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Call for Speakers for The 2015 Path to Agility Conference featuring The Path to Craftsmanship

The Central Ohio Agile Association is gearing up for the 2015 Path to Agility Conference featuring The Path to Craftsmanship. You have the opportunity to be a speaker at the conference by presenting on a topic of interest to the Agile and Lean communities.

We are looking for people who offer presentations that will be both engaging and informative. The topic has to relate to Agile or Lean, and you should be passionate about your subject. You can deliver your message through traditional talks, games, activities, small groups, or anything else you can come up with. You don’t have to be the foremost expert on your topic — you just need a compelling story to tell.

Send the following information to submit@cohaa.org:

  • — Title – our first opportunity to make a great impression with both the submissions committee and attendees!
  • — Short description of your presentation, including:
    • – Introductory paragraph – Tell attendees what they should expect, and why they should choose yours over another session
    • – Intended audience – Is yours an in-depth discussion for seasoned professionals, or is the material more appropriate for attendees who are newer to Agile concepts?
    • – Learning outcomes – What will attendees take away from your session?
  • — Speaker bio, including information about your Agile knowledge and experience, your prior speaking experiences, and whether you have delivered this particular presentation before.
  • — Short video (2-5 minutes) that shows your ability to connect with people. It can be of you presenting to an audience in the past, of you giving a snippet of the topic you would like to discuss, or anything that shows us how well you connect with an audience. We aren’t judging production quality here, so feel free to use your phone or other cheap recording device. Upload it to YouTube and include the link, or attach the video to your email submission.
  • — In lieu of a video, you may send us 3 references who can speak to your ability to present and engage audiences.

 

Other relevant Info:
All submissions will be reviewed by the submissions committee, and judged on the merits of the topic and the presenter’s ability to connect with the audience.

Abstracts and videos should be submitted to submit@cohaa.org no later than Friday, 20 March 2015. Presenters will be notified no later than Friday, 27 March 2015 as to whether their submission has been accepted. The conference is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, 20-21 May 2015.

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The Central Ohio Agile Association (COHAA) Welcomes Faye Thompson to its Board of Directors

The Central Ohio Agile Association (COHAA) is pleased to announce that Faye Thompson has joined its Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2015. Faye has been operating as the VP of Member Services for COHAA, and recently assumed leadership of the community events held by the organization for its members. Faye’s appointment expands the COHAA Board to seven members.

“Faye has been an active, engaged volunteer for COHAA, assisting with events and leading the membership functions,” said Jennifer Bleen, COHAA President and Board Chair. “As our membership grows, we need additional visionary leaders to help us provide valuable agile events and services to the community. Faye has demonstrated a commitment to our organization and its members, and we will all benefit from her increased responsibilities with COHAA.”

Faye Thompson, JD, PSMI, is a Senior Agile Consultant with CareWorks Tech, with over 17 years of project delivery experience. With a focus on Agile methodologies and continuous improvement, she has had a positive impact in the financial services, healthcare, advertising and automotive industries. Faye is passionate about using innovative solutions to drive business value, and has helped several workgroups transform into highly engaged and energized teams. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering as an instructor and emergency medical responder for the American Red Cross, and spending time with her husband and three dogs.

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Special Agile Events for the Central Ohio Community!

There are a number of great agile events in Central Ohio to take us well into Autumn!  Check out these opportunities to expand your agile knowledge and network with some really cool people!  Best of all, most of these events are FREE and there is FOOD!  You can get more information about the event and registration details at www.cohaa.org.  

 
Agile BA LIG – Transferring Waterfall Requirements to an Agile Team
During Agile transformations, Waterfall projects are sometimes transitioned to an Agile team – after the detailed requirements have already been documented. When this happens, many team members and managers have questions and make assumptions about what should or could happen with the requirements from there:
  • Do the requirements need to be rewritten in the form of User Stories?
  • How should the change control process work?
  • Is there loss of detail in the transition?
  • Does the agile approach add as much value since detailed requirements have already been created?
This exciting LIG event will be a collaborative discussion focused on helping each other answer these questions and improve future outcomes when facing this situation in the future.
Coffee and breakfast food will be provided.
Date:  October 18, 7:00am to 8:30am Location: Cardinal Solutions 401 N Front St  Ste 210 Columbus, OH
Register at www.cohaa.org.
 
Agile Budgeting & Portfolio Management
If your enterprise is going agile, you are going to bump up against the current processes for funding and portfolio management. While these practices aren’t working very well in most organizations, they are “the way we’ve always done things here” and companies are resistant to changing them. In this presentation, we will look at Agile Portfolio Management techniques for making smaller, more frequent investments and managing our portfolio of investments in real-time.
Date: October 24, 5:30PM to 7:30PM (food and networking 5:30-6:30) Location: The Forge 580 N. Fourth Street Columbus, Ohio 43215  
Register at www.cohaa.org.
 
The Human Side of Agile Management: What It Takes to Grow Great Teams – with Gil Broza
Do you manage, lead, or facilitate an Agile team? For best results, your team can’t be just a cross-functional group of 7 +/- 2 “resources” working iteratively. Come to this interactive presentation by the author of “The Human Side of Agile” to learn what teams need in order to thrive. Get a view, free of hype and cynicism, of how Agile managers and leads contribute to their teams’ success (or not…) And receive practical tips and insights into the key skills you need for supporting your team’s journey to greatness.
Date: November 6, 6:30pm to 8pm Food, networking and registration 5:30 to 6:30 pm Location: CareWorks 5555 Glendon Court Dublin, Ohio 43016  
Register at www.cohaa.org.
 
Workshop – Grow A Solid Agile Team with Gil Broza, Nov. 7 & 8, 2013 – Discount for COHAA members!
Grow A Solid Agile Team is for technology managers and leads. This experiential workshop will build your communication, coaching, and facilitation skills, which are critical for cultivating great teams. A two-day version of his popular book, The Human Side of Agile, this workshop will help you meet the demands of Agile management, which are markedly different from traditional management.
COHAA members receive $150 off with coupon code COHAA_3PV_2013
Date: November 7 & 8, 9:00am to 5:00pm  Location: Northwoods  5815 Wall Street   Dublin, OH 43017

More info and register at http://www.GrowASolidAgileTeam.info