Facilitator – Justin Browder | 01:30 — 02:45
Abstract
Delivering quality requires more than just good developers doing XP. It is a whole team activity. Regularly delivering business value via working software where quality is a given – because it is cheaper and better in the long run – is about creating a culture. Leading organizations, teams, and ourselves to achieve that culture requires the ability to recognize, measure and communicate incremental progress towards “being agile.” The panel will take questions (come prepared with tough ones please!) and share their experiences.
Facilitator
Justin Browder is an Agile Project Manager and Coach with a solid record of accomplishment in transforming and leading software development teams through complex projects and the challenging transition from Waterfall to Agile processes. He is a proven leader experienced in the application of Agile approaches and a strong believer in continuous process improvement to increase project efficiency. Justin has a strong technology background and has led successful projects using both Waterfall and Agile methodologies. He has deep experience managing project financials and working closely with executives on high-budget and high-visibility projects utilizing co-located and globally distributed teams. Justin has developed an expertise in planning and implementing technology solutions for retail distribution, public sector, and entrepreneurial start-up organizations. Justin has been active with COHAA since its inception and has also been active in the national Agile community since being introduced to iterative development concepts.
Panelists
In 2000 Gene Johnson founded Fairhaven Solutions, a business and IT services company with a focus on helping clients become nimble, reliable and efficient by empowering their teams and dramatically increasing operational efficiency. We have supported several clients including L-3 Communications, Bank of New York Mellon, The Street, Standard and Poor’s, Gap Inc. Direct, Nationwide Insurance, J.D. Power and UBS Investment Bank by helping to establish and improve solution delivery methodologies and reach business goals.
I have over 25 years of software development experience including both commercial product development and enterprise-wide system development. I’ve presented both nationally and locally, including presenting at Agile 2010, and an appearance on “The Next Wave” television series hosted by Leonard Nimoy. I am a certified Scrum Master, a founding member of PMI’s Agile Formation Steering Committee, a member of the Central Ohio Agile Alliance, and have served as President of the Columbus Chapter of the IIBA. I earned a Masters in Systems Engineering and reside in a northern suburb of Columbus with my childhood sweetheart (my wife).
Mark Harris’s 20-year career has led him from engineering to project management, sales, QA, and now back to engineering. Straight out of The Ohio State University in 1995, he joined the Windows Engineering Team at Microsoft, with responsibility for the RPC and COM API set. He cut his project management teeth when he became responsible for the development & release of two major versions of Windows (XP SP2 and Server 2003 R2). After leaving Microsoft in 2010, he started a QA team at Grange Insurance and ignited the Columbus QA revolution with the “QA or the Highway” conference. Most recently, Mark joined Manta Media, the world’s largest small-business social network, as the Director of Application Engineering. With this background, he has developed a set of strong opinions (held weakly) on software development. Mark returned to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio in 2006, where he now resides with his wife and three children, and spends his free time convincing people that Columbus is a technology metropolis in the making
Chief technology officer and a co-ounder of LeanDog, Jeff “Cheezy” Morgan has been coaching teams on agile and lean techniques since 2004 with a focus on the engineering practices. For the past three years he has experienced great success and recognition for his work focused on helping teams adopt Acceptance Test-driven Development using Cucumber. He has authored several popular Ruby gems used by software testers throughout the world, teaches Cucumber classes and workshops, and is the author of the book, Cucumber & Cheese—A Testers Workshop.
Russ Wangler started his IT career as Developer at Accenture and played delivery roles from Analyst to Architect and Tech Lead to Program Manager on custom build project. Hanging up his suitcase, he joined Nationwide Insurance where helped establish Nationwide’s Agile methods, lead the Agile training efforts at its Application Development Center, and served as an Application Delivery Leader. Russ now serves as a Director of Agile Technical Management for the Growth, Innovation and Digital division of The Gap in Columbus Ohio. Russ is also a husband, father of two and a practicing musician.