Agile Coaches Gathering UK 2012

+ , March 23-24
London

+

+ Coaches have a tough job. A thoroughly rewarding job, but a tough one. Coaches need to be strict but fair. They need to be able to impart team player skills that will guide their players not only to success in sports, but success in life. Coaches must be able to take risks, have fun and to build on skills. Coaches can turn an alright team into a champion team.

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+ Nothing happens over night in coaching. It requires lots of time, dedication, and patience. When that win comes, it will feel like a http://www.partypoker.com/ jackpot, but it will demand an extraordinary amount of work! No pain, no gain. The sensation of a real win, a merited win, is just unbeatable. So let's hear it for the coaches out there that make everything possible!

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+ We look forward to hearing from you. Your contributions will make the camp even better! Share your experiences, photos, links and more. Thank you for being part of our community of awesome coaches. Keep up the good work! You make your team what it is. Treat them with respect and motivate them to become the best they can be. With your help they can achieve all their dreams. No challenge is too great for a team that plays well together, using the strengths of each team member!

+ Let others know what you want to talk/gesture/draw about, by pitching your topic or question on the <strong>2008 Potential Topics</strong> <a class="wiki" href="http://wiki.agilecoachcamp.org/tiki-forums.php" rel="">forum</a>. We don't need to know in advance, but if you'd like to get people thinking about it, this is one way. Also read how <a href="tiki-index.php?page=Staying+On+Top+of+Your+Game" title="Staying On Top of Your Game" class="wiki">Staying On Top of Your Game</a> is possible.<br />

- </li></ul><br /><br /><ul><li> My second thread is "credit for coaching" - How do coaches, especially as "servant leaders" get recognized or rewarded? How do we acknowledge the added value of a coach? This goes beyond the personal satisfaction from helping others to communicate, collaborate, and contribute (C1+C2+C3). I've seen some thoughtful blogs on this topic. Where are we now?<br /></li></ul><br /><br /><ul><li> And one new thread: A Pillar colleague, Abram Cookson, just sprung his idea of an "agile lifestyle" on a personal level. Wow!!! That got me thinking... What kinds of debts am I carrying now? How do I transform my life for more agility? How can I create more value with less baggage and less waste?<br /></li></ul><br /><br />I frequently have to remind myself... "agile: it isn't just for developers any more!" ;-)<br />

+ </li><li> My second thread is "credit for coaching" - How do coaches, especially as "servant leaders" get recognized or rewarded? How do we acknowledge the added value of a coach? This goes beyond the personal satisfaction from helping others to communicate, collaborate, and contribute (C1+C2+C3). I've seen some thoughtful blogs on this topic. Where are we now?<br /></li><li> And one new thread: A Pillar colleague, Abram Cookson, just sprung his idea of an "agile lifestyle" on a personal level. Wow!!! That got me thinking... What kinds of debts am I carrying now? How do I transform my life for more agility? How can I create more value with less baggage and less waste?<br /></li></ul>I frequently have to remind myself... "agile: it isn't just for developers any more!" ;-)<br />

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- More to come!

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- essays help

- 1. LeanDog, Inc. » Agile Coach Camp, Charlotte, NC this Spring

- 2. Agile Coach Camp

- 3. Agile Coaches Attend First AgileCoachCamp

- 4. I’m Going to Agile Coach Camp!

+

Obsolete!! Visit www.agilecoachcamp.us

the unconference for Agile Coaches

- <blockquote style="width: 80%;"><em>I started Wizewerx Skills Workshops because I���m passionate about helping people learn and use their learning to improve their lives... we don���t provide training. We facilitate learning.</em></blockquote><br />

+ <blockquote style="width: 80%;"><em>I started Wizewerx Skills Workshops because Iâ���™m passionate about helping people learn and use their learning to improve their lives... we donâ€���t provide training. We facilitate learning.</em></blockquote><br />

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- essay writing service

+ Friday 9/23

+ 5:00 registration opens

+ Jazz band will be playing

+ 5:00 - 7:00 socializing at the facilities

+ 8:00

+

+ Saturday 9/24

+ 8:00 Breakfast provided

+ Start at 9:00

+ Lunch provided

+

+ Sunday 9/25

+ Start at 9:00

+ Lunch provided

+ At Columbus State Community College <a class="wiki external" target="_blank" href="http://www.cscc.edu/WORKFORCE/index.shtml" rel="external nofollow">Center For Workforce Development</a><img src="img/icons/external_link.gif" alt="(external link)" width="15" height="14" style="border: none" title="(external link)" class="icon" /><br />

- <h3 class="showhide_heading" id="Gold_Level_">Gold Level!!</h3>

+ <h3 class="showhide_heading" id="Gold_Level">Gold Level</h3>

- <h3 class="showhide_heading" id="Silver_Level_">Silver Level!!</h3>

+ <h3 class="showhide_heading" id="Silver_Level">Silver Level</h3><br /><br /><br /><h3 class="showhide_heading" id="Bronze_Level">Bronze Level</h3>

-

Bronze Level!!

- cv writing

+

+ Looks like 2 conclusions were made and posted as a separate sheet on top of the last one:

+

+ We need a measure of value to balance optimaze multiple teams

+ This gives dlear role for functional managers - to measure/optimaize value flow through the organization

+ What are some different types of Retros? (Looks more like techniques)<br />

- - Roling retrospective<br />

+ - Rolling retrospective<br /><br /><br /><br />This seems more like Types:<br /><br /><br /><br />Iteration Retros<br /><br />Release Retros<br /><br />Cross team retros<br /><br />Project Retro/Close-out<br /><br /><br /><br />Some mention of "retros gone bad", looks like this led to a comparison discussion as follows:<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Works Well</span><br /><br />Bringing data to retro<br /><br />- velocity, defect count, etc.<br /><br />Visual talking points<br /><br />The shake-off creates a satisfied feeling and reduces catharsis<br /><br />Different types<br /><br />Prime Directive/No blame game<br /><br />Focus on Action Items<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Not So Well</span><br /><br />Distributed team<br /><br />Became rote<br /><br />Action items not followed up<br /><br />Blame game --> Chicken & Pig ratio led to blame game<br /><br />- observers in the room<br /><br />Too many people<br /><br /><br />

+ pmboos added from flip chart

+

+ discussions hit TDD (unit testing) and ATDD (functionality described on story card)

+ mentioned

+

+ 1) Resource model

+ 2) Reverse Psychology

+ 3) Expert Outsider

+

+ I presume as a means of gaining adoption

+

+ (aka How to turn on the charm...)

+ This was held in the bar area. Seriously. per the flip chart...

+

+ led by BillGaiennie?

+ posted by pmboos

+

+ Well that is it - all I found was a title sheet....

+

+ led by RobinKargoll

+ posted by pmboos

+

+ Tips

+ - creating safety

+ - transfer knowledge

+ - creating consistency, deliver regularly

+ - test coverage/quality

+ - building trust

+ - meeting expectations

+ - making it OK to fail/"fail fast"

+ - humility

+

+ <div style="text-align: center;"><a class="wiki" href="http://wiki.agilecoachcamp.org/tiki-browse_gallery.php?galleryId=1" rel="">PHOTO GALLERY</a> ��� ��� <a class="wiki external" target="_blank" href="http://www.agilecoachcamp.org/agilecoachcamp_chairgame.AVI" rel="external nofollow">VIDEO: Coaches Setting Up For OpenSpace</a><img src="img/icons/external_link.gif" alt="(external link)" width="15" height="14" style="border: none" title="(external link)" class="icon" /></div><br />

- What was it aboutr? Please read our 2008 <span style="color:red; background:"> <a href="tiki-index.php?page=InvitationLetter" title="InvitationLetter" class="wiki">InvitationLetter</a> </span> !<br><br><br />

+ What was it about? Please read our 2008 <span style="color:red; background:"> <a href="tiki-index.php?page=InvitationLetter" title="InvitationLetter" class="wiki">InvitationLetter</a> </span> !<br><br><br />

+ <h3>Proposed Venue</h3><p>R����ckersbach</p><br />

- <tr><td>Deborah</td><td>yes</td><td>yes>/td></tr>

+ <tr><td>Deborah</td><td>yes</td><td>yes</td></tr>

+ </li><li> <img src="img/wiki_up/steph1.JPG" height="73" width="66" alt="Image" /> Stephane Lecuyer, Montreal, Quebec, Canada <a class="wiki external" target="_blank" href="http://www.essaysexperts.com" rel="external nofollow">custom essays</a><img src="img/icons/external_link.gif" alt="(external link)" width="15" height="14" style="border: none" title="(external link)" class="icon" />

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+ Marc L.

+

• conference folders arrived, including paper and pens

+

shirts arrived

+

the two facilitator's toolboxes arrived. They are rather minimal, but as they were extra anyway, it shouldn't be a problem.

+

+ Martin

+

• it-agile flyers arrived

+

stuff for Agile Jeopardy arrived

+

+ Ilja

+

• Stickers arrived

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+ Martin also brings

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• projector

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loudspeakers for ipod or similar. Nichole brings a second set.

+

Twister game

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+ According to information Ilja got from Deb, the people coming from Agfa will bring

+

• a projector

+

a Wii game console, including two guitar controllers (Ilja will bring USB microphone)

+

+

• according to the venue's website, the conference rooms should have Wifi

+

+

• remember to bring books for the book table

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+ news about attendees from Christiane

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• all free places have been filled via Twitter, so we currently have 50 attendees

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there are no people left on the waiting list

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+ Dinner on Friday

+

• there was some confusion about Dinner on Friday - it was meant to be extra to the snacks provided, paid extra by attendees. But this wasn't well communicated on either the website, registration form or welcome email

+

Christiane will try to organize it so that there will be no dinner at all, but more finger food, so that the group won't split up, and noone has to suffer hunger. Needs to be clarified with venue till tomorrow, she will try this evening.

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+ Welcome on Friday

+

• will take place at 8PM just before lightning talks

+

Martin doesn't have time to prepare it alone

+

did Deb volunteer to help in earlier meetings?

+

Sebastian would volunteer if Deb doesn't

+

+

- Jürgen<br />

+ J����rgen<br />

- <ul><li> Will be assembled at Rückersbach on Friday 30.4 by the people who will arrive early (the sponsors' information need to be put in each package)

+ <ul><li> Will be assembled at R����ckersbach on Friday 30.4 by the people who will arrive early (the sponsors' information need to be put in each package)

- <ul><li> Pierluigi - Organise with Rückersbach that there is a flip chart available also on Friday evening

+ <ul><li> Pierluigi - Organise with R����ckersbach that there is a flip chart available also on Friday evening

- <ul><li> decided for Rückersbach

+ <ul><li> decided for R����ckersbach

+ This page is intended to collect all the topics related to how do the organisers reach R����ckersbach, so we can share a car if possible, and what material relevant to the camp do they bring with them.<br />

- 29.4 By car. Stuttgart->Rückersbach. I will be there already on Thursday evening so I can support Mike - who arrives also Thu evening - with his preparation on Friday.<br />

+ 29.4 By car. Stuttgart->R����ckersbach. I will be there already on Thursday evening so I can support Mike - who arrives also Thu evening - with his preparation on Friday.<br />

- 2.5 By Car. Rückersbach->Mainz to the JAX Conference<br /><br />Mainz->München by car either 3.5 in the evening or 7.5 in the evening, exact plan still TBD<br />

+ 2.5 By Car. R����ckersbach->Mainz to the JAX Conference<br /><br />Mainz->M����nchen by car either 3.5 in the evening or 7.5 in the evening, exact plan still TBD<br />

- 2.5. Rückersbach->Mainz for JAX, by train or shared car<br />

+ 2.5. R����ckersbach->Mainz for JAX, by train or shared car<br />

+

+ Other sources:

+ * Wii with 2 guitars

+ * Instruments: saxophon, gitarre(?)

+

+ <a target="_blank" class="wiki external" href="http://www.hanoulle.be/2010/01/agile-retroflection-of-the-day-version-3/">http://www.hanoulle.be/2010/01/agile-retroflection-of-the-day-version-3/<img src="img/icons/external_link.gif" alt="(external link)" width="15" height="14" style="border: none" title="(external link)" class="icon" /></a><br /><br /><br />

+ I looked for alternatives which<br /><br />1. ...need minimum administrational work on our side (thats why i<br /><br />ruled out self-hosted software and all CMS-based stuff in favor of a<br /><br />Wiki)<br /><br />2. ...are more intuitive (and fun) to use than the Tiki-Wiki<a href="tiki-editpage.php?page=Tiki-Wiki" title="Create page: Tiki-Wiki" class="wiki wikinew">?</a>, so that<br /><br />we have a lower barrier for interaction and participation<br /><br />3. ...can be customized somehwat (if we want), so we can build an<br /><br />attractive website to promote the acc-event.<br /><br /><br /><br />In the end my favourites were <a class="wiki external" target="_blank" href="http://www.pbwiki.com" rel="external nofollow">pbwiki.com</a><img src="img/icons/external_link.gif" alt="(external link)" width="15" height="14" style="border: none" title="(external link)" class="icon" /> and <a class="wiki external" target="_blank" href="http://www.wikispaces.com" rel="external nofollow">wikispaces.com</a><img src="img/icons/external_link.gif" alt="(external link)" width="15" height="14" style="border: none" title="(external link)" class="icon" /> -<br /><br />wikispaces is even more comfortable to use (more guided dialogues for<br /><br />embedding widgets) but puts Google-Ads<a href="tiki-editpage.php?page=Google-Ads" title="Create page: Google-Ads" class="wiki wikinew">?</a> on all free wikis. Pbwiki does<br /><br />not put any ads on your site and also is very easy to use yet<br /><br />powerful.<br /><br /><br /><br />Major advantages:<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li> Easier Wiki-Interface<a href="tiki-editpage.php?page=Wiki-Interface" title="Create page: Wiki-Interface" class="wiki wikinew">?</a> (WYSIWYG), no need to learn wiki syntax<br /></li><li> custom navigation tree is editable, sidebar is editable (better<br /></li></ul>usability)<br /><br /><ul><li> subdomain like agilecoachcamp.pbworks.com possible<br /></li><li> its easy to stucture pages in a hierachy<br /></li><li> Easier photo upload, linking to pages, etc.<br /></li><li> Comment directly on pages<br /></li><li> Notifications on page updates<br /></li><li> quite useful tooltips as help on first visits<br /></li><li> HTML+CSS possible when editing in source view<br /></li><li> OpenID-Support for login<br /></li></ul><br /><br />Disadvantages:<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><li> we cannot set permissions per page (possible at wikispaces.com, if<br /></li></ul>we agree to tolerate the text ads on our wiki)<br /><br /><ul><li> content separated from "global" agilecoachcamp-site<br /></li></ul>

+ <table class="wikitable"><tr><td class="wikicell" >Facilitation issues</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Mike Sutton with Deborah Hartmann Preuss</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Venue Search, Co-ordin.</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Pierluigi Pugliese</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Topic/Title suggestions</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Sebastian Eichner +Ilja Preuss</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Research for wiki/website</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Sebastian Eichner</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Communication/PR</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Ilja Preuss, Pierluigi Pugliese</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Sponsorship</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Deborah Hartmann Preuss</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Registration</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Christiane Phillips</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Organizing committee also includes active members</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">Martin Heider, Marc Bless, Ute Plazer, Heiko Stapf, J����rgen "Mentos" Hoffmann, Nicole Rauch, Josef Scherer</td></tr><tr><td class="wikicell" >Logistics</td><td class="wikicell" colspan="2">TBD later</td></tr></table><br />

+

ACC2010DE_Wiki_Evaluation

+ <h3 class="showhide_heading" id="Notes_from_Siraj_4_7_2010_">Notes from Siraj (4/7/2010)</h3>

- Mantra (n): A word or group of words, an act or a series of acts - all considered capable of creating ���transformation���. (���man��� - mind + ���tra��� - liberation).<br />

+ Mantra (n): A word or group of words, an act or a series of acts - all considered capable of creating â���œtransformationâ�����. (â���œmanâ����� - mind + â���œtraâ����� - liberation).<br />

- Adopting Agile in any organizations presents a unique challenge to The Influencer (aka Change Agent). This presentation is about the unique challenge and provides a ���Mantra��� for The Influencer/s to influence the adoption process.<br />

+ Adopting Agile in any organizations presents a unique challenge to The Influencer (aka Change Agent). This presentation is about the unique challenge and provides a â���œMantraâ����� for The Influencer/s to influence the adoption process.<br />

- The Agile Influencer's Mantra looks at the philosophy of Agile process improvement and then deep dives into the forces around Agile adoption. We discuss the team dynamics that enable adoption of Agile. Finally, we summarize The ���Mantra��� that would help Change Agent���s to influence the Agile adoption process.<br />

+ The Agile Influencer's Mantra looks at the philosophy of Agile process improvement and then deep dives into the forces around Agile adoption. We discuss the team dynamics that enable adoption of Agile. Finally, we summarize The â���œMantraâ����� that would help Change Agentâ���™s to influence the Agile adoption process.<br />

- If I could summarize my experience with all process improvement styles to one phrase it would be this ���Respect for Humanity���. The current level of respect in a team or organization drives everything for them - sales, costs, customer satisfaction and even Agile process adoption.<br />

+ If I could summarize my experience with all process improvement styles to one phrase it would be this â���œRespect for Humanityâ�����. The current level of respect in a team or organization drives everything for them - sales, costs, customer satisfaction and even Agile process adoption.<br />

- I look at Respect for Humanity as ���the Policy about all Policies���.<br />

+ I look at Respect for Humanity as â���œthe Policy about all Policiesâ�����.<br />

- I have seen the team���s respect for each other within the team and outside the team increase tremendously as a result of Agile adoption and this brings about success for the team which in turn fuels more respect. A virtuous cycle! In another case, I made the goal of a team very simple ���Give Respect to and Get Respect from Everyone in this organization��� and the results have been phenomenal for the team and company. This team has now created the process blueprint for every project that will be funded by the company���s board of directors.<br />

+ I have seen the teamâ���™s respect for each other within the team and outside the team increase tremendously as a result of Agile adoption and this brings about success for the team which in turn fuels more respect. A virtuous cycle! In another case, I made the goal of a team very simple â���œGive Respect to and Get Respect from Everyone in this organizationâ����� and the results have been phenomenal for the team and company. This team has now created the process blueprint for every project that will be funded by the companyâ€���s board of directors.<br />

- Kyocera Corporation���s corporate motto is Respect for the Divine and Love People<br />

+ Kyocera Corporationâ���™s corporate motto is Respect for the Divine and Love People<br />

+

+ Ideal tool (that takes advantage of in-person interaction) for a co-located team comprises of:

+

+ 1. Sprint backlog on a physical board with stories and tasks on stickies or cards.

+ 2. Burndown chart on white board manually drawn

+ 3. Product backlog on a physical board with story cards/stickies

+ 4. Impediments on white-board or flip chart

+ 5. build status indicator like lava lamp, ambient orb

+

+ This encourages rich interaction among team members.

+

+ For a distributed team or for a project with multiple teams, software tool becomes necessary. Everybody seems to prefer tools that simulate the card view of a physical board. When it comes to configuration, there are two clear preferences. Some like minimal configuration, when others want to be able to configure everything. However, a tool that does things that are common across teams are better than the ones that try to do everything. The later can get in the way.

+

+ When is a software tool useful for a co-located team?

+

+ 1. Product backlog management. Physical board is limited in ways product owners need to prioritize, group, and track relationship among features being built.

+

+ 2. Change histories. Software tools allow teams to track changes to story/bug/task cards. It helps the team avoid confusions or misunderstanding.

+

+ 3. Managing conversations around a story. One-on-one or group conversations about stories are great, but when developers are in the weeds, they tend to forget the details of the conversation. These conversations can be recorded in a software tool for later references.

+

+ 4. Trend analysis. Software tools can make it easy to track key metrics and generate insights that otherwise would be difficult to produce manually.

+

+ In conclusion, a team, co-located or otherwise, should start with a low-tech solution like physical board or online spreadsheet, and eventually need to to move to a software-based solution, which can be complemented by a physical board if so desired.

+