Product Fields
Product Fields

Product Fields

Sander Dur, Ryan Brook, Jim Sammons, and Rich Visotcky

Overview
Episodes

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Why is it that products are so hard to develop and deliver? How can we truly deliver value with so many different variables that can affect the outcome?We are Sander Dur, Ryan Brook, Jim Sammons, and Rich Visotcky, professional consultants and trainers who support organizations in their pursuit of creating valuable products. Passionate about helping the community and practitioners apply the theory that many authors and thought leaders bring to the industry, we started Product Fields make these concepts more accessible. This podcast will change your career and organization. You’ll be entertained while learning about the industry’s leaders and other practitioners, and you’ll feel familiar with the situations discussed as we invite guests over and discuss tools, concepts, models, metrics, leadership, frameworks, and many more elements that help you deliver amazing products. We understand the many struggles, challenges, antipatterns, and dysfunctions many of us face in our daily working lives. We are here to provide actionable advice and strategies for you to create continuous improvement. You will find things that actually work for many organizations, as we and our guests have tried and tested them. You will find a goldmine of actionable information from many fields, including the space industry, Formula 1, psychology, and Silicon Valley’s top entrepreneurs. We break down these complex topics into easily digestible insights that you can start applying in your careers right away. The best part is that you can even join our live recordings to ask your most burning questions and get them answered based on your needs! We dive deep into the world of business agility, product discovery, delivery, validation, product management, and product frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, LeSS, and many more. We’ll explore the benefits of decentralized decision-making, autonomous empowered teams, leadership, and much more. We empower you with the information you need to become the leaders your organization deserve.

Recent Episodes

#148 It's You, Not Me...Right?
FEB 4, 2026
#148 It's You, Not Me...Right?
In this conversation, Jim Sammons and Rich Visotcky discuss various aspects of team dynamics, particularly focusing on Scrum Masters and the importance of engagement and interest in work. We explore the expectations placed on Scrum Masters, the significance of caring about the work being done, and how to navigate conflicts within teams around their work, tool choice, communication patterns, and more.Key highlights include:Interest in work drives better performance and outcomes.Navigating conflict requires understanding the context.Caring about the work leads to better results.Frustrations in work often stem from organizational decisions.Shifting mindsets from tool dependency to problem-solving is crucial.Different teams require different types of support and skills.Chapters00:00 Intro 00:16 Should Scrum Masters Be Interested? 01:23 Do Process People Need to Grasp The Backlog? 04:48 Do Care and Interest Go Hand in Hand? 08:14 Marker 4 08:14 Did the Creators of Agility Expect People to Care? 10:56 Do You Need to Know How the Sausage is Made? 13:41 The Legend of "Json the Troublemaker" 18:25 It's Not Them, It's You 21:39 The Way of Working 26:30 What Gets You Riled Up? 29:49 It Makes Sense, and it Makes Me Angry 34:52 The "User" Will See You Now 37:03 What Riles Rich Up? 42:35 Part of the Solution? 46:29 On the Next Episode... Connect with Product Fields:📢 Follow the podcast for more inspiring stories💬 Join the conversation on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/company/mastering-agility 📩 Contact us for trades or sponsorships👉 If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it!Connect with our hosts:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamessammons/https://www.linkedin.com/in/richvisotcky/Check out our sponsors:https://www.xebia.comhttps://www.wiserbees.comhttps://www.jointinsights.comhttps://www.productfields.com
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48 MIN
#147 Leading Product Teams in the Age of AI - With Gil Broza
JAN 15, 2026
#147 Leading Product Teams in the Age of AI - With Gil Broza
Gil Broza joins our hosts, Jim Sammons and Rich Visotcky, for the first episode of the Product Fields podcast in 2026!  In this conversation, we discuss the evolving landscape of agility and product management in the age of AI. Together, we explore how AI has transformed product delivery, the importance of accountability, and the need for leaders to adapt their strategies to ensure effective team dynamics. Too often, we have seen companies go full-on into AI without any strategy or understanding of the consequences. Through our discussion, we dive into the balance between leveraging AI for efficiency while maintaining critical thinking and human oversight, and the need for a thoughtful approach to integrating AI into work processes.00:00:00 Intro00:02:04 Agility Beyond Tech: Adapting Principles for Non-Tech Teams 00:03:44 The Relevance of the Agile Manifesto, Values, and Principles 00:08:44 AI's Impact on Product Delivery and Management 00:12:15 Going Back to Principles in the Age of AI 00:16:52 Accountability in the Age of AI 00:28:03 The AI Industrial Revolution: Trust and Human Connection 00:33:58 The Atrophy of Skills in the Age of AI 00:35:07 The Impact of AI on Communication and Authenticity 00:45:38 The Dangers of Over-Reliance on AI 00:47:27 Fundamentals in the Age of AI 00:50:45 The Danger of Agency and AI 00:53:01 The Future of Work and AI Integration 00:57:46 Quantity vs. Impact 01:01:20 Closing Connect with Product Fields:📢 Follow the podcast for more inspiring stories💬 Join the conversation on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/company/mastering-agility 📩 Contact us for trades or sponsorships👉 If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it!Connect with our guests:Gil Broza: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilbrozaSubscribe to Gil’s newsletter: https://3pvantage.com/subscribe-newsletter/Attend Gil’s course, “Leading AI-Enabled Product Teams”: https://3pvantage.com/leapt/Check out our sponsors:https://www.xebia.comhttps://www.wiserbees.comhttps://www.jointinsights.comhttps://www.productfields.com
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65 MIN
#146 Can Mindset be Quantified? - With Dr. Karen Eilers and Christiaan Verwijs
JAN 6, 2026
#146 Can Mindset be Quantified? - With Dr. Karen Eilers and Christiaan Verwijs
Join hosts Rich Visotcky and Jim Sammons as they delve deep into the agile mindset and its significance in team dynamics from a research-backed perspective. Joining them in this episode are Dr. Karen Eilers and Christiaan Verwijs who are leading studies exploring the agile mindset from the individual and team level.  Through their research and the help of Columinity, they describe how to factors like motivation, morale, collaborative exchange, value focus, and management support improve team effectiveness. Together, we discuss the development of reliable measurement scales, the importance of data in understanding team effectiveness in order to take action, and the challenges of selection bias and trust in survey data. We also dip our toes into the pools of dynamic reteaming and its effects on team cohesion and team outcomes.Whether you’re a manager looking to help your teams hit their stride, a team member trying to understand how to improve yourself to improve those around you, or a research and data junkie curious about people and teams, this episode has you covered!Want to learn more about your team and the research?Participate (and get immediate actionable feedback!): https://questionnaire.columinity.com/setup/model/agilemindsetPreliminary findings: https://blog.columinity.com/how-a-team-level-agile-mindset-shapes-team-effectiveness/Scientific paper on Agile Mindset: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162522001822Contact Columinity: https://columinity.com/researchConnect with our guests:Karen Eilers: linkedin.com/in/dr-karen-eilers/Christiaan Verwijs: linkedin.com/in/christiaanverwijs/Connect with Mastering Agility:📢 Follow the podcast for more inspiring stories💬 Join the conversation on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/mastering-agility📩 Contact us for trades or sponsorships👉 If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it!Check out our sponsors:www.xebia.comwww.wiserbees.comwww.jointinsights.comwww.productfields.comFind more at www.masteringagility.org
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53 MIN
#145 Consistency, Creativity, Compliance, and the Five X's with Sam Falco and Dan Neumann
DEC 2, 2025
#145 Consistency, Creativity, Compliance, and the Five X's with Sam Falco and Dan Neumann
In this episode, Jim and Rich delve into the complexities of Agile methodologies with Sam Falco and Dan Neumann, discussing the balance between consistency and flexibility, the challenges of planning in complex environments, and the importance of discipline in Agile practices. Together, they explore various frameworks for navigating complexity, the significance of measuring effectiveness, and the necessity of making small bets in uncertain conditions. The need for organizations to adapt their approaches based on the context and to embrace feedback as a means of continuous improvement is critical for continued success.00:00 Intro04:08 Understanding Complexity in Agile 09:02 The Challenge of Planning in Complex Environments 13:49 Navigating Regulations and Constraints 15:57 Frameworks for Managing Complexity 21:46 Managing Risk and Boundaries in Complexity 26:07 Efficiency vs. Effectiveness 30:20 The Complexity of Decision Making 37:15 Consistency vs Flexibility 44:05 Discovering the Time to Change 47:53 Building and Falling Into Habits 51:58 Finding the Balance of Consistency and Flexibility 53:40 Iterating Towards a Solution 54:37 Complexity Needs Good Process 55:25 Using Cadence for Evolution and Consistency 57:01 It Takes Discipline to DeliverConnect with Mastering Agility:📢 Follow the podcast for more inspiring stories💬 Join the conversation on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mastering-agility📩 Contact us for trades or sponsorships👉 If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it!Connect with our guests:linkedin.com/in/sam-falco/linkedin.com/in/meetdanneumann/Check out our sponsors:www.xebia.comwww.wiserbees.comwww.jointinsights.comwww.productfields.comFind more at www.masteringagility.orgHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
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59 MIN