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 Despite this, many companies and leaders hold on to an outdated paradigm.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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Over the last four years, the world has experienced an unprecedented shift to remote and hybrid work environments. This poses questions for those interested in high-performing teams, because physical distance from our teammates has created challenges to fostering and increasing psychological safety.

This talk presents original research on and explores the relationship of remote environments and psychological safety. Participants will learn about factors that impact safety in a remote environment and ways to promote safety in remote and hybrid teams, as well as implications for leadership, teamwork and generative work across all environments, in-person, hybrid and remote.

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In this session, Mark will give brief stories of five software projects and discuss lessons learned that apply to most software efforts. We will look at dangerous hidden pitfalls that defeated teams despite what looked like inevitable success and recount the hardwon victory of projects where teams delivered despite all odds.

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Jim Collins' book Great By Choice looks at what makes companies succeed in times of uncertainty and chaos. We are going to do a summary of the book, look at some of the key takeaways that apply to Agile teams, and give away a copy of the book--all in about 30 minutes.

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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 #7 - Working software is the primary measure of progress. Is this principle so obvious that it doesn't need to even be mentioned? We'll explore how teams sometimes let things other than working software become their primary measure of progress and talk about how to avoid that danger on your own team.

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Do you find your organization misses opportunities because of cross functional misunderstandings?

This workshop addresses the growing reliance on specialists and knowledge silos in organizations, which often leads to communication breakdowns and can be detrimental to successful strategies. By utilizing insights from the book "5th Discipline" and the technique of Causal Loop Diagramming, the workshop aims to preemptively solve these issues. It offers a deep dive into understanding complex adaptive systems within organizations, highlighting cause and effect patterns that improve the performance of typically separately managed systems.

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