawing from a team member’s experience feeling trapped in a “hamster wheel,” Josh emphasizes the book’s relatable stories, offering preparation for similar situations.

Transform Your Agile Teams with Hard-Earned Lessons from Super-Experienced Scrum Masters

About Josh Lambert

Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.

You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.