Podcast Summary: The Digital Marketing Podcast

Episode Title: Understanding Agile Working

Hosts: Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers
Release Date: January 9, 2017

Overview

This episode dives into the concept of Agile working, exploring what it means, how it’s implemented, and why it matters for digital marketing teams and broader organizations. Drawing from insights in the soon-to-be-released book "Building Digital Culture," Daniel and Ciaran explore the shift from traditional project management (like Waterfall) to more flexible, adaptive, and collaborative Agile methods, explaining key frameworks, benefits, and actionable advice for listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rationale for Agile Working (00:24–03:06)

• The hosts introduce Agile as a response to sluggish, traditional digital project delivery models.
• Agile isn't just a process; it's a set of values for working collaboratively, rapidly, and flexibly.
• Daniel highlights problems in traditional structures, such as isolated teams, slow feedback loops, and the inability to adapt to changing requirements.

“Building Digital Culture is basically all about the stuff that causes problems with digital that isn’t really digital… strategic planning, infrastructure, working practices, the culture within organizations.”
– Daniel Rowles (00:43)

2. Waterfall vs. Agile Explained (03:06–05:35)

• Waterfall Model:

  • Tasks proceed sequentially; each step must finish before the next begins.
  • Project outputs are only reviewable at the end, increasing risk of misalignment with stakeholders.
  • Stalling at any step delays the entire project; isolated teams can further exacerbate issues.

• Agile Model:

  • Focuses on iterative, incremental progress.
  • Cross-disciplinary teams work together, breaking projects into manageable chunks for frequent feedback and adaptation.

“You have to go all the way to the end of the project before you’ve got anything to share with your stakeholders, which is not good.”
– Daniel Rowles (03:25)

3. The Principles of Agile Working (05:35–07:30)

• Agile Values:

  • Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
  • Working software (or outputs) over comprehensive documentation.
  • Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
  • Responding to change over following a plan.

• Why Agile?

  • Quicker cycles mean less room for disruptive mid-project changes.
  • Protects teams from unnecessary interruptions; changes are addressed in the next cycle, not immediately.

“If you are more agile, the whole process is going to be quicker…there is far less chance for somebody to come up with another brilliant idea that I’ve just thought of.”
– Ciaran Rogers (05:35)

"You protect people when they're working in these little working cycles."
– Daniel Rowles (05:47)

4. Agile Frameworks: Scrum and Sprints (07:30–10:53)

• Terminology:

  • Product Backlog: List of deliverables/features, prioritized and estimated in effort.
  • Sprints: Short cycles (1-4 weeks) where teams deliver a set of prioritized tasks.
  • Daily Scrums: Quick stand-up meetings for progress updates, planning, and identifying obstacles.

• Teams are encouraged to be cross-functional; e.g., members from marketing, copy, development, etc.

• Flexibility: If project requirements change, they adjust in the next sprint—not mid-flight.

"You split your organization into small cross functional teams, but also you split your work into a list of small concrete deliverables."
– Daniel Rowles (07:47)

5. Agile in Action and Cultural Impact (09:10–12:20)

• Autonomy & Empowerment:
  • Agile allows teams to focus and prevents ad-hoc requests from derailing progress.
  • Sprints give project managers the authority to defer changes to the next cycle, which is both protective and formal.

“You never told, but you’re told, well, we can look at that... And if it doesn’t, you’re met with a, you know, I’m sorry, but that’s out of scope.”
– Ciaran Rogers (09:36)

• Breaking Down Barriers:
  • Agile fosters alignment between technical and marketing teams.
  • Reduces “us vs. them” attitudes by promoting transparency and shared priorities.

"Culturally, you need your marketing and your technical teams to be more closely aligned because increasingly technology and marketing are hugely important."
– Daniel Rowles (12:20)

6. Adopting Agile: Tools, Resources, and Next Steps (14:23–16:24)

• Learning More:

  • The hosts recommend blog resources on targetinternet.com and Moz to deepen understanding.
  • Book excerpts and a recommended article about Scrum teams are available in the show notes.

• Practical Advice:

  • Talk to Agile teams in your organization; most are happy to share what works and lessons learned.
  • Stand-up meetings are suggested for daily scrums—they’re brief, focused, and effective in practice.

“If there are any teams practicing the Agile way of working within your organization, go talk to them… Actually, if you take an interest, they’ll be really keen to share with you what works...”
– Ciaran Rogers (16:24)

7. Agile & Organizational Culture (16:51–17:39)

• Agile isn't just about process — it impacts organizational mindset and culture.
• Stand-up meetings illustrate how small changes in daily routines can rewire teams for speed and focus.

“Having done these meetings a whole load of times, it does work. People get in, they get it done, they get out, and they get on with working and it changes the whole mindset of the organization.” – Daniel Rowles (16:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Waterfall… you go off and build a website… and then you get to the end, and they look at it and go, that’s not what we wanted at all. And it does happen.”
  – Daniel Rowles (03:25)

• “You are protected during the sprint if things change. So you get to the end…and say, right, we need to take a step back. There’s only very exceptional circumstances where… you would stop halfway through a sprint.”
  – Daniel Rowles (08:36)

• “It gives a much more transparent working process and it doesn’t create resentment between teams and it doesn’t create frustration. There’s more clarity on what everyone else is doing.”
  – Daniel Rowles (12:20)

• “Think very carefully about Agile, how you might apply it to your projects and actually it will save you a lot of pain. That’s the key thing.”
  – Daniel Rowles (15:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:24–03:06: Why Agile? The digital working problem
• 03:06–05:35: Waterfall vs. Agile: The problem with sequential processes
• 05:35–09:10: Agile values, sprints, and the basics of Scrum
• 09:10–10:53: How Agile empowers and regulates teams & stakeholders
• 10:53–12:20: Key Agile terminology and getting started
• 12:20–14:23: Agile’s cultural impact: breaking down silos
• 14:23–16:24: Where to learn more: resources and practical advice
• 16:51–17:39: Agile culture: Stand-up meetings and organizational change

Additional Resources Mentioned

• Blog post and resources at targetinternet.com
• Moz article: Applying the Agile Manifesto to digital marketing
• Excerpt: "A Week in the Life of a Scrum Team" at agilelearninglabs.com
• Free excerpt from the book "Building Digital Culture"

Tone and Style

The conversation is light, humorous, and practical, with Ciaran frequently using self-deprecating jokes and Daniel providing clear, structured explanations. Both hosts emphasize actionable advice and real-world examples, making Agile accessible and less intimidating, even for non-technical marketers.

Actionable Takeaways

• Investigate Agile processes within your team or organization—don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Start small: try out sprints, cross-functional teams, and daily stand-ups.
• Use available resources to build deeper understanding (blog posts, books, case studies).
• Remember: Agile is about mindset and culture as much as process!