LeSS at Scale: A Polish FinTech Case Study in Organizational Simplification

Keywords

LeSS, Large-Scale Scrum, LeSS Huge, Greg Hutchins, Polish fintech, case study, agile transformation, organizational design, product development, product ownership, feature teams, sprint planning, overall retrospective, product backlog refinement, systems thinking, innovation games, serious games, speedboat, buy a feature, product roadmap, scaling Scrum, agile coaching, product-centric organization, descaling, adaptability, agile leadership

Description

In this talk, Greg Hutchins introduces the foundations of Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) and shares lessons from a LeSS adoption in a Polish fintech company he coached over roughly a year and a half.

The session combines an overview of LeSS and LeSS Huge with a practical case study focused on simplifying organizational design, improving alignment, and shifting from project thinking to product thinking. Greg explains how one Product Owner, shared cadence, overall retrospectives, and clearer product focus can help organizations scale without adding unnecessary complexity.

A central theme in the talk is that scaling is not just about process. It is about learning to think differently. Greg connects LeSS with systems thinking, organizational redesign, and innovation games, showing how visual and collaborative exercises can help large groups create shared understanding, surface impediments, shape strategy, and improve roadmaps.

He also reflects on the trade-offs between LeSS and other scaling approaches, the dangers of adding coordination layers that reduce communication and trust, and the importance of long-lived teams, direct customer interaction, and management support during adoption.

In this video, you’ll learn:

  • What LeSS and LeSS Huge are, and when to use them
  • Why LeSS emphasizes products over projects and programs
  • How one Product Owner and one Product Backlog increase clarity and adaptability
  • What the overall retrospective adds at scale
  • How innovation games can support strategy, roadmapping, and large-group collaboration
  • Why systems thinking is essential in organizational change
  • How a Polish fintech used LeSS to improve alignment, transparency, and time to market
  • Why long-lived feature teams matter for learning, continuity, and value delivery
  • What management must do to support a successful LeSS adoption
  • Why simplifying an organization is often more powerful than adding layers of coordination