Igor Lakic

Independent Agile coach

I’m an independent Agile coach, Scrum mentor, and consultant driven by a passion for tackling complex challenges and empowering teams to deliver outstanding value to their end users.

I’ve always embraced a people-focused, servant-leader mindset placing others needs first and helping them grow professionally. By training, mentoring, and coaching individuals and teams, I guide them toward unlocking their full potential and achieving their goals. My commitment to continuous learning led me to pursue world toughest certifications (PSM III/PSPO III and others) and collaborate with fellow professionals, constantly refining my skills so I can better elevate others.

I value tangible results, adaptability, and flexibility in every situation with the ultimate aim of helping organizations stand on solid ground and become high-performing in an ever-evolving landscape.

78 articles published Follow:

Scrabble board with tiles—rack reads “DEBTS” and loose tiles spell “HELP ME.”

Flow Debt: The Hidden Cost of Blocked Work

Blog3 days ago20Views 0Likes 0Comments

Track blocked time %, aging WIP, and handoff counts; add blocker clustering and a weekly impediment burn-down If your delivery feels slower than it should be—even with “full” utilization—you’re likely paying flow debt: the silent tax created when work sits blocked, ages in progress, or pinballs across handoffs. You don’t need a giant transformation to…

Man in a navy suit holding a large round wall clock while standing in a lush park, representing time management.

Lead Time vs. Cycle Time: Which One Should You Improve First?

BlogSeptember 30, 202568Views 0Likes 0Comments

If you optimize the wrong metric, you’ll “get faster”… and still miss your delivery dates. The cure is simple: separate customer wait (lead time) from team execution time (cycle time), diagnose the real constraint, then run a focused experiment. Below you’ll find crisp definitions, quick diagnostics, interventions that actually move the needle, a one-page decision…

Two people reviewing charts, graphs, and a tablet on a desk during a business meeting.

EBM in Practice: Turn Strategy Reviews Into Evidence Reviews

BlogSeptember 28, 202550Views 0Likes 0Comments

Monthly strategy meetings often drift into opinions, slide theater, and “feels.” Let’s flip that. Use Evidence-Based Management (EBM) to run monthly evidence reviews anchored on three Key Value Areas that move the needle fast: Current Value (CV), Time-to-Market (TtM), and Ability to Innovate (A2I). You’ll align bets with outcomes, cut waste, and create a repeatable…

Hand holding a pen in front of a laptop showing “Financial Crisis” charts while colleagues discuss in a conference room.

Reducing Meeting Load by 20%—Without Losing Alignment

BlogSeptember 26, 202555Views 0Likes 0Comments

Map your meeting inventory, cut redundancy, replace with async artifacts, and track hours-per-person vs. outcomes. If your calendar looks like Tetris on hard mode, you’re paying an “alignment tax.” The fix isn’t a crusade against meetings—it’s making the few you keep do the heavy lifting while everything else moves asynchronously. Below is a battle-tested, 4-step…

Close-up of a vintage compass on a map, pointing north; symbol of direction and product goal alignment.

The Product Goal as a Portfolio Compass

BlogSeptember 19, 202577Views 0Likes 0Comments

Translate your Product Goal into quarterly EBM targets (CV, TtM, A2I) and Sprint Goal hypotheses — plus a one-page alignment board you can use today. If your Product Goal isn’t shaping real-world choices, it’s just a slogan. The move is simple: connect the Product Goal to three quarterly evidence targets from Evidence-Based Management (EBM) —…

Hand touching a glowing digital checkmark next to the word “Standard” on a blue tech background, representing quality verification and compliance.

Definition of Done as a Quality System

BlogSeptember 16, 202585Views 0Likes 0Comments

Turn your DoD into measurable checks, wire a simple quality gate into CI, and audit it without drama. Most teams treat the Definition of Done (DoD) like a checklist pinned to a wall. Useful—until things get busy. Then “Done” slides, defects leak, and CI turns red at the worst time. Let’s turn DoD into a…

Bearded analyst in a suit points to a large monitor showing stock tickers and charts while two colleagues listen in a modern office.

Forecasting Without Story Points: A Monte Carlo Playbook

BlogSeptember 11, 2025325Views 0Likes 0Comments

Build probabilistic delivery forecasts from historical throughput—plus caveats, confidence intervals, and an executive-ready chart. Most teams still try to “estimate” delivery with story points. You don’t need them. If you have a list of items finished per day/week (throughput), you can simulate thousands of futures in seconds and answer the only questions that matter: “When…

Team of five reviewing a glass board covered with colorful sticky notes, discussing WIP limits and next steps.

From Busy to Predictable: Little’s Law in Scrum Teams

BlogAugust 29, 2025493Views 0Likes 0Comments

Introduction If your team is always busy but cycle times bounce all over the place, you don’t have a motivation problem—you have a flow problem. Little’s Law in Scrum turns that chaos into math you can manage: average WIP × average time in system are tightly linked to throughput. Use that relationship to set smarter…

Hand in a red blazer pressing a large red buzzer on a box with a white “X,” against a teal background.

5 Signals Your Product Backlog Is Failing (and How to Fix It)

BlogAugust 27, 2025318Views 0Likes 0Comments

Introduction If you’re honest, does your backlog health inspire confidence—or dread? Many teams plan with good intentions but get blindsided by stale items, half-ready stories, and a growing queue that never seems to shrink. In this guide, we’ll make backlog health concrete using four measurable signals—item age, readiness ratio, arrival vs. completion rate, and reorder…

Person climbing three rising blocks toward a bullseye with an arrow and a trophy on top.

Sprint Goals That Drive Outcomes, Not Activity

BlogAugust 19, 2025335Views 0Likes 0Comments

Introduction Most teams “do” Sprint Goals, but many still ship activity instead of outcomes. The fix? Sprint Goals that are measurable, tied to your Product Goal, and tracked with EBM (Current Value, Time-to-Market, Ability to Innovate). In this guide, you’ll craft outcome-driven goals and visualize forecast vs. actual impact using a lightweight Jira dashboard. Why…

Author page: Independent Agile coach

Independent Agile coach

Flow Debt: The Hidden Cost of Blocked Work

Lead Time vs. Cycle Time: Which One Should You Improve First?

EBM in Practice: Turn Strategy Reviews Into Evidence Reviews

Reducing Meeting Load by 20%—Without Losing Alignment

The Product Goal as a Portfolio Compass

Definition of Done as a Quality System

Forecasting Without Story Points: A Monte Carlo Playbook

From Busy to Predictable: Little’s Law in Scrum Teams

5 Signals Your Product Backlog Is Failing (and How to Fix It)

Sprint Goals That Drive Outcomes, Not Activity

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Author page: Independent Agile coach

Independent Agile coach

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