The Sprint Planning That Wouldn't End - A Timeboxing Failure | Alex Sloley
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Release Date: 10/20/2025
AI Assisted Coding: From Designer to Solo Developer - Building Production Apps with AI With Elina Patjas
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
AI Assisted Coding: From Designer to Solo Developer - Building Production Apps with AI In this special episode, Elina Patjas shares her remarkable journey from designer to solo developer, building —an AI-powered study tool with 1,500+ users and paying customers—entirely through AI-assisted coding. She reveals the practical workflow, anti-patterns to avoid, and why the future of software might not need permanent apps at all. The Two-Week Transformation: From Idea to App Store "I did that, and I launched it to App Store, and I was like, okay, so… If I can do THIS! So, what else can...
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Coaching Product Owners from Isolation to Collaboration | Sara Di Gregorio
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Sara Di Gregorio: Coaching Product Owners from Isolation to Collaboration Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . The Great Product Owner: Using User Story Mapping to Break Down PO Isolation "One of the key strengths is the ability to build a strong collaborative relationship with the Scrum team. We constantly exchange feedback, with the shared goal of improving both our collaborating and the way of working." - Sara Di Gregorio Sara considers herself fortunate—she...
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How to Know Your Team Has Internalized Agile Values | Sara Di Gregorio
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Sara Di Gregorio: How to Know Your Team Has Internalized Agile Values Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . "Scrum isn't just a process to follow, it's a way of working." - Sara Di Gregorio For Sara, success as a Scrum Master isn't measured by what the team delivers—it's measured by how they grow. She knows that if you facilitate team growth in communication and collaboration, delivery will naturally improve. The indicators she watches for are...
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Facilitating Deeper Retrospectives—When to Step In and When to Step Back | Sara Di Gregorio
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Sara Di Gregorio: Facilitating Deeper Retrospectives—When to Step In and When to Step Back Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . "When they start connecting and having an interesting discussion, I go to the corner, and I'm only trying to listen." - Sara Di Gregorio Sara faces a challenge that many Scrum Masters encounter: teams that want to discuss too many topics during retrospectives without going deep on any of them. The team had plenty to talk about,...
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Rebuilding Agile Team Connection in the Remote Work Era | Sara Di Gregorio
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Sara Di Gregorio: Rebuilding Agile Team Connection in the Remote Work Era Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . "The book helped me to shift from reacting to connecting, which completely changed the quality of conversation." - Sara Di Gregorio When COVID forced Sara's team into full remote work, she noticed something troubling—the team was losing real connection. Replicating in-office meetings online simply didn't work. People attended meetings but weren't...
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When Teams Lose Trust—How Scrum Masters Rebuild It One Small Change at a Time | Sara Di Gregorio
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Sara Di Gregorio: When Teams Lose Trust—How Scrum Masters Rebuild It One Small Change at a Time Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . "I continue to approach this situation with openness, positivity, and trust, because I truly believe that even the smallest changes can make a difference over time." - Sara Di Gregorio Sara faced one of the most challenging situations a Scrum Master can encounter—a team member who had lost all trust in change, creating a...
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BONUS: Flawless Execution — Translating Fighter Pilot Precision to Business Results | Christian "Boo" Boucousis
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
BONUS: Flawless Execution — Translating Fighter Pilot Precision to Business Results In this powerful conversation, former fighter pilot reveals how military precision translates into agile business leadership. We explore , the critical difference between control-based and awareness-based leadership, and why most organizations fail to truly embrace iterative thinking. From Cockpit to Boardroom: An Unexpected Journey "I learned over time that it doesn't matter what you do if you're always curious, and you're always intentional, and you're always asking questions." — Christian...
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When Product Owners Facilitate Vision Instead of Owning It | Alidad Hamidi
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Alidad Hamidi: When Product Owners Facilitate Vision Instead of Owning It Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . The Great Product Owner: Co-Creating Vision Through Discovery "The best product owner I worked with was not a product owner, but a project manager. And she didn't realize that she's acting as a product owner." - Alidad Hamidi The irony wasn't lost on Alidad. The best Product Owner he ever worked with didn't have "Product Owner" in her title—she was a...
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Maximizing Human Potential as the Measure of Success | Alidad Hamidi
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Alidad Hamidi: Maximizing Human Potential as the Measure of Success Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . "Does my work lead into maximizing human potential? Maximizing the ability of the human to use their potential and freedom." - Alidal Hamidi Alidad calls himself a "recovering agility coach," and for good reason. For years, he struggled to define success in his work. As an enterprise coach, he plants seeds but never sees the trees grow. By the time...
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The Tax Teams Pay for Organizational Standards | Alidad Hamidi
Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Alidad Hamidi: The Tax Agile Teams Pay for Organizational Standards Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: . "If you set targets for people, they will achieve the target, even if that means destroying the system around them." - W. Edwards Deming (quoted by Alidad) The tension is familiar to every Scrum Master working in large organizations: leadership demands standard operating models, flow time metrics below specific numbers, and reporting structures that fit...
info_outlineAlex Sloley: The Sprint Planning That Wouldn't End - A Timeboxing Failure
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
"Although I knew about the steps of sprint planning, what I didn't really understand was the box of time versus the box of scope." - Alex Sloley
Alex shares a critical learning moment from his first team as a Scrum Master. After six months in the role, during an eight-hour sprint planning session for a four-week sprint, he successfully completed the "what" portion but ran out of time before addressing "how." Rather than respecting the timebox, Alex forced the team to continue planning for another four hours the next day—blowing the timebox by 50%. This experience taught him a fundamental lesson: the difference between scope-boxing and timeboxing. In waterfall, we try to control scope while time slips away. In Scrum, we fix time and let scope adjust. Alex emphasizes that timeboxing isn't just about keeping meetings short—it's about limiting work in process and maintaining focus. His practical tip: use visible timers to train yourself and your teams to respect timeboxes. This mindset shift from controlling scope to respecting time remains one of the most important lessons for Scrum Masters.
Self-reflection Question: How often do you prioritize completing a planned agenda over respecting the timebox? What message does this send to your team about the values you're reinforcing?
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🔥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 Alex Sloley
Alex believes that a great Scrum Master can have a long and lasting impact on people and teams. He is a global agile and product management evangelist, author of The Agile Community, and frequent international speaker. A former Microsoft leader with 15 years' experience, he now trains, coaches, and drives transformations worldwide. Certified across Scrum, ICAgile, and Kanban, Alex energizes communities, guides leaders, and—yes—enjoys good beer.
You can link with Alex Sloley on LinkedIn.