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Weekly insights on how to make Agile actually WORK for marketing teams, hosted by the Beyonce of Agile Marketing, Andrea Fryrear.
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In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea explores how to build a metrics culture that truly drives better marketing decisions. Many teams are overwhelmed by dashboards, yet starved for actionable insights. Tune in to hear why more data isn't the answer and how Agile rhythms can bridge the gap between having data and using it effectively. We'll delve into the importance of a disciplined operating rhythm, the pitfalls of vanity metrics, and the necessity of incorporating customer insights into decision-making. Andrea will share practical steps to transform your metrics culture, ensuri
This episode of The Agile Marketing Edge is hosted by AgileSherpas Principal Monica Georgieff. She dives into the critical role retrospectives play in marketing teams, exploring how they can either propel success or lead to stagnation. Drawing from her firsthand experience with a health and life sciences team, Monica reveals the pitfalls of ineffective retrospectives and the transformative power of a single change. Discover why 52% of successful Agile marketers prioritize retros and how psychological safety and actionable feedback loops are key. Tune in to uncover the secrets to making retrosp
This episode of The Agile Marketing Edge is different than any other before. It's the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the podcast, where two new hosts will be rotating with your favorite Andrea Fryrear to give you the hottest insights from the world of Agile Marketing. This week your host is AgileSherpas Chief Value Officer, Ross Libby. In episode 35, he dives into the evolving structure of marketing teams in the age of AI. Tune in to explore the longstanding debate between cross-functional teams and centers of excellence, revealing how AI now allows us to harness the strengths of bot
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea tackles the pervasive issue of unfinished marketing work. Discover why too much work in progress (WIP) is the real culprit behind stalled projects and how it's not just about being busy. Delve into the systemic design flaws that lead to overwhelming WIP and explore insights from successful Agile teams that have mastered the art of limiting work in motion. Learn how to implement Kanban principles, set effective WIP limits, and protect your team's boundaries to boost productivity and reduce stress. Tune in, as we explore practical steps to tran
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we explore why many marketing AI initiatives fail before they even start. Despite having access to the same AI tools and resources, Agile marketing teams are three times more successful in integrating AI compared to their non-agile counterparts. With our special guest, Melissa Reeves, author of Hyperadaptive, we delve into the cultural and structural reasons behind this disparity. We discuss the importance of organizational readiness, the need for clear policies, and how agile practices foster a growth mindset essential for successful AI adoption. M
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea dives into the common pitfalls marketing teams face when trying to maintain a true customer focus. Many teams rely on outdated assumptions and infrequent customer insights, leading to ineffective campaigns and strategies. She explores how Agile marketing practices can transform this approach, emphasizing the importance of integrating continuous customer feedback into your iteration cycles. By examining successful Agile teams, Andrea highlights how frequent customer engagement and updated planning cycles can lead to increased customer centrici
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we focus on the pervasive issue of slow marketing approvals and their hidden costs. Drawing insights from our latest State of Agile Marketing Report, Andrea reveals how approval bottlenecks are the top collaboration challenge for non-Agile teams and still a significant hurdle for Agile ones. We explore why approvals often serve as anxiety distributors rather than quality control mechanisms and how this impacts momentum, creativity, and trust. Andrea also shares actionable strategies to redesign your approval process, including conducting decision ri
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea discusses the crucial transition from being a plan executor to a plan shaper in marketing. She explores why perfect execution alone isn't enough if your team lacks strategic influence. Drawing insights from the ninth annual State of Agile Marketing Report, Andrea highlights how Agile practices can earn marketing teams a seat at the strategy table. Discover why protected time for strategic thinking is vital and how continuous discovery can transform your team's strategic input. Join Andrea Fryrear, to uncover the structural changes necessary t
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea explores how marketing teams can achieve three times better AI results. The secret isn't in having the biggest budgets or the most advanced tech stacks; it's about readiness and structure. She explains why Agile marketing serves as the perfect operating system for AI integration, emphasizing the importance of a clear backlog, defined priorities, and tight feedback loops. You'll learn how Agile capabilities, not AI tools, drive successful integration. Andrea also covers the pitfalls of chaotic workflows and the importance of strategic prioriti
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea dives into the collaboration challenges plaguing marketers, sparked by my critique of the new Manifesto for Enterprise Agility. While it presents agreeable values, it lacks the teeth needed to drive real change. She explores the uncomfortable truths about collaboration that organizations must face by 2026, backed by our ninth annual State of Agile Marketing Report. Discover why 92% of marketers face collaboration issues and how Agile practices can close the gap. Andrea also discusses the perception gap between Agile and non-Agile teams and ho
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea dives into what sets high-performing marketing teams apart in 2026. As we navigate the complexities of modern marketing with limited resources, she shares insights from the 9th Annual State of Agile Marketing Report. Discover how Agile marketing empowers teams to lead through change, uncertainty, and complexity with confidence. Andrea explores how Agile practices enhance collaboration, strategic influence, and productivity while reducing stress and burnout. Learn how to build trust through transparency, experiment effectively with AI, and com
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea delves into how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape, exposing the strengths and weaknesses of marketing teams. Joined by MarTech expert Scott Brinker, we explore the critical distinction between what should be run with discipline in the "factory" and what should be experimented with in the "lab." We discuss the pitfalls of chasing the latest trends without a clear strategy and emphasize the importance of an agile operating system to harness AI's potential effectively. Tune in to discover how to navigate the evolving world of marketing tec
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we tackle the common fear that Agile structures stifle creativity in marketing teams. Join Andrea Fryrear, as she welcomes Nicole Crawley, a senior marketing operations leader at Navy Federal Credit Union, who shares her journey of integrating creative teams into Agile workflows. Discover how the right structure can actually protect and enhance creativity, allowing teams to thrive without chaos. Nicole reveals how agile practices like backlogs, WIP limits, and strategic partnerships empower creatives to focus and innovate. We also explore the succes
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we dive into the critical importance of your marketing operating system with Ross Libby, Chief Value Officer at AgileSherpas. We explore insights from a Forbes article advocating for a fresh start in marketing operations and a McKinsey piece on aligning operating models with execution. Discover why the way you work can be more pivotal than your creative strategies or martech stack. Join us as we debate whether to burn it all down or incrementally improve, and learn how to identify if you're building an operating model or system. Tune in for actionab
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea explores how organizations can thrive in today's complex world by adopting the agility of an octopus rather than the rigidity of a Tin Man. Drawing parallels between these ocean creatures and modern businesses, she discusses the importance of having a stable core with autonomous arms that can quickly respond to changes. Delve into the pitfalls of traditional control methods and highlight the need for distributed intelligence, continuous learning, and rapid adaptation. Tune in to uncover anti-patterns that stifle agility and learn how to foste
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we dive into the crucial yet often overlooked skill of asking the right questions. Join Andrea Fryrear to explore how strategic questioning can transform Agile marketing. We'll break down five essential question types from a Harvard Business Review framework, mapping them to the agile marketing operating system. Discover how investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective questions can eliminate waste, foster innovation, and enhance decision-making. Learn why questions, not answers, are the true differentiators in today's fast-p
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we tackle "The People Problem That’s Quietly Killing Agile Marketing." As we approach 2026, Andrea delves into three critical issues impacting marketing agility: job hugging, skills and capability gaps, and the ongoing hybrid versus remote work debate. Job hugging, where employees stay in roles out of fear, can both stabilize and stagnate Agile teams. Skills gaps, particularly in leading through volatility, pose a significant barrier to transformation. Meanwhile, the debate over work environments continues to challenge agility. Join Andrea Fryrear,
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea delves into how Agile methodologies can rescue marketers from the chaos of AI adoption. As we navigate 2025, it's clear that without an Agile framework, your AI efforts are likely to falter. Andrea discusses the critical need for rapid experimentation, prioritization, and adaptability in the face of AI's unpredictable evolution. Traditional marketing approaches simply can't keep up with the rapid changes AI brings, leaving teams overwhelmed and ineffective. By embracing Agile, marketers can prioritize high-value AI experiments, quickly adapt
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea tackles a critical issue: why pausing Agile during a crisis is a mistake. When chaos hits—be it a reorg, acquisition, or unexpected leadership change—many think it's time to halt Agile transformation. But this is precisely when Agile's adaptability is most needed. Andrea shares real stories from clients who faced crises and illustrate why embracing Agile is crucial. From dealing with uncertainty to leveraging unusual situations for innovation, she provides five compelling reasons to stay the course. Join Andrea Fryrear, as she delves into how
Join Andrea Fryrear as she explores the transformation from order takers to strategic partners in marketing. In this episode, she sits down with John Wiedenheft, Digital Marketing Operations Director at Great America Financial Services, who shares his journey of leading a 15-member marketing team through an Agile transformation. Discover how John's experience with a cross-functional Agile team sparked a shift in his department, turning chaos into clarity. We delve into the challenges and triumphs of redefining roles, enhancing processes, and improving communication. Whether you're new to Agile
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Scaling Agile Marketing the Smart Way, Andrea explores the delicate balance between flexibility and rigor in scaling Agile marketing practices. Too much rigidity stifles creativity, while too much flexibility leads to chaos. She dives into finding the "Goldilocks zone" using insights from Scaled Agile, aiming for a harmonious blend of structure and adaptability. Andrea also shares five key steps to achieve this balance, emphasizing the importance of a standardized baseline, strategic customization, and continuous experimentation. By aligning teams a
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea sits down with Kamal Hans, a seasoned Agile coach, to explore the unexpected challenges of a wildly successful marketing campaign. Kamal shares his experience at Vistaprint, where a hit campaign for photo mugs led to overwhelming demand that the production facility couldn't meet. They delve into the lessons learned about system dependencies and the importance of thinking beyond individual team success. Kamal emphasizes the need for holistic, end-to-end planning and the value of aligning team and organizational purposes. Join Andrea and Kamal
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, titled "Pilot Like You Mean It," Andrea delves into the buzz surrounding the MIT report that claims 95% of AI pilots are failing. She explores why we're so fixated on the success or failure of pilots and argue that even so-called failures can be valuable learning experiences. By reframing our understanding of pilots, whether in Agile frameworks or AI technologies, we can turn setbacks into stepping stones for success. Andreas also discusses six key factors for successful transformations, emphasizing continuous improvement and integration into regula
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, we dive into the art of making change stick in marketing teams. Change is everywhere, from evolving technologies to shifting consumer behaviors, and as marketers, we must adapt or risk becoming obsolete. This week, Andrea Fryrear is joined by Elizabeth Venter-Botha, an expert in transformative change, to explore the intricacies of change management. Elizabeth shares her insights on preparing teams for change, the importance of involving team members in the process, and the pitfalls of resistance. Together, Andrea and Elizabeth discuss why change man
In this episode of The Agile Marketing Edge, Andrea Fryrear explores the complexities of maintaining a balanced Agile culture by delving into the concepts of psychological safety and radical candor. While both are crucial for fostering innovation and productivity, they can lead to toxic environments if not balanced correctly. Andrea discusses how "Acme Co. nice" can stifle progress, and how candor without safety breeds fear. She also offers practical strategies to cultivate a culture where feedback is both honest and respectful, ensuring rapid improvement and innovation. Join Andrea to navigat
