Have you had an AHA moment recently? Titansoft invited renowned Agile CSM & CSPO trainer Daniel to host a sharing session on Challenges That Agile Teams Face Daily. Interweaving his entrepreneurial journey as a developer, Daniel delivered many AHA moments to Titaners!
The Influence of the Adult Mindset at Titansoft
Titansoft emphasizes an Adult Mindset, trusting every team member to be a responsible adult capable of owning their role and doing things right. This deeply rooted philosophy was inspired by Agile expert and CSM & CSPO trainer Daniel Teng, and has been practiced at Titansoft ever since!
Daniel, affectionately known as ‘Seafood’ in the community, is an experienced Agile coach and consultant. Titansoft has kept in touch with him over the years through Agile community events and the AHA Conference. We were honored to invite Daniel back to Taiwan to teach a special course. Before the class, he conducted an online internal sharing session, discussing the challenges that Agile teams face daily.
“If Only I Knew These When I Started Agile”
Daniel’s three-hour talk skillfully blended Agile principles with his own entrepreneurial development experiences. He reserved time for a retrospective, helping Titaners absorb and reflect on what they learned, and encouraged peer discussions to turn insights into personal growth. Many participants even stayed back to discuss further on development challenges with Daniel.
Under the theme “If only I knew these when I started Agile,” Daniel reflected on what key lessons could help others avoid detours early in their Agile journey. He broke it down into three key aspects:
- Individual Effectiveness
- Team Dynamics
- Product Ownership
The session offered valuable takeaways, whether in Agile or technical domains.
💡 Individual Effectiveness
“Rapid iterations” and “deliberate practice” to build domain knowledge
In today’s fast-paced workplace, personal efficiency is a key goal. Daniel shared a story from his startup days about hiring interns to write SEO content. Instead of waiting to perfect the article, they published early, letting Google index it quickly. They then iterated and improved based on search rankings, embodying Agile’s incremental and iterative approach.
Using a tennis serve analogy, he emphasized deliberate practice: rather than aiming for perfect results, focus on consistent setup and foundational skills. In coding, for instance, rather than relying solely on shortcuts, Daniel recommends manually performing refactors early on to build muscle memory and develop a strong mindset around code evolution.
He also encouraged deep exploration into your professional domain and understanding from a client’s perspective. You don’t need to experience everything firsthand—online resources are abundant. The key is to turn learning into action and value by integrating it into your current products.
💡 Team Dynamics
Beyond teamwork: Be the “Devil’s Advocate”
Titansoft operates in teams. While facilitation is often led by ScrumMasters, Daniel reminded us that everyone can learn facilitation skills. This doesn’t mean becoming an expert, but understanding the basics helps build team consensus more effectively.
A team is like a sports team, ready to catch and pass the ball at any moment. Teamwork involves not only achieving goals together, but also proactively sharing updates, asking for help, and offering assistance. Daniel also recommended training yourself to play the “devil’s advocate”, offering different viewpoints when consensus forms, based on your expertise.
💡 Product Ownership
Use the “Barbell Strategy” to highlight your strengths
Have you heard of the Barbell Strategy? It involves allocating 90% to low-risk, reliable efforts and 10% to high-risk, innovative ones. Daniel explained this method as a way to not only execute daily tasks well, but also to explore innovation in tech or marketing to generate new value.
An example is Titansoft ScrumMaster Sam, who devoted himself to team facilitation while developing a passion for the guitar. He combined both by composing and performing Agile-themed songs, enhancing Agile understanding through a creative, engaging format and improving team bonding.
Be it for your company’s product or yourself, Daniel suggests for everyone to seek out their unique selling point: “Discover strengths beyond your core role. For example, if you’re the only one who speaks Japanese in the company, you could open doors to the Japanese market.”
⏭ Titaners’ Retro Reflections ⏮
💬 Learned a lot of hot skills! The part about refactoring left a deep impression, not just in code, but also applicable to organizations.
💬 Finding the product’s entry point or core competitiveness was eye-opening. It’s impressive Daniel went to Japan as a trainer and started a business too!
💬 Supporting team members is such a great mindset!
💬 The concept of refactoring helps us reflect not just understanding theories, but grasping the basics too. That’s valuable in the long run.
Thank You, Daniel!
Your stories and real-life examples brought inspiration and learning. We’re sure Titansoft members walked away with many AHA moments, ready to take action with their teams!
T.8ytes by Titansoft 