#183: How AI Is Reshaping Product Ownership with Lance Dacy

#183: How AI Is Reshaping Product Ownership with Lance Dacy

Author: Mountain Goat Software May 27, 2026 Duration: 33:23
AI can help product owners move faster, but faster is not always better. In this episode, Lance Dacy and Brian Milner explore where AI genuinely improves product work and where teams still need strong judgment, clear priorities, and real customer understanding.   Overview   As development teams adopt AI tools at a rapid pace, product owners are under pressure to keep up. Brian and Lance discuss how AI is already changing backlog refinement, product discovery, stakeholder communication, and day-to-day product work. They also explore why many teams are still using AI too narrowly and missing larger opportunities to improve decision-making and collaboration.   The conversation stays grounded in practical application rather than hype. Lance shares where AI can save product owners meaningful time, where human judgment still matters most, and why teams need to be careful about treating AI-generated output as automatically correct. If your team is trying to understand how AI fits into modern product leadership, this episode offers a realistic starting point.   References and resources mentioned in the show:   Lance Dacy#117: How AI and Automation Are Redefining Success for Developers with Lance Dacy#164: Why Innovation Efforts Fall Flat with Tendayi VikiAI Doesn’t Eliminate Agile Teams — It Increases the Need for Great Ones by Mike CohnSubscribe 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 podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com 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.

Hosted by Mountain Goat Software, the Agile Mentors Podcast is a conversation for anyone involved in or curious about agile practices. It’s a space where the philosophy meets the practical, moving beyond theory to tackle the real-world challenges teams face every day. You’ll hear discussions that dig into the nuances of Scrum, Kanban, and other frameworks, exploring how they adapt to different environments and scale. The dialogue often focuses on the human side of change-how to foster better collaboration, navigate organizational hurdles, and cultivate a genuinely agile mindset rather than just going through the motions. This podcast serves as a resource for continuous learning, whether you're troubleshooting a specific sprint issue or looking for fresh perspectives to reinvigorate your approach. Each episode aims to provide actionable insights and thoughtful reflection, making the complex landscape of modern software development feel more accessible and manageable. Tune in for honest talk from experienced practitioners who understand that agility is a journey, not a destination.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software
Podcast Episodes
#176: Why Most Product Organizations Struggle with Jason Knight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:42
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—an…
#175: When AI Makes Agile Teams Worse with Hunter Hillegas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:32
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 communi…
#174: Why Estimating Still Matters with Mike Cohn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:14
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 tu…
#173: Hiring for Agile Roles That Actually Work with Cort Sharp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:28
Hiring for Scrum roles is harder than it looks. Making the wrong call can derail an Agile transformation before it even starts. In this episode, Brian and Cort unpack what to actually look for in Scrum Masters, Product O…
#172: The Five Pillars of Agile Transformation with Mike Cohn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:30
Most agile transformations start with energy, and then stall out when things get complex. In this episode, Mike Cohn returns with a practical framework to help teams and leaders spot what’s missing, build lasting momentu…
#171: Why Agile Teams Succeed—or Don’t with Colin Fisher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:02
Most teams aren’t broken because of individual incompetence. They’re struggling because the group itself isn’t set up to thrive. In this episode, author and researcher Colin Fisher joins Brian to reframe how we think abo…
#170: Leadership Lessons from the Marine Corps with Tanner Wortham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:11
What can Agile leaders learn from the Marines? In this episode, Tanner Wortham joins Brian to share how principles of military leadership—like building authority into the trenches, experimenting under pressure, and prior…
#169: Building Practical AI for Agile Teams with Hunter Hillegas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:14
It’s not just about cool tools. Hunter Hillegas (CTO at Mountain Goat Software) joins Brian to unpack what it’s really like to build with AI—from hallucinations and context management to dev workflows, testing strategies…
#168: Gratitude, Growth, and the Power to Evolve with Brian Milner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:21
It’s not a full episode this week—but it might be the one your heart needs. Brian Milner shares what he’s truly grateful for this year (spoiler: it’s not a new tool or framework), reflects on the human side of agility, a…
#167: Running Better Remote Meetings with Evan Unger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:35
Consultant and collaboration expert Evan Unger joins Brian to share practical tactics for leading more engaging, effective meetings that actually get results (and don’t drain everyone’s will to live). Overview In this ep…