Mike Cohn in town

Mike Cohn, author of User Stories Applied and Agile Estimation and Planning, is speaking tomorrow night as a part of Agile Austin’s Distinguished Speaker Series.  The topic is “Succeeding with Agile: A Guide to Transitioning”, with the description:

Transitioning to an agile development process is unlike most transitions an organization may make. Many transitions begin when a strong, visionary leader plants a stake in the ground and says, “Let’s take our organization there.” Other transitions start with a lone team thinking, “Who cares what management thinks, let’s do this.” The problem in transitioning to agile is that neither of these approaches alone is likely to lead to the long-term sustainable change required.

In this session we will look at the primary reasons why agile transitions fail and how to overcome them. We will explore what is necessary for self-organizing teams to emerge and thrive within the transitioning organization. We will also the role self-organization must play during the transition itself. This session will include a description of the eight primary ways of getting started—including going All In, Start Small, and _Impending Doom—_and the advantages of each. You will leave knowing what approach will work best for you as well as what you must and must not do to succeed with agile.

Transitioning to Agile is a very bumpy ride, as the rise in communication works to surface problems that were previously hidden and swept under the rug.  Mike’s books have had a large influence on how I approach software, so I’m pretty excited about Mike coming to town.  The registration fee for non-Agile Austin members is $10, or in my terms, 20 tacos from Jack in the Box.

For more information, check out the event page:

http://mikecohnpresentation.eventbrite.com/

I know it’s not Hannah Montana, but it should be a nice event nonetheless.