Hi all!!! To both of you - may the future be bright, happy and filled with continued blessings from above gold I've just been sitting around waiting for something to happen. gold element, gold, I just don't have anything to say.

In October, SolutionsIQ organized an entertaining, educational, and well-attended panel on Incremental Architecture.

In November, Michael Kelly will present our next evening meeting topic, Agile Methodologies: A Matter of Survival.

Metaphorically, we frequently think of things as surviving where there's no real threat to life. Companies survive. Products, and the teams that produce them, survive. Individual members of the team continue to be a member of the team by virtue of their ability to survive. In all these activities we see the same lively dance of competition and cooperation, of adaptation and evolution, within a constantly changing environment.

Michael Kelly, a survivor of numerous software campaigns, will bring together the insights of famed survival writer Laurence Gonzales, some rather surprising research into the neuroscience of decision making, and some hair-raising personal experiences to illuminate the importance of agile methodologies and suggest some potential new directions.

This is our usual monthly meeting for the month of November. Remember the location and time for future meetings! Third Wed of the month, at CubeSpace.

Monthly, 3rd Friday meeting of the Extreme Programming user group conversation meeting to discuss all things Agile and Extreme Programming.

Lean methods in software development have progressed from conceptual understanding to practical techniques that people are using to solve problems and ship software today. The Lean toolkit augments or enhances the practices that are available to today's Agile practitioner. Lean expands the organizational scope of Agile and provides a rich and robust set of methods for process improvement.

Corey Ladas is a Lean Software Development consultant and practitioner who focuses on evolving local development processes through systematic self-organization and continuous improvement. He will discuss and demonstrate some of the techniques from his new book, Scrumban: Essays on Kanban Systems for Lean Software Development.

Pizza at 6:30pm, talk at 7pm, beer after. Pizza is sponsored by YesMail. As ever, we will follow the meeting with a chat and hang out at a local pub.

Monthly late lunch at a pub featuring, food, beers, and casual conversation to share our experiences with Agile methods/practices/approaches/events. A time for more discussion of the speaker meeting topic (or not) from Wednesday night.

Monthly pub lunch featuring our stories about "doing" & "being" Agile; i.e., using XP, Scrum, Lean, et al, for software development. Seasoned practitioners and new-to-Agile welcome. We're usually at one (or more) of the long tables in the middle.

Casual conversation over no-host lunch about all things relevant to Agile software development. Sometimes a few of us show up to talk, more often a dozen (or more) practitioners join the fun.

• If your business card says programmer, tester, project manager, product manager or coach (or would if you had one)
• If you use Agile methods, practices, principles or approaches
• If you seek opportunities to keep working for companies that prefer an Agile approach
• If you want to recruit dev team members who know how to work in an Agile environment
• If you're curious about any the above Come on over for lunch.

We welcome practitioners from all Agile flavors--Scrum, XP, DSDM, Crystal, FDD, AUP, Adaptive, EVO, etc.

Casual conversation over no-host lunch about all things relevant to Agile software development. Sometimes a few of us show up to talk, more often a dozen (or more) practitioners join the fun.

• If your business card says programmer, tester, project manager, product manager or coach (or would if you had one)
• If you use Agile methods, practices, principles or approaches
• If you seek opportunities to keep working for companies that prefer an Agile approach
• If you want to recruit dev team members who know how to work in an Agile environment
• If you're curious about any the above Come on over for lunch.

We welcome practitioners from all Agile flavors--Scrum, XP, DSDM, Crystal, FDD, AUP, Adaptive, EVO, etc.

SolutionsIQ Certified ScrumMaster Training gives you all the tools and information you need to get started with Scrum and Agile. Delivered by SolutionsIQ’s world-renowned Certified ScrumMaster Trainers, this course shares time-tested practices for managing Product Backlogs, planning your releases and iterations (Sprints), and tracking and reporting progress. You’ll learn how to lead Sprint Planning meetings, Daily Scrum meetings, Sprint Review meetings, Sprint Retrospectives, and much more.

Who should attend: All software team members, including project managers, team leads, development managers, product managers, architects,

developers, testers, as well as executives (e.g. CIOs and CTOs). Note: This course provides a Scrum Product Owner certification through the Scrum Alliance.

PMI Credits: This course can be claimed for 14 PDUs with the PMI institute.

<img src="http://www.solutionsiq.com/images/register.gif"

border="0"> Cost:$1200 per student 20% Early Bird Discount if registered by October 10th, 2009 Also, 5th Seat Free! Register 5 or more, registration for 5th student is free!

We'll have a discussion on one of the people issues associated with agile software development: how do you turn a bad situation around?

Just as legacy code is a set of problems that take special techniques to overcome, legacy interpersonal interactions are too. I'm pretty sure that unit tests aren't the answer for most interpersonal problems, either. :)

More seriously, it's pretty common to join a company or team with existing trust and communication (and yes, tech) issues. Come share ways of turning those into successes.

Pizza and networking at 6:30pm, 7pm talk, beer afterwards.

(Note: location is hard to get to via GPS or map service. Use directions here instead.)

This is the informal complement to the more formal XPDX meetings. Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer.

Announcing Agile Open Northwest 2010! This Agile Open Space event will be held February 9th and 10th, 2010, in the Seattle Center Northwest Rooms. Please see http://www.agileopennorthwest.org for registration information and further details.

We invite you to our fourth annual Agile Open Northwest conference. Alternating each year between Portland and Seattle, AONW conferences bring together practicing members of the Northwest Agile communities to explore the latest developments in agile software development. We held our third annual event last year in Portland and enjoyed another great success. Registration is $125.00 for both days, including light breakfast and lunch. This low-cost regional conference is a great opportunity to connect with the local agile community, experts and novices alike.

Please join us this year as we host 125 experienced, collaborative, committed agile practitioners from the Northwest U.S. (and beyond) in tackling the issues around our recurring theme "Agile for Real." As in past years, attendance is limited to a predetermined number in order retain the many advantages a small conference has to offer.

Here is a comment from a previous attendee:

"These two-day Agile Open Northwest conferences are an extremely good value. ..[Y]ou learn directly from practitioners in the agile community what works and what doesn't. I attended the first two of these conferences, they were stunningly good... loads of practical, useful stuff and stimulating discussions." -- Ian Savage, PNSQC Program Chair

More information can be found at http://www.agileopennorthwest.org. Registration is open now. We look forward to seeing you there.

We're happy to announce that Elisabeth Hendrickson will be speaking to the Portland Agile Users Group on Wednesday the 17th. She's an energetic and informative member of the greater agile community who periodically comes up from the Bay Area to share her knowledge with us. Her talk on ATDD[*] last year at CubeSpace was great fun and well-received.

This year she'll be taking us through an interactive simulation of an agile transition. When she ran this simulation at Agile 2009, it replicated a number of problems I've seen take months and years to play out on real software teams. Bring your team members! It's far less stressful to talk about problems in the context of an evening's simulation than in the context of three years of product development.

Pizza is sponsored by YesMail of InfoGroup Interactive. Pizza and networking start at 6:30; presentation starts at 7. If there's enough interest, we'll go to a pub afterward for further discussion.

[*] Acceptance-Test-Driven Development

This is the informal complement to the more formal agile users group meetings. Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer.

Scrum increases the emphasis on assessing and driving business value through close collaboration with the delivery team. The Scrum Product Owner establishes the interaction between the business and the delivery team that is so essential to increasing productivity within an Agile organization. Product Owners who assume this crucial role have the ability to guide the team and the process to gain the full benefit of Agile delivery. SolutionsIQ Certified Scrum Product Owner Training is interactive and highly experiential. Participants gain practical tools and techniques for engaging with software delivery teams.

Register: http://www.solutionsiq.com/Training/CourseProfile.aspx?ID=1

This is the informal complement to the more formal agile users group meetings. Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer.

SolutionsIQ Certified ScrumMaster Training gives you all the tools and information you need to get started with Scrum and Agile. Delivered by SolutionsIQ’s world-renowned Certified ScrumMaster Trainers, this course shares time-tested practices for managing Product Backlogs, planning your releases and iterations (Sprints), and tracking and reporting progress.

You’ll learn how to lead Sprint Planning meetings, Daily Scrum meetings, Sprint Review meetings, Sprint Retrospectives, and much more.

Contact: Rachel Kjack 503.867.0742

This is the informal complement to the more formal agile users group meetings. Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer.

Join us for a discussion of topics related to agile software development! Audience participation strongly encouraged. Pizza is at 6:30; discussion starts at 7.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a fishbowl discussion works like fishbowl coding: there are a small number of people who are up front and allowed to speak at any given time. If you want to ask a question or say something, swap in for one of the people up front. If you're up front and done speaking, sit back down in the audience.

Potential discussion topics include mock objects in testing; balancing ideology with reality; certification; no/low bugs in a codebase; contracting without being able to give a fixed bid. Or bring your own! We'll decide what we're discussing at the beginning of the meeting, but expect the conversation to wander.

SolutionsIQ Certified ScrumMaster Training gives you all the tools and information you need to get started with Scrum and Agile. Delivered by SolutionsIQ’s world-renowned Certified ScrumMaster Trainers, this course shares time-tested practices for managing Product Backlogs, planning your releases and iterations (Sprints), and tracking and reporting progress.

You’ll learn how to lead Sprint Planning meetings, Daily Scrum meetings, Sprint Review meetings, Sprint Retrospectives, and much more.

Agenda:

* Introduction to Agile
* Origins of Scrum
* The Scrum process
* Roles and responsibilities
* Product Backlog
* Estimating Product Backlog items
* Scaling Scrum
* Scrum in detail
* Sprints
* Sprint planning meeting
* Daily standup meeting
* Burndown charts and project reporting
* Sprint review and retrospective
* Getting started with Scrum
* Graduation and closing

This is the informal complement to the more formal agile users group meetings. Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer.

SolutionsIQ Certified Scrum Product Owner Training is interactive and highly experiential. Participants gain practical tools and techniques for engaging with software delivery teams.

When the capabilities of the Product Owner are optimized, an Agile team will experience immediate benefits that lead to improved effectiveness and customer satisfaction as well as increased return on investment (ROI).

* Boost Product Owner capabilities
* Optimize Agile teams
* Increase Scrum functionality
* Enhance planning and scheduling
* Gain practical, proven techniques
* Improve estimating skills and results
* Maximize delivery capabilities
* Reduce risk
* Improve ROI
* Leverage proven experience
* Obtain thought-leader guidance and insight

This is the informal complement to the more formal agile users group meetings. Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer.

Delivered by SolutionsIQ’s world-renowned Certified ScrumMaster Trainers, this course shares time-tested practices for managing Product Backlogs, planning your releases and iterations (Sprints), and tracking and reporting progress. You’ll learn how to lead Sprint Planning meetings, Daily Scrum meetings, Sprint Review meetings, Sprint Retrospectives, and much more.

Agenda:

* Introduction to Agile
* Origins of Scrum
* The Scrum process
* Roles and responsibilities
* Product Backlog
* Estimating Product Backlog items
* Scaling Scrum
* Scrum in detail
* Sprints
* Sprint planning meeting
* Daily standup meeting
* Burndown charts and project reporting
* Sprint review and retrospective
* Getting started with Scrum
* Graduation and closing

SolutionsIQ Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Training gives you all the tools and information you need to effectively apply Agile Scrum Project Management principles to your project or program.

Students will learn how to:

* Maintain and use a burndown chart
* Manage Product Backlogs
* Plan Releases and Iterations (Sprints)
* Conduct Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews & Retrospective meetings
* Track and Report progress
* Effectively apply the principles of the Agile Manifesto

All SolutionsIQ Agile training courses are highly interactive. Students will participate in discussions group-based exercises, and simulations.

Taught by Jim Shore, highly-respected author of “The Art of Agile Development”, and Diana Larsen, chair of the Agile Alliance and co-author of the acclaimed “Agile Retrospectives,” this training course provides knowledge you need to accelerate the adoption and practice of agile development.

Training Objectives: What You Will Learn

* Work consistently and reliably using iterations/Sprints
* Reliably release software on a regular basis
* Meet your commitments, even when things go wrong, by managing risks
* Take advantage of opportunities by adapting your plans
* Create, estimate, and prioritize minimum marketable features and user stories
* Collaborate with stakeholders to clarify requirements and product vision
* Get to “done done!”

Agenda:

This is a hands-on course with a heavy emphasis on doing, not watching! Topics include:

* Estimating
* Story writing
* The infrastructure outsourcing continuum
* Iteration/Sprint planning
* “Done Done”
* Release planning
* Adaptive planning
* Risk management
* Vision
* Working with stakeholders

This course gives you the hands-on experience and builds the skill set you will require to thoroughly understand and then utilize the real-world fundamentals of agile delivery. You also will learn to accelerate and enhance your adoption and practice of agile development within your organization.

Training Objectives: What You Will Learn

* Build and ship weekly increments of software using iterations/Sprints
* Create nearly bug-free code using test-driven development, refactoring, and exploratory testing
* Understand and accommodate stakeholders and their diverse opinions
* Work in a cross-functional team with on-site customers, testers, and programmers
* Prevent build failures with continuous integration
* Incrementally build technical infrastructure alongside features

Agenda:

In a class that emphasizes doing; you will form cross-functional teams and deliver actual software in four 90-minute iterations, in a real-world environment that includes version control, automated builds, and continuous integration. That’s right: you’ll design, build, test, and ship software, as well as build out your technical infrastructure, all in 90 minutes. If that sounds impossible, you must take this course.

Does everyone at your company respond to change as fast as your agile team? Or do you have critical partners who simply can't move as fast as your team? Are you required to provide detailed estimates in order to get enough resources to start uncertain and complex projects? How do you even build enough buy-in to avoid death by a thousand cuts? In this presentation, Nancy Van Schooenderwoert will explore practical, proven ways to address these questions.

Who should attend: Anyone trying to build enough buy-in for their company to give Agile methods a genuine try. Embedded systems developers and project leaders who need to envision the concrete workings of Agile practices in their domain, as a first step to making it happen.

Speaker: Nancy Van Schooenderwoert is an Agile Enterprise coach with over a decade of experience applying Agile practices as an engineer, manager, and consultant. She has led Agile change initiatives in safety-critical, highly regulated industries, and coached clients in the art of Agile technical and management leadership. Nancy's experience spans embedded software development and applications in aerospace, factory automation, medical devices, defense systems, as well as in financial services. In 1998 Nancy introduced agile techniques to embedded software, including safety- critical applications. She was among the first to publish advice on the techniques that work in real world embedded projects. She has introduced agile ideas and practices to another field where it was thought to be impossible – data warehousing and large data migrations. Coaches she mentored are now the leaders in this new field applying lean-agile principles to applications where data quality is central. Nancy Van Schooenderwoert is Principal Coach at Lean-Agile Partners Inc. www.LeanAgilePartners.com

Pizza sponsored by PNSQC starts at 6:30 p.m. Program starts at 7:00 p.m.

The Hawthorne Farm MAX station stops right next to Intel. See this map for the correct location:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Intel+Corporation,+hawthorne+farm,+hillsboro,+or&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=54.401733,61.523437&ie=UTF8&hq=Intel+Corporation,+hawthorne+farm,&hnear=Hillsboro,+Washington,+Oregon&t=h&ll=45.532372,-122.927656&spn=0.01189,0.01502&z=16&iwloc=A

Directions: From Cornell, head South on NE Elam Young Pkwy (near Costco). Take the first left to turn into the Intel parking lot. The HF3 campus will be directly in front of you. Parking is available on both sides of the building. Note: There are two NE Elam Young Pkwy streets that connect with Cornell. Go south on the street closest to Brookwood and Costco (between Brookwood and 51st).

We're meeting after the SAO day-long event,"Blurring the Lines between QA & Dev in an Agile Environment." Local Agilists will reflect on what we heard or said in presentations at the event, then we'll apply "personal kanban" to create table topic lists for the evening.

You don't have to have attended the SAO event to join us.

• If your business card says programmer, tester, project manager, product manager or coach (or would if you had one)
• If you use Agile methods, practices, principles or approaches
• If you seek opportunities to keep working for companies that prefer an Agile approach
• If you want to recruit team members who know how to work in an Agile environment
• If you're curious about any the above, Come on over.

We welcome practitioners from all Agile-related frameworks--Scrum, XP, Adaptive, EVO, Lean, Kanban, Scrumban, Crystal, FDD, AUP, DSDM, etc. And people who want to learn about same.

Agile PDX convenes a monthly 1st Friday practitioner's no-host lunch in central/eastside Portland Metro area as an informal complement to the more formal Agile PDX users group meetings (3rd Wednesday).

Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer, and people interested in all flavors of Agile - XP, scrum, crystal, evo, lean/kanban, FDD, build-your-own, etc.

There's also a 3rd Friday westside lunch. Watch for it too!

Agile PDX convenes a monthly 1st Friday practitioner's no-host lunch in central/eastside Portland Metro area as an informal complement to the more formal Agile PDX users group meetings (3rd Wednesday).

Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer, and people interested in all flavors of Agile - XP, scrum, crystal, evo, lean/kanban, FDD, build-your-own, etc.

There's also a 3rd Friday westside lunch. Watch for it too!

This course gives you the hands-on experience and builds the skill set you will require to thoroughly understand and then utilize the real-world fundamentals of agile planning. You also will learn to accelerate and enhance your adoption and practice of agile development within your organization. The instructors bring their vast subject matter expertise in agile planning and development to lead you through a time-tested mix of content introduction, instruction and skill-based practice to reinforce learning and application.

Training Objectives: What You Will Learn

* Work consistently and reliably using iterations/Sprints
* Reliably release software on a regular basis
* Meet your commitments, even when things go wrong, by managing risks
* Take advantage of opportunities by adapting your plans
* Create, estimate, and prioritize minimum marketable features and user stories
* Collaborate with stakeholders to clarify requirements and product vision
* Get to “done done!”

This course gives you the hands-on experience and builds the skill set you will require to thoroughly understand and then utilize the real-world fundamentals of agile delivery. You also will learn to accelerate and enhance your adoption and practice of agile development within your organization. The instructors bring their vast subject matter expertise in agile planning and development to lead you through a time-tested mix of content introduction, instruction and skill-based practice to reinforce learning and application.

Training Objectives: What You Will Learn

* Build and ship weekly increments of software using iterations/Sprints
* Create nearly bug-free code using test-driven development, refactoring, and exploratory testing
* Understand and accommodate stakeholders and their diverse opinions
* Work in a cross-functional team with on-site customers, testers, and programmers
* Prevent build failures with continuous integration
* Incrementally build technical infrastructure alongside features

Agenda:

In a class that emphasizes doing; you will form cross-functional teams and deliver actual software in four 90-minute iterations, in a real-world environment that includes version control, automated builds, and continuous integration. That’s right: you’ll design, build, test, and ship software, as well as build out your technical infrastructure, all in 90 minutes. If that sounds impossible, you must take this course.

We cover a lot of ground in this three-day course. We intersperse the real-world iterations with lots of interactive workshops to ensure that you can experience remember everything you learn. Come prepared to drink from the firehose!

Agile PDX convenes a monthly 1st Friday practitioner's no-host lunch in central/eastside Portland Metro area as an informal complement to the more formal Agile PDX users group meetings (3rd Wednesday).

Come, eat, and discuss all things related (however loosely) to agile software development. We welcome people of all experience levels, from guru to newcomer, and people interested in all flavors of Agile - XP, scrum, crystal, evo, lean/kanban, FDD, build-your-own, etc.

This months discussion will start with a discussion around Uncle Bob’s recent video blog “Restoring the Trust” (http://cleancoder.posterous.com/stub6-restoring-the-trust) as well as other topics related to the recent ten year anniversary of the Agile Manifesto.

Join us at our new location a reserved room at Paddy's Bar and Grill.

Being a ScrumMaster is not a role for the faint of heart. Effective ScrumMasters use a combination of natural talent, common sense, insight, observation technique, and--well, let's admit it, luck to help teams sustainably use Scrum to reliably deliver business value. But the standard two-day training course doesn't fully prepare us for what lies ahead.

In this talk, subtitled, "What I Wish I Knew Before I Became a ScrumMaster," experienced and newer ScrumMasters(or anyone who wants to help a team succeed and deliver) discover and share non-obvious insights into what a ScrumMaster can do to help their teams grow into great teams -- and learn a valuable technique.

This event is free and is at our new location, Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion.

A free no-host open discussion forum for Agile practitioners in the downtown Portland area open to anyone who can get here. Discussion topics are selected from the AgilePDX mailing list or on the fly as the group convenes.

The Agile Alliance Board of Directors joins AgilePDX for a public reception on June 2, 2011 at 6 PM at Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon.

Welcome to the Agile Alliance Board of Directors reception, in collaboration with AgilePDX. We invite you to an evening of food, drinks, and interesting discussions with the board of directors of Agile Alliance and AgilePDX. We will open up with introductions to AgilePDX and Agile Alliance. Hosted birds-of-a-feather table discussions will cover the hottest trends and controversies in the Agile space. Please send email to [email protected] to reserve your seat at the table.

When written well, use cases can effectively convey subtle user-system interactions. This hands-on workshop shows you how to “lighten up” use cases, write them just-in-time and use them to communicate essential system behaviors.

This workshop gives you the hands-on experience and builds the skills you will require to effectively write use cases for an agile environment.

In this hands-on workshop you will learn:

* How to effectively write use cases for agile development
* How to “tune” written descriptions to meet project specific needs
* How to break a use case into user stories and incrementally track their implementation
* Agile usability techniques—personas, Wizard of OZ prototyping
* Incremental writing—adding details when they matter
* How to write acceptance tests for use cases
* To relate use cases to features, business policies, and UI prototypes

This workshop benefits User Experience Designers, Product Owners, Business Analysts and Developers who will learn how to quickly write usage descriptions and integrate them with user prototypes and mock-ups. This workshop also benefits Business Analysts who still need to write requirements but want to “lighten” them up. Developers will benefit from knowing when to ask for usage descriptions and how to review them for “miracle” system powers.

Register and learn more: http://oregontrainingnetwork.com/writing-effective-agile-use-cases/

Value-first in the nick of time: how agile methods and lean program management averted crisis to deliver the goods on a $20 million business process change.

Part experience report, part expedition, this presentation will take you inside an Agile adoption nested within a project turnaround. From diagnosis through prescription, convalescence, and recovery to eventual triumph and the acceptance of a new status quo, you will hear how a century-old organization transformed its application delivery capability in the face of a crisis, growing a project team from six to 60 developers inside two months and accelerating from one release in six months to several releases every sprint. This is a must-see for anyone who has ever struggled against organizational inertia or dreamed of rapidly scaling Agile from the team level to the enterprise level to the sound of cheering business managers.

Our speaker is Adam Light, Ph.D. Adam is a Management Consultant and Principal at SoTech Advisors (www.sotechadvisors.com) where he plans and executes successful projects and builds work systems that deliver on client goals.

Adam has more than fifteen years’ experience designing and developing business applications from shrink-wrapped software to real-time information services in domains from natural resources management to supply chain optimization.

As a planning and program management leader, Adam has worked with as few as three and as many as twenty teams, using Agile methods and critical chain techniques to turn around failing projects, revive ailing organizations, and redesign application delivery at the enterprise scale. His broad perspective and deep experience enable him to rapidly deliver return on investment from large projects.

This event is free and is at our new location, Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion.

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Training gives you all the tools and information you need to effectively apply Agile Scrum Project Management principles to your project or program.

Students will learn how to:

* Maintain and use a burndown chart
* Manage Product Backlogs
* Plan Releases and Iterations (Sprints)
* Conduct Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews & Retrospective meetings
* Track and Report progress
* Effectively apply the principles of the Agile Manifesto

This is an introductory course. Participants should come prepared with basic knowledge of the Scrum framework. Proactive students are encouraged to read the Agile Manifesto & Principles (www. agilemanifesto.org and www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html), and one of the following:

* Agile Software Development with Scrum, by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle
* Agile Project Management with Scrum, by Ken Schwaber

Register and learn more: http://oregontrainingnetwork.com/training-topics/agile-scrum-master/

Register and More Info: http://oregontrainingnetwork.com/training-topics/agile-scrum-master/

Save 25% (use discount code: OTN300)

The leading and fastest-growing of the Agile methodologies, Scrum is a simple software project management framework that adheres to a small set of interrelated practices and rules, is not overly prescriptive, and is able to produce productivity gains for software development teams almost immediately.

This agile, lightweight process effectively manages and controls software development through iterative, incremental practices. Scrum training will boost the capabilities of your Agile development team and positively impact projects for years to come.

Students will learn how to:

* Maintain and use a burndown chart
* Manage Product Backlogs
* Plan Releases and Iterations (Sprints)
* Conduct Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews & Retrospective meetings
* Track and Report progress
* Effectively apply the principles of the Agile Manifesto

Register and More Info: http://oregontrainingnetwork.com/training-topics/agile-scrum-master/

Save 25% (use discount code: LFL300)

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Training gives you all the tools and information you need to effectively apply Agile Scrum Project Management principles to your project or program.

Students will learn how to:

• Maintain and use a burndown chart
• Manage Product Backlogs
• Plan Releases and Iterations (Sprints)
• Conduct Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews & Retrospective meetings
• Track and Report progress
• Effectively apply the principles of the Agile Manifesto

This is an introductory course. Participants should come prepared with basic knowledge of the Scrum framework. Proactive students are encouraged to read the Agile Manifesto & Principles (www. agilemanifesto.org and www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html), and one of the following:

• Agile Software Development with Scrum, by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle
• Agile Project Management with Scrum, by Ken Schwaber

Register and learn more: http://learningforleverage.com/events/agile-scrum-master-training/

In 2009, Performance Health Technology went "all-in" and began the adoption of agile methodologies throughout the software development process. In this talk, you'll take a multi-year journey with a growing small business and experience the transition from the blissful ignorance of cowboy-coding through the misery and despair of a sinking, dysfunctional organization, and on to the satisfaction and exhilaration that comes with a high-functioning agile team.

This interactive presentation is about both the pain and the fulfillment that comes with developing software in a small business, before, during, and after agile adoption. Developers, Business/IT Managers, Agile Coaches, and Executives are invited to look behind the curtain to see how PH Tech narrowly escaped from the Pit of Development Despair and survived a Total Immersion into Agile.

Chad is the Director of Information Technology at PH Tech. His responsibilities include all aspects of technological infrastructure and software development, including three technology departments; Information Systems, Business Intelligence, and Software Engineering. When he's not talking about healthcare or technology, he's expounding the life-giving qualities of bacon and BBQ. Buy him a beer and he'll give you the recipe for the greatest chicken wing rub he's ever stolen.

This event is free and is at our new location, Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of chicken wings and other agile conundrums.

Save 25% (use discount code: LFL300)

Scrum increases the emphasis on assessing and driving business value through close collaboration with the delivery team. The Scrum Product Owner establishes the interaction between the business and the delivery team that is so essential to increasing productivity within an Agile organization. Product Owners who assume this crucial role have the ability to guide the team and the process to gain the full benefit of Agile delivery.

When the capabilities of the Product Owner are optimized, an Agile team will experience immediate benefits that lead to improved effectiveness and customer satisfaction as well as increased return on investment (ROI).

Audience: Product Owners, Product Management, Business Analysts, ScrumMasters, Executive Management, Stakeholders

Register and learn more: http://learningforleverage.com/events/scrum-product-owner-certification/

Test Driven Development has reached maturity. Goad Testing takes you a level deeper, examining what tests really are and using the outcome of that exercise to derive new ways of keeping software - both production and test - healthy, flexible, and on-specification. Making distinctions is a critical aspect of a test: It allows a test to serve as an executable specification. Sometimes this ability is lost in the course of maintenance. Goad testing is a way to prevent that from happening without introducing significant extra work or complexity.

About Max Guernsey III, Hexagon Software LLC: I’ve been in the software development industry for over ten years. Nearly half of that has been spent mentoring teams in various aspects of Agility, including Design Patterns, TDD, User Story creation & analysis. In the last few years, I’ve become interested in how Lean and Agile fit together.

This event is free and is at our new location, Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of chicken wings and other agile conundrums.

Difficulty iterating? Stuck in a rut at work? Throw caution to the wind and host a hackathon! You can finally play with Shiny Thing 2.0, show it off to your friends and teammates, all in a format that will encourage you to work in small, iterative slices.

Growing in popularity in recent years, hackathons provide a venue for folks to get together, explore new ideas and (hopefully!) build working software in the span of a couple of days. Come learn about their use in the corporate space and the public space at large, how to sponsor one, and how to make the event create lasting effects. We'll also explore the parallels between agile development and hackathons, and how each is good practice for the other.

Ben Houston is a pragmatic software engineer who is currently in love with mazes and geometry.

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of chicken wings and other agile conundrums.

It's time for your yearly Agile tune-up! Has your Agile team made its new year's resolutions yet? If not, this month's AgilePDX meeting will help. It's all about helping you understand what you can do to improve the state of your Agile practice.

James Shore will kick things off with a description of Agile Fluency. He'll describe multiple levels of proficiency and help you figure out where your team is today. Then, he'll provide specific techniques and practices to focus on as you work to reach the next level.

Next, we'll turn it over to you! You'll break into groups focused on the issues that matter most to your teams. You'll have the opportunity to learn from each other's experiences and to discuss how you can improve your team. Experienced Agile practitioners will be on hand to answer questions and help you figure out which improvements will make the most difference for you.

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of agile fluency

Use code: LFL300 and Save 25%

SolutionsIQ Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Training gives you all the tools and information you need to effectively apply Agile Scrum Project Management principles to your project or program.

Students will learn how to:

Maintain and use a burndown chart

Manage Product Backlogs

Plan Releases and Iterations (Sprints)

Conduct Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews & Retrospective meetings

Track and Report progress

Effectively apply the principles of the Agile Manifesto

Announcing Agile Open Northwest 2012! This Agile Open Space event will be held February 7th and 8th, 2012, in the Northwest Rooms of Seattle Center in Seattle. Spaces at this event fill up fast! So register today to make sure you get a space. For registration and further details go to :

http://www.agileopennorthwest.org

This will be our sixth annual Agile Open Northwest conference. Alternating each year between Portland and Seattle, AONW conferences bring together practicing members of the Northwest Agile communities to explore the latest developments in agile software development. We held our fifth annual event last year in Portland and enjoyed another great success. Registration is $150.00 for both days, including light breakfast and lunch. This low-cost regional conference is a great opportunity to connect with the local agile community, experts and novices alike.

Please join us this year as we host 125 experienced, collaborative, committed agile practitioners from the Northwest U.S. (and beyond) in tackling the issues around our recurring theme "Agile for Real." As in past years, attendance is limited to a predetermined number in order retain the many advantages a small conference has to offer.

Here is a comment from a previous attendee:

"These two-day Agile Open Northwest conferences are an extremely good value. ..[Y]ou learn directly from practitioners in the agile community what works and what doesn't. I attended the first two of these conferences, they were stunningly good... loads of practical, useful stuff and stimulating discussions." -- Ian Savage, PNSQC Program Chair

More information can be found at http://www.agileopennorthwest.org. We look forward to seeing you there!

Have you ever begun an Agile adoption, only to watch in dismay and puzzlement as the change fizzles out like a wet firecracker? Have you generated excitement for these new ideas, seen them seem to take root and grow, only to find a year later that people have fallen back into their old ways of doing things? Or, are they now cherry picking Agile practices, perhaps using Agile terms, but ignoring the Agile values? If so, you are not alone. In this talk, Tamara Sulaiman Runyon discusses some reasons why simple practice adoption is not enough; and why transformation is so difficult to make stick in many organizations. Topics include: the nature of change and complex systems models - where do we fit? The key role that vision and leadership play in instigating and supporting transformation; the potential iceberg of organizational culture as a change blocker, as well as people aspects - the levels of discomfort caused by any change; and measuring the growth of competence as Agile practices and Values are assimilated.

Presenter Bio:

Tamara Sulaiman Runyon has been assisting teams in transitioning to agile methods both as a hands-on ScrumMaster and as an Agile Coach and Scrum trainer since 2003. Her passion lies in helping organizations plan and implement Agile transformations. In her role as Enterprise Agile Coach at Intel, she is deeply involved with leading and supporting Agile teams and practices throughout the organization.

She is a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and Project Management Professional (PMP). Tamara is the co-originator of the AgileEVM materials and processes that integrate the traditional project management practice of Earned Value Management with the Scrum framework. As a thought leader she is currently serving on the Agile Alliance Board of Directors. Tamara continues to publish articles on Agile-related topics in industry publications such as Agile Journal, Methods and Tools, InfoQ, Projects@Work and gantthead.com. She also shares her experiences, ideas and expertise as a presenter and speaker at conferences.

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of agile fluency

Abstract: Seeing Software Quality through an Agile Lens ...or Scrum can’t buy you love (or quality), but it can get you there much faster.

For a software quality engineer entering an Agile team for the first time, the transition can be extreme. The traditional software quality practices and activities change in many ways but, looking closely, the core principles are still there. In fact, Agile development can be an SQE’s dream! Agile naturally combines all factors that impact quality from people to transparency all in a cohesive system.

Join Rhea as she details her experience of going from a waterfall background and jumping head first into an Agile development environment. She will focus on how she applied quality practices in this environment, road bumps along the way that any team adopting Agile might encounter, and how Agile enabled levels of quality beyond all previous expectations.

Bio:

Rhea Stadick is a software quality manager for product engineering teams in the Business Client group at Intel. She is focused on developing a sustained, strong capability in engineering teams to deliver high quality products. Over the last several years she has become an advocate for agile development and is an agile coach as well as a co-director of the Intel Agility Catalyst team promoting the adoption of agile culture and methodologies throughout the organization. Rhea graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Computer Science and is currently finishing her MBA at Willamette University.

A Special Treat from PNSQC

Networking at 5:30, seminar at 6:30. Plan on coming early! In collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) the SPIN meeting will have pizza and pop provided by PNSQC beginning at 5:30 pm.

PNSQC is the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, a group of volunteers interested in Software Quality. The Mission of the PNSQC is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. As a non-profit, it seeks to promote software quality by providing education and opportunities for information exchange within the software community.

How to Register

No need to register! This is a FREE lecture sponsored by the Rose City SPIN. But you can help us plan food and drinks by registering at: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3100344213

Rose City SPIN

The Rose City Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is a monthly forum for networking, mutual support, and promotion of effective software practices. We exchange practical experiences, ideas, knowledge, wisdom, and war stories about the technical, business, and human facets of software process improvement. The Rose City SPIN serves the software development community of the Portland/Vancouver metro area. Whether you work for a large company or a small one, corporate or self-employed, industrial or academic setting, you are welcome at the Rose City SPIN.

Offshore development and distributed teams are here to stay (see CIO Journal 2/27/12 “Offshore Outsourcing Can Boost Agility).” Some people contend that it can’t be done effectively. Come hear a case study of how one distributed Scrum team (Beaverton/Bangalore) learned to work together, rapidly improve velocity in a few sprints, and deliver the expected product on schedule. Jean Richardson and Rob Mills will discuss what it took to make it happen, the ups, the downs, and the lessons learned.

Robert Mills currently is the VP of IT at Rivermark Community Credit Union and was previously the Director of Engineering for CoreLogic, Consumer Services. Rob has led multiple organizations during their transition from waterfall or iterative processes to using Scrum. His organizations have been both global and local as well as both in Software Engineering and Information Technology.

Jean Richardson is experienced in Scrum and leadership coaching, adaptive and predictive project management, writing, training, public speaking, and requirements and business analysis. She has led, coached, and participated on both co-located and distributed teams, presented to IEEE IPCC on virtual teaming, and has been previously engaged to create an offshore development best practices white paper for a large local high-tech firm. Her client list includes a wide range of businesses including ADP, CoreLogic, Daimler/Chrysler, Action Without Borders/Idealist.org, Mentor Graphics, Portland General Electric, Oregon Health Authority, The Regence Group, and Tripwire.

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub.

AgilePalooza is a community event that brings together internationally recognized agile coaches and trainers with local software professionals. Attendees will learn about advancing agile methods through workshops and collaborative sessions.

Use promo code V1Save50-C for 50% off. Only $35!

Speakers include: Dr. Ahmed Sidky has a Ph.D. in value–based process frameworks for effective agile adoption. Ahmed’s work has gained popularity and respect in the agile community as a pragmatic approach for organizations of all sizes attempting to adopt agile. Diana Larsen Drawing on 15+ years of experience working with technical professionals, Diana is a pragmatic agile consultant with FutureWorks. Diana leads system-wide groups in collaborative thinking and planning, as well as guiding teams through project kick-offs, chartering and retrospectives. Dave Sharrock drives change within technology-driven organizations through the introduction of agile product development practices, using agile frameworks such as Scrum. And more!!

For $69, attendees receive a full day of agile learning, lunch and the opportunity to participate in one of two tracks: Practicing Agile and Planning Agile. The Practicing Agile track is geared toward those interested in agile fundamentals and engineering practices and the Planning Agile track is for those planning and managing multiple teams and projects.

Go here to learn more and register: http://www.agilepalooza.com/Portland2012/default.asp

What alternatives are there to the predominant linear management approach which relies on reductionism and the ability to predict. How can you avoid the temptation to engineer and control outcomes by manipulating the component parts of organizations business and process?

Ola describes his nonlinear approach, where he combines Real Options, the Mikado Method, and evolutionary design to form a dynamic, diametrically opposite perspective to the familar linear management view.

Presenter:

Ola Ellnestam likes to combine people, technology and business which is best done with simple means and flexible processes. More than that he likes to share his knowledge and experiences because that’s how new insights are created according to him. Ola is a founder of Agical.se , a board member of the Agile Aliance, director of the Agile Alliance conference sponsorship program, and co-author (with Daniel Brolund) of The Mikado Method book.

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of agile fluency

Also, on Thursday, April 19, join Ola for a one-day workshop on The Mikado Method

For more information on the workshop, see: http://calagator.org/events/1250461927

Prioritize People Over Process: The Brain Science of Happy Agile Teams

Learn how to apply neuroscience and psychology to more effectively work with each other as a happy team that produces better software. You will take away:

• Concrete techniques for more quickly building trust on teams
• Actionable ideas for managing social stress
• Proven techniques for getting the best results from each other

Comments from the Game Developers Conference presentation of similar material:

"Mr. Scott Crabtree was also an absolutely excellent speaker - very inspiring, thought-provoking, and energizing! Please have him back on the same topic of the importance of happiness within teams in the future!"

"The speaker about happiness was amazing."

"Scott Crabtree was Excellent...an excellent tutorial that I would recommend to anyone."

Presenter:

Scott Crabtree, Chief Happiness Officer, Happy Brain Science: www.HappyBrainScience.com/about

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm and will run until 8:30.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of agile fluency

Join us for happy hour to hear how Scrum and Kanban can work together to focus your team’s energy on the most important work -- delivering high quality, on-time projects that exceed expectations.

At the event, you will:

• Learn the characteristics of Scrum and Kanban and how they differ
• Discover best practices that enable these approaches to work together for the good of your organization
• Hear stories of how others have implemented both Scrum and Kanban practices to manage projects and portfolios

The event is complimentary, but space is limited. Please register in advance. We look forward to seeing you there.

Agile Chartering ignites your project Liftoff in a way that gives impetus to the project team, and the business, and sets the endeavor on the trajectory to success. Project leaders and team members use Agile Chartering to inform, inspire, and align everyone involved in product delivery. Experience a journey through the framework for effective, yet lightweight, "just enough" Agile chartering, including the three key elements of inspiring Purpose, collaborative Alignment, and dynamic Context. Learn why real-life team members say Agile Chartering provided the initial momentum that powered their projects toward success.

In this high energy talk, Diana Larsen, co-author of Liftoff: Launching Agile Teams and Projects, will take you on an exploration of ways to accomplish team and project Liftoffs, including the vital step of chartering the project.

Bio:

Diana Larsen partners with clients in the software industry to create, guide, and fortify resilient workplaces and improve project performance. In addition to consulting with and coaching leaders and teams on adopting Agile work systems, she draws on 20+ years of working with technical professionals to lead team, project, and whole system processes for collaborative thinking and planning. Diana co-authored Liftoff: Launching Agile Teams and Projects and Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. She serves on the board of directors of the Agile Alliance and is a principal of FutureWorks Consulting LLC.

Details and Pizza:

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of launching Agile Projects.

Bio:

Jez Humble is a Principal at ThoughtWorks Studios, and co-author of the Jolt Award winning Continuous Delivery, published in Martin Fowler’s Signature Series. He has worked with a variety of platforms and technologies, consulting for non-profits, telecoms, financial services, and online retail companies. His focus is on helping organisations deliver valuable, high-quality software frequently and reliably through implementing effective engineering practices.

Details and Pizza:

Many thanks to New Relic for covering the speaker costs!

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of launching Agile Projects.

Talk description:

Businesses rely on getting valuable new software into the hands of users as fast as possible, while making sure that they keep their production environments stable. Continuous Delivery is a revolutionary and scalable approach to software delivery that enables any team, including teams within enterprise IT organizations, to achieve rapid, reliable releases through better collaboration between developers, testers, DBAs and operations, and automation of the build, deploy, test and release process.

I’ll start by discussing the value of CD to the business, inspired by the lean startup movement. I’ll then present the principles and practices involved in continuous delivery, including value stream mapping, the deployment pipeline, acceptance test driven development, zero-downtime releases, and incremental development. I’ll cover how CD is enabled by an ecosystem including Devops, cloud computing, agile testing, and continuous deployment.

Frank D’Andrea is an enthusiastic Agile evangelist, mentor, educator, and most recently, the Vice-President of Software Development at Tater Tot Designs. He has extensive experience in managing web and software development projects as well as mobile application and Content Management System development efforts. He is an experienced process improvement specialist with expertise in both Agile and Waterfall development environments.

Frank has leadership experience in both Product and Project Management as well as hands-on experience as a Certified Scrum Professional. Frank has been involved in numerous extracurricular activities as well; such as a 10-year stint of teaching poetry, literature, creative writing, and composition classes at Portland Community College; representing Portland as a member of Portland’s National Poetry Slam team; publishing and performing with Haiku Inferno, and getting his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law.

---

Here's the abstract:

Agile Still Sucks.

Bringing Agile into an organization is never a good idea. It is disruptive, complicated, and very expensive. It brings organizational dysfunction to the surface and shines a bright light on business practices that sabotage teams and fail to deliver value to clients. Further, unwitting teams may adopt a version of Agile that becomes dogmatic, inflexible, and interested in perpetuating the "process” of Agile rather than being, well, agile. The only thing worse than bringing Agile in, is trying to get Agile right.

That said, everyone should be using Agile. This presentation will explore ways to bring Agile into an organization, how to choose the right "flavor” of Agile, and what to do when it goes badly – because it will. This presentation will also examine how to expand the Agile conversation from within the software development team, outward to internal stakeholders, and eventually into client engagements.

Details and Pizza:

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of launching Agile Projects.

Bring your questions. Bring your Problems. Join us for Lean Coffee facilitated by Diana Larsen.

Lean Coffee started in Seattle in 2009 when Jim Benson and Jeremy Lightsmith wanted to combine lean and Knowledge work. Now, Seattle Lean Coffee happens every week, and is very popular.

Lean Coffee is a structured, but agenda-less meeting. Participants gather, build an agenda, and begin talking. Conversations are directed and productive because the agenda for the meeting was democratically generated.

(http://leancoffee.org/)

Details and Pizza:

This event is free and is at Puppet Labs. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

Arlo Belshee and James Shore present "This One Goes to 121:"

We will explore excellence. What it is, how one achieves it, and how one exceeds it. What determines the outer limits of your team s capability? How can you be continually more awesome? We've each got a decade of transitioning to (Jim), being on (Arlo), and building (both) awesome Agile teams.

Details and Pizza:

This event is free. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion of launching Agile Projects.

Agile Fluency Tune-Up

It's time for your annual tune-up! Do you want to get more mileage out of your Agile teams? Is one of your New Years' resolutions to figure out how to get the results Agile promises? If so, come to AgilePDX's annual tune-up session, hosted by James Shore and Diana Larsen. They'll walk you through four levels of Agile fluency and how to make the leap from one level to the next, then help you apply those ideas to your real-world situation. You'll go home with specific, actionable ideas you can use with your own teams.

Details and Pizza:

This event is free. It begins at 6:30 pm with pizza, sponsored by PNSQC (Many thanks to both Puppet Labs and PNSQC for supporting agile in Portland).

The program starts at 7:00 pm.

After the program you're invited to join us for a no-host gathering at a nearby brewpub for further discussion.

Agile Open Northwest, a non-profit alliance of agile practitioners in the US Pacific Northwest region, presents our seventh annual conference, now expanded to a third day! This conference contains over 90 sessions bringing novices, journeymen, and experts together for face-to-face conversations exploring the most important topics in Agile software development today.

What: An Open Space conference about Agile practices and techniques. Where: Ambridge Event Center, Portland, Oregon When: February 6 to 8, 2013 - Now three days long! Who: YOU and other experienced, collaborative, committed agile practitioners. Registration is limited to 150 participants. Cost: $200 for the three-day event, including continental breakfast and lunch each day, and dinner on the first night.

Agile Open Northwest 2013 offers an opportunity to strengthen our community of practice and co-create the future for Agile development in our region. For three days, we build on conversation after conversation as we engage important questions like:

What is Agile really? What are the most important practices in making Agile approaches really successful on my team? Who practices Agile philosophies, methods, principles or practices in the Northwest, and what's the impact? What is the difference between Lean, Scrum, XP, and other Agile approaches? What new technical challenges face Agile? What are the latest cutting edge developments in the Agile software development world? How do Agile frameworks and methods co-exist with project management, process control and other governance structures? How do we adapt Agile practices to our organizations without diluting them? Can Agile methods work in big, risky projects? How? When distributed teams use Agile approaches, what changes? If we adopt an Agile mindset, what might the transition look like in my organization?

Who: YOU and all members of the local active Agile community (i.e., anyone who's doing any form of Agile - or wishes they could)

What: We invite you to join us in looking at future opportunities for AgilePDX.

When: On our regular meeting date, 3rd Wednesday, August 21

Why: Because "self-organizing" "collaborative" "responding to change"

How: Alicia Lanier (our facilitator) will help us stay on track as we take a couple of hours to look at:

• our draft Purpose and how it influences our decisions

• where we are now and how we got here (3+ meetings at different days, times of day, and geographic locations!)

• what that tells us about where we'd like to be

• what next steps will help us get there

Not one of our usual meetings, but more of an AgilePDX-wide retrospective and continuous improvement event. Please join us in service to the local Agile community. AgilePDX can be the best user group EVER!

Greetings! 2014 is going to be great. I have teamed up with ISITE DESIGN and people from Silicon Valley to bring experts from the Agile Community to speak on topics ranging from Innovation to Enterprise Agile Transformation. We have speakers lined up from PayPal, Twitter, Ebay, Cisco, Apple, Visa, Walmart.com, Macys.com, etc.

These meetings will be monthly - happening on the last Thursday of every month at ISITE Design in NW Portland. To make the it even more interesting, we will have networking, food, and wine/beer the first hour, followed by the speaker for the 2nd hour, and then wrap up for the last 30 minutes. And the events will be FREE!

So, hope you can join us and make 2014 a Success for the Agile community in Portland. Speaker details to follow soon - check the website!

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding more … faster, cheaper and better. Technology, new product development and innovation have to churn faster than we’re used to. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

IBEA Foundation is hosting a Scrum/Agile Event to coach and train professionals and students about Intel Scrum Product Development. This event will help Project Management, Computer Science and Engineering professionals to gain extensive knowledge about Scrum Framework Development at Intel.

Scrum is an agile philosophy used widely within Intel's main projects. All proceeds from this event will go towards Domo de Organico, an organization devoted to sustainable recycling in Mexico City

Come Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on May 31st, 2014, hosted by the IBEA Foundation featuring Suzanne Ward, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer at Intel. So if your the right fit for this event contact us at [email protected].

Companies who have ‘gone Agile’ often experience several failure modes. We know that Agile brings unprecedented transparency to adopters - but this often exposes organizational dysfunction which has ‘always been there,’ but often neither acknowledged nor addressed. This can result in one of the most disruptive transitions a company can go through. What to do?

-How can we spare ourselves months of what seems like inevitable struggle? -What have some veteran Agile practitioners learned, and done, to accelerate their transition, and reap the rewards that have eluded others? -How have they measured success?

Our panel of Product & Development experts will share their experience and strategies, to help you cross this minefield successfully and faster.

Mark Bednarski has worked with iGrafx since 2007, starting in Germany as a Business Process Consultant and Six-Sigma Black Belt. He transitioned into Product Management in October 2013 when he transferred to iGrafx headquarters in Tualatin, OR. iGrafx goal - to reduce the release cycle from 18 mos. to 6 mos. - required major changes in both Dev & PM processes, which Mark will lead to completion by the end of this year. This goal screamed for an Agile approach, causing Mark to learn and discover on his own – a tough learning curve, which started to pay back just a few months ago.

Tony Aiello has spent 20 years in machine vision / factory automation engineering, and 5 years in the movie business. He's regularly intrigued by how much these disciplines actually have in common from development / production viewpoints, and gratified that the skills are transferable.

We will confirm the remaining two panelists early next week.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Speaker Bio:

Michael Kelley Harris is an active developer, Scrum/Agile coach & trainer. He has 20+ years of software development experience in roles including software engineer, architect, manager, director, consultant, trainer, and coach. 12+ years of direct experience with Scrum values, principles, and practices, including the full suite of Agile engineering practices from Extreme Programming. He also uses the Lean Startup perspective to help innovators, investors, and development teams validate products & features. Kelley is a CST, CSP, CSPO, CSM, CSD with the Scrum Alliance and has Three patents. He has trained and coached hundreds of people in Scrum & Agile principles & practices, in the US, Canada, Europe, and India. You can view Kelley's CSM training schedule: http://www.sourcecell.com/calendar.html

Come to ChickTech’s Scrum Workshop to get a refresher or an introduction to the world of Scrum. For two Wednesday evenings in a row, you will go through the core aspects of the Scrum Framework. This includes why Scrum works, the key players on each Scrum team, and how product development occurs within Scrum.

Registration for this event includes both workshop sessions. You can register for the event via Eventbrite.

Scrum is an agile way to manage a project, usually software development. Agile software development with Scrum is often perceived as a methodology; but rather than viewing Scrum as methodology, think of it as a framework for managing a process. -Mountain Goat Software

The Instructor: Austin Richter, Scrum Master Austin, a Certified Scrum Master, has been working within the Scrum Framework for two years. Before that he worked as Project Coordinator on a team that was transitioning from a Waterfall approach to Scrum.

Session 1, September 30th: Introduction to Scrum and Building a Backlog The first session will offer an overview/refresher of the Scrum Framework. In this workshop we will explore the differences betwen a Waterfall approach and the Scrum Framework. This will highlight the importance of feedback to a team. We will demonstrate these concepts by constructing a bridge and building backlogs. During the building a backlog activity we will explore the three roles on the Scrum Team.

Session 2, October 7th: Sprint Simulation In this workshop you will build something for a customer using the Scrum process. Through this exercise you will go through each step of the Scrum process and produce the necessary artifacts to be successful in a given Sprint. From building a task board to demonstrating your product to the stakeholders, you will be immersed into the scrum process during the Sprint Simulation.

By the end of this workshop series you'll have a comprehensive understanding of Scrum.

Part of ChickTech’s mission is to retain women in technology. We intend for this event to build community and add skills to resumes. We encourage anyone who wants to practice the Scrum workflow to register for this event!

Dates: September 30th and October 7th

Time: Doors open at 5:30pm and close around 8:30pm. The sessions will run 6-8pm

Location: DeskHub 334 NW 11th Ave Portland, OR 97209

Registration pays for dinner both evenings, along with the class costs. Any amount left over supports ChickTech: High School.

A big thank you to our event location provider, DeskHub!

ChickTech: Career events are open to all genders with a focus on women.

Come to ChickTech’s Scrum Workshop to get a refresher or an introduction to the world of Scrum. For two Wednesday evenings in a row, you will go through the core aspects of the Scrum Framework. This includes why Scrum works, the key players on each Scrum team, and how product development occurs within Scrum.

Registration for this event includes both workshop sessions. You can register for the event via Eventbrite.

Scrum is an agile way to manage a project, usually software development. Agile software development with Scrum is often perceived as a methodology; but rather than viewing Scrum as methodology, think of it as a framework for managing a process. -Mountain Goat Software

The Instructor: Austin Richter, Scrum Master Austin, a Certified Scrum Master, has been working within the Scrum Framework for two years. Before that he worked as Project Coordinator on a team that was transitioning from a Waterfall approach to Scrum.

Session 1, September 30th: Introduction to Scrum and Building a Backlog The first session will offer an overview/refresher of the Scrum Framework. In this workshop we will explore the differences betwen a Waterfall approach and the Scrum Framework. This will highlight the importance of feedback to a team. We will demonstrate these concepts by constructing a bridge and building backlogs. During the building a backlog activity we will explore the three roles on the Scrum Team.

Session 2, October 7th: Sprint Simulation In this workshop you will build something for a customer using the Scrum process. Through this exercise you will go through each step of the Scrum process and produce the necessary artifacts to be successful in a given Sprint. From building a task board to demonstrating your product to the stakeholders, you will be immersed into the scrum process during the Sprint Simulation.

By the end of this workshop series you'll have a comprehensive understanding of Scrum.

Part of ChickTech’s mission is to retain women in technology. We intend for this event to build community and add skills to resumes. We encourage anyone who wants to practice the Scrum workflow to register for this event!

Dates: September 30th and October 7th

Time: Doors open at 5:30pm and close around 8:30pm. The sessions will run 6-8pm

Location: DeskHub 334 NW 11th Ave Portland, OR 97209

Registration pays for dinner both evenings, along with the class costs. Any amount left over supports ChickTech: High School.

A big thank you to our event location provider, DeskHub!

ChickTech: Career events are open to all genders with a focus on women.

It’s widely known that Project Management requires a certain personality to juggle people and process with a smile. But do Project Managers excel because of certifications, or because of experience? Come join us on November 17th to hear from a diverse panel of Project Management professionals that have gone back to the textbooks for certifications and others who have bypassed formal education for on-the-job experience. All are equally successful with a variety of pros and cons, you won’t want to miss the certification debate from our panelists.

Questions to be answered:

How easy or difficult is it to earn certifications? What is the professional value of earning certifications? What type of certification is most widely accepted or required? What specific experience has removed the need for a certification? What is the monetary value of each certification, or choosing none? What is the right certification for your current and future role?

Panelists:

Saby Waraich Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) Saby Waraich is an International Speaker & Coach with over 16 years of experience in Information Technology, Project Management and Leadership Development. Saby has been serving PMI Portland Chapter as a Volunteer for the last 7 years and is currently leading the Chapter as its President. Saby is currently working as Senior Information Systems Manager at City of Portland, and as an adjunct Professor at PCC and University of Phoenix. Saby enjoys working with people and brings enthusiasm, inspiration & leadership qualities. Saby is a graduate of Portland State with Master's in Engineering and Technology Management and a Bachelor's in Computer Science & Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India. He is fluent in 4 languages which brings different frames of reference to approach problems and is a self-directed, confident individual with an ability to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. Saby lives in Happy Valley (near Portland, Oregon) with his wife and two kids.

Adam Edgerton

Adam is a Senior Producer at Instrument. He has spent much of the last decade in technical project management on both client and agency sides. From leading large-scale enterprise projects to overseeing client project portfolios to growing and managing a team of project managers, he has cut his teeth on the entire digital project management experience.

Mitch Huff Certified Scrum Master

Mitch Huff is an Agile Program Manager at Viewpoint Construction Software, where he's been leading development of a Software as a Service product for enterprise businesses. Prior to Viewpoint, Mitch led software teams for Nike's FuelBand and Running experiences. His teams were the first at Nike to deliver their software to production continuously, serving traffic from millions of customers with multiple software deployments per day.

Mitch started his career in 2000 with his own business building websites out of his Virginia Tech dorm room during the .com bubble. He continued coding even after focusing his career on project management ten years ago. One of his current coding projects is a simulator that predicts a software project's range of delivery dates for teams using Kanban and continuous delivery. Some of his recent side-projects have included http://meetingmerit.com and http://spinwhim.com

Julie Morse Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Julie Morse is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She earned her certifications at MasterBrand Cabinets Inc. in 2003 and has practiced Lean Six Sigma project work since then in both manufacturing and healthcare companies. Julie is currently working as the Process Improvement Project Manager for Clinicient, Inc. Julie’s personal mission statement is “To help others see a new way of doing things that improves their efficiency and work/life balance.”
Julie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Portland State University in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy. Her passions in life include spending time with her 2 nephews, 3 dogs and driving a convertible MINI Cooper with PDXMINI.org. Julie lives in Hillsboro, OR.

Event Details Date: Tuesday, November 17th Time: 7:30am - 9:30am I 7:30am Networking I 8:00am Program Where: Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR Cost: $25 Members I $45 Nonmembers

Register to reserve your seat and save $95! http://www.ruckandmaul.org/upcomingcsmclasses/pdx209csm

By earning a Certified ScrumMaster® certification you:

• Expand your career opportunities by staying relevant and marketable across all industry sectors adopting Agile practices.
• Demonstrate to employers and peers your attainment of core Scrum knowledge.
• Learn the foundation of Scrum and the scope of the Certified ScrumMaster’s role from the best minds in Scrum.
• Engage with a community of recognized Scrum experts who are committed to continuous improvement.

As a CSM, you will be able to fill the role of ScrumMaster or Scrum team member. Through the certification process, you will gain an understanding of the Scrum framework, including team roles, activities, meetings, and artifacts.

Additionally, with your CSM certification, you will have access to local user groups, online social networks, and additional resources that are only available to Scrum Alliance members.

In addition, CSMs receive a profile page on the SCRUM ALLIANCE® website and have access to a specially designed logo to highlight their credentials.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the next level?

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on June 25th, 2016; hosted by the IBEA featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT:

Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science

Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors

Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)

Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace

Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

Additional for Audience:

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming

Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WORKSHOP STRUCTURE:

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

If you share our event via Linkedin using @ibea then you have front row seats to this event! Thanks for spreading the word.

      FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

By earning a Certified Scrum Product Owner® certification you:

• Expand your career opportunities by staying relevant and marketable across all industry sectors adopting Agile practices.
• Demonstrate to employers and peers your attainment of core Scrum knowledge.
• Learn the origins of Scrum and the scope of the Certified Scrum Product Owner's role from the best minds in Scrum.
• Engage with a community of recognized Scrum experts who are committed to continuous improvement.

As a CSPO, you will be able to fill the role of Product Owner or Scrum team member. Through the certification process, you will gain an understanding of the Scrum framework, including team roles, activities, meetings, and artifacts.

Additionally, with your CSPO certification, you will have access to local user groups, online social networks, and additional resources that are only available to Scrum Alliance members.

In addition, CSPO's receive a profile page on the SCRUM ALLIANCE® website and have access to a specially designed logo to highlight their credentials.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the next level?

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on August 20th, 2016; hosted by the IBEA featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully. Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT: Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

Additional for Audience: SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS? If you share our event via Linkedin using @ibea then you have front row seats to this event! Thanks for spreading the word. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

Want to learn how to take your projects to the next level? Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on Feburary 25th, 2017; hosted by the IBEA featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully. Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT: Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

Additional for Audience: SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS? FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

A Certified ScrumMaster® helps project teams properly use Scrum, increasing the likelihood of the project's overall success. CSMs understand Scrum values, practices, and applications and provide a level of knowledge and expertise above and beyond that of typical project managers. CSMs act as "servant leaders," helping the rest of the Scrum team work together and learn the Scrum framework. CSMs also protect the team from both internal and external distractions. To earn your CSM certificate, you must take a CSM course from a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) or Endorsed Scrum Trainer (EST) and demonstrate your progress through our online CSM test. The first step toward your CSM is familiarizing yourself with Scrum. Then attend an in-person, two-day (16 hour) CSM course taught by a Scrum Alliance Authorized Trainer. After successfully completing the course, you will need to pass the CSM exam. To get a passing score, you must correctly answer 24 of the 35 questions. You will be eligible for 16 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) upon completion of this course. After you pass the CSM exam, you will be asked to accept the License Agreement and complete your Scrum Alliance membership profile. This 2 day (16 hours) course fulfills the classroom requirement to become a CSM.

10% of PROCEEDS WILL GO TO CHICK TECH PORTLAND https://portland.chicktech.org/

Want to learn how to take your projects to the next level Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on May 13th, 2017; hosted by the IBEA featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully. Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT: Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

Additional for Audience: SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS? FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. THERE WILL BE FOOD AND COFFEE!

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on June 24th, 2017; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT:

Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

•Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science •Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors •Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) •Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace •Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

Additional for Audience: SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS: •Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales. •Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months. •Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales. •Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers. •Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations. •International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS: •PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute •PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org •CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance •CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

THERE WILL BE FOOD AND COFFEE! FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) course is a 2-day course that covers the principles and empirical process theory underpinning the mechanics, rules and roles of the Scrum framework. Advanced tools for servant-leadership are provided to increase a Scrum Master’s effectiveness. These tools relate to behavioral shifts, working with people and teams, coaching and facilitation techniques, and addressing the organization. Students learn through instruction and team-based exercises, and are challenged to think in terms of the Scrum principles to better understand what to do when returning to the workplace.

Professional Scrum Master is THE cutting-edge course for effective Scrum Masters and anyone supporting a software development team’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Stephanie is one of two Professional Scrum Master (PSM) Curriculum Stewards. She works with the trainer community and Ken Schwaber to continuously evolve the course.

This course will be limited to 12 people to enable a high-touch experience. Sign up early to reserve your spot. Check out the registration page for more details.

Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) is a 2-day course that provides the knowledge needed to work with Scrum in a highly practical way. The course is a combination of instruction and team-based exercises where students experience how the Scrum framework improves product development efforts.

Over the 2 days, students will develop and solidify their knowledge of being a Product Owner through instruction and team-based exercises. The breadth of the role’s responsibilities in delivering a successful product will become more clear from an Agile perspective. Metrics are identified to track the creation of value and the successful delivery of the product to the marketplace.

Scrum.org selects only the most qualified instructors to deliver this course. Each instructor lends his or her individual experience and expertise to the course, but all students learn the same core content. This improves their ability to pass the Professional Scrum assessments and use Scrum in the workplace.

This course will be limited to 12 people to enable a high-touch experience. Sign up early to get your spot.

A Certified ScrumMaster® helps project teams properly use Scrum, increasing the likelihood of the project's overall success. CSMs understand Scrum values, practices, and applications and provide a level of knowledge and expertise above and beyond that of typical project managers. CSMs act as "servant leaders," helping the rest of the Scrum team work together and learn the Scrum framework. CSMs also protect the team from both internal and external distractions.

To earn your CSM certificate, you must take a CSM course from a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) or Endorsed Scrum Trainer (EST) and demonstrate your progress through our online CSM test. The first step toward your CSM is familiarizing yourself with Scrum. Then attend an in-person, two-day (16 hour) CSM course taught by a Scrum Alliance Authorized Trainer. After successfully completing the course, you will need to pass the CSM exam. To get a passing score, you must correctly answer 24 of the 35 questions. You will be eligible for 16 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) upon completion of this course. After you pass the CSM exam, you will be asked to accept the License Agreement and complete your Scrum Alliance membership profile.

This 2 day (16 hours) course fulfills the classroom requirement to become a CSM.

10% of PROCEEDS WILL GO TO CHICK TECH PORTLAND https://portland.chicktech.org/

The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) course is a 2-day course that covers the principles and empirical process theory underpinning the mechanics, rules and roles of the Scrum framework. Professional Scrum Master is THE cutting-edge course for effective Scrum Masters and anyone supporting a software development team’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Students learn through instruction and team-based exercises, and are challenged to think in terms of the Scrum principles to better understand what to do when returning to the workplace.

Details and registration here --> https://www.agilesocks.com/training-courses/professional-scrum-master-course-portland-october-18-19/

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions and to help you determine if this is the right fit for you.

The Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) course is a 2-day course on how to maximize the value of software products and systems. Product Ownership in Scrum today requires more than knowledge of how to write requirements or manage a Product Backlog. Professional Scrum Product Owners need to have a concrete understanding of everything that drives value from their products.

Students develop and solidify this understanding through instruction and team-based exercises. The breadth of the role’s responsibilities in delivering a successful product beco8010 N Charleston Ave, Portland, OR 97203 mes clear from an Agile perspective on product management. Metrics are identified to track the creation of value and the successful delivery of it to the marketplace. This defines the perspective from which the role of the Product Owner in the Scrum framework is taught.

Details and registration here --> https://www.agilesocks.com/training-courses/professional-scrum-product-owner-portland-2/

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions and to help you determine if this is the right fit for you.

A Certified ScrumMaster® helps project teams properly use Scrum, increasing the likelihood of the project's overall success. CSMs understand Scrum values, practices, and applications and provide a level of knowledge and expertise above and beyond that of typical project managers. CSMs act as "servant leaders," helping the rest of the Scrum team work together and learn the Scrum framework. CSMs also protect the team from both internal and external distractions.

To earn your CSM certificate, you must take a CSM course from a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) or Endorsed Scrum Trainer (EST) and demonstrate your progress through our online CSM test. The first step toward your CSM is familiarizing yourself with Scrum. Then attend an in-person, two-day (16 hour) CSM course taught by a Scrum Alliance Authorized Trainer. After successfully completing the course, you will need to pass the CSM exam. To get a passing score, you must correctly answer 24 of the 35 questions. You will be eligible for 16 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) upon completion of this course. After you pass the CSM exam, you will be asked to accept the License Agreement and complete your Scrum Alliance membership profile.

This 2 day (16 hours) course fulfills the classroom requirement to become a CSM.

10% of PROCEEDS WILL GO TO CHICK TECH PORTLAND https://portland.chicktech.org/

Want to learn how to take your projects to the next level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on January 20th, 2018; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT:

Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

•Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science •Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors •Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) •Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace •Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

ADDITIONAL AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

•Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales. •Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months. •Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales. •Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers. •Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations. •International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS:

•PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute •PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org •CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance •CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

THERE WILL BE COFFEE!

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

In an effort to raise the effectiveness of Scrum, the Scrum Alliance created the Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) program (AKA Agile Engineering course.) A Certified Scrum Developer is someone who has demonstrated through a combination of formal training and a technical skills assessment that he or she has a working understanding of Scrum principles and has learned specialized Agile engineering skills.

This three-day class is aimed at helping software development professionals and teams be more effective when implementing Scrum and other Agile methodologies. You will learn how to create and maintain high quality systems through industry standard practices such as Test Driven Development (TDD), Continuous Integration (CI) and common software design patterns. This class was specifically designed to deliver the core Agile Development Practices Learning Objectives of the CSD program and should prepare the participant to successfully pass the Scrum Alliance CSD Candidate Assessment.

This class focuses on automated testing, TDD (heavily covered in class), Continuous Integration, Design Concepts (Design Principles and Practices) and Extreme Programming (XP) practices. Class is hands-on, and you will participate in a project where you will build an actual feature using Agile practices and learn about the technical practices. You'll learn about how team members interact during sprints. Other topics covered include Technical Debt: Strategies & Techniques to help reduce technical debt.

In order to earn the CSD certification, the Scrum Alliance requires at least five days of formal training followed by a CSD assessment/evaluation. This class fulfills 21 of the required 35 hours and can be paired with the Certified ScrumMaster class to complete the requirement.

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE YOUR PROJECTS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

PRACTICAL, HANDS-ON TRAINING FOR SCRUM

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on April 28th, 2018; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully. Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

– Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS:

Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales. Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months. Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales. Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers. Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations. International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS:

PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING:

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

***P.S. Location might change due to size of class. If this is the case; we'll be using a different venue in the downtown Portland Area.

Intro to Scaled Agile Framework Agilist (SAFe) Training Two Days Training

Join us for a two-day Scaled Agile Framework workshop on June 09th, 2018 and June 16th, 2018; featuring Jay Mittal PMP, CSM, CSPO, SA, SPC; an experienced Project and Product Manager, whose client list include many of the Fortune 500 companies, including Nike and Standard insurance in Portland, OR. Jay is a certified trainer for SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe Product Owner, and SAFe Agilist courses.

Blockbuster. Kodak. Tower Records. Nokia. Taxi Industry. Compaq. These companie were all iconic market leaders that couldn’t adapt to new business models and technology innovations ahead of their competitors. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper, and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. Enterprises must learn how to adapt quickly to these changing technologies and economic conditions or they will become extinct, no matter their size, smarts, or strength. This holds true even for businesses that don’t consider themselves Information Technology (IT) or software companies. Professional services, financial services, healthcare institutions, and government entities are all highly dependent on their ability to produce new technology-based products and services. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques.

Come get a taste of the future of management and learn about SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). This two day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from SAFe Agilist (SA) Certification program and is for executives, managers and Agile change agents who are responsible for leading a Lean/Agile change initiative in a large software enterprise.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS:

IBM: "There will only ever be a need for 100 computers." DEC: "No one would ever buy a personal computer." Blockbuster: "People don't want to watch films over the internet." Novell: "Our technology is much more sophisticated than Microsoft." Bookstores: "People want to pick up and handle the books, not read them on the computer." SONY: "Beta technology is far superior to VHS." LOTUS: "Our spreadsheet is far superior to Microsoft even if it is complicated." NOKIA: "Our phones are the world standard, even if they are proprietary." TOWER RECORDS: "People want to own their own music, not rent it online." BlackBerry: "Our security is what companies want, they won't let Android or iPhones on their network, even if our stuff costs more." Kodak: "People will always prefer film cameras, even if we invented digital ones."

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

– Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project – Learn about the Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. And how large organizations like Intel, Nike, Google, and Apple are implementing Agile techniques in Scaled environments. Come away with insights on how to manage your next projects.

BENEFITS:

• Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science
• Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors
• Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)
• Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

JAY MITTAL’S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Highly skilled professional with over fifteen years of experience, Jay has extensive experience in diverse software and hardware platforms providing management, leadership, analysis, design, development, migration to implement business technology solutions.
• Experienced in complete life cycle of software development projects in both Waterfall and Agile frameworks including working as Project Manager, - Product Manager, Scrum Master and Agile coach.
• Consulting experience with Standard Insurance, Anthem Insurance, Nike, Michelin Tire, Novelis, WebMD.
• Experienced in different Industry Verticals including: Retail, Life & Health Insurance, Manufacturing, Advertising, and Banking.
• Worked as Project and Product Manager with Fortune 500 companies. Client list include Nike, Standard Insurance, Michelin Tire, and WebMD.

JAY MITTAL'S CERTIFICATIONS:

• Implementing Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe 4.5 Program Consultant (SPC)
• Leading Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe 4.5 Agilist (SA)
• Scaled Agile Framework for Teams - SAFe 4.5 Practitioner (SP)
• Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP - MS Project 2010)

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING:

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. P.S. Location might change due to size of class. If this is the case; we'll be using a different venue in the downtown Portland Area.

RSVP Now: http://bit.ly/agiletraining2018

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on June 23rd, 2018; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

– Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales. Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months. Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales. Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers. Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations. International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. P.S. Location might change due to size of class. If this is the case; we'll be using a different venue in the downtown Portland Area.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on August 11th, 2018; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

– Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
 * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
 * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
 * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
 * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
 * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

 * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
 * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
 * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
 * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

 * This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed. 

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. P.S. Location might change due to size of class. If this is the case; we'll be using a different venue in the downtown Portland Area.

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) is an in-depth two day immersion into the world of Scrum. The class is full of practical, real world techniques that can be implemented immediately at your workplace. This class will allow your organization to enjoy the many advantages Scrum has to offer. Hands-on exercises demonstrate key concepts and let you experience the benefits of Scrum firsthand.

Class Learning Objectives As a Certified ScrumMaster class participant, I want…

To explain Lean, Agile and Scrum so that I can better understand Scrum’s relationship to the Agile Manifesto To describe the Scrum framework, so that I can clearly comprehend the Scrum process To describe the roles and responsibilities in Scrum, so that I can understand who does what To do a deep dive into the ScrumMaster role so that I can clearly understand the breadth and depth of my role To experience Scrum, so that I know what it feels like when I start doing it for real To explain how to seed a product backlog, so that I can assist the Product Owner with creating one To demonstrate how to write user stories, so that I can clearly articulate the who, what, and why behind a backlog item To teach team members how to relatively size backlog items, so that the product owner can make better prioritization decisions To explore the Sprint construct, so that I can coach my team on the importance of good Scrum practices To list and explain the key events in Scrum, so that I know what is happening, before, during, and after each sprint To explore some additional concepts, so that I can support a Scrum implementation in my organization

Benefits Learn while not being bored and having fun Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Scrum Educational Units (SEUs) and Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? IT Professionals (Architects, BAs, DBAs, Developers, Testers, etc.) IT Leadership (Managers/Directors/VPs/CIOs/CTOs) Project Managers Anyone interested in learning the benefits of Scrum

TAKE AWAYS Easy to use reminders of Scrum Printed class manual Scrum reference card Copy of the Braintrust book Scrum for the Rest of Us 16 SEUs/16 PDUs Two-year membership to the Scrum Alliance Fulfill one of the requirements for the Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) certification

Let's spend the late morning sun(?) talking about Agile-inspired and other topics that shake loose from our minds.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

New to Lean Coffee? It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the template:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavour for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets a small number of votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their sharpie (all votes on one, one across many, however you feel).

Step 4: The top stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

Have traffic and work schedules prevented you from joining an agile event on a topic which could help you or your teams? Then a virtual "pub lunch" may be the answer!

This agile lunch discussion is a collaborative effort between Seattle and Portland agile minds, and we're hoping it won't stop there. The event is held on a Zoom conference line. We've learned using video is best, and you might consider your environment before joining -- find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted or feel self conscious. We're monitoring chat as a back channel, so if you can't find a spot in the discussion, add your question in chat and our hosts will try to work it in.

Topic: Agile thinking: Compare Scrum, Lean, Kanban, XP and any other methodologies you have used. What has worked? What hasn't? Maybe one methodology is better suited for certain situations or work efforts. Or you have seen great success going beyond frameworks and methodologies. Join us and tell us about the spices in your kitchen, and let's compare notes!

Please RSVP at our Meetup event and get the zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/254946132/

SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager Training

Join us for a our SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager workshop on Saturday, October 27th, 2018; featuring Jay Mittal PMP, CSM, CSPO, SA, SPC; an experienced Project and Product Manager, whose client list include many of the Fortune 500 companies, including Nike, Columbia Sportswear, and Standard insurance in Portland, OR. Jay is a certified trainer for SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe Product Owner, and SAFe Agilist courses.

Blockbuster. Kodak. Tower Records. Nokia. Taxi Industry. Compaq. These companies were all iconic market leaders that couldn’t adapt to new business models and technology innovations ahead of their competitors. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper, and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. Enterprises must learn how to adapt quickly to these changing technologies and economic conditions or they will become extinct, no matter their size, smarts, or strength. This holds true even for businesses that don’t consider themselves Information Technology (IT) or software companies. Professional services, financial services, healthcare institutions, and government entities are all highly dependent on their ability to produce new technology-based products and services. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

IBM: "There will only ever be a need for 100 computers." DEC: "No one would ever buy a personal computer." Blockbuster: "People don't want to watch films over the internet." Novell: "Our technology is much more sophisticated than Microsoft." Bookstores: "People want to pick up and handle the books, not read them on the computer." SONY: "Beta technology is far superior to VHS." LOTUS: "Our spreadsheet is far superior to Microsoft even if it is complicated." NOKIA: "Our phones are the world standard, even if they are proprietary." TOWER RECORDS: "People want to own their own music, not rent it online." BlackBerry: "Our security is what companies want, they won't let Android or iPhones on their network, even if our stuff costs more." Kodak: "People will always prefer film cameras, even if we invented digital ones."

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

You’ll learn how to apply Lean thinking to write Epics, break them down into Features and Stories, plan and execute Iterations, and plan Program Increments. Finally, attendees learn about the Continuous Delivery Pipeline and DevOps culture, how to effectively integrate as Product Owners and Product Managers, and what it takes to relentlessly improve the ART. In addition, you'll learn;

 * Learn about the Scrum Process.
 * Learn what a Product Owner/Product Manager is responsible for.
 * Come away with insights on how to manage your next project
 * Learn about the Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises.
 * Learn what a Product Owner for in large organizations like Intel, Nike, Google, and Apple are implementing Agile techniques in Scaled environments. Come away with insights on how to manage your next projects.
 * Apply SAFe in the Lean enterprise
 * Connect SAFe Lean-Agile principles and values to the PO/PM roles
 * Collaborate with Lean Portfolio Management
 * Explore continuous value with Program Increment Planning
 * Execute the Program Increment and deliver continuous value
 * Articulate the Product Owner and Product Manager roles
 * Create a role action plan

BENEFITS

 * Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science
 * Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors
 * Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)
 * Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace
 * Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

JAY MITTAL’S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 * Highly skilled professional with over fifteen years of experience, Jay has extensive experience in diverse software and hardware platforms providing management, leadership, analysis, design, development, migration to implement business technology solutions.
 * Experienced in complete life cycle of software development projects in both Waterfall and Agile frameworks including working as Project Manager, Product Manager, Scrum Master and Agile coach.
 * Consulting experience with Standard Insurance, Anthem Insurance, Nike, Michelin Tire, Novelis, WebMD.
 * Experienced in different Industry Verticals including: Retail, Life & Health Insurance, Manufacturing, Advertising, and Banking.
 * Worked as Project and Product Manager with Fortune 500 companies. Client list include Nike, Standard Insurance, Michelin Tire, and WebMD.

JAY MITTAL'S CERTIFICATIONS

 * Implementing Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe 4.5 Program Consultant (SPC)
 * Leading Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe 4.5 Agilist (SA)
 * Scaled Agile Framework for Teams - SAFe 4.5 Practitioner (SP)
 * Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
 * Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
 * PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
 * Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP - MS Project 2010)

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed. In addition for more information with SAFe certification. www.scaledagile.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

Seating is limited. Please RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/256078889/

How do you get started with Sprint 0?

Wait what? Don't you mean the first sprint?

Nope. At this special 3rd Friday edition of the Westside Cafe we will dig into Sprint 0. What is it? When is it appropriate? Who should be involved?

Not a fan of Sprint 0? Great! Join us and help us flesh out the pros and cons. Have you participated in an inception sprint that set the team up for success. Yay! We could use your lessons learned.

Join us for what promises to be a lively discussion about the hows and whys and wherefores of Iteration Zero.

Has traffic or location prevented you from joining an agile discussion group? Not close to PDX or SEA? Then a virtual "pub lunch" may be the answer!

This agile lunch discussion is a collaborative effort between Seattle and Portland agile minds, and we're hoping it won't stop there.
TIps: The event is held on a zoom conference line. We've learned using video is best, and you might consider your environment before joining -- find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted or feel self conscious. We're monitoring chat as a back channel, so if you can't find a spot in the discussion, add your question or comment in chat and our hosts will try to work it in.

This weeks topic:
Creating an agile culture: Is your New Year’s resolution to help your workplace feel/be more agile? Are you wondering what even IS an agile workplace culture? How do you build one, what tools do you use? How do you know IF you’ve got an agile culture? Once you’ve got it, how do you keep it rolling? Taking our queues, as usual, from the manifesto about creating a culture that supports “uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.” Let’s discuss what not only make this possible but inevitable and where helping others do the same is the order of the day. Join us to share what’s worked, what you long for that is missing in your culture and any other thoughts that spring to mind when you think “Agile Culture.”

Connect with us via Zoom!
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/674417247

Join us for a "Create Your Vision Board" session to start the new year!

A Vision Board (aka dream board, treasure map, action board…) is a collage of images, pictures, and affirmations of one’s intentions and visions for the future, designed to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation. As a friend put it, “It’s a way of aligning intention with attention.” Get your hands on your goal setting.

Creating a Vision Board is a perfect activity whether you’re seeking something new in your life (job, living situation, relationship, etc.), or want to put what you have in a better balance, or want to have fun setting goals for what comes next!

Diana Larsen will give a context for set up, offer a few words of guidance, and supply materials including magazines to cut up, images already clipped, the best glue, some blank poster boards, and a few past boards as examples. There will be a basket for donations to help with materials expenses.

You will bring:
1) your own scissors for cutting paper (necessary)
2) a couple of magazines that capture your interest (optional) Note: Photo and graphic filled materials work better than text heavy ones.
3) a poster board or cardboard for collaging (also optional) Note: In addition to posters, you can turn leftover heavy cardboard shoeboxes into effective reminders (and storage!) through collage. Also blank books.
4) your preferred snacks and a sack lunch to help your inspiration and sustain your energy.

We’ll have room for about 12-14 people.

For more information about Vision Boarding, check out https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Vision-Board. Also a search on Vision Board images will bring up many examples. Yours doesn’t need to look like any of them.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking:
Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry:
Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy:
Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event.

Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258102491/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

How do you define trust? When organizational culture fosters trust, what does that look like and how does it benefit the org? When trust is missing, what are the consequences? Why is it critical for executives and development teams to have relationships based on trust and how do we go about establishing and fostering trust between the two?

Regardless of how you define trust, it’s a critical pillar in thriving, innovative organizations.

Join in the discussion and offer your experience, musings, or ideas.

Everyone is invited. You are always welcome within our community of practice. Please join us at Ringlers Pub for great food, great conversation, and good beer.

Note: Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagator at least 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258628474/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

"Live from Agile Open Northwest - it's Virtual Pub Lunch!"
This month we will join our virtual discussion from a session at the annual Open Space conference of Agile Open Northwest http://www.agileopennorthwest.org/.

This agile lunch discussion is a collaborative effort between Seattle and Portland agile minds, and we're hoping it won't stop there.
Tips: The event is held on a zoom conference line. We've learned using video is best, and you might consider your environment before joining -- find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted or feel self conscious. We're monitoring chat as a back channel, so if you can't find a spot in the discussion, add your question or comment in chat and our hosts will try to work it in.

This weeks topic:
Agile in Agencies: building an agile iterative process with in-house teams and stakeholders is a challenge. But how do you tackle the challenge of a client wanting to sign a contract with specified cost, scope, and deadlines? The Agile Manifesto states: Customer collaboration over contract negotiation. So where does the agile effort start in an agency. And can a grass-roots effort rise in such an eco-structure? Join us to share your stories and insights, as a developer, manager, or even end customer. Join in to spitball possible (and impossible) ideas, and have fun!

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258129669/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!

Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough. The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Directions:

The building you are looking for is on 2nd and Taylor (look for the Starbucks on the ground floor). Take the escalators on the 2nd St. entrance to the WTC Building One second floor lobby (ADA access: ground floor elevator). Take an elevator to the 9th floor (press '9' outside the elevators and use the indicated cab). Follow signs to the Cayuse lobby and sign in for the event.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258272777/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on February 16th, 2019; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully. Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process.This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

 * Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science
 * Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors
 * Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)
 * Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace
 * Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
 * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed time frame. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
 * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
 * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
 * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multicultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
 * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

 * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
 * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
 * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
 * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

For further information: please contact Heber Michaels, [email protected] or our team at [email protected].

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/bxvdmqyzdbwb/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for coffee/tea or beverage of your choice and fun discussions about how to overcome challenges we face or to share about Agile-inspired and other topics we agree or disagree with. This event is aimed at getting people in the North and NE areas of Portland and Vancouver together to facilitate discussions. It's not exclusive to people that live in the North and NE, just closer to those parts of the city to make it easier to come out.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking: Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry: Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy: Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event. Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

New to Lean Coffee?

It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the format we'll follow:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavor for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets five votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their Sharpie. Mark with a plus + if you agree with the topic and want to discuss it, or a minus - if you disagree and want to discuss it, mark it with a dot if you want to hear the discussion and maybe join in. You can put all votes on one, one across many, however you feel. Each mark counts as one vote.

Step 4: The top vote-getting stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top. In an Agile fashion, we'll use groupings of ToDo, Doing, Done and Lessons learned.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/257682731/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for coffee/tea or beverage of your choice and fun discussions about how to overcome challenges we face or to share about Agile-inspired and other topics we agree or disagree with. This event is aimed at getting people in the North and NE areas of Portland and Vancouver together to facilitate discussions. It's not exclusive to people that live in the North and NE, just closer to those parts of the city to make it easier to come out.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking: Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry: Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy: Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event. Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

New to Lean Coffee?

It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the format we'll follow:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavor for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets five votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their Sharpie. Mark with a plus + if you agree with the topic and want to discuss it, or a minus - if you disagree and want to discuss it, mark it with a dot if you want to hear the discussion and maybe join in. You can put all votes on one, one across many, however you feel. Each mark counts as one vote.

Step 4: The top vote-getting stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top. In an Agile fashion, we'll use groupings of ToDo, Doing, Done and Lessons learned.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258138240/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

So you’re learning Agile! You get excited because you discover something and bring it to work and - POOF - someone discards your ideas like they’re useless! Or someone comes to you and wants to “coach” you about what you “should” be doing in agile/scrum/Kanban teams. How do you share your most exciting thoughts and receive the thoughts of others?

Both Kat and Kathey (Kat’s inner critic) will be presenting. Join Kat/Kathey on her journey from curious newby, to “fake expert” to “Newby Thought Leader” and back again…and again. Kathey will discuss self-doubt, blame, living behind the walls of our assumptions. Using those defense mechanisms, Kat will share how she has been able to rewrite some bad internal dialogs to develop channels that have allowed her to passionately share often valuable insight with those around her, and to be recognized for doing so. She will also share her failures, and how she was able to apply them differently in subsequent exchanges. (50 min with optional facilitated networking to follow)

Key Results:

> Recognize what Agile Bullying is: when you see it and when you do it.
> Learn some methods to deliver value or extract it from others without bullying.
> Gather some tools that can help you self-brand and develop your own inner expert
> Activities that can help you develop as a thought leader in your own skill expertise
> Hands-on coaching and networking exchange activity within small groups: Practice the skills we discuss and network with your agile community.
> Laughter

Kat Daugherty's Bios:

Kat Daugherty is a practicing Enterprise Transformation Agile Coach at Slalom Portland, with 2k+ LinkedIn followers and a cornucopia of speaking, training, publishing and facilitation learning and accomplishments. She’s passionate about mentoring, reconfirming our biases, empathy-centric leadership, and personal branding.

“Kathey Daugherty” is Kat’s inner critic who often wonders if she is really as good as those she views as more accomplished, more intelligent, smarter or better than she is at agile, speaking, and life in general.

Notice: This meeting may be recorded. Also, we will not hold the event during icy or snowy conditions. Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagator 3 hours before event time.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258451821/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

We've probably all been on teams that argued about the smallest possible things. Or perhaps a team where a key members didn't listen. And I'm sure you remember fondly that team that just seamed to click. Where curiosity was the norm and you could safely bring your whole self.

On Friday Feb 22 we'll talk about how to support a great team or help a hurting team by bringing in emotional intelligence (EQ). What can you do to optimize the emotional intelligence of the team itself? How can you coach individuals on the team about and with emotions?

Join us on the Westside at lunchtime for what is sure to be an interesting and colorful discussion.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258083478/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

A coding-filled day focused on Conway's Game of Life. We will code in 1-hour iterations, with 15 minutes of retrospective and break. This is a safe place to experiment with code without deadlines and learn a trick or two! Yes, it’s woman-focused, and everyone is welcome.

Coderetreat is a self-organizing international group of software developers who gather to help each other improve. Their website, if you’d like to go right to the source, is coderetreat.org. Key practices we’ll be focusing on are problem-solving, pairing, and moving to TDD (Test Driven Development). You will be pairing with new pairing partners all day long to help build your network, make new friends, and learn what it’s like to pair with people who use different coding strategies than you do. And the Coderetreat team will be there to support you!

If you learn one new thing that you can take back to the office, you have a win, and so do we! We’ll also be supporting you in understanding the importance of taking care of yourself while coding and strategies for attracting skills transfer opportunities.

Come early and meet other attendees for a leisurely chat over coffee!

More details and handouts will be posted as we near the event, so watch this space and manage your RSVP so we have an accurate food and coffee headcount. This space is cozy, so seats are limited.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258499895/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

In Organizing Genius, Bennis declares that the age of the empowered individual has ended: what matters now is "collaborative advantage" and the assembling of powerful teams. Drawing from six case studies that include Xerox's PARC labs, the 1992 Clinton campaign, and Disney animation studios, Bennis and coauthor Patricia Biederman distill the characteristics of successful collaboration, showing how talent can be pooled and managed for greater results than any individual is capable of producing.

Join us to talk about what Bennis’ insights on teams can tell us about practicing agile. Looking forward to discovering what our own collaborative discussion will uncover!

We are so grateful to The Toffee Club for hosting us free of charge. Please enjoy a beverage and/or food to thank them, if you can!

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259111691/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

As organizations scale, they necessarily add personnel and processes. Change, both good and bad, is inevitable as we grow. But must this result in dilution of culture and loss of agility? How do we scale responsibly while seeking to preserve beneficial cultural ideals and principles, tactfully challenge and improve the organization, and maintain agility to thrive in a rapidly changing world?

Join in the discussion and offer your experience, musings, or ideas.

Everyone is invited. You are always welcome within our community of practice. Please join us at Ringlers Pub for great food, great conversation, and good beer.

Note: Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagator at least 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259082129/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

Agile Open Northwest held their annual Open Space conference in Portland this February.

Our last lunch was live from AONW and there was a lot of curiosity, even from attendees to hear more about what they missed. Let's use this virtual lunch to hear stories, insights, and lessons learned from the conference. Join us if you missed the conference, and more so - join us if you attended AONW, and share your experience! See great coverage or blog posts elsewhere? Share links and further reading in the chat, too!

This agile lunch discussion is a collaborative effort between Seattle and Portland agile minds, and we're hoping it won't stop there.
Tips: The event is held on a zoom conference line. We've learned using video is best, and you might consider your environment before joining -- find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted or feel self conscious. We're monitoring chat as a back channel, so if you can't find a spot in the discussion, add your question or comment in chat and our hosts will try to work it in.

We hope to "see" you for a virtual lunch!

Connect with us via Zoom!
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/674417247

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259448942/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!
Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Directions: The building you are looking for is on 2nd and Taylor (look for the Starbucks on the ground floor). Take the escalators on the 2nd St. entrance to the WTC Building One second floor lobby (ADA access: ground floor elevator). Take an elevator to the 9th floor (press '9' outside the elevators and use the indicated cab). Follow signs to the Cayuse lobby and sign in for the event.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: : https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/258535682/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259111522/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

While our tech-based companies are struggling to find the talent needed to grow a new creative economy, our schools are still stuck in a 100-year-old model that was designed to produce workers for an industrial age. Students desperately want to be a part of the future but many are struggling to understand why they are even showing up to school each day. Here in Oregon, we have the second worst graduation rate in the entire country. Some would joke that we are the Mississippi of the West, except that Mississippi now has a higher graduation rate.

Four years ago Innovate Oregon launched The Dayton Experiment, in Dayton Oregon, a rural community in Yamhill County where two-thirds of the students live in poverty and a third of the students are Hispanic.

This experiment explored what might happen if you took the agile mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets from our agile community and partnered with a school district to re-imagine education. Might it be possible for an entire school district to transform from a traditional teaching institution into a dynamic learning organization, one that unleashes the creative genius of their students?

Today, Dayton has a 97% graduation rate and recently sent a student design team to be showcased at MIT. It is inspiring agile cultural transformations in districts throughout the entire state.

Thompson will be sharing the story of this journey and lessons that have been learned when bringing agile to a complex ecosystem. These lessons have direct implications for companies seeking to scale agile within their organizations.

Bio

Thompson Morrison is the Founder and Chief Evangelist for Innovate Oregon, originally a strategic initiative of the TAO Foundation. For 15 years he ran a software company whose development teams embraced agile practices. He was on the Board of the TAO and chaired their strategy committee that led the transformation of the organization from its earlier manifestation as the SAO. He led the team from the TAO and PDC that developed a community-based economic development strategy for the software industry. He was a founding board member of the STEM Investment Council and co-authored Oregon's STEM Investment Plan. He is also the co-founder of both TaborSpace and the Rosewood Initiative.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259403430/

Do you believe great teams are the key to profitable, sustainable, and joyful workplaces? If yes, how do you get started? Your actions in the first few weeks can have a big impact on the ultimate results.

Join us for a 4th Friday discussion about starting up a new team. How do you form group norms, establish clear goals, and create an environment where everyone feels motivated to contribute? If you've been part of a really good team start we'd love to hear from you. If you learned some startup lessons the hard way, please come and help the rest of us avoid the same pain.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259994527/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Frameworks such as Scrum are lightweight, simple to understand, and difficult to master by design. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development consists of a handful of value statements along with twelve easy to comprehend principles and yet, it sometimes seems as if we as individuals and teams may never "get there." How do we as individuals and teams continue to grow, evolve, and embrace Agile values? What successful strategies have you employed? What behaviors are beneficial? Are there metrics or other ways of measuring progress toward these ideals?

Join in the discussion and offer your experience, musings, or ideas.

Everyone is invited. You are always welcome within our community of practice. Please join us at Ringlers Pub for great food, great conversation, and good beer.

Note: Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagator at least 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260087586/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!
Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Directions: The building you are looking for is on 2nd and Taylor (look for the Starbucks on the ground floor). Take the escalators on the 2nd St. entrance to the WTC Building One second floor lobby (ADA access: ground floor elevator). Take an elevator to the 9th floor (press '9' outside the elevators and use the indicated cab). Follow signs to the Cayuse lobby and sign in for the event.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259599634/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260031767/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

Missing out on roundtable discussions due to location? Try out this virtual gathering.

The topic this month is: Agile Transformation
What do we think of, when we hear these words? Do we view it as promises of high performing teams and great business success? Or, maybe the transform reaches the entire company, moving the change process from team to leadership, company culture, and customer relationships. And while the 'Manifesto for Agile Software Development' was written by software developers, we can distill its statement to all professions: "We are uncovering better ways of X by doing it and helping others do it." Is this the core of an agile transformation?

What are your thoughts? What have you experienced, good or bad? Please join us and share your story and ask questions of others. There are no sages on stages in this discussion, and your contribution will make our discussion richer. This is us, sharing our experiences, and helping each other build on it.

Connect with us via Zoom!
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/674417247

Photo by Danielle MacInnes (@dsmacinnes) on Unsplash.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260205440/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Some Agile methodologies prescribe roles within a team. Then why can it be so hard some times to get a team aligned and firing on all cylinders throughout the course of all sprints? This presentation will call out some areas to be aware of, that we can sometimes overlook, or be completely blind to when we start a project that is agile, waterfall, or hybrid. We will then look at avenues to address these oversights to empower you and your team to better see and address how you can improve your team’s effectiveness in building deliverables, your organization, and individual team members.

Bio

Kip Davis is the Principal at Deal With The Gap LLC. He has 25+ years professional experience in and across multiple functions from software & hardware support to Director of Marketing to PMO Manager, to Product Manager, and CRM Administrator, among others. He has helped set up and manage Programs, PMOs and Portfolios. He’s utilized agile, hybrid, and waterfall methodologies as manager, consultant, contractor, and employee. He is a life-long learner and has an MBA degree, with applicable certifications of Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Prosci Change Practitioner, Illumeo Organization Development Certification, and Certified Business Architect (CBA). Through extensive research and experience he has considered and conceptually combined and bridged several relevant industry models and methodologies and established an alignment framework which he uses to help individuals and organizations understand where they are in relation to their desired outcomes, and what options they can take or create to better accomplish their goals.

Notice: This meeting may be recorded.

Practical, Hands-on Training For Kanban

Learn how to “Stop Starting and Start Finishing”

Join us for an all day Kanban workshop on April 20th, 2019; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our Kanban workshop will help you adopt a value–centric system of planning and executing your work. In the one day training we cover the basics of Kanban, one of the agile processes, through a combination of theory and extensive exercises. With in-depth exercises and coaching from an experienced practitioner, participants will learn how to initiate change with Kanban and bring in process improvements by identifying and addressing bottlenecks, prioritize, and initiate collaboration.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 * Understand how to make prioritization, sequencing and scheduling decisions based on economic factors instead of hunches.
 * Learn how to forecast single and multiple work items (releases, sprints) and be able to answer the questions like "When will the work be finished?" accurately instead of guessing  due dates.
 * Acquire skills to avoid emotional objections to changes in general and to Kanban WIP limits introduction in particular.
 * Enabled by seven Kanban cadences, be able to introduce continuous learning and improvement process by implementing organizational feedback loops.
 * Familiarize with Kanban Risk Management approaches, service orientation, asymmetrical commitment and rollout phases for a Kanban initiative.
 * Increase Kanban knowledge to manage, sustain and scale evolutionary improvements in their organization.

BENEFITS

 * Get a thorough understanding of the Kanban method, its core principles and practices.
 * Learn how to design and introduce a Kanban system into your existing work environment.
 * Understand how to improve service delivery with Kanban systems and ensure better customer focus.
 * Learn to maximize benefits of the Pull-based workflow, limit Work In Progress (WIP) through continuous collaboration and active, ongoing learning and improving by defining the best possible team workflow.
 * Learn concepts through case studies, interactive role play, exercises and discussions.
 * Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science.
 * Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors.
 * Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs).
 * Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace.
 * Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies.

WHO SHOULD COME?

Kanban is one of the easiest ways to get your process and delivery under control, anyone with work that needs to get done will benefit. Kanban works across multiple functions of an organisation, from senior managers looking to adopt Lean Management to members of delivery teams willing to improve their working practices. Who should come? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams;

 * Senior Managers
 * Programme and Project Managers
 * Product Managers, Product Owners and Business Analysts
 * Scrum Masters, Team Leads and Change Agents
 * Product & Software Developers & Testers
 * Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers,
 * Agile Coaches & Practitioners (Scrum, XP, DSDM, AgilePM, etc.
 * Portfolio Managers, Supply Logistics Professionals.
 * Other roles such as HR and Finance professionals

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
 * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
 * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
 * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
 * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
 * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

 * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
 * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
 * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
 * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

RSVP TODAY: http://bit.ly/kanban2019pdx

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260162501/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Where there are people, there are conflicts. What do you do when the people around you are fighting? Shut the door? (Oh, open office) Hope it will go away? (Please, Please I've got a deadline) So, how do you manage conflict between two people who aren't you?

Join us April 26 to discuss constructive ways to think about, work with and maybe even help resolve the conflict around us.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259348182/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for coffee/tea or beverage of your choice and fun discussions about how to overcome challenges we face or to share about Agile-inspired and other topics we agree or disagree with. This event is aimed at getting people in the North and NE areas of Portland and Vancouver together to facilitate discussions. It's not exclusive to people that live in the North and NE, just closer to those parts of the city to make it easier to come out.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking:
Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry:
Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy:
Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event.

Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

New to Lean Coffee?

It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the format we'll follow:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavor for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets five votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their Sharpie. Mark with a plus + if you agree with the topic and want to discuss it, or a minus - if you disagree and want to discuss it, mark it with a dot if you want to hear the discussion and maybe join in. You can put all votes on one, one across many, however you feel. Each mark counts as one vote.

Step 4: The top vote-getting stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top. In an Agile fashion, we'll use groupings of ToDo, Doing, Done and Lessons learned.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/261027784/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including:

Ensuring that goals, scope, and product domain are understood by everyone on the Scrum Team as well as possible;
Finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management;
Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items;
Understanding product planning in an empirical environment;
Ensuring the Product Owner knows how to arrange the Product Backlog to maximize value;
Understanding and practicing agility; and,
Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed.

That said, every Scrum Master and Product Owner are a unique person with a differing set of skills and experience. Scrum Masters may help to make sprint planning engaging, or perhaps assist with Stakeholder education. Maybe Product Owners have enlisted their Scrum Masters in helping the team focus on the product mission and vision. Product Owners could struggle with an over-eager Scrum Master constantly "improving" the backlog tool with new and changing configurations. Or perhaps your Product Owner is showing up in daily stand-ups, asking why something isn't done yet...

What have you done as a Scrum Master to assist - or perhaps mitigate an undesired impact - of your Product Owner? What have you, Product Owner, wished for in your Scrum Master? Bring your questions and your experience, and share with your community!

Everyone is invited. You are always welcome within our community of practice. Please join us at Ringlers Pub for great food, great conversation, and good beer.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259229066/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

What is Coderetreat?
Coderetreat is a day-long practice event that focuses on the fundamentals of good software development and design. Developers are given the opportunity of focused practice away from the pressures of “getting things done”, allowing them to sharpen their craft and to learn new skills in a safe environment. Yes, this event is women-focused, and everyone is welcome.

(Originally developed by Corey Haines, the global webpage is located at http://coderetreat.org/ if you would like to read more about it.)

Why attend a Coderetreat?
~ Learn new skills to help you write better code
~ Learn to take risks and experiment
~ Learn to practice writing code
~ Gain collaborative experience through pair programming
~ Network and make new friends

Wait...it’s free?
Yes, Coderetreat is free. There are simply 2 requirements that will help you get the most out of a Coderetreat:
~ Show up with an open mind and learner’s attitude.
~ Bring a laptop with a working development environment and testing framework, and be prepared to use it (see below for a list of popular IDEs).

What does a full day of coding practice involve?
Coderetreat is built on a specific formula. The day consists of usually[masked]-minute iterations in which participants are presented with a specific problem that they need to code. Emphasis is NOT placed on finishing, in fact participants are not expected to finish within the given 45 minutes. Instead, the emphasis is placed on learning new skills that enable participants to write code in a different way than would normally be the case. Participants change partners with each iteration, with the goal being that everyone should pair with someone different for every iteration. Techniques such as Test Driven Development will be introduced, with exposure to core fundamentals such as the 4 Rules of Simple Design and SOLID. Breakfast and lunch are both included, with gluten free options available. This is your chance to learn something new, and to be fed while doing it.

If you learn one new thing that you can take back to the office, you have a win, and so do we! We’ll also be supporting you in understanding the importance of taking care of yourself while coding and strategies for attracting skills transfer opportunities.

Come early and meet other attendees for a leisurely chat over coffee!

More details and handouts will be posted as we near the event, so watch this space and manage your RSVP so we have an accurate food and coffee headcount. This space is cozy, so seats are limited.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260145145/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

The PMI-ACP is the fastest-growing PMI certification and has been for several years. Not only does it require an exam, it also requires evidence of using agile approaches. The Agile Practice Guide is a guide to the state of the practice and how you might actually use agile approaches in your organization for your specific projects. While agile approaches are not for everyone, many projects can benefit from interim deliveries of value.

Johanna Rothman, co-chair of the first edition of the Agile Practice Guide, will deliver a short presentation of when agile approaches might work for you and answer your questions. Johanna and the APG are agnostic about which agile approach to use and when. Both Johanna and the APG focus on principles, not practices. Join us for what will be a spirited discussion of your possible use of agile approaches and the Agile Practice Guide.

Meetup Description: AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260920083/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!
Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Directions: The building you are looking for is on 2nd and Taylor (look for the Starbucks on the ground floor). Take the escalators on the 2nd St. entrance to the WTC Building One second floor lobby (ADA access: ground floor elevator). Take an elevator to the 9th floor (press '9' outside the elevators and use the indicated cab). Follow signs to the Cayuse lobby and sign in for the event.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/261043167/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

One of the keys to effectiveness is to know yourself and show yourself the Goldilocks amount. How do you avoid TMI (Too Much Information)? And, at the other end of the spectrum, how do you keep from being too reserved to share much of anything with other people?

If you know yourself well enough, you can share relevant information to improve communication and connect with others. And the more expert communicators you have on your team, the more potential you have to build trust in a professional way.

One tool to help you on this journey is the Johari Window. Created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955, the Johari Window helps people understand what they show and what they hide from the world; what they don't see and what they don't even know about themselves.

Neal first learned about the Johari Window in one of his leadership training sessions, and it piqued his interest as a facilitation tool. We are excited to have Neal share his insights about how to use the Johari window to help teams connect on a deeper level without oversharing. And for those interested, we'll have an opportunity for hands-on exercises.

Bio
Neal Peterson is a business consultant who helps businesses utilize the full capacity of their systems and processes. His goal is to enable businesses and people to do more with less, more efficiently and effectively. As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Six Sigma Lean Black Belt Professional (LBBP), and self taught agile coach, he collaborates across the functional departments of an organization to enable continuous measurable improvement of end to end value chain processes. He has done this for companies in the healthcare, financial services, retail, government, software, semi-conductor, transportation, shipping, and manufacturing industries. He seeks to share the agile mindset with others in the community via conversations and facilitated sessions that enable learning in a collaborative environment.

Notice: This meeting may be recorded.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on May 18th, 2019; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

 * Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science
 * Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors
 * Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)
 * Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace
 * Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Engineers, Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Program Managers, Business Executives, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business and engineering programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
 * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed time frame. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
 * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
 * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
 * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multicultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
 * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

 * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
 * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
 * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
 * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS

By attending this workshop you’ll receive professional development units (PDU). They are for professionals looking to maintain Project Management Institute (PMI)- certified credentials. Eligible PDUs: 8 PMP PDUs

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

NEXT EVENT?

For more information and dates about our next event, join our Meetup Group: http://bit.ly/PortlandAgileTraining

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

For further information: please contact Heber Michaels, [email protected] or our team at [email protected].

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259859953/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for coffee/tea or beverage of your choice and fun discussions about how to overcome challenges we face or to share about Agile-inspired and other topics we agree or disagree with. This event is aimed at getting people in the North and NE areas of Portland and Vancouver together to facilitate discussions. It's not exclusive to people that live in the North and NE, just closer to those parts of the city to make it easier to come out.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking:
Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry:
Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy:
Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event.

Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

New to Lean Coffee?

It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the format we'll follow:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavor for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets five votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their Sharpie. Mark with a plus + if you agree with the topic and want to discuss it, or a minus - if you disagree and want to discuss it, mark it with a dot if you want to hear the discussion and maybe join in. You can put all votes on one, one across many, however you feel. Each mark counts as one vote.

Step 4: The top vote-getting stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top. In an Agile fashion, we'll use groupings of ToDo, Doing, Done and Lessons learned.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/259745618/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a beer (or beverage of your choice) and a snack at the Rogue Eastside Pub to discuss The Age of Agile by Stephen Denning. (Our poll tied twice, so I flipped the coin, as promised. If you want to read Start with Why by Sinek, we'll do that next time!)

Here's the book in a nutshell from the book flap: "The Age of Agile unpacks the groundbreaking ideas and practices that are remaking the very foundations of business. Reporting from the front lines, Denning takes you deep into the Agile management revolution. Denning demystifies Agile by providing three “laws” that make it practical and clear:

• The Law of the Small Team shows how to operate in a “VUCA” world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity). Using this law, difficult problems are split into manageable batches and performed by small cross-functional, self-governing teams, working iteratively in short cycles, with fast feedback from customers and end-users.

• The Law of the Customer flows from the epic shift in power in the marketplace from seller to buyer, and the need for firms to radically accelerate their ability to make decisions and change direction in light of unexpected events and new customer demands. It amounts to a Copernican revolution in management.

• The Law of the Network (the linchpin of Agile) illustrates what’s involved in making the entire organization Agile."

Let's ponder and talk about how his "Laws" help us or hinder us on our agile journeys.

Join the #reading channel in our AgilePDX slack workspace to share your thoughts & ideas about this and future reads. Not part of AgilePDX slack? Send a request to [email protected] and we'll invite you.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260954070/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

In-the-real-world, what does making a difference as a Scrum Master look like?

We know what the scrum guide says about Scrum Masters; what you are supposed to do. And we know that in practice, all kinds of other things happen. :) You want to make a difference.

So what does making a difference look like? Who do you need to be? What would be happening around you? What would you be doing that is different than standard scrum?

Bring your questions and your opinions and join a discussion that hopefully will inspire you to go out in the world to do great things.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/261482826/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Our community of practice wants to explore the evolution of Agile.

We acknowledge that the manifesto and principles were developed to address the unique needs for software engineering and development. Over the years we have seen Agile frameworks, both formal and informal, emerge and be embraced by different people and organizations. These frameworks are now being leveraged outside of software development. We see some of these tools being applied across many different industries and disciplines.

I believe we all share a view that iterative and incremental value delivery is a powerful tool. Self reflection and a commitment to continuous improvement is more than just a practice, it is a value to be lived.

Have we gotten to a place where it is time to have the conversation about (A)gile as a set of engineering practices, where (a)gility is how to empower people and teams to do valuable work in a different way regardless of the industry or product being delivered?

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology: https://www.profocustechnology.com/.
Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260412479/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

You asked to talk to people who use Lean and Agile methods in government, and we found you John Dickson. What’s his biggest secret for success in using Lean and Agile? It’s all about respecting people and their opinions and never use the words Lean or Agile—and definitely never think of agile as a noun. John’s experience in Washington State and Spokane County government has made the papers—literally. And his Lean chops come straight out of Boeing.

Come hear John set context for a meaty discussion on doing what we do every day—successfully and in some of the toughest places to do it. Listen carefully, and be prepared for a hands-on, cheerful, conflict-welcoming style as you pose your questions and question your assumptions about how government services get delivered.

John has been an executive in private industry, state and now county government. He’s successfully led very large organizational transformations in each sector, giving him a unique perspective on how to effectively inspire people in any industry to willingly improve their processes to obtain better results.

Since March 2013, John has been Spokane County’s Chief Operations Officer. He’s leading significant operational improvement activities within county government and across the region focused on more efficient, effective and affordable processes. Since 2014, over 500 improvement projects have been initiated and run by county staff. And by collaborating with many local government and business leaders, several regional law and justice reform projects are successfully being implemented.

Previously, John worked for the military side of Boeing for over 20 years and had senior leadership roles on the Sea Launch, B-2 bomber, and F-22 Raptor programs. He left Boeing in 2006 to become Berg Integrated System’s General Manager, a start-up company in Plummer, ID, that fabricated large fuel bladders and expandable shelters for the US Army. His government career began in 2010 when he became WA State Employment Security Department’s Regional Area Director overseeing the WorkSource Spokane Employment Center. John has also been a Dale Carnegie leadership trainer since 2003 and has been ranked as high as their #2 trainer worldwide.

Meetup Description:
AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology: https://www.profocustechnology.com/
Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/261248175/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

Missing out on round-table discussions due to location? Try out this virtual gathering.

The topic this month is: Patterns of Resistance
Agile implementations introduce change, in processes and in mindset. And change raises concern, fear, and - resistance! As you've experienced organizational change (perhaps agile transformation), what have you observed as patterns of resistance? What is obvious, and what sneaks up? Where do they come from? And how can we apply agile principles of collaboration, iteration with inspection, and direct communication to help mitigate these patterns, and help people identify and grow into new opportunities?

You are always welcome to join our community of practice. Bring your questions or stories to learn from and share!

Connect with us via Zoom:
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/674417247

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology https://www.profocustechnology.com/. Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Photo by Alex Rodríguez Santibáñez on Unsplash

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/tjcbbryzjbvb/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for coffee/tea or beverage of your choice and fun discussions about how to overcome challenges we face or to share about Agile-inspired and other topics we agree or disagree with. This event is aimed at getting people in the North and NE areas of Portland and Vancouver together to facilitate discussions. It's not exclusive to people that live in the North and NE, just closer to those parts of the city to make it easier to come out.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking:
Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry:
Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy:
Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event.

Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology: https://www.profocustechnology.com/. Learn more about our sponsors: https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

New to Lean Coffee?

It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the format we'll follow:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavor for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets five votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their Sharpie. Mark with a plus + if you agree with the topic and want to discuss it, or a minus - if you disagree and want to discuss it, mark it with a dot if you want to hear the discussion and maybe join in. You can put all votes on one, one across many, however you feel. Each mark counts as one vote.

Step 4: The top vote-getting stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top. In an Agile fashion, we'll use groupings of ToDo, Doing, Done and Lessons learned.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/262003435/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!

This workshop starts with a short discussion, then we will dive right in to mobbing on a simple programming problem that includes tests! We provide plenty of opportunities to ask questions and reflect on what we're learning.

All skill levels and software disciplines are welcome!!! The mob programming workshop is a risk free, safe space for you to learn and experiment with this energizing and effective way of creating software!

Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Directions: The building you are looking for is on 2nd and Taylor (look for the Starbucks on the ground floor). Take the escalators on the 2nd St. entrance to the WTC Building One second floor lobby (ADA access: ground floor elevator). Take an elevator to the 9th floor (press '9' outside the elevators and use the indicated cab). Follow signs to the Cayuse lobby and sign in for the event.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology https://www.profocustechnology.com/. Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/261472603/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Agile is part of an evolution in consciousness--in the nature of our awareness and noticing skills and our knowledge of self and other. When agile emerges in an organization, it does so within a consciousness unlike its own. Yet, our approaches to agility often impede its ability to stick where it emerges.

Agilists have used the frames of mindset and learning. But, we need to use the frames of consciousness and development in order to truly transform. In doing so, we see agile transformations are actually personal transformations. Organizations don't change, people change and then the organization adapts.

This deep dive session discusses the agile mindset and puts “mindset” in the context of “consciousness.” It speaks to advancing agilists who are trying to understand why adoptions go wrong when they have done everything "right." You are more likely to receive full value in this session if you have been pursuing agility within organisations for at least three years.

This session provides pointers on how to spot developmental as opposed to lower level learning experiences. It is based on my own practice, on research I did for my master’s thesis, and on my book The Preservation of the Agile Heart: From Mindset to Consciousness.

Learning Outcomes:

· Be able to articulate a working definition of consciousness
· Understand the difference between mindset and consciousness
· Understand how consciousness and human development align
· Understand the difference between learning and development
· Be able to spot learning opportunities that do not facilitate development
· Be able to create opportunities for personal development and self-care in the context of development

About the Presenter:

Jean Richardson is a consultant and coach with nearly 30 years of experience in software development, with half of that time spent in learning about agile and participating in the agile movement. For the last six years she has coached individuals and teams in agile-aspiring organizations. A former AgilePDX Coordinating Committee member, Jean is actively involved in helping, guiding, and coaching the agile community at the local and national levels toward a collective agile consciousness!

Notice: This meeting may be recorded.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology https://www.profocustechnology.com/. Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/261504385/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

AgilePDX is excited to have been a part of the meaningful collaboration with Lean Portland, Responsive Portland, and Agile Open Northwest that launched Future of Work.

And we are proud to continue to collaborate by cross-posting the Future of Work's second annual conference in Portland https://fowpdx.com.

Future of Work is about creating safe spaces to build community and explore work-life innovation. This event is a collaborative Open Space conference to host discussions and ideations to reimagine our work spaces to create "workplaces where we can thrive and effect positive change as the world evolves."

Future of Work believes "that by coming together we are able to change the places where we work into environments where we trust and value one another; where we can integrate work with life; where we can innovate and be better humans through better companies."

We hope you will consider joining in to forward this good work for our agile community.

To RSVP, please register for the conference here:

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/262205676/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

All of our agile tools, methods, and frameworks are only successful if there is trust within the team. Join us Friday June 28th for a build-our-own-adventure discussion on building trust within the team. Model good trust building behavior and share your trust challenges. Help your agile cohorts with your hard won lessons. This promises to be a helpful and timely discussion.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology https://www.profocustechnology.com/. Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!

Note: The location of this workshop has changed! We are now at Jama Software (right across Taylor Street from our previous location). See the "How to find us" section for directions.

This workshop starts with a short discussion, then we will dive right in to mobbing on a simple programming problem that includes tests! We provide plenty of opportunities to ask questions and reflect on what we're learning.

All skill levels and software disciplines are welcome!!! The mob programming workshop is a risk free, safe space for you to learn and experiment with this energizing and effective way of creating software!

Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/260412485/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your space for another attendee.

AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

This week we are shifting out one week due to the holiday, and are gathering on the second Friday of the month. Sean Lemson has graced us with the topic: how to demonstrate the effectiveness of agile coaching.

Agile coaches are often asked to demonstrate their impact. Because we engage with many different types of levels and situations, it can be difficult to collect baselines and find metrics that adequately and accurately demonstrate the impact. We are joining together to share what has worked, the experience the community of purpose has with this, and how we might make this something we can use as we bring others along on this agile journey. Everyone is welcome to join and share their experience, ask questions, and listen to different viewpoints and insights.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/262070829/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a beer (or beverage of your choice) and a snack at the Rogue Eastside Pub to discuss Start with Why by Simon Sinek. (Our poll tied twice, and this is part two!)

Here's the book in a nutshell, according to the handy Amazon description: "In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work, and in turn inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who’ve watched his TED Talk based on START WITH WHY -- the third most popular TED video of all time.

Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.

START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way -- and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY."

Let's ponder and talk about how asking WHY will help us or hinder us on our agile journeys.

Join the #reading channel in our AgilePDX slack workspace to share your thoughts & ideas about this and future reads. Not part of AgilePDX slack? Send a request to [masked] and we'll invite you.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology https://www.profocustechnology.com/ . Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Missing out on round-table discussions due to location? Try out this virtual gathering.

Join us to talk about coaching your team and your organization:
Scrum, one of the well-defined (and light!) frameworks to adopt agile principles states the Scrum Master serves not only the PO and team, but also the organization. And this is not limited to "helping employees understand Scrum" but also includes "Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team" - the limits of which are yours to interpret!
Read more at https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

That said, we all have run into limits organization puts up, when change is happening from the team level upward. The Agile Fluency Model (https://www.agilefluency.org/) also takes a look at this balance of team and org, focusing on finding the right fit of agile practices that bring value to organizations.

What have you experienced? And what has helped you become successful in fostering an organization culture and structure that supports engaged and productive team members? What setbacks and company struggles have you witnessed, as you partner with your teams and peers to coach agile practices?

You are always welcome to join our community of practice. Bring your questions or stories to learn from and share!

Connect with us via Zoom:
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/674417247

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/262235120/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for coffee/tea or beverage of your choice and fun discussions about how to overcome challenges we face or to share about Agile-inspired and other topics we agree or disagree with. This event is aimed at getting people in the North and NE areas of Portland and Vancouver together to facilitate discussions. It's not exclusive to people that live in the North and NE, just closer to those parts of the city to make it easier to come out.

We'll spend the first few minutes gathering discussion ideas, then roll right into the smooth easy cadence of the lively chatter.

If you aren't going to be able to make it, please update your RSVP so that we know how many to expect.

Parking:
Use the Gotham Building Parking lot on the corner of N Page St and N Borthwick Ave.

Building Entry:
Entry to the building is best through the door by Little Gotham Coffee. We'll have someone meeting on time attendees at the door. For those that run a few minutes late due to traffic or other reasons out of your control, there will be directions at the door on how to contact someone to let you in.

Weather Policy:
Cancellations will be posted on MeetUp and Calagater 3 hours before event time. We will not have the event in ice, or snowy conditions.

Percipio Consulting Group is opening up their offices to host this event.

Percipio is a business consulting firm that helps companies identify opportunities for improvement and successfully implement meaningful changes. That means more efficient processes, shored-up controls, a technology solution that really works for you, or all of the above. They have helped many companies, both Fortune 500 and mid-sized, navigate complex projects by truly understanding business needs and defining up front what success will look like.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology: https://www.profocustechnology.com/. Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

New to Lean Coffee?

It's a great way to have real, focused dialogue and we often discuss matters of agile, lean and such - but anything goes. As far as the mechanics, here's the format we'll follow:

Step 1: Everybody writes down proposed topics on stickies, placing them in the center of the table. Take as much time as needed, but typically takes only 3-5 minutes (or whenever coffee is ready).

Step 2: Each topic is briefly described by its writer to get a flavor for the subject (15-30 seconds typically per sticky).

Step 3: Each person gets five votes which they indicate by marking the voted-for sticky with their Sharpie. Mark with a plus + if you agree with the topic and want to discuss it, or a minus - if you disagree and want to discuss it, mark it with a dot if you want to hear the discussion and maybe join in. You can put all votes on one, one across many, however you feel. Each mark counts as one vote.

Step 4: The top vote-getting stickies are placed in the ToDo column, ordered by the stickies with the most votes at the top. In an Agile fashion, we'll use groupings of ToDo, Doing, Done and Lessons learned.

Step 5: Each of these stickies are discussed for 5 minutes, most votes first. The facilitator takes a quick "Cesar" (thumbs up/down) vote at the five-minute timer, and she moves on for three more minutes if the discussion still has majority interest. When complete, move the sticky over to the Done column. Rinse and repeat.

Step 6: wrap-up thoughts at the end - what one idea or person did you most enjoy, then break for home/drinks/cover.

As agile practitioners our role is to encourage individuals and organizations to practice the values of transparency and communication. In our journeys we may find that honesty, integrity and transparency are easier to do through conversations with individuals rather than open dialogue across organizational units. We need to find tools and techniques to live into these values and inspire leaders on how to manifest honesty and openness in every conversation not just the individual ones.

Come together and discuss this topic with us at Ringlers Pub on Friday the 2nd of August. We want to know your experience. We want to learn from each other and build our community of practice. We want a chance to discover what we have not seen or gain a new perspective.

You can find us in the back under the Crystal Ballroom, ask for the Agile PDX group and you will find us over yummy food and drinks.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Additional Information:
Q: Is the space ADA accessible?
A: Yes, McMenamins Ringlers Pub is ADA accessible. Please note, doors are manual but the staff is available to assist should you require assistance.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms?
A: McMenamins Ringlers Pub restrooms are designated Men and Women. There are no unisex/family/gender neutral restrooms at this location.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event?
A: Food & Drink (including alcohol) is available to purchase, and we have table service. Standard pub fare & pub prices. Menu link: https://d2660z551umiy9.cloudfront.net/files/menus/Crystal/RPmenu.pdf

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue?
A: Parking downtown is limited, so we recommend public transportation or a ride-share option, or another personal transportation (bicycle, etc). For public transportation options, please visit https://trimet.org/ to plan your trip to Ringlers at 1332 W Burnside Street in Downtown Portland.

Q: How do I enter the building?
A: We are in the side room under the Crystal Ballroom. You can use the entrance on the corner of Burnside & 14th. Let yourself in, and find us at the large table.

AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on August 10th, 2019; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

* Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science
* Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors
* Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)
* Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace
* Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Engineers, Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Program Managers, Business Executives, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business and engineering programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

* Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
* Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed time frame. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
* Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
* Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
* Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multicultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.

International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

* PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
* PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
* CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
* CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS

By attending this workshop you’ll receive professional development units (PDU). They are for professionals looking to maintain Project Management Institute (PMI)- certified credentials. Eligible PDUs: 8 PMP PDUs

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

For further information: please contact Heber Michaels, [email protected] or our team at [email protected]

Practical, Hands-on Training For Kanban Learn how to “Stop Starting and Start Finishing”

Join us for an all day Kanban workshop on August 24th, 2019; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our Kanban workshop will help you adopt a value–centric system of planning and executing your work. In the one day training we cover the basics of Kanban, one of the agile processes, through a combination of theory and extensive exercises. With in-depth exercises and coaching from an experienced practitioner, participants will learn how to initiate change with Kanban and bring in process improvements by identifying and addressing bottlenecks, prioritize, and initiate collaboration.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  * Understand how to make prioritization, sequencing and scheduling decisions based on economic factors instead of hunches.
  * Learn how to forecast single and multiple work items (releases, sprints) and be able to answer the questions like "When will the work be finished?" accurately instead of guessing due dates.
  * Acquire skills to avoid emotional objections to changes in general and to Kanban WIP limits introduction in particular.
  * Enabled by seven Kanban cadences, be able to introduce continuous learning and improvement process by implementing organizational feedback loops.
  * Familiarize with Kanban Risk Management approaches, service orientation, asymmetrical commitment and rollout phases for a Kanban initiative.
  * Increase Kanban knowledge to manage, sustain and scale evolutionary improvements in their organization.

BENEFITS:

  * Get a thorough understanding of the Kanban method, its core principles and practices.
  * Learn how to design and introduce a Kanban system into your existing work environment.
  * Understand how to improve service delivery with Kanban systems and ensure better customer focus.
  * Learn to maximize benefits of the Pull-based workflow, limit Work In Progress (WIP) through continuous collaboration and active, ongoing learning and improving by defining the best possible team workflow.
  * Learn concepts through case studies, interactive role play, exercises and discussions.
  * Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science.
  * Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors.
  * Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs).
  * Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace.
  * Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies.

WHO SHOULD COME? Kanban is one of the easiest ways to get your process and delivery under control, anyone with work that needs to get done will benefit. Kanban works across multiple functions of an organization, from senior managers looking to adopt Lean Management to members of delivery teams willing to improve their working practices. Who should come? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams;

  * Senior Managers
  * Program and Project Managers
  * Product Managers, Product Owners and Business Analysts
  * Scrum Masters, Team Leads and Change Agents
  * Product & Software Developers & Testers
  * Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers,
  * Agile Coaches & Practitioners (Scrum, XP, DSDM, AgilePM, etc.
  * Portfolio Managers, Supply Logistics Professionals.
  * Other roles such as HR and Finance professionals

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

  * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
  * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
  * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
  * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
  * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
  * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS:

  * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
  * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
  * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
  * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS? FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

Please RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/264002905/

Scrum and XP have values such as respect, communication, and openness. The Agile Manifesto highlights individuals and interactions and supporting project teams, trusting they will get the job done. Why are these values so important for effective collaboration and creation? And what keeps us from communicating openly? What stops us from suggesting an idea, a solution... it's a unique idea; it may be crazy; it may be absurd. Maybe better to not suggest it.

Amy Edmundson shows in her TedX talk that none of us come to work to look "ignorant, incomplete, intrusive, negative." Of course not - we want to connect and contribute, and make a positive impact. How can we get from choosing safe silence to choosing our voices? What can companies do to instill safety to speak up, safety to fail, and safety to express ourselves? And what can we as practitioners do, as peers and leaders in our work environments?

Please join us for this lunch discussion at the Ringlers Pub. We want to know your experience. We want to learn from each other and build our community of practice. We want a chance to discover what we have not seen and gain a new perspective.

You can find us in the back under the Crystal Ballroom, ask for the Agile PDX group and you will find us over yummy food and drinks.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes, McMenamins Ringlers Pub is ADA accessible. Please note, doors are manual but the staff is available to assist should you require assistance.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: McMenamins Ringlers Pub restrooms are designated Men and Women. There are no unisex/family/gender neutral restrooms at this location.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: Food & Drink (including alcohol) is available to purchase, and we have table service. Standard pub fare & pub prices.

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A: Parking downtown is limited, so we recommend public transportation or a ride-share option, or another personal transportation (bicycle, etc). For public transportation options, please visit trimet website to plan your trip to Ringlers at 1332 W Burnside Street in Downtown Portland.

Q: How do I enter the building? A: We are in the side room under the Crystal Ballroom. You can use the entrance on the corner of Burnside & 14th. Let yourself in, and find us at the large table.


Please RSVP at our Meetup page and get the Zoom connection info: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/263795497/

What is Coderetreat?

Coderetreat is a day-long practice event that focuses on the fundamentals of good software development and design. Developers are given the opportunity of focused practice away from the pressures of “getting things done”, allowing them to sharpen their craft and to learn new skills in a safe environment. Yes, this event is women-focused, and everyone is welcome.

(Originally developed by Corey Haines, the global webpage is located at http://coderetreat.org/ if you would like to read more about it.)

Why attend a Coderetreat?

~ Learn new skills to help you write better code ~ Learn to take risks and experiment ~ Learn to practice writing code ~ Gain collaborative experience through pair programming ~ Network and make new friends

Wait...it’s free?

Yes, Coderetreat is free. There are simply 2 requirements that will help you get the most out of a Coderetreat: ~ Show up with an open mind and learner’s attitude. ~ Bring a laptop with a working development environment and testing framework, and be prepared to use it (see below for a list of popular IDEs).

What does a full day of coding practice involve?

Coderetreat is built on a specific formula. The day consists of usually 5-7 45-minute iterations in which participants are presented with a specific problem that they need to code. Emphasis is NOT placed on finishing, in fact participants are not expected to finish within the given 45 minutes. Instead, the emphasis is placed on learning new skills that enable participants to write code in a different way than would normally be the case. Participants change partners with each iteration, with the goal being that everyone should pair with someone different for every iteration. Techniques such as Test Driven Development will be introduced, with exposure to core fundamentals such as the 4 Rules of Simple Design and SOLID. Breakfast and lunch are both included, with gluten free options available. This is your chance to learn something new, and to be fed while doing it.

If you learn one new thing that you can take back to the office, you have a win, and so do we! We’ll also be supporting you in understanding the importance of taking care of yourself while coding and strategies for attracting skills transfer opportunities.

Come early and meet other attendees for a leisurely chat over coffee!

More details and handouts will be posted as we near the event, so watch this space and manage your RSVP so we have an accurate food and coffee headcount. This space is cozy, so seats are limited.

Popular Development Environments: PyCharm Community, VS Code, Visual Studio Community, Aptana Studio, Eclipse, Netbeans

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/264531418/
If you are unable to attend, please update your RSVP to open your seat for another attendee.

Join us for a hands-on workshop experiencing Mob Programming!

Note: The location of this workshop has changed! We are now at Jama Software (right across Taylor Street from our previous location). See the "How to find us" section for directions.

This workshop starts with a short discussion, then we will dive right in to mobbing on a simple programming problem that includes tests! We provide plenty of opportunities to ask questions and reflect on what we're learning.

All skill levels and software disciplines are welcome!!! The mob programming workshop is a risk free, safe space for you to learn and experiment with this energizing and effective way of creating software!

Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a racecar - unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at agilepdx.org.

AgilePDX is providing a forum for Agile Project Managers, Agile Facilitators, and Scrum Masters to gather online once a month and discuss all things project, program, and portfolio related. Please join us for a Lean Coffee style event facilitated by experience Agile PM's and instructors in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner prep program.

You'll be dialing in from your desktop with your favorite early morning brew. Please join with your camera on. The Zoom URL will be provided to confirmed attendees. Feel free to post questions to this meetup prior to the event.

We welcome divergent opinions and experience reports. Bring your challenges for groups feedback and support. Plan to join 15 minutes early for coffee clatch chat and networking or stay 15 minutes for the same networking experience.

Join us as we explore a framework for iterative hardware-based product development. Kris Dobelstein will share insights into leveraging an Agile mindset, methodologies, and tools to envision product goals, clarify assumptions, uncover risk, align teams, and prioritize development resulting in timely, highly relevant products.

Agile practices aren't new, they're just rarely used effectively outside of software development. We'll give historical and practical examples, mostly from aviation, to illustrate some time-worn strategies for implementing Agile practices in hardware development. Most notably, an Agile product development framework for hardware products needs to:

1) Start slow to go fast 2) Delay key decisions as long as possible 3) Leverage 21st-century prototyping tools 4) Value high-bandwidth collaboration between teams, customers, and vendors over specifications, requirements, and contracts

Kris will provide an overview of a typical development cycle, highlighting how to get started with vision boarding, the product narrative, and development pre-mortem.

Then we will take a look at how to get the development ball rolling and maintain momentum in opportunity-rich environments using provisional architectures, various value lenses, customer feedback, and the all-important retrospective.

Come learn how hardware development offers unique opportunities to practice agility!

Take-aways - "Agile" product development isn't just 20 years old. In fact, highly collaborative, iterative development has been around for 80+ years. - Agile isn't about choosing a particular framework, it's about your mindset. - When you're making hardware, iterative approaches need to take the steps of designing and making tangibles into account. - Strategic communication tools help teams think about how to get started and align around a common vision so that they can learn to share iterations across disciplines. - Practical approaches for keeping hardware development modular and iterative.

About the Presenter

Kris Dobelstein has led hardware product development efforts using a variety of methodologies and techniques over the last decade. He has experimented with traditional and Agile project management methodologies and is constantly (and enthusiastically) looking for ways to evolve project management to optimize for creating products that customers love while keeping development efforts sustainable and enjoyable. He is a Pacific Northwest native and lives, works, and plays in Portland, Oregon with his family.

Notice: This meeting may be recorded.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at https://agilepdx.org/sponsorship.

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes, Puppet is ADA accessible. Please knock to have the security guard help with doors.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: We are still checking on this.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: Pizza is sponsored by PNSQC, and soda is courtesy of Puppet.

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A: Street parking downtown is limited, but there are parking garages in walking distance. For public transportation options, please visit https://trimet.org/ to plan your trip to Puppet at 308 SW 2nd Avenue in Downtown Portland.

Q: How do I enter the building? A: Enter the building on 2nd Avenue, and knock for security guard to open the doors. Take the elevator to the 5th floor to access Puppet's event space.

Please RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/265127438/

Hanna Tomas recently published an article in Medium about Agile. https://medium.com/@Hanna.Thomas/why-dont-we-just-call-agile-what-it-is-feminist-8bdd9193edba

The hypothesis is that Agile is not just a software engineering methodology or framework but it is a set of social values that apply more broadly to people.

The author asserts the following: "Successful organisations aren’t ones that adopt an ‘Agile mindset’. Successful organisations are ones that adopt a feminist, queer, anti-establishment, progressive mindset — one that is flexible, experimental, pushes boundaries, self-organises, and acts in service of community."

Lets all get together at McMenamins Ringlers Pub downtown and discuss this thought. Bring yourself and your friends to our community of purpose and talk with us about this idea. This event is inclusive and open to all.

You can find us in the back under the Crystal Ballroom, ask for the Agile PDX group and you will find us over yummy food and drinks.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at agilepdx.org.

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes, McMenamins Ringlers Pub is ADA accessible. Please note, doors are manual but the staff is available to assist should you require assistance.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: McMenamins Ringlers Pub restrooms are designated Men and Women. There are no unisex/family/gender neutral restrooms at this location.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: Food & Drink (including alcohol) is available to purchase, and we have table service. Standard pub fare & pub prices.

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A: Parking downtown is limited, so we recommend public transportation or a ride-share option, or another personal transportation (bicycle, etc). For public transportation options, please visit trimet website to plan your trip to Ringlers at 1332 W Burnside Street in Downtown Portland.

Q: How do I enter the building? A: We are in the side room under the Crystal Ballroom. You can use the entrance on the corner of Burnside & 14th. Let yourself in, and find us at the large table.

Please RSVP on our Meetup page to reserve your spot: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/265141785/

Join us for a monthly hands-on Mob Programming workshop! The goals of this workshop are to practice mob programming, turn up the good, learn by doing, and promote rapid knowledge sharing. Come practice with us! This workshop starts with a short discussion, then we will dive right in to mobbing on a simple programming problem! We provide plenty of opportunities to ask questions and reflect on what we're learning. All skill levels and software disciplines are welcome!!! The mob programming workshop is a risk free, safe space for you to learn and experiment!

Mob Programming is a software development practice with many benefits - it raises code quality, removes knowledge silos, minimizes mental fatigue, and more. In practice it feels more like a bulldozer than a race-car —unstoppable and thorough.

The core of mob programming is pointing many pairs of eyes on a single problem, pushing all the code through a single keyboard. Each month we'll explore different methods for learning to mob well and reaping the rewards of this practice as soon as possible on your own team.

Facilitator Bio:

Jeff Patterson is a software quality engineer and scrum master on the platform team at Jama Software, language agnostic, quality evangelist, and non-traditional CS grad. He has facilitated Global Day of Code Retreat, founded a peer group to support Community College CS students transferring to University, and is often heard saying, "Software is made of people!"

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at agilepdx.org.

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes
Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: Yes
Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: Soda and water will be provided. Please feel free to bring snacks!
Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A. Please see the "How to find us" section in the sidebar in the meetup event.
Q: How do I enter the building? A: Please see the "How to find us" section in the sidebar in the meetup event.

Please RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/265182383/

Missing out on round-table discussions due to location? Try out this virtual gathering.

This time some of us will share our go-to agile coaching tools. If possible we will try to demonstrate (5 minute mini demo). Do you have a go-to tool or advice you can talk about or possibly demonstrate? Join us to share and learn!

You are always welcome to join our community of practice. As we explore and share, we benefit from everyone's insight and perspective. You are in the right place. Bring your questions or stories to learn from and share!

RSVP on meetup to get the zoom invite.

Events are made possible by the AgilePDX community and our sponsors, including platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at agilepdx.org.

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: This is a virtual zoom meeting that supports audio and video, and has a chat line. Please note that we are not able to offer close caption.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: What's available where you are joining from is what you get.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: What's available where you are joining from is what you get.

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A: This is a virtual event. Take part from any location. Prepare for the meeting by downloading the zoom client app (or phone/tablet app).

Please RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/AgilePDX-User-Group-Portland-Metro/events/264541629/

As the Silicon Forest continues to grow, we turn to hiring authorities in the tech community for answer son how to navigate everything from IT management struggles like retention and hiring, to the effects of the latest technology trends on your career path. Our panelists have a combined 25+ years in tech and are excited to share their experiences and answer questions.

Panelists:

-- Neil Hefty, Talent Solutions Director at ProFocus Technology, an Inc. 500 Staffing and Consulting Company.
-- Chris Miller, VP of Human Resources at Smarsh, the leading provider of data archiving solutions. Helping organizations capture content, reveal risk and provide insights and opportunity for a proper response.
-- Lauren Shey, HR Generalist at Metal Toad, an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner providing cloud migration, AWS-based IoT, and Mobile solutions.

Agenda:

6:00-6:30 Networking/Food/Drinks/Door Prizes
6:30-7:05 Panelist Presentations
7:05-7:40 Breakout Discussions with Presenters
7:40-8:00 Report Out and Wrap Up

This special event is made possible by platinum sponsor ProFocus Technology (https://www.profocustechnology.com/) with space provided by Smarsh (https://www.smarsh.com/). Learn more about our sponsors at agilepdx.org or come chat with us at the event!

Additional Information:

Q: Is the space ADA accessible? A: Yes, the space is ADA accessible via the entrance to Pacific Center on 6th Ave.

Q: Will there be gender neutral restrooms? A: Contact an event facilitator for further information.

Q: Will there be food and drinks at this event? A: Food & Drink provided by ProFocus. GF/DF/V options available.

Q: What is the easiest way to get to the venue? A: If you can get to Pioneer Courthouse Square, you can get to this event! Trimet serves the area very well. Parking is available nearby in many paid lots. Parking validation will not be provided.

Q: How do I enter the building? A: Enter the Pacific Center building on 6th Ave, near Water Ave Coffee (in the adjoining building)

This event is inclusive and open to all.

This year’s theme for PNSQC is 2020 Vision: Quality Looking Forward. We chose this theme to inspire attendees and speakers to think of ways to learn from the past, and envision ways to achieve quality software in the future.

Just as lighting the Olympic flame before the games is a gesture of ceremony and inspiration, this kickoff of the call for proposals for PNSQC 2020 is a way to spark your imagination to contribute your own vision of quality.

Come hear a "full stack" of lightning talks on visions of quality. What’s in store for software QA in the future as it merges with DevOps. How will you adapt to changing organizational structures, roles and required knowledge? Find out what leaders in the field are thinking and doing.

Get inspired to see yourself presenting in October at PNSQC 2020 Networking afterward for ideas to achieve 2020 vision. Snacks and refreshments available during the talks.

Then prepare to share your own clarity of vision at PNSQC 2020 by submitting a proposal to present at the conference in October.

How do I get involved? To attend, please finish your RSVP here on meetup. If you wish to present at this event, please submit your ideas on PNSQC’s OpenConference site: https://www.openconf.org/pnsqc2020/author/submit.php

This event is open to software developers, IT managers, project managers, product owners, testers, security professionals -- anyone who is passionate about professional software quality.

Whether you’ve given hundreds of talks, just gave your first talk, or perhaps are thinking of giving a talk next year, we all could use tips in not only overcoming our fears of public speaking but getting good at it. As engineering professionals, sometimes we may focus on the engineering problem and analysis yet don’t realize that how we deliver the message can be just as important as the message itself.

If you break a sweat when speaking to more than a few people as we did, you’ll appreciate these transformational tips as Brian and Phil discuss practices for putting together a talk for a conference. As an engineer, learn a step by step pragmatic approach with several techniques and exercises to cure your nervousness and improve your delivery in a systematic way. Public speaking is a top skill for anyone who wants to effect change. Whether speaking to a department, at a meetup or presenting keynotes around the world, Phil and Brian have worked to hone their presentation skills.

You’ve heard “Practice Makes Perfect” right? Well, that’s not quite right. “Practice With Feedback Makes Perfect”. In this free workshop, you will learn systematic methods with exercises so that you can improve on the spot.

Walk away more confident in your ability to improve your public speaking skills with a framework and techniques for improvement.

This is a free three-hour workshop limited to the first 18 people. The content will be in three parts, but each section builds on the previous. Please RSVP on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Pacific-NW-Software-Quality-Conference-PNSQC/events/266871919

Both Brian and Phil are officers and board members of the Pacific NW Software Quality Conference (PNSQC).

Brian Gaudreau is a seasoned quality professional with 20+ years of management, software testing and QA experience relevant to telecom, enterprise metadata, government, multimedia, health care and marketing CRM platforms.

Philip Lew, CEO of XBOSoft, has founded and managed companies in his 25+ year professional career. He frequently can be found speaking at conferences including Softec Asia, HUSTEF, TestIstanbul and StarEast.

PNSQC, in association with PDX Blacks in Technology, is happy to present "Three Steps to Better Estimation" with Moss Drake.

How many times has someone asked you how long it would take to build some software even before they have told you how it might work? Do you think you could estimate a series of random tasks within 90% accuracy? We’ll do an interesting exercise in estimation and then talk about the value your estimates provide. We will talk about three steps to improve your estimates right away and discuss other methods of estimation.

This event will be hosted by PDX Blacks in Technology with networking and food sponsored by PNSQC.

Agenda: 5 pm - Network & social 6-ish - Announcements & Lighting Talk

Bio: Moss Drake has over 30 years of experience developing software and leading software projects. Which, coincidentally, is about the same amount of time he has been encountering managers in hallways and answering the question “How long will it take to build X?”

There's still time to submit a proposal to present at PNSQC 2020. And, to help you get inspired, we are hosting the second annual Pitchfest to give you quick feedback on ideas.

What is a Pitchfest? Speaking at PNSQC 2020 is your chance to share your software quality expertise and experience on trends, process improvement and technology solutions. The Pitchfest is your chance to quickly propose and iterate on an idea before submitting it.

Why show up for a Pitchfest? - You have an idea for a paper, but don't know "if it's good enough" - You have the germ of an idea and want to refine it before writing a proposal - You're curious what ideas other people have - You have questions about the overall paper/presenter/speaking "thing" - You want to have appetizers and something to drink while networking with software quality professionals

Appetizers will be provided by PNSQC. We are meeting in the "Barrel Room" (ask at the bar if you can't find it).

Even if you can't attend the Pitchfest, check out the program committee's "wish list" for topics. Remember, proposals for papers must be received by April 15th, 2020 at 11:59 PM PDT.

Here is the URL to submit a proposal https://www.pnsqc.org/2020-conference/call-proposals/

Here is the link to the "wish list" https://www.pnsqc.org/a-pnsqc-wish-list-topics-to-inspire-your-vision-for-quality/

PNSQC’s mission statement is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. The event is free and open to all interested.

UPDATE: Due to Coronavirus, this session will be held online. Join here:

https://cvent.zoom.us/wc/join/170670023

PNSQC, in association with PDX Veterans in Technology, is pleased to present "Secrets of Test-Driven Development" with James Shore.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is an essential part of agile software development. Without it, codebases lose the flexibility they need to change direction and respond to new business needs.

But what is TDD, exactly? And how does it work? In this brief introduction, expert TDD practitioner James Shore will show you what TDD is, how it works, and why it works. You’ll leave with new insights about this key software development practice.

This event will be hosted by PDX Veterans in Technology with networking and food sponsored by PNSQC.

The agenda is:

• 6 - 6:30 Networking & Food
• 6:30 - 6:35 Quick intro to event , thank sponsors.
• 6:35 - 7:05 Presentation
• 7:05 - 8:00 Q & A, Socialize
• 8p - Good night

James Shore teaches, writes, and consults on Agile development processes with an emphasis on technical excellence. He is a recipient of the Agile Alliance's Gordon Pask Award for Contributions to Agile Practice, co-author of The Art of Agile Development, host of “Let's Code: Test-Driven JavaScript,” and co-creator of the Agile Fluency® Model.

InfoQ has named him one of the “most influential people in Agile.” You can find his screencasts at letscodejavascript.com and essays at jamesshore.com.

Moss Drake will represent PNSQC to talk about the call for abstracts and the conference this year.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical Training for Scrum

Join us for an all-day Scrum training on, October 31st, 2020; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper, and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular, they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one-day training with exercises will cover the material from the scrum introduction certification class and the Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

 * Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science.
 * Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors.
 * Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs).
 * Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace.
 * Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies.

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Engineers, Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Program Managers, Business Executives, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business and engineering programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in a diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
 * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed time frame. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. The impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
 * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
 * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with a strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive-level decision-makers.
 * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. 
 * Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multicultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
 * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

 * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
 * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
 * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
 * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This training is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the training and passed.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS

By attending this training you’ll receive professional development units (PDU). They are for professionals looking to maintain Project Management Institute (PMI)- certified credentials. Eligible PDUs: 8 PMP PDUs

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

For further information or for scholarship opportunities: please contact Heber Michaels, [email protected].

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum training on April 10th, 2021; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper, and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular, they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one-day training with exercises will cover the material from Scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

* Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science.
* Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors.
* Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs).
* Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace.
* Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies.

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Engineers, Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Program Managers, Business Executives, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business and engineering programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

* Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
* Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed time frame. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
* Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
* Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
* Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation.     * Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multicultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.

International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

* PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
* PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
* CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
* CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS

By attending this training you’ll receive professional development units (PDU). They are for professionals looking to maintain Project Management Institute (PMI)- certified credentials. Eligible PDUs: 8 PMP PDUs

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum.

Learn how to “Stop Starting and Start Finishing”

Join us for an all day Kanban workshop on May 15th, 2021; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our Kanban workshop will help you adopt a value–centric system of planning and executing your work. In the one-day training, we cover the basics of Kanban, one of the agile processes, through a combination of theory and extensive exercises. With in-depth exercises and coaching from an experienced practitioner, participants will learn how to initiate change with Kanban and bring in process improvements by identifying and addressing bottlenecks, prioritize, and initiate collaboration.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Understand how to make prioritization, sequencing, and scheduling decisions based on economic factors instead of hunches. Learn how to forecast single and multiple work items (releases, sprints) and be able to answer the questions like "When will the work be finished?" accurately instead of guessing due dates. Acquire skills to avoid emotional objections to changes in general and to Kanban WIP limits introduction in particular. Enabled by seven Kanban cadences, be able to introduce continuous learning and improvement process by implementing organizational feedback loops. Familiarize with Kanban Risk Management approaches, service orientation, asymmetrical commitment and rollout phases for a Kanban initiative. Increase Kanban knowledge to manage, sustain and scale evolutionary improvements in their organization.

BENEFITS

Get a thorough understanding of the Kanban method, its core principles and practices. Learn how to design and introduce a Kanban system into your existing work environment. Understand how to improve service delivery with Kanban systems and ensure better customer focus. Learn to maximize benefits of the Pull-based workflow, limit Work In Progress (WIP) through continuous collaboration and active, ongoing learning and improving by defining the best possible team workflow. Learn concepts through case studies, interactive role play, exercises and discussions. Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science. Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors. Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs). Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace. Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies.

WHO SHOULD COME?

Kanban is one of the easiest ways to get your process and delivery under control, anyone with work that needs to get done will benefit. Kanban works across multiple functions of an organization, from senior managers looking to adopt Lean Management to members of delivery teams willing to improve their working practices. Who should come? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams;

  * Senior Managers
  * Program and Project Managers
  * Product Managers, Product Owners and Business Analysts
  * Scrum Masters, Team Leads and Change Agents
  * Product & Software Developers & Testers
  * Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers,
  * Agile Coaches & Practitioners (Scrum, XP, DSDM, AgilePM, etc.
  * Portfolio Managers, Supply Logistics Professionals.
  * Other roles such as HR and Finance professionals

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  * Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
  * Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
  * Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
  * Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
  * Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience       *       innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
  * International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

  * PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
  * PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
  * CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
  * CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

Join us for an all-day Scrum training on May 22nd, 2021; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects.

Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process.

This one day training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science. Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors. Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs). Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace. Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies.

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Engineers, Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Program Managers, Business Executives, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business and engineering programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales.
• Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed time frame. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months.
• Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales.
• Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers.
• Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation.
• Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multicultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations.
• International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

• PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
• PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org
• CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance
• CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS

By attending this training you’ll receive professional development units (PDU). They are for professionals looking to maintain Project Management Institute (PMI)- certified credentials. Eligible PDUs: 8 PMP PDUs

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum.