Bart Scheenaerts

A few years ago I put on a public Leading SAFe training. This wasn’t your typical training, however. In collaboration with Quinton Quartel, we tacked on an extra day to discuss FAST Agile. Now if SAFe is an example of a scaling framework, FAST Agile is perhaps a good example of what you might call a de-scaling framework. FAST uses an Open Space style of organization to provide only the most bare bones structure and guidance. It’s really quite elegant in its simplicity. Quinton and I had both been inspired by the ideas of processes and practices that we can mix and match together. We thought putting on a combined training class would be interesting. First teach SAFe, then turn around and teach a competing framework. Then compare and contrast. Well, as it turns out, the combination was quite brilliant. As I taught the two days of Leading SAFe training, the class built up the framework from teams, to programs, to solutions, to portfolios. Learning the roles and processes of each. By the end of the second day, I was exhausted but happy (as usual). Then Quinton stepped in and proceeded to teach FAST Agile on day 3. In essence, he took everything I had taught them and tore it all down. The focus was on simplicity and self-organization. The class was totally into it – questions flew fast and furious. Everyone was fully engaged. The contrast between the two frameworks was stark, and it raised many questions for both Quinton and I. You see, I wasn’t there to sell anyone on SAFe. Don’t get me wrong, I like the framework, and I enjoy the training a lot, but I don’t give a damn whether or not you decide to adopt it. What I really care about is that you make an informed decision based on what I hope is the deepest possible understanding of the options. If you understand the values, principles and practices deeply, then you will choose to implement what is best for you and your organization. There is a tremendous amount of nuance and subtlety to the art of organizational change (that’s probably why I like it so much), so I believe that the ability to not only adopt ideas, but also to be critical of them is important. The act of building up the framework and subsequently tearing it down again felt like a very powerful learning experience. It went beyond rote learning. Not only do we ask, “Why would you adopt this?” We also ask, “Why wouldn’t you adopt this?” That requires us to understand the ideas from different perspectives. People stayed after class each day debating the ideas for over an hour each evening. That’s when you know you’ve really got them thinking. I’m looking forward to doing it again.

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Organisational change, especially 𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑒 nowadays, is often seen as process improvement and/or more meetings to discuss nothing valuable. Back in the Netherlands, I was running a transformation at a large telecom company. About twenty teams were going through a big agile transformation, and I was there to guide it all. I was warned that one of the teams was 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒: they were hard to deal with, negative, and reactive. Their response towards me: Agile was stupid, annoying, unnecessary, and definitely not needed to have a coach telling them how to do their work. I started by just chatting with the team. Hearing how they saw reality and listening to their day-to-day struggles. After a few of these chats, I got them on board to experiment with some structured processes to give them more insights into what they were doing daily. No full-blown transformation, just clarity and transparency. With that, their behaviour and communication started to change. One day, one of the team members asked me for a coffee. He opened up that he had been diagnosed with ADHD and had been struggling with work for a long time (years). He took his work home and, therefore, also his frustration and worries. The structure I helped the team to create made a world of difference for him. He knew what to do today, tomorrow, and at the end of the week; therefore, he could 'forget' his work when he went home. Enjoying spending time with his partner and not being stressed and worried about work. We sometimes don't see the value that interaction and structure can do for someone. Those results aren't directly shown on '𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠', market shares, or 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬. They can end up changing someone for the better. A better version of me = a better employee for you. #agile #transformation #change #organisationalchange #behaviour #people #hr #peopleandculture #stopfocussingonprocesses

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If you are considering submitting a proposal to a conference, read this to invite the program committee and the eventual audience to your session. Also, please consider reading my book: https://lnkd.in/gY_xx_qu (That page also has a link to a self-study workshop.)

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#Lean4Teams If you would translate Kai Zen literally from Japanese to English, you would get: 'Kai' 改, meaning 'change,' and 'zen' 善, meaning 'good'. So loosely translated as 'change for the better'. In daily life we translate this to Continuous Improvement. I like to translate Continuous Improvement to making a 1% improvement every day by going to the Gemba (the place it happens), ask questions (5 x why) and engage the people. This way you slowly change the people's mindset to one of continuously looking around for what other improvements can be made.

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https://lnkd.in/eFS_eFwH A lot of chat about the potential Department of Government Efficiency (#DOGE); what could it be or can be? #lean #leansixsigma #costsavings #nonvalue #productivity #accountability

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In this episode of #AgileWay podcast I have a conversation with Edwin Hanegraaf about being a coach and learn how to really listen to people. #agile #businessagility #agileleader #leadership #coaching #listening https://lnkd.in/e5xw4etx

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🚀 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻—𝗔𝗰𝘁! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀!🚀 Knowledge is powerful, but 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 📚💪 Too often, we spend time learning, reading, and absorbing new information, but then… nothing happens. The knowledge stays locked inside, disconnected from real-world impact. 🌍 The truth is, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱. When you don’t apply what you learn, you miss out on growth, progress, and the opportunity to make a difference. 🌱 Imagine the transformation that could happen if every new lesson led to bold, decisive action! 🔄 Are you truly leveraging your learning, or is it just gathering dust in your mind? 🤔 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼: 🔥 Applying what we learn 💥 Turning knowledge into power 🌟 Creating real change with every lesson 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! Share in the comments what you plan to implement, and let’s inspire each other to keep moving forward! 💬👇 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆. 🌠 #ContinuousLearning #ActionOverKnowledge #GrowthMindset #PersonalDevelopment #Leadership #Inspiration #Empowerment #LearningToAction #LinkedInCommunity #SuccessTips

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The Strategy Pyramid

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How many quotes and principles can you come up with? at Wemanity Belgium

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What Drives Quality is also available as a paperback edition, buy the book in my webshop, on Amazon and Bol, or in all major online bookstores buff.ly/45EYv0C #agile #book #quality

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💁‍♀️ Same procedure as every day, Ms./Mr...? You slept badly again. You are tired 😴 . Your neck hurts, and your morning coffee is more of a habit than a wake-up call? Try this! 🌞 Start Your Day with Light! 🌞 Did you know that exposing yourself to natural light within the first 30 minutes of waking up can significantly boost your mood and energy levels? For those of us with #ADHD or anyone looking to improve their #wellbeing, this simple practice is a #gamechanger! But why stop there? If you're dealing with #stress, #anxiety, or #overthinking, combining light exposure with a morning walk can do wonders for your #mentalhealth. The magic of optic flow—the movement of visual scenery as you walk—helps reduce amygdala activity, promoting better stress and cortisol management. Imagine starting your day with a clear mind and a calm heart! 🔝 And here’s a fun twist: why not visit a playground on your walk? Engaging with playground equipment lets you unleash your inner child, bringing joy and an extra endorphin boost to your morning or even as a mid-day break. Rediscover the simple pleasures and feel more vibrant and alive! ✨ Ready to transform your mornings and boost your mental health? Let’s connect! I’m passionate about sharing more tips and guiding you on this journey. Reach out to learn how you can make these practices a part of your daily routine. ✨ #Biohacking #MorningRoutine #Lightexposure #Stressrelief #Opticflow #Booster

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Great read! Having seen the misinterpretation and implementation of so-called "Lean" techniques over the past 35+ years, I agree with everything in your article. Because of US businesses executives and consulting companies trying to trademark their own version of the Just-In-Time methodology, there has been a bastardization and watering down of the principles. Also, the philosophy behind Just in Time and/or Toyota Production System is not taught or understood by those trying to implement it. Therefore, it is perceived as nothing more than a soulless and cold process which had led many to have a negative association with the word "LEAN" which has become a converted into an acronym for - "Less Employees Are Needed."

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What is a quality connection? In coaching we are trained to listen and ask question that matter. ❓💡I am writing this post inspired by Yves Hanoulle (he/him) 🇺🇦 question about tips to better connect with team’s Scrum Master, one of his Product Owner friends asked for. 😌 His post made me reflect on the art of genuine questioning with curiosity. I answered Yves the text below, then I though that would be helpful to post the answer in an article. The power of the questions operate when we are truely interested in the other person. Gentle reminder, ask questions that serve the connection, not yourself 😉. 🐴 ask questions without expecting the “right” answer, that will allow you to follow your plan 🦄 Acknowledge that, whatever the answer is, it is the right one; from your partner in conversation perspective. I’m quoting the following from the power of moments book (Chip & Dan Hale) : Our relationships are stronger when we perceive that our partners are responsive to us. The responsiveness means: - 💡Understanding: My partner knows how I see myself and what is important to me. - ✅ Validation: My partner respects who I am and what I want. - ❤️ Caring: My partner takes active and supportive steps in helping me meet my needs. So, for a great the quality of connection, be that responsive partner when asking questions. And you, what type of questions do you ask? How do you listen to their answers? #question #connection #relationship #peoplework

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OLD VS. NEW BUSINESS STRATEGY Substantial differences separate the traditional from the agile management, and they also concern the development and the deployment of the strategy Based on the process of strategic management captioned under the acronym SP.I.D.E.R. presented in my last book *, hereafter 3 points that differentiate the old to the new approach to business-strategy: 1. top-down assignment => participative and iterative process 2. annual task => continuous process 3. strategy per se => Drucker's "doing the right thing right" combines strategy and operations. The process of strategic management is the third of the five forces of enterprise, and it connects the potential of the personnel, the 5 capitals of the enterprise with the external partners, and the products. * "The Five Forces of Enterprise" Kindle 2023

Projects - Agile Coaches Burnout??? #agile #scrum #leadership #sponsors #projects #projectmanagement #business #investors #people #teams #desicionmaking #pmtraining #csuite #ceo #executives #stakeholders #management #innovation #socialmedia #cmc #pmi #apm #ipma #students #education #tech #digital #dublin #london #miami #newyorkcity

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How to structure your venture studio SaaS portfolio company right from the start Venture studios are keen on creating SaaS portfolio companies. If structured right, SaaS companies can become profitable cash machines for venture studios. Combining fifteen years of experience with SaaS business models and researching venture builders for a PhD project, these are my five major learnings: 🔗As most SaaS products may be copied. Excellent distribution and long-term customer relationships are crucial. Long-term and strong relationships impact many important KPI's including ARR growth, Churn, NPS and eNPS. ➡️For venture studios, that means building on the existing network to creating legitimacy for the portfolio start-up. ---- 🚥A streamlined organization where everyone knows what to do makes recruiting during scaling much easier. Hiring too fast, before the need of more team members occurs, may hinder efficiency. Create job descriptions, routines and procedures for the organization open enough not risking losing founder mode. ➡️For venture studios, that means knowing what competence to look for in different states. Use accumulated knowledge timing and managing recruitment as best as possible. ---- 📈 Keep track on the blended CAC ratio. Inefficiency and high cost in acquiring new ARR will eat up your EBITDA margins. Most B2C SaaS gets scalable through higher numbers of customers. In B2B SaaS, expansion, cross-selling, and price increases are fundamental for fast growth. ➡️For venture studios, that means share customer databases, cross-sell as much as possible, and develop a value-based pricing structure as soon as possible. ---- 🔁 Having routines and procedures in place capitalizing from a management quality system (we used ISO) helps bringing your start-up from a healthy creative chaos to an efficient scale-up. ➡️For venture studios, that means creating a management quality system and put it in place in each portfolio company will help increase speed of development and growth. ---- 💻 An understanding that an intuitive and ‘friendly’ user interface with few bugs in the product, allow support and customer success to be part of the sales organization focusing on the core product, rather than being a business unit trying to help customers handle an in-efficient product to avoid churn. ➡️For venture studios, that means accumulate knowledge in software development in relation to user friendliness and learn from previous start-up attempts to avoid churn. From your experience, what other learnings should be added here? #venturestudio #venturebuilder #entrepreneurship #scaling #saas ________________________________ Did you like this post? Connect or Follow @john-erik hassel

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I wrote another book. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱. It’s not about Agile. Agile, as practiced, hasn’t resulted in tangible business impact. Impact intelligence – a constant awareness of the business impact of initiatives – is missing. This is leading to difficult conversations between the C-Suite Core (CEO, COO, CFO) and investors. The book, aimed at the C-Suite Core, uses real examples to describe an outside-in approach to improve impact intelligence. I hope you enjoy the attached preview enough to go ahead and buy it. Thank you. Book website: www.impactintel.net

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This is a great article on Enterprise Change Management from Kerrie Smit, published by APMG International. One small remark: apart from dimension and complexity, there is no difference between Project-level Change Management and Enterprise-level Change Management. Both require a people-centric focus and alignment with the company-wide strategy. Project-level change is a small component of the organisation´s portfolio of change initiatives.

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