For April Fool's day we are going to look at a few case studies and situations and identify which ones are examples of agility and which ones were written as an April Fool's joke. Then we'll dig into some of the differences between situations that help achieve agility and situations that push teams away from it. There will be fun to be had and silly prizes given away. If you only like serious discussions of Agile, this might not be best talk for you.

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Lean concepts have become more and more popular in software development. Coming from the manufacturing world, understanding these concepts and how they can apply to your software development efforts can help you to deliver faster and more reliably. Join Mike as he makes the case for integrating lean software development principles into your software development methodology.

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You've probably heard about "splitting" user stories, but often the idea is mentioned without any real concrete idea of what it involves. In this talk we are going to look at why splitting user stories is valuable, some theory about how to do it, and then look at some real world examples of splitting users stories.

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In this presentation and live coding demo, I'll be talking about alternatives to "fake it 'till you make it". I'll share stories about challenging learning situations, and leave you with some concrete ideas for how to make yourself an expert in the tools and practices you use at work. I hope you'll leave the talk with more confidence and excitement about learning at work (or more ideas about how to stir up that hunger to learn in others).

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Featuring a newly finished Agile Cartoon that we'll be continuing our walk through all 12 Agile Principles, looking at Principle #8 - Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. This principle may not e the most exciting, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. We'll explore how teams both follow and violate this principle and talk about how you can make sustainable development a more important part of your pursuit of agility.

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When asked for an estimate, how do you feel? What's your answer?

Let's look at some of the needs that the business has where estimates can help. We'll talk about ways to meet these needs in a reasonable fashion. And we'll turn "wrong estimates" into value for both the business and the developers.

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Genetic algorithms find solutions by "evolving" a solution from less fit to more fit versions. In this session, we'll look at the basics of genetic algorithms, what types of problems lend themselves to this approach, and then demonstrate a genetic algorithm used to draw pictures with lines. We will spend just a few minutes looking at code, but the talk is aimed at explaining the concepts in a way that should be useful for both developers and non-developers.

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Innovation is once again accelerating as no other generation has experienced before, rendering the old playbook ineffective and invalidating the assumptions of the iron triangle and traditional Project Management. Despite this, many companies and leaders hold on to an outdated paradigm. This session will introduce an alternative perspective, thereby facilitating open discussions among the attendees.

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User stories drive the process of creating software. Good user stories help develop software efficiently, but poor user stories can lead to lower return on investment and even cancelled projects. We will look at a number of example user stories from robotic milking machines to online shoe stores to discover the key to creating stories that effectively represent complex work with simplicity.

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To kick off our first lunch & learn in 2025, we are going to review the 12 Agile Principles by looking at each principle and then hearing a pirate's take on it. Invite your team for a fun review of the Agile Principles.

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