Me

CONSTANTLY LEARNING AND ADAPTING

 

My agile journey

In the spring of 2004 I was hired as a Sr Project Manager by a workflow company in Calgary, Alberta. The person I worked for (in Seattle, Washington) told me that he had confidence that I could ‘right the ship’ and he would support any approach I wanted to try. This was incredibly empowering.

I had read a bit about agile by that time, and as luck would have it, the XP/Agile Universe conference was held that year in Calgary and my new employer approved my attendance.

It was a turning point. Agile presented a unique approach and opportunity to so many of the obstacles and frustrations I had encountered during my decade working in Project Management. I landed, much to my good fortune, in with some really talented and motivated teams that taught me the collective power of a group of focused individuals with a common goal.

Fast forward to 2010, when I took the plunge and became a Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach - one of only three in Canada at the time (there are still less than 10). I was particularly excited by the prospect of applying Agile principles, values and techniques outside of software. Over the intervening dozen or so years, I have been developing strategies and approaches to help individuals, teams, and leaders make meaningful transformations in a variety of sectors, including oil and gas applications/construction/operations, financial services, and manufacturing.  

If you’d like to get a sense of my ‘agile heritage’ (as Ron Jeffries might put it)

 

Earlier iterations of my career

I have made a few pivots over the years. My earliest chapter, had me working as a metallurgical engineer, where my P.Eng. and PMP exposed me to the world of traditional project management. It turned out that the feedback loop to understanding whether any of my solutions to problems were successful was much too long to keep my attention. I left that career behind, traveled the world, and returned to find work in manufacturing simulation. This exposed me to the world of software development and the notion of fast feedback loops.

In 1996, the relatively early days of the internet, I took a leap and went back to school for an education in software development. The next decade of work encompassed a multitude of domains including: manufacturing simulation, digital voting systems, tele-health, transportation and warehouse logistics, e-commerce, business process workflow applications, financial transaction systems, and Oil and Gas applications. 

 

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Recent Projects

I’ve focused on helping organizations outside of IT in domains including hardware, manufacturing, non-profits, and O&G construction and operations. Most recently I also took on the challenge of guiding the Scrum Alliance through their own agile journey. The organization is now functioning as a team of self-organizing, customer focused, multi-disciplinary teams.

 Today

I specialize in the initiation and ongoing coaching of leaders and organizations in Leadership and Agile principles with a laser focus on value. Work in the end, is about teams of people creating value. Working with individuals, teams and organizations who are serious about changing the world (of work) for the better is an endlessly fascinating, challenging and fulfilling path. I am looking forward to the next opportunity to learn and adapt.

Past Speaking Engagements

I've presented my views on work to my colleagues at: