AgileDadwasfoundedinSeptemberof2007byV.LeeHensonwhoserves as President & CEO. Lee’s 15 years of working agileexperience spans a broad array of roles and responsibilities. He iscurrently one of just over 165 Certified Scrum Trainersworldwideand has certified well over 2500 ScrumMasters and ProductOwners. He is also a Project Management Professional, SAFeProgramConsultant,PMIAgileCertifiedPractitioner,andaCertifiedLeanAgile Professional. His personal experience includes hands on

web development, quality assurance analysis, automated testengineering,seniorproductmanagement,seniorprojectmanagement,ScrumMaster,agile coach, consultant, and ADDIE training professional. He has worked withhundreds of teams to assist them in successful implementation of thousands ofprojects.Hisclientlistincludes43oftheFortune100companies,Governmentsectorprojects,smallandlargesoftwareproductionfacilities,andmultiplesuccessfullarge-scalee-commerceimplementationsworldwide.

When not coaching or training, Lee enjoys doing motivational, inspirational, andkeynotespeakingsessionsatvariousconferences,churches,anduniversities.Hehasbeenrecognizedforexcellenceinpublicspeakinganddoesallhecantohelpothersget the most out of both work and home life. He is a graduate of the DisneyManagement Institute and has served as Chairperson for the Scrum AllianceCertification Advisory Board. He is the author of the Definitive Agile Checklist andorganizer of the Salt Lake City Agile Meetup. He is the inventor of Rapid ReleasePlanning, The Agile 12 Step Program, and other advanced Agile Principles. He iscontinuallylookingforwaystoaccelerateAgilelearningandgivebacktotheindustry.

V. Lee Henson, President and CEO of AgileDad would like to take a moment to welcome you and allow you to get to know him and his company AgileDad.

Meet AgileDad!

V. Lee Henson ~ AgileDad April 25, 2016

Agile 12 Step Program Who ever said Agile was an All or Nothing Proposition? Learn the steps companies take to implement Agile!

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About AgileDad Learn more about AgileDad ad the goals for the SLC Agile Meetup.

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Many organizations struggle with finding a balanced approach to their Agile implementation. They often try the ‘do it yourself’ approach and run into major issues. The right Agile Coach cannot only speed things along, but can save your company money! Look for credible on the ground experience. Review recommendations and see what others have had to say about this company. Never be afraid to ask for a trial ‘warm-up’ period as part of your agreement.

Selecting the right trainer or coach…

Meet Our Coaches! Meet two of AgileDad’s newest Utah based coaches!

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1) It was believed at that time that enterprise

organizations would select one of the Agile Methods and implement a vanilla implementation of Scrum, XP, DSDM, etc. My prediction was that over time these large companies would discover that Agile is not one size fits all. I correctly predicted that organizations would select a method such as Scrum to use as a foundation and select best practices from the others in order to create their own Agile Center of Excellence. I was all but laughed out of the Agile community back then. Today, this has proven to be true in every facet.

Many Agile Coaches and Trainers have taught for years that Agile is an all or nothing proposition. This is NOT the case. This 12 Step Approach to Agile Adoption will help you accelerate learning and serve as a guideline for Agile Success.

2) Most believed for some time and many still believe you are either Agile or Non-Agile, Scrum or Scrum-Butt, Lean or just not efficient. This is also not true. In fact, I have created a roadmap for ANY size organization to follow that will allow them to see incremental improvement as they implement Agile processes within their organization. Just as the changes are incremental, the results of the changes are also incremental. It is indeed true that you will not stand to recognize all of the benefits of a pure Agile implementation without first implementing the core foundational pieces of what Agile means and how it should be applied.

Many trainers, coaches, and training organizations have proclaimed that Agile is an all or nothing proposition. This could not be any further from the truth. In fact, back in 2001, shortly after the Agile Manifesto was written, I put together a white paper that made the skin of the Agile Community crawl. It was entitled Driving The Agile Hybrid. The subject matter debunked two very widely believed principles:

It is for this reason I have composed the Agile 12 Step Program. While I do not feel I am in position to make light of any program designed to help individuals through a struggle they may be facing in their personal life, I do feel like this document could assist organizations who are ready to make changes, but not quite ready to swallow the entire Agile pill. The following steps are tried and true. I have successfully transformed organizations of EVERY size using these steps. Consider this your first round free of Agile Transformation Coaching, compliments of AgileDad.

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The Official Agile 12 Step Program:

Please make it a point to join us for our very next FREE Agile Meetup! The next scheduled Meetup is to be held on May 27, 2016 at SanDisk Propulsion Labs! Come out and take advantage of FREE lunch and a chance to learn how agile is applied in one of the Salt Lake Valley’s fastest growing organizations! Learn from Usana how they are applying Agile and how you can incorporate practices that they have applied in order to make Agile a HUGE Success! Here is the scoop:

Usana 3838 Parkway Blvd. Salt Lake City, UT Friday May 27, 2016 from 11:30AM – 2PM

The NEXT Salt Lake City Agile Meetup will be held at Usana on May 27, 2016!

AgileDad Presents: The O

fficial Agile 12 Step Adoption Program

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1) Admit you have a problem that you are trying to solve and disclose why you have selected implementation of Agile to help you solve the problem: Knowing what you are trying to solve and why is the first step to a successful Agile Implementation. 2) Set Management / Executive level Expectations and establish an Agile Vision: Without a clear vision of where we are heading and who is involved, we are nothing less than lost. 3) Identify and establish a distinction of every Agile Role: When people know what their true role is and they are willing to embrace what they should be doing, best Agile practices become much easier to follow. 4) Focus on Product Ownership and Backlog Item Creation: Backlog preparation is the number one issue I see with most organizations attempting to embrace Agile. Many are waiting until too late in the process. Others are not creating Backlog Items using the INVEST model and not having them prepared prior to planning

5) Hold proper Agile Meetings with the correct purpose, attendees, and agenda: More money is wasted in organizations holding the incorrect conversations with the incorrect parties involved. The art of the Conversation is one that positively needs to be mastered. Every meeting should have an agenda and purpose. While this may seem simple on the surface, I see groups suffering from this issue regularly. 6) Clearly define product release cycles: Figuring out a cadence for release that is tolerable to both the organization and the customer can be challenging. Not to mention that the people on the ground frequently want to flex dates that have been set forth by the organization with regard to release timeframes. We need to define and stick to the release cycles that make sense. Include input from all key stakeholders, the product ownership team, and closely track consumer needs in order to best determine the best ultimate strategy for your release.

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“Embrace each of the 12 Steps as groups within your organization are ready, not all at once”

~ V. Lee Henson

7) Take time to measure end consumer satisfaction: In addition to the ever so critical acceptance criteria, we need to also note some form of measure for end consumer satisfaction. This information could be gathered with something as simple as frequent demonstrations of working product. Other times this requires more intense customer interaction. This is where we take the time to figure out a means of determining product success.

8) Enhance Programming Practices: Unit Testing = 100% Code Review = 100% Refactoring poorly designed code = 100% Coding Standard = In Place. This is the bread & butter when building software, (or anything else for that matter). The proof of forward progress rests in a demo of working results.

9) Enhanced Testing Practices: Every group should be working towards some form of TDD. In my world there is a test in place to validate before a line of code is ever written. Even acceptance tests should be written and set to fail prior to the beginning of any Sprint. This helps insure that we do not gold plate the code we create and that we work towards potentially shippable code at the end of every iteration.

10) Secure the appropriate Agile Tooling solution: While not every Agile implementation requires a large-scale tool implementation, keeping a close eye on the progress of the teams and organization is a must. What is visible is what gets done. The simple practice of selecting the correct Agile tool based on what information you wish to convey to management, is an important decision that should not be taken lightly.

11) Identify ways to measure team and group success: Take time to identify internal and external service level agreements and determine what metrics of success will be celebrated as a team. Do not let the team get into a mode where they feel like all they do is sprint and meet over and over again. They need to be recognized for positive accomplishments and need to build towards high performing teams.

12) Identify the top three issues that still may not have been addressed to date and plan a course of action to get these taken care of: While this list is comprehensive, no single list could include everything one organization needs to do in order to see all facets of Agile success. It is imperative to constantly look towards continuous improvement. This step allows you to review all previous steps and make certain there was nothing that was missed or overlooked. This also allows for time needed to inspect and adapt internally. It is always a best practice to look internally for additional opportunities to improve.

While no plan can be perfect for everyone, this plan is pretty comprehensive. Taking these steps and making minor adaptations where needed can certainly help the progress of your Agile transformation move forward more quickly. A couple of other quick points of note: In order to execute this Agile 12 Step Program, the organization needs to have an agreement in place that they accept and will adopt the 4 Pillars of Agile Success. They must also agree to identify, manage and eliminate outstanding technical debt. As long as debt remains in the picture, each of the additional steps become more challenging and make Agile on a whole much more difficult to implement. I still strongly recommend bringing in a qualified Agile Coach to assess the details of your situation. This outside assistance should pay for itself in no time and prove to give your organization the boost it needs to see true success.

There truly is a lot more to these steps than just simple words on a page. I encourage you to reach out to AgileDad if we can be of additional assistance in helping you do a more thorough Agile Assessment and determining just what steps you can take to move you further along the path. The key is to help you internalize the Agile process. Our job literally is to work our way out of a job. We teach you to achieve Agile Excellence so that your customers can share in your newfound Agile Success.

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Certified ScrumMaster May 23-24 – Sandy, UT

Certified Scrum Product Owner Workshop May 25-26 – Sandy, UT

Agile Fundamentals June 3 Sandy, UT

Agile Fundamentals June 24 Sandy, UT

PMI- Agile Certified Practitioner Prep July 6-8 – Sandy, UT

Certified ScrumMaster July 28-29 – Sandy, UT

Certified ScrumMaster August 18-19 - Sandy UT

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Private sessions and workshops are always available. For more information please email: LearnMore@AgileDad.Com

Upcoming AgileDad Public Courses:

AgileDad is GROWING! Please take a moment to get to know two of our World Class Agile Coaches that are located locally here in Utah!

Meet Jacob Anderson our Vice President of Education. Jacob has spent the past several years teaching and coaching Fortune 100 Companies in best Agile Practices. While he is completely humble in his approach, he has single handedly assisted the largest retail logistics operation in the world embrace Agile and become successful. He has also leveraged his educational background in accounting to help a few of the world’s largest financial institutions learn about and apply Agile practices. He has also made quite the splash in the online auction community and has stirred the world of large-scale e-commerce!

When not saving the world, Jacob enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and eight children. (Yes, he has mastered Agile at home as well). It is rare to have such well-rounded talent and we are certainly grateful to have Jacob as part of the AgileDad Team! If you see him, make certain to stop and visit for a moment. Let Jacob help you realize the value of an Agile Coach!

Julie Jacob our Director of Agile Implementation hails from a deep real estate background where she turned a very small amount of money and a dream into an Agile Empire and a dream come true! (Think Shark Tank). Do not let her soft surface and sweet demeanor fool you. The one word I would associate with Julie is IMPACT! She has a really unique ability to convey very difficult concepts in a very easy to understand message. Her training techniques are really special and her mentorship really goes a long way.

When all of America was in the face of the largest real estate crisis in the history of our country, Julie was busy training and coaching companies out of the financial pitfall into great prosperity. Her rags to riches story for so many corporations, lenders, brokers, realtors, and homeowners makes you hang on her every word. Julie is living proof that with a lot of Agile and an open mind, any organization, no matter how far gone can rebound by applying sound lean and Agile principles. Whether it is Six Sigma, Lean, Scrum, or Agile, she knows it all and has really made her mark on the Agile Workspace. These two coaches have been highlighted for a VERY unique reason! They have BOTH agreed that it is time to give back to the ever-growing Utah Agile community. These two AMAZING coaches have agreed to take on as MANY Utah clients as request them! Of course they will do a fine job making certain they do not take on too much work, they are willing to dedicate a LARGE portion of their time to your companies success! Reach out to them directly to assess their availability. Please, do not hesitate, I have a feeling their calendar will be filling in fast! Jacob@AgileDad.Com for Jacob / Julie@AgileDad.Com for Julie

What sets AgileDad apart you ask? We have personally trained, coached, and or certified Agile implementations in 43 of the Fortune 100 Companies! We have been hand selected by smaller organizations to help them be nimble with the talent and resources they have to perform at their absolute best. Our mantra is simple. With great power comes great responsibility. This advice sets the undertone for the objective of every AgileDad engagement. Selecting AgileDad means that you have entrusted us with your most valuable asset, your people. We take this responsibility very seriously. As a result we have provided nothing less than the highest quality training and coaching to a number of companies ranging in size from Startup to Fortune 100. We treat each engagement with the respect and depth that it warrants. We treat each customer the way we would want to be treated and wrap the human side into everything we do. Gone are the days where theory was enough, the new frontier takes us to a place where advanced experience matters. AgileDad has that experience and we look forward to our engagement with your organization.

About AgileDad:

Advancing Agile and doing what makes

sense in the Scrum & Agile Community

since 2001!

This Salt Lake City Agile Meetup Newsletter is intended for the educational enrichment of all those involved in the Agile Community. Please feel free to replicate and or duplicate this document in part or whole electronically or manually with proper attribution association. For more information about AgileDad course offerings, or Agile Coaching, please contact

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