- What's your experience coaching teams toward being Agile?
I have not been formally trained in Agile methodologies but for many years I have approached project delivery from an incremental and iterative mindset. In my new role I have assumed responsibility for developing and implementing improved delivery methodologies and am looking to the Agile/XP/Extreme/Scrum world(s) to develop lightweight methodologies with which to transform a development organization that is firmly rooted in the Waterfall approach.
I have also spent the last couple of years engaged in the world of Web 2.0 technologies so I am keen to link agile techniques with the world of social networking and collaborative tools to improve the effectiveness of geographically dispersed teams.
- What do you plan to learn /explore at this conference?
I plan to listen, question and offer my own perspectives on what I have seen work in different environments over my 25+ years of IT experience.
I am also keen to look at how wikis and other collaboration tools can be used to enable the Agile culture.
- How do you plan to contribute?
I plan to be an active participant and can provide examples of some of the challenges in implementing Agile in to a culture that is rooted in mainframe technologies and has had minimal exposure to leading edge thinking. I can also provide a perspective on achieving organizational change in such a staid organization as a result of the initiatives I have driven over the course of the last 18 months.