This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
About
I am the Principal Consultant / Enterprise Agile Coach at Focussed Agile LLC. I am a software development / IT executive with pragmatic, team oriented approach to the enterprise, focused on optimizing the overall delivery process (concept to cash) using Lean-Agile approaches (for example, SAFe, Scrum, Lean, XP) as a “toolbox.” Since 2007 I've has been applying this expertise in large scale Lean-Agile transformations to build sustainable improvements in organizational effectiveness and business agility while enhancing the level of governance.
Experience
Transformations
Lean-Agile Transformations are aimed at improving business results:
- Lead / coached / trained the transformation to the Scale Agile Framework (SAFe) of a petrochemical IT Foundation Infrastructure group, resulting in 100 teams (~1000 people), in 4 countries. Business outcomes include (one year period):
- Hard benefits delivered: 114% increase
- Major incidents down 16%
- Unplanned downtime down 28%
- Productivity: 43% improvement
- Responsiveness: 45%improvement
- Predictability: 67% improvement
- Resilience as working from home showed no reduction productivity
- Lead / coached / trained the transformation implementation to scaled Scrum / Agile at GIS software vendor, resulting in 60 teams (450 people) in 8 countries (differing cultures). Business outcomes include:
- Reduction in end-user defects by 50%.
- Employee satisfaction at 78% in the new approach.
- Increased throughput by 150% (average, all teams).
- Lead / coached / trained the transformation implementation to scaled Scrum / Agile / Lean at engineering software development operation, resulting about 75 teams (550 people) in 8 countries (with similar results to above.)
- Lead / coached / trained the application of Agile approach to non-software operations such as Marketing, Finance, Support, IT, HR, Projects, infrastructure, and Field Service organizations.
- Assessed organization, coached Executive Management in transformation to Agile, and trained pilot teams to kick off Lean-Agile transformation in power, banking, and construction firms.
- Reinvigorated in-place Lean-Agile practices and adopt new scaling approaches through coaching and mentoring at retail and power company.
- Trained / coached construction company in application / adaptation of an Agile approach to construction industry practice (7 teams).
Training
Training is aimed at changing people's behaviors. I have trained thousands of people in the application of Lean-Agile to their environment, including:
- Team and team-of-team (“train”) kick-off and set up training
- Role based training for, for example:
- Product Managers and Product Owners,
- Architects and Technical Leads,
- Scrum Masters and Release Train Engineers,
- Business Owners and Epic Owners, and
- Leadership at all levels
- Subject specific workshops, for example:
- Lean portfolio management
- Intent based leadership
- Servant leader behaviors
- Advanced facilitation
- Advanced coaching
- Leadership team as a “team” (e.g. 5 Dysfunctions of a Team)
- Focus on business outcomes instead of outputs
- Improving customer and other stakeholders’ engagement and management
- Establishing a more transparent organizational impediment process
- Improve individual decision-making based on improved system awareness (e.g. using Cynefin)
- Measuring and improving your organizational culture (e.g. using SenseMaking)
- Establishing innovation through a portfolio of “bets”
Courses were either standard courses (for example SAFe or icAgile courses) or custom made for a specific set of needs.
Industries and Domains
I have a background in a wide range of industries and domains, and I'm always interested in learning about other areas. I have consulted in a wide range of industries including:
- Software products,
- Petrochemical,
- Banking,
- Insurance,
- Mapping and geographic systems,
- Surveying,
- Operations and maintenance,
- Utilities infrastructue,
- 911 (emergency) systems,
- Construction,
- Marine,
- Nuclear,
- Metrology,
- Manufacturing,
- Building architecture
And a wide range of domains such as:
- Software architecture,
- Marketing,
- Product management,
- Development,
- Support,
- HR,
- Finance,
- Leadership and management
Culture and Locations
I love to travel and learn about people with different cultures. I have successfully applied Lean-Agile approaches in a wide variety of locations, and therefore cultures:
- The Americas including USA, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina,
- EMEA including United Kingdom, Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, UAE, and Israel
- Asia including Japan, Korea, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand
Methodologies
I love to learn new things, and help others apply this learning to improve. Examples include:
- Lean-Agile,
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe; SPC),
- Scrum (CSM),
- Lean Software Development,
- Kanban,
- XP,
- Large-scale Scrum (LeSS),
- Feature Driven Development (FDD),
- Lean Portfolio Management,
- Product Management,
- Architecture,
- OKRs,
- Cynefin and SenseMaking,
- Monte Carlo Simulations for Forecasting,
- Agile Testing,
- Agile Modeling,
- Theory of Constraints,
- Project Management Institute PMBok (PMI),
- International Standards Organization (ISO 9001:2008),
- Organizational Dynamics,
- Liberating Structures
Certifications
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe v 5) Program Consultant
- Authorized Trainer, since 2015, ICAgile, including Enterprise Business Agility Strategist, Project Management, Testing, Business Value Analysis, and Coaching certificates
- Cynefin, and Sensemaker (Cognitive Edge)
- DevOps for the Agile Enterprise (Icon)
- Org Mindset Enterprise Coach (OMEC)
- Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- Practical Product Management Certification from Pragmatic Marketing
Earlier Career
- Vice President, Product Planning
- Vice President, Information Management Products
- General Manager, Intergraph Corporation (China, Hong Kong)
Education
- BSc Computer Science and Statistic, Sydney University