Fishbowl conversation

We are trying something a bit different for this meeting, a fishbowl conversation.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Fishbowl conversations.

What we need from you are topics. You can raise them at
Facebook
Google Groups
LinkedIn
Twitter

We have swag from Hansoft for each topic raised.
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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

The next Agile Edmonton user group meeting will be on Wednesday, November 2nd at noon.

Distributed Agile

While collocation is the preferred choice, it is not always possible. We are seeing a trend where teams are dispersed for a variety of reasons.

Can distributed teams become Agile? If so, how? What challenges will they face? How do they overcome these challenges?

Join me to discuss these questions and more.

Please feel free to share your own experiences with Distributed Agile.

Mark has been an I.T. professional for over 10 years which include roles in software development and project management. Recently, he obtained his Masters degree in Computer Science. His thesis topic was “Challenges in Distributed Agile Software Development”.

Mark has a wide range of technical skills and is always looking to add more. He also enjoys discussing practical experiences with Agile.
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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

The next Agile Edmonton user group meeting will be on Wednesday, October 5th at noon.

Agile 2011 Conference

Some folks from Alberta Pensions attended the Agile 2011 Conference. They have agreed to share what they learned.

About the folks from Alberta Pensions

Sean Feehan has been in the Software Development industry for over 7 years and he is currently a principal software analyst at Alberta Pensions and relatively new to the Agile world.

Jim Durnford has been in the software industry for over 20 years and active in Agile Scrum for 3 years. Jim is currently a Principal Software Analyst at Alberta Pensions and interested in learning and implementing Kanban and Lean methodologies.

Van Luu has been a part of the software industry for over 15 years. Van is currently the Application Development Manager at Alberta Pensions and has been doing Agile Scrum for 3 years. Van is an accomplished Scrum Master and Scrum Professional.
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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

The next Agile Edmonton user group meeting will be on Wednesday, September 7th at noon.

Kanban versus Scrum: What is the One True Agile Way?

Many associate Scrum as an Agile methodology – but Scrum is not the only Agile methodology available. There is also Kanban – a methodology that focuses on just-in-time delivery and pull work from a queue.

Come join us for an informal discussion comparing Kanban and Scrum with Jeff Burns and Tim Edlund from Softworks Group and some ScrumMasters from the #agileyeg organizing committee.

Hope to see you there.

Signed, your friendly neighbourhood Agile Group.
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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

Agile Planning

Every software project considers one of his main goals to provide early and continuous delivery of valuable software to the customer. In order to do so is important to accept three principles:

1. It is impossible to gather all the requirements at the beginning of a project.
2. Whatever requirements you do gather are guaranteed to change.
3. There will always be more to do than time and money will allow.

You are probably thinking: “That’s easy to say, but how can I apply those rules in a fixed budget contract?” I’ll answer this and much more…

Join me in this session to introduce agile planning, the tools and methodology and discuss how to implement it when the project “has to be done”.

About the Speaker

Amir Barylko started his career in 1994 working for IBM as a senior developer while he was finishing his Masters degree in computer science. Since then he worked as team leader and architect for the past 15 years. Having started with languages like C++ and Java he spent many years coding in C# and training other developers in topics such domain modeling, abstractions, patterns, automation, dependency injection, testing, etc.

Being an incurable geek, always thirsty for knowledge, his passion for technology moved him towards Ruby on Rails a few years ago, becoming an advocate of RoR web development and recently giving his first RoR training.

Amir is a rare combination of high technical skills, lots of experience in a wide range of platforms, exceptional presentation skills and great sense of humor. His presentations are always rich in content and fun to attend.

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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

How Not To Do Agile

As a consultant I get to work with a lot of different companies who are trying to implement agile techniques into their organizations. Sometimes things don’t go so well. I would like to share some of the common mistakes I have seen over the years through various organizations as well as how these issues are overcome.

About the Speaker

David Woods, President and Founder of Solidhouse (www.solidhouse.com), is an accomplished independent contractor and .NET developer specializing in enterprise applications and enterprise level projects aimed at meeting the unique needs and business requirements of a broad spectrum of clients.

He is an advocate of good OO skills and patterns, an agile practitioner and consultant, and is particularly passionate about security solutions and best practices.

In addition to his corporate projects, Dave enjoys sharing his knowledge and understanding of some of the Industry’s most innovative and forward-thinking arenas with other professionals and up-and-coming developers. He is an active speaker at a variety of user groups, code camps and conferences throughout Canada, and via his informative blog; www.haveyougotwoods.com.

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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

Mass Effect 2 for PS3: A case study of mixed development methodologies

Many large projects require the use of more than a single development methodology, whether by organizational or subject matter requirement (sometimes both). Nowhere is this more true than in game development. Jesse will present a retrospective on his experience as producer of Mass Effect 2 for PS3. He will discuss the use of mixed production methods, some agile, some traditional and how they co-existed on the project. We’ll cover the complete project lifecyle, starting with the project goals through an examination of the methodologies used, a critique of what worked what didn’t and an assessment of the final outcomes for the project.

About the Speaker

Jesse Houston has been a video game developer since 2001 most recently as a Producer at BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts in Edmonton, Canada. Jesse is a Producer of Mass Effect 2 and 3 and has contributed to a number of other games, including several titles each in the Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and FIFA franchises. Houston is also a recreational photographer and avid motorcycle enthusiast.

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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

Agile Integration and Enterprise Architecture

One common theme with many of Russell’s recent engagements involving Enterprise Architecture is to battle the anti-pattern of silo systems. The solution to this anti-pattern is integration of its many forms. Organizations have struggled with the promise and the unrealistic expectations that go along with SOA. The most common mistake of early adopters of SOA is to try to implement a big-bang enterprise wide rollout of central services. These initiatives usually collapse under their own weight with little to show for it. Other organizations try to build up an inventory of Web Services with the intent of evolving into enterprise level reusable services. Neither approach has a good track record. Integration practices and Enterprise Architecture approaches have matured to provide a middle way where SOA has a chance at success. Many of the principles behind this more sophisticated and pragmatic vision of SOA comes from the
Agile community.

About the Speaker

Russell Bryant has been involved in Integration, Application and Enterprise Architecture for the past several years. He spent a number of years with consulting firms such as LGS, Object Systems Group, and running his own small firm. He is now an Integration and Enterprise Architect with Groundswell Group. Groundswell is a consulting firm with head offices in Calgary, with a focus on integration and middleware. A large portion of Groundswell’s clients are in the Oil and Gas sector, but Groundswell also has clients in other industries such as retail, airline, telecom, utility, and gaming.

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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.

Open Discussion

This meeting will have open discussion about topics suggested and voted on by members.

Possible topics include:

How do you handle tasks that don’t fit into a single iteration?

How often do you/can you change interation lengths?

Cowboy team members. How do you handle folks that just don’t fit?

Remote teams

Velocity

Relative estimating versus time units

Leveraging Games and Simulations for Agile Coaching and Training

This fun and interactive session will focus on applying games and simulations as a means to experience, learn and internalize Agile principles and practices. Experience and discuss the application of games and simulations to enable learning and application of Agile principles and practices. This interactive session will focus on how games can be an effective technique for Agile coaches and trainers to communicate complex ideas and concepts. Michael will also discuss some best practices for running games and simulations in your organization.

About the Speaker

Michael McCullough is Senior Technical Director with Quadrus, and founder of TastyCupcakes.com, an online toolkit of games and Simulations for Agile coaches and trainers. Michael is an experienced Agile coach and trainer and has helped many organizations and teams across North America with the adoption and application of Agile. Michael has developed and used games and simulations for many years and brings with him a deep understanding of how and why they work. Michael also helped organize the first conference focusing on Agile games with Deep Agile in Boston this year.

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This meeting will be held in the IBM Innovation Center at 10044-108th Street. You can find more event information on our website at agileedmonton.org.

If possible, try to show up a bit before noon so that we can get started on time. Be sure to forward this information to anybody that would be interested.