In a complex, interdependent eco-system, where each service is evolving rapidly, we typically end up with an Integration Hell .i.e. the myriad problems that occur when API integrations break down

• Provider and consumer integrations break when their understanding of the API endpoints are out of sync
• Working integrations break when the API developer makes a change without informing the consumer
• Development and testing slow down when the consumer depends on the provider API running in a staging environment:
  • The network may be down
  • The environment hosting the API may be down
  • The staging API may crash, or may not even be started
  • Development can be delayed if the staging API is not kept up-to-date
  • API changes can come in at the last minute, resulting in breakage on the consumer side
  • The provider API may break backward compatibility, resulting in breakage on the consumer

Instead, what if we could make the dependencies between the provider and consumers explicit in the form of executable contracts. These executable contracts provide a common, clear definition of their API endpoints. They give instantaneous feedback about accidental breakage to the teams so that they can work independently. These executable contracts are:

1. Kept up-to-date and acts as a single source of truth
2. Used for service virtualisation, keeping consumers in sync with the contract
3. Run as tests against the provider API to validate it's request and response type definitions
4. Tightly integrated with CI
5. Capable of pinpointing any backwards-incompatible changes to the contract

This is Contract Driven Development, and it heralds the Death of Integration Hell.

Here's a sample contract:

This session will demonstrate all the key points of Contract Driven Development as implemented by the teams using an open-source tool called Specmatic.

Inspired from the leading book Tame Your Work Flow that I co wrote with Steve Tendon, let's twist! Twist our brains that is. On the new counter intuitive models we need to build to understand the Five Focusing Steps of the Theory of Constraints and the Cost Accounting mirages we need to destroy with the understanding if Throughput Accounting. 

The book has received the most cherished praised from the top experts in the world in Kanban, Theory of Constraints, Throughput Accounting, FLEX, DA, Lean etc. They are right here for you to grasp: 

https://tameflow.com/tame-your-work-flow-testimonials/

TameFlow is based on destroying old mental models - cognitive biases- that prevent us from reaching our goals: making money now and in the future so that we can finance our corporate aspirations. 

This experience report details my 2019 involvement with 3 organizations of 3 different sizes (small startup, small-to-medium enterprise, and giant enterprise) to illustrate how I've used a form of Value Stream Mapping to help them define their current state and leverage data collected in the process to confidently identify (often surprising) risks and opportunities.

Silo, as they say, must be eliminated. But how long does it take, What is the talk? What is the walk? All approaches fail. The remedy is at the system's logical level. Science is involved.

At the logical level, there is only one solution: TameFlow with Throughput Accounting.

Why ? It needs to go straight to the CxO level. 

Culture is a reflection of a company's system, which are a reflection of top management's mental models. Accounting is the most pervasive system of any company. If a culture change is contemplated, the prevailing cost accounting systems have to go.

• In early 2020, a new book entered the knowledge work management arena. It was written by Steve Tendon and myself, a Canadian visiting Toronto frequently. It marks history and propels agile into the 20s with content that is revolutionary and never heard of before. 

Forewords and testimonials from undisputed world leaders in Kanban, Theory of Constraints, Throughput Accounting, FLEX, DA, Lean are available at https://tameflow.com/tame-your-work-flow-testimonials/

The book covers new topics. New science. We will delve into the entire spectrum of the table of content of the book. New angles on Flow Efficiency, Identifying Constraints in the Work Flow, Work Process and Work Execution.

Novelties in Agile to let people work and introduce exceptional management and management by exception. (New to the agile space)

And more .......

For years the Agile community has leveraged games to playfully introduce and reinforce Agile learnings.  Whether it's the coin game, the ball-point game, getKanban or another of the myriad of Agile gaming options, the immediately relatable AHA! moments give us new perspectives and insights to apply to our day-to-day lives.

But... we played them in person...  Which, as we all know, has become increasingly difficult in 2020.

In this talk we will take you along with us on our journey at a large (familiar, yet un-named) financial institution where we have been developing new and innovative ways to deliver interactive, fun Agile Fundamentals training in a remote setting.

During the talk we will interactively take trainers and learners through:
- what we used to do vs. what we have been doing for the past 7 months
- which games we've developed and/or modified to suit the remote setting
- which principles flow seamlessly and which can be challenging to translate into the remote context
- what we've learned to date and where we're still challenged

We might even play a game or two ;)

We are living in an unprecedented time. Volatality in the stock market, record-high unemployment, unimaginable impact on small & large businesses, a complete shift to remote teams… the list is endless.

Leaders might feel helpless and without tools to deal with these seismic shifts. In this talk, I present a practical point of view that asks the leaders to be bold. It is not just about surviving the crisis but thriving. 

In 2009, after the 2008 financial crisis, EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) of resilient companies had risen by 10% while industry peers lost 15%.

• Do you want your organization to be one of those resilient companies?
• What are some of the concrete steps that you as a leader can take today to emerge stronger and better from the current COVID-19 crisis?
• How can you adapt to these seismic shifts happening in the market?
• How can your organization emerge stronger and better from this unprecedented situation?

The answer lies in creating an agile organization that can adapt seamlessly to the current as well as any future crises that may arise. Though agile principles have always been valuable they are even more pertinent in challenging times such as these.

In this talk, I discuss the principles and a practical approach that leaders can use to create a thriving organization.