Agile doesn’t just need a reboot, it needs a rethink. The word isn’t a noun, a management fad, a manifesto or even a framework. One may be agile and never sprint, conduct a standup meeting or be part of a release train. The dread that many experience from commercial agile approaches is unfortunate and unnecessary.

Agile is an adjective: an agile surgeon, dancer, athlete, team, etc. Being agile is joyful and is applicable to all living beings. So how do we tap into that joy?

In this new talk, based on my forthcoming book, Joy of Agility, you will learn the definition of agile, six essential mantras for becoming agile, and several of my favourite stories that illustrate agility. You will leave this talk with a clear understanding of what it means to be agile and how to move towards the joy that flows from genuine agility.

Much has changed since the publishing of the Agile Manifesto in 2001.

Pioneers and practitioners of lean and agile methods have examined weaknesses and friction points, experimented with simpler approaches, and produced agile processes that are safer, simpler and far more capital efficient. The result is modern agile. It’s values-driven, non-prescriptive and an easier starting point than antiquated agile processes. Modern agile amplifies the values and practices of organizations that have discovered better ways of achieving awesome outcomes. Are you still cramming low-quality work in the end of each sprint, struggling with growing technical debt, guessing about requirements, focusing on output over outcomes.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW

Much has changed since the publishing of the Agile Manifesto in 2001.

Pioneers and practitioners of lean and agile methods have examined weaknesses and friction points, experimented with simpler approaches, and produced agile processes that are safer, simpler and far more capital efficient. The result is modern agile. It’s values-driven, non-prescriptive and an easier starting point than antiquated agile processes. Modern agile amplifies the values and practices of organizations that have discovered better ways of achieving awesome outcomes. Are you still cramming low-quality work in the end of each sprint, struggling with growing technical debt, guessing about requirements, focusing on output over outcomes.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW

Genuine agility is enormously effective in helping us achieve our dreams. The trouble is, Agile has grown into a complex tangle of roles and rituals, frameworks and tools, processes and certifications. We need a return to simplicity. Modern Agile is here to help.

Designed for people in many domains (not just IT), Modern Agile is defined by four guiding principles:

• Make People Awesome
• Make Safety a Prerequisite
• Experiment & Learn Rapidly
• Deliver Value Continuously

Understanding and deeply practicing these four principles will help you get better results faster.

In this talk I’ll share how these four principles power world-famous companies and how they can help you work with greater speed, simplicity, safety and success.

Genuine agility is enormously effective in helping us achieve our dreams. The trouble is, Agile has grown into a complex tangle of roles and rituals, frameworks and tools, processes and certifications. We need a return to simplicity. Modern Agile is here to help.

Designed for people in many domains (not just IT), Modern Agile is defined by four guiding principles:

• Make People Awesome
• Make Safety a Prerequisite
• Experiment & Learn Rapidly
• Deliver Value Continuously

Understanding and deeply practicing these four principles will help you get better results faster.

In this talk I’ll share how these four principles power world-famous companies and how they can help you work with greater speed, simplicity, safety and success.

Genuine agility is enormously effective in helping us achieve our dreams. The trouble is, Agile has grown into a complex tangle of roles and rituals, frameworks and tools, processes and certifications. We need a return to simplicity. Modern Agile is here to help.

Designed for people in many domains (not just IT), Modern Agile is defined by four guiding principles:

• Make People Awesome
• Make Safety a Prerequisite
• Experiment & Learn Rapidly
• Deliver Value Continuously

Understanding and deeply practicing these four principles will help you get better results faster.

In this talk I’ll share how these four principles power world-famous companies and how they can help you work with greater speed, simplicity, safety and success.

Much has changed since the publishing of the Agile Manifesto in 2001.

Pioneers and practitioners of lean and agile methods have examined weaknesses and friction points, experimented with simpler approaches, and produced agile processes that are safer, simpler and far more capital efficient. The result is modern agile. It’s values-driven, non-prescriptive and an easier starting point than antiquated agile processes. Modern agile amplifies the values and practices of organizations that have discovered better ways to get awesome results. Are you still cramming low-quality work in the end of each sprint, struggling with growing technical debt, arguing about “definition of done” or frustrated that “management/product never gives us time to do it right?”

In this 1-day workshop, you will learn to deliver awesome results by

• experiencing how the four principles of modern agile guide decisions,
• increasing safety in your culture, code and products,
• identifying friction points and simplify your process,
• engage the entire team to continually uncover better ways of working.

Code that is difficult to understand, hard to modify and challenging to extend is hazardous to developers, users and organizations. Refactoring, or improving the design of existing code, is one of our greatest defenses against such code. Yet many programmers lack formal training in refactoring. Furthermore, management tends to lack knowledge about the value of refactoring. This one-day workshop is designed to address these needs. You’ll learn the art of refactoring safely, when, why and how to refactor hazardous code, strategies and tactics for refactoring, as well as refactoring to patterns. You’ll also learn how refactoring impacts business concerns and vice-versa. Come to this class prepared to code with a pair and a mob as we refactor example code and help you learn the art of refactoring.

Genuine agility is enormously effective in helping us achieve our dreams. The trouble is, Agile has grown into a complex tangle of roles and rituals, frameworks and tools, processes and certifications. We need a return to simplicity. Modern Agile is here to help.

Designed for people in many domains (not just IT), Modern Agile is defined by four guiding principles:

• Make People Awesome,
• Make Safety a Prerequisite,
• Experiment & Learn Rapidly and
• Deliver Value Continuously.

Understanding and deeply practicing these four principles will help you get better results faster.

In this talk I’ll share how these four principles power world-famous companies and how they can help you work with greater speed, simplicity, safety and success.

Over the past decade, innovative companies, software industry thought leaders and lean/agile pioneers have discovered simpler, sturdier, and more streamlined ways to be agile.  These modern approaches share a focus on producing exceptional outcomes and growing an outstanding culture.  Today, it makes far more sense to bypass antiquated agility in favor of modern approaches.

Modern agile methods are defined by four guiding principles:

• Make people awesome
• Make safety a prerequisite
• Experiment & learn rapidly
• Deliver value continuously

World famous organizations like Google, Amazon, AirBnB, Etsy and others are living proof of the power of these four principles.  However, you don’t need to be a name brand company to leverage modern agile wisdom.

In this talk I’ll explain what I mean by modern agility, share real-world modern agile stories, show how modern agile addresses key risks while targeting results over rituals, and reveal how the 2001 agile manifesto can be updated to reflect modern agile’s four guiding principles.

Code that is difficult to understand, hard to modify and challenging to extend is hazardous to developers, users and organizations. Refactoring, or improving the design of existing code, is one of our greatest defenses against such code. In this talk, I’ll discuss the value of refactoring, how we practice it safely, when and why we refactor, the power of refactoring tools and when we avoid refactoring.  I’ll be using several real-world examples of refactoring and sharing what I’ve learned about this important practice of the last 20 years.

Anzen. It helped a 100-year-old, 60,000-person aluminum manufacturer regain its greatness. It powers the culture, operations and massive growth of an online artisan marketplace. It's the common denominator of every great Lean and Agile principle and practice. Anzen is the Japanese word for safety.

Every day, your time, money, information, reputation, relationships and health are vulnerable. Anzeneers protect people from injuries, hazards or near-misses by establishing anzen in relationships, workspaces, codebases, contracts, processes, products and services.

When anzen is present in a software product, everything just works: people regularly use and recommend the product; engineers modify it without fear; it contains few defects; it can be deployed with ease; it is immune from threats; and it helps protect the organization's finances, reputation and investors. Anzen is a gateway to habitual excellence.

Anzeneers approach failure as an opportunity to introduce more anzen into their culture, practices, and tools.

In this talk you will learn what anzen is, how it promotes safe risk taking, how to identify faux safety, when it can be taken too far, challenges of growing an anzen culture and what it means to be an Anzeneer.