Agile Virtual Summit 2021

Dependency Myth Busting – Avoiding the Widely Held Beliefs That Can Kill Your Agility at Scale Dependencies are killing your agility and you want to fight back. A common belief is that if we just re-organize ourselves “correctly” (for example, organize 100% into feature teams) we can eliminate dependencies. This is a myth. Certainly re-organizing can help, but eliminating all dependencies when trying to do agile at scale is not practical. There are many other beliefs that cloud our minds when dealing with dependencies. For example, if we could just identify all of the dependencies upfront, we could manage them. Or if we just had a more detailed dependency-management process with awesome tool support, we could tame our dependencies. Yeah, no. In this session Ken will bust many of the common myths surrounding how to best deal with dependencies. He will provide critical insight drawn from his years of experience working with many different clients and their dependency issues. At the end of the session, you will be in a better position to evaluate your organization’s approach to dependency management and begin utilizing reality-based rather than myth-based approaches that will actually help lessen the impact of dependencies.

The Truth about "Agile" Chances are, if you’ve been in the software development industry for any amount of time, you’ve heard the word “Agile” thrown around a time or two. Perhaps you’ve been part of an “Agile Transformation” or you have attended a certification course for Scrum or Kanban. In the 20 years since the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was drafted, “Agile” has taken on a life of its own. But what is “Agile” really, and what does it mean for you? Is it story points and two week deadlines? Is it kumbaya and “soft skills”? In this talk, we’ll get into some real truths and real talk about what it means to be agile in today’s changing world.

Emergency, Stress Alarm Ever felt like you have no control over anything that’s happening around you? We’ve all experienced this especially when it comes to stressful situations within the workplace. As you continue on your professional journey, you’ll run into situations where you have very limited ability to influence. Fun fact, you have more options than pulling your hair out. Join this session to understand what makes these kinds of situations stressful, why it’s hard but necessary to manage stress, and techniques for practicing good self-care. Expect to assess and manage a stressful situation using the CHART Method adapted from the public safety industry.

Netflix and ______ - a knockout approach towards decisions and prioritization If staying at home for most of 2020 taught us anything, it's that making a choice between things can be difficult: what to eat, what to watch, and what to clean. In this workshop, you will get to experience a fun and interactive approach towards prioritization and decision making that can be applied to your personal and professional life.