Calendar of Events

Register early to take advantage of discounted pricing! Early bird pricing ends Tuesday, January 21 at 6:00 pm. Registration for meals closes on Thursday, January 23 at 6:00 pm!

Program

5:30 – 7:00 pm
(.5 Leadership PDU)
Registration, Business Meeting, Networking and Dinner (Cash Bar)

7:00 – 8:00 pm
(1 Leadership PDU)

Rise of The Relationship Worker: Being a Better Human in the Age of AI

In the six decades since its first usage, the term Knowledge Worker has become synonymous with Software Engineers. With an almost singular emphasis on STEM skills, and an excused lack of people skills, the reputation of the successful software engineer evolved into that of the genius in a cubicle. Two factors have caused us to re-examine the relative importance of hard and soft skills in Software Engineering. First, the very nature of how we produce software changed dramatically with the advent of Agile practices compelling us to develop software…socially. Second, Automation and AI are reshaping the tasks which can be performed by machines putting even more emphasis on the need for human soft skills. This confluence doesn't diminish the demand for Engineers. According to Geoff Colvin, tomorrow’s most valuable engineers will not be geniuses in cubicles; rather, they’ll be those who can also build relationships and collaborate. Colvin calls these Relationship Workers. When you add in trust and storytelling, together, these become critical the differentiators between the Machines and Humans.

So how do we as Engineers thrive in an environment that depends on skills that we were never encouraged to develop? Join Geoff as he takes us beyond the "why's" and explores the "how's" of relationship building, establishing a "How can I help" mindset and trusting environment, telling a good story, and other tips and tricks that they've gathered in their experience and in their research of contemporaries such as Simon Sinek, Tim Urban, Geoff Colvin and Rob Lambert.

Geoff Meyer is a Test Architect in the Dell EMC Infrastructure Solutions Group and has 30+ years of industry experience as a software developer, manager, program manager, and director. He drives the Test Strategy and Architecture for 400+ SW and HW Testers across India, Taiwan, and the United States which includes Test initiatives for Agile Testing, Test Automation, Continuous Testing, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning. Geoff is a member of the Agile Austin community and frequent speaker at international Agile and Testing conferences. He is on the board of the Veterans4Quality.org 501c3 and is a mentor/instructor to Veterans participating in the program, which provides them an on-ramp to a career in software quality assurance. You can connect with Geoff at LinkedIn or Twitter.

8:00 – 9:00 pm
(1 Technical PDU)

Create Your Own Agile Framework

Why do some agile transformations fail, while others thrive by helping to grow people and business value? Factors such as training, individual skill sets, company culture, Agile experience, etc… all play a part. However a lot of times all these things are still not enough! Max will guide us through a straight forward 3-step process to create an Agile Framework tailored to your Team / Organization. Max will pull from his 12+ Agile years experiences to incorporate Case Studies and data driven decisions in his Agile Framework creation. In this presentation you will learn to reate an Agile Framework that can be Specific; share Case Studies that are Relevant to our present IT and non-IT work environment; and share well defined and Achievable steps to a high performing work environment.

Max Ekesi has 20 years of experience in various IT roles in People Management, ScrumMaster, Project/Program Manager, Infrastructure Engineering, Business Analyst, and presently an Agile Program Manager at Whole Foods. He has been leading Agile IT Transformations since 2007 in Fortune 30 and above companies while leveraging Agile and Kaizen principles. He has led the Agile Austin Leaders SIG ever since it was created back in 2011 and appreciates ideas and prospective that emerge from our lively participants! He regularly speaks at Agile conferences in Austin and occasionally Nationally. In his spare time Max likes to play/watch/coach soccer and travel with his wife and two daughters.

Max Ekesi has 20 years of experience in various IT roles in People Management, ScrumMaster, Project/Program Manager, Infrastructure Engineering, Business Analyst, and presently an Agile Program Manager at Whole Foods. He has been leading Agile IT Transformations since 2007 in Fortune 30 and above companies while leveraging Agile and Kaizen principles. He has led the Agile Austin Leaders SIG ever since it was created back in 2011 and appreciates ideas and prospective that emerge from our lively participants! He regularly speaks at Agile conferences in Austin and occasionally Nationally. In his spare time Max likes to play/watch/coach soccer and travel with his wife and two daughters.

Questions

For any issues with registration or questions about claiming PDUs, email VP of Professional Development.

Photo Disclaimer: Upon participating in any PMI event, you are agreeing to allow PMI to use your likeness for use in its promotional material including their websites.

Thanks to our Chapter Meeting Sponsors: