When you talk to Michael Ginart, Nooga Scale's product manager, one of the first things you notice is his energy when discussing problem-solving.
“I’m a creative guy. I like picking things apart and putting them back together. That curiosity led me into programming, consulting, and eventually product management.”
Michael's journey to Nooga blends creativity and analytics. From early days playing games and programming, he developed a fascination with how systems work and how to improve them. This evolved into a career in technology, lean-agile consulting, and building products that help customers achieve business agility at scale.
The Birth of Nooga Scale
Before joining Nooga, Michael spent years as lean-agile consultant, helping organizations shift from rigid, traditional processes to more modern way of working.
“In software development, variability is the norm. By adopting lean and agile practices, teams become more efficient and happier, especially when given greater autonomy.”
That experience set the stage for creating products that truly help organizations deliver value at scale.
The idea for Nooga Scale started in 2017 while supporting a large Swedish bank implementing SAFe®, Michael realized that Azure DevOps lacked tooling for scaled agile planning.
“There was no support for SAFe in DevOps, so teams had to improvise. I suggested building a plugin that would enable scaled agile practices directly in Azure DevOps. That was the birth of Nooga Scale.”
Today, Michael ensures Nooga Scale helps companies plan, coordinate, and execute work across multiple teams and portfolios. While Nooga Scale started with SAFe® in mind, Michael emphasizes its versatility:
“While Nooga Scale started with SAFe® in mind, we’ve aimed to keep it framework-agnostic by focusing on essentials like agile planning, portfolio management, visibility, dependency tracking, and value stream alignment, principles that apply across different scaled agile practices.”
From the very beginning, listening to customers guided the design:
During a SAFe rollout at a large Swedish bank, Michael spent time with delivery teams, observing their planning and dependency challenges. Those field insights still shape how he and the team continue to evolve Nooga Scale today.
By connecting objectives, dependencies, and work across value streams, Nooga Scale aligns strategic goals with scaled agile planning and execution.
Achievements That Matter
Looking back, Michael is proud of moments where he could transform how teams work. At a large healthcare organization, he shifted the team from traditional project management to a lean-agile “software factory,” improving efficiency and team satisfaction. More recently, he helped a bank adopt SAFe within infrastructure operations, a challenging environment with unique value streams.
One memorable experience was attending a Microsoft event in Redmond in 2013, where Dean Leffingwell introduced Agile Requirements, a foundational concept for the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®). Being there to hear it firsthand was truly inspiring.
Experiences like these shaped Michael’s approach to building tools like Nooga Scale, helping teams plan and execute effectively at scale.
What Keeps Him Motivated
On an average Tuesday morning, Michael is driven by having fun at work while tackling great challenges, preferably through teamwork.
“Creating something meaningful that solves real problems motivates me.”
His three career lessons: listen carefully to understand, focus on humans first, and make work enjoyable.
“Tools and processes are important, but true efficiency comes from getting people on board and unlocking their intrinsic motivation,” he explains.
A Glimpse of the Fun Side
Michael also has a playful side. He builds guitar effect pedals and is currently taking Salsa lessons, enjoying the mix of rhythm and movement. If he could instantly master a new skill, it would be singing, something he admits he’s still working on, hoping to enjoy socially and creatively.
Why Nooga?
Michael describes Nooga as open, vibrant, and collaborative. Ideas flow freely, feedback goes both ways, and the team stays focused on creating meaningful impact for customers.
“We get to shape the culture ourselves, work closely with management, and innovate across products that connect different parts of software development,” he says.
For Michael, the most exciting part of working at Nooga is bridging gaps between competencies, bringing together different expertise to build tools that truly help customers achieve their goals. With him leading Nooga Scale, he and his team help organizations plan, execute, and deliver value at scale, all while fostering a workplace where creativity, collaboration, and fun thrive.
About Nooga Scale
Nooga Scale is a plug-in extension that helps estimate, plan, and visualize work across multiple teams and projects. Extends platforms like Azure DevOps and soon Jira with program boards, dependencies, roadmaps, risk management, objectives, and more. See how teams scale smarter →
About Inside Nooga
Inside Nooga is our new series sharing stories, lessons, and mindsets from the people shaping Nooga’s products, culture, and growth. We’ll bring you more insights from colleagues across the company, giving you a closer look at who we are and how we work. Stay tuned for more stories from the team building the future of Nooga. 🚀
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