Digital metamorphosis and agile adoption is already tough, with half of all UK digital transformation projects facing delays in the last year. And the huge and abrupt market shifts of spring 2020 mean many businesses are having to accelerate their transformation projects to handle the new demands. Instead of measuring progress in years and decades, organizations suddenly have to have the new capabilities online next month—or next week. But the solution is not “agile harder”.
Adopting by-the-book rituals or hiring an army of agile coaches isn’t going to instantly make your business ready for remote working, faster delivery, and the needs of new markets. Instead, start by building trust, creating a culture of commitment and accountability—and watch the transformational results flow. How do you change your culture? You do it by changing your conversations. In their book Agile Conversations, Douglas and Jeffrey describe numerous techniques for improving your conversations and getting dramatic agile results quickly. In this talk, they'll show you how to take your first steps toward a human-centred transformation, using nothing more than a piece of paper, a pen, and a willingness to learn.
Douglas Squirrel
Director, Squirrel Squared
Douglas Squirrel, co-author of Agile Conversations, has been coding for 40 years and has led software teams for 20. He uses the power of conversations to create dramatic productivity gains in technology organizations of all sizes. Squirrel’s experience includes growing software teams as a CTO in startups from fintech to e-commerce; consulting on product improvement at over 60 organizations in the UK, US, and Europe; and coaching a wide variety of leaders in improving their conversations, aligning to business goals, and creating productive conflict. He lives in Frogholt, England, in a timber-framed cottage built in the year 1450.
Jeffrey Fredrick
Managing director, TIM
Jeffrey Fredrick, co-author of Agile Conversations, is an internationally recognized expert in software development with over 25 years’ experience covering both sides of the business/technology divide. His experience includes roles as Vice President of Product Management, Vice President of Engineering, and Chief Evangelist. He has also worked as an independent consultant on topics including corporate strategy, product management, marketing, and interaction design. Jeffrey is based in London and is currently Managing Director of TIM, an Acuris Company. He also runs the London Organisational Learning Meetup and is a CTO mentor through CTO Craft.
