Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software

AI isn’t just speeding up coding. It’s starting to change how teams work, what they build, and even who needs to be involved. In this episode, Brian and Hunter separate real impact from hype and explore what’s already shifting inside teams.

 

Overview

AI tools are improving fast, but what does that actually mean for teams doing the work?

In this episode, Brian Milner sits down with Hunter Hillegas, CTO of Mountain Goat Software, to explore how AI is being used today inside real software teams. They dig into where these tools are genuinely accelerating work, from coding agents and automated testing to analyzing large data sets and reducing friction in everyday tasks. They also unpack the growing shift from writing code to reviewing it, and what that means for developers and team dynamics.

At the same time, they address the gap between hype and reality. Where does AI perform well, and where does it still fall short? What happens when adoption is pushed top-down without clarity? And how might AI start to reshape roles, collaboration, and expectations across a team?

This is a practical, honest look at what’s changing right now, where to start if you’re new to these tools, and how to think about AI as part of your team without losing sight of how real teams actually work.

 

References and resources mentioned in the show:

 

Hunter Hillegas
Mountaingoat Software’s AI Toolkit
#82: The Intersection of AI and Agile with Emilia Breton
#169: Building Practical AI for Agile Teams with Hunter Hillegas
#175: When AI Makes Agile Teams Worse with Hunter Hillegas
AI Doesn’t Eliminate Agile Teams — It Increases the Need for Great Ones by Mike Cohn
How to Use AI for Product Discovery and Writing Better User Stories by Mike Cohn

Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast 

 

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

  Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.

  Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. 

Hunter Hillegas is the Chief Technology Officer at Mountain Goat Software. With over 20 years of experience in software development, product ownership, and team leadership, he leads the creation of tools like the AI Toolkit and Team Home to support effective, engaging learning experiences. Hunter lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and their dog Enzo.

Most teams say they want to improve. Few actually build the habits that make it happen. In this episode, Brian and Lance break down what separates teams that learn from teams that stall—and what leaders do that quietly gets in the way.

 

Overview

What does it really take to become a learning team?

In this episode, Brian Milner and Lance Dacy walk through five habits that show up in teams that continuously improve—and the leadership behaviors that either support or shut them down. From psychological safety and truth-telling to short learning cycles and focusing on the right problems, they unpack what actually drives improvement inside real organizations.

Along the way, they challenge common assumptions about silence, metrics, and “heroic” problem-solving, and offer practical ways leaders can shift their approach starting immediately. If your team feels stuck, busy but not improving, or hesitant to speak up, this conversation gets to the root of why—and what to do about it.

 

References and resources mentioned in the show:

 

Lance Dacy
Blog: Why Teams Matter More Than Ever for Innovation by Mike Cohn

#143: What Still Makes Teams Work (and Win) with Jim York

#171: Why Agile Teams Succeed—or Don’t with Colin Fisher

Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast 

 

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

  Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.

Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. 

Lance Dacy is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®. Lance brings a great personality and servant's heart to his workshops. He loves seeing people walk away with tangible and practical things they can do with their teams straight away.

Many product teams are busy, but not necessarily effective. Brian Milner talks with product consultant Jason Knight about why so many organizations struggle with prioritization, customer insight, and measuring success—and what it takes to build a product organization that actually delivers value.

 

Overview

What does it really mean to transform a product organization? Brian Milner sits down with product consultant and One Knight in Product host Jason Knight to explore the gap between how product management is described in books and how it actually works inside most companies.

They discuss the reality many teams face: massive backlogs full of competing priorities, pressure from stakeholders, and organizations that say they are customer-focused but rarely talk to customers. Jason shares practical perspectives on prioritization, strategy, and why good product teams must learn to say no—even to good ideas.

The conversation also dives into customer discovery, the barriers that keep teams from speaking directly with users, and how organizations should think about measuring success beyond simply “building the feature.” If your organization is trying to move beyond feature factories and build a stronger product practice, this episode offers a grounded look at where to start.

 

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Jason Knight
One Knight in Product Podcast
Blog: What Does a Product Owner Do, When, and Why?
Blog: How to Ensure You’re Working on the Most Important Items Each Iteration by Mike Cohn
#124: How to Avoid Common Product Team Pitfalls with David Pereira
#154: The Underpowered PO with Barnaby Golden
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast 

 

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

  Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.

  Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. 

Jason Knight is a product consultant, coach, and host of the One Knight in Product podcast who helps scaling B2B companies move beyond feature factories and build product teams that deliver real business impact. He works with organizations to connect strategy to execution through fractional product leadership, workshops, and coaching that bring clarity, alignment, and measurable results.

AI can make teams faster. But it can also quietly make them worse. In this episode, Brian Milner and Hunter Hillegas dig into the risks no one wants to talk about—from eroding developer judgment to weakening team communication—and what healthy teams should do about it.

 

Overview

AI tools are powerful. They can generate code, draft tests, and accelerate delivery in ways that felt impossible just a few years ago. But speed is not the same as effectiveness.

In this episode, Brian sits down with Mountain Goat Software CTO Hunter Hillegas to explore where AI may actually be hurting Agile teams. They discuss the risk of losing junior developer growth paths, the illusion of productivity through inflated metrics, the danger of outsourcing judgment, and how AI can quietly create communication silos inside Scrum teams.

This is not an anti-AI conversation. It is a practical one. You will hear what guardrails healthy teams should consider, why accountability still belongs to humans, and how to use AI as a tool without letting it reshape your culture in ways you did not intend.

If your team is leaning into AI, this episode will help you do it with your eyes open.

 

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Hunter Hillegas

Blog: AI Doesn’t Eliminate Agile Teams — It Increases the Need for Great Ones by Mike Cohn
#169: Building Practical AI for Agile Teams with Hunter Hillegas

#82: The Intersection of AI and Agile with Emilia Breton

#151: What AI Is Really Delivering (and What It’s Not) with Evan Leybourn & Christopher Morales
Mountain Goat Software

Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast 

 

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

  Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.

  Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. 

Hunter Hillegas is the Chief Technology Officer at Mountain Goat Software. With over 20 years of experience in software development, product ownership, and team leadership, he leads the creation of tools like the AI Toolkit and Team Home to support effective, engaging learning experiences. Hunter lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and their dog Enzo.

Estimating can bring out strong reactions, and for good reason. Mike Cohn and Brian Milner unpack why it gets misused, what “estimate responsibly” really means, and how to use planning to make better decisions without turning numbers into weapons.

Overview

In this episode, Brian sits down with Mike Cohn to talk about estimating and planning in a way that teams can actually live with. They explore why estimates became such a hot button topic, what the “no estimates” movement is reacting to, and how Mike’s thinking has evolved over time. You will hear practical guidance on story points versus time, why teams should estimate only when it helps someone make a decision, and how to keep estimates from damaging trust. They also cover where flow metrics help, where they fall short, and how teams build credibility with leadership through responsible planning.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Mike Cohn

Estimating & Planning in Agile - A 2026 Field Guide

Accurate Agile Planning Course

Blog: Estimating and Planning in Agile: Why They Still Matter in 2026 by Mike Cohn

Blog: Getting Better Estimates Is Easier Than You Think by Mike Cohn

Blog: What Are Agile Story Points? By Mike Cohn

Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.

Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.

Mike Cohn, CEO of Mountain Goat Software, is a passionate advocate for agile methodologies. Co-founder of Agile Alliance and Scrum Alliance, he thrives on helping companies succeed with Agile and witnessing its transformative impact on individuals' careers. Mike resides in Northern Idaho with his family, two Havanese dogs, and an impressive hot sauce collection.