April is Spring Break Month For Agile Cincinnati

After five years of consistently delivering top notch programs for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Agile community, we have decided to take a long overdue and much deserved break in April.  The volunteers and leadership at Agile Cincinnati wish to thank you for making Agile Cincinnati such a great organization and we hope to see you back in May!  The May program will be announced soon.

In the meantime, we would appreciate you visiting our corporate sponsors:

MARCH MEETING: AGILE PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT - MANAGE YOUR PORTFOLIO WITH TRANSPARENCY AND EMPOWER YOUR TEAMS

Do you know what is going on with every project? Which ones are started? Which ones are stalled? Are projects delivering value as fast as possible?

 

Are your teams always putting the most energy on your top priorities? Are you doing just enough planning to move forward steadily, with no waste?

 

With most traditional portfolio managment techniques, it is difficult to answer these questions well.

 

Traditional annual planning processes produce plans that are very often unrealistic and will be met with a high rate of failure.

 

In this session we will talk about how to optimize the flow of your portfolio and how to deliver higher value work faster by using Agile Portfolio Management to focus your energy on the most important work, inspire your organization and delight your stakeholders.

 

 

Dan Rice is a Solutions Architect for Rally Software

 

Dan is passionate about helping companies apply lean and agile principles that drive the economics of their organization.  Before coming to Rally he spent nearly 6 years as a scrum master and agile coach for Kroger.  In that time he coached 20+ teams across multiple programs. Dan is a passionate speaker and coach.  Outside of work when he's not enjoying quality time with the family you can find him up early in the mornings training for a marathon and if he happens to sneak away you’re likely to find him on a driving range or a golf course.

PMP's: This event counts for 1 PDU

Networking: 5:30 - 6:00 pm
Program: 6:30 - 7:30 pm

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February Meeting: So What's The Deal With Kanban?

Presentation Dowload Now Available: http://info.sep.com/2015agilecincinnati

Kanban has emerged in Software Development and IT Operations as a method of improving transparency, predictability, and value.  Kanban blends Lean thought with first generation agile methodologies.    More and more people are having success using kanban systems to manage and monitor their projects.  Yet, there are still misunderstandings about what kanban is, where it can be used, and how to get started.Whether you are a project manager, product owner, or consultant, you will benefit from learning a better way to visualize the state of your project, thus making better decisions.  

Join Chris Shinkle for a real world approach to how kanban is being used inside organizations big and small.   Chris will walk through the process he uses when working with clients to design and implement a kanban system.  The information Chris is presenting isn’t pure theory or book knowledge, but practical knowledge based on real world experience.

Chris Shinkle is the Director of Innovation at Software Engineering Professionals (SEP). Since 1997, Chris has been a thought leader and initiator of new ideas and continuous improvement.
 
He introduced and led SEP’s adoption of Agile software development practices in 2004 as well as the adoption of Lean and Kanban in 2007. He has used these methods to lead large, complex projects, including military aircraft engine monitoring and maintenance systems and an FDA-regulated remote patient monitoring system.

He continues to leverage industry-leading techniques to train SEP engineers and coach clients across a variety of domains.

PMP's: This event counts for 1 PDU

Networking: 5:30 - 6:00 pm
Program: 6:30 - 7:30 pm

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January Meeting: Cultivating Agile Requirements

In an Agile environment, maintaining an ever-changing backlog of requirements can be intimidating, exhausting, and overwhelming. Without a sustainable process to cultivate the backlog, the Agile team can struggle to deliver value to its customers.

In this session, we will:

1. Talk about changes that happen to the backlog and why those changes are important
2. Identify common stages in the maturity of backlog items
3. Discuss why “when” the team does various backlog preparation activities is very importantWalk through three steps you can use to define a backlog maturity process in your environment
   • Determine your goal state
   • Identify questions for your backlog items
   • Name and define maturity stages
4. Propose techniques to make your stages of maturity visible

Come discover how to create an adaptable process to handle constant backlog change and provide valuable information at the right time for your team and stakeholders.

Mark is an experienced Agile practitioner, coach, and Scrum Master for Cardinal Solutions Group who has over 10 years of experience as a Business Analyst. He is a sought-out speaker whose presentations at regional industry groups and conferences have been very popular, and who recently spoke at the international Agile 2014 convention. Six years ago, Mark joined an Agile project as a member of a Scrum team, later taking on Scrum Master activities. He has found the approach empowering and energizing, and is now consulting with other Scrum teams, coaching them through their transformation. Outside of work, Mark loves making music, learning, and enjoying time with his wife and two young, energetic boys.

PMP's: This event counts for 1 PDU

Networking: 5:30 - 6:00 pm
Program: 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Book Sponsor

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