Agile Rebels
Agile frameworks such as Scrum and SAFe have gained a massive foothold, but they’re not the only games in town. Some adventurous practitioners have created their own methods to address what they feel are fundamental flaws in existing constructs. Agility is all about adaptation; how did these methodologists sidestep mainstream approaches to find creative solutions to their respective challenges? Explore how the venerable Ivar Jacobsen’s Essence framework aims to break free of all methods. See how BaseCamp’s Ryan Singer formulated ShapeUp to soothe Basecamp’s growing pains. Ron Quartel’s Fluid Agile Scaling Technology (FAST) does away with static teams altogether and looks to untether the true power of self-organization. The Agile Fluency Model authored by Diana Larsen and Jim Shore looks at developing teams as a matter of focused practice on the right skills for the moment. The edges are an exciting place to be. These stories of trial and redemption can open our perspectives, give us a few new tricks and perhaps inject some fresh spirit into individuals and teams that have lost the thrill of working.
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Arlen Bankston was at the vanguard of the agile movement, beginning to practice within two years of the Agile Manifesto’s writing. He was among the first to explicitly blend lean systems thinking and user experience practices with agile software development practices. Arlen was one of the earliest Certified Scrum Trainers, exploring Lean, Six Sigma, BPM, and other process management and systems thinking approaches to ensure that organizations took a holistic perspective beyond just the software. He became a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt while leading a Lean-Agile practice for six years, and was a successful entrepreneur helping to lead the consultancy LitheSpeed for fifteen years following. Now he has formed the company Adaptagility LLC and is working in concert with Grow-Lean LLC. Today, Arlen works across every industry and enjoys a reputation as a thought leader and a dynamic, entertaining, and practical trainer and presenter. He has trained and mentored thousands of ScrumMasters, Product Owners, team members, and executives. Arlen wrote the book “HR and the Agile Organization” to describe how human resources departments can adapt to better support organizations that are trying to become more adaptive while improving employee engagement and retention along the way.