Agile Austin's Ask An Expert

Date: 7/9/2009
Time: 6 pm
Location: Chicago room, Mangia’s Pizza, 8012 Mesa Drive
More info: http://www.agileaustin.org/~agileaus/askanexpert/

Paul Brownell will host the July 9 session of the Agile Austin Ask an Expert service. Here is his bio:

Paul Brownell is an experienced software executive, specializing in leading change and implementing world-class software practices. He has been a practitioner of Agile methods since 2001, including XP and SCRUM methodologies. As Product Line Director at BMC Software, Paul led several SCRUM teams distributed across India, Israel, and the United States. Among these was the project highlighted in Dean Leffingwell’s book “Scaling Software Agility: Best Practices for Large Enterprises.” Paul’s Agile projects were identified as “best in class” by QSM Associates in an evaluation of over 7,500 Agile projects. Earlier in his career, Paul led process improvement for his division and was an ISO9000/TickIT internal auditor.

Paul balances pragmatism with structured process to improve product quality, reduce cycle time, and improve customer satisfaction. In the course of his career he has successfully applied this approach to more than a dozen enterprise applications.

Paul is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He lives in scenic Cedar Creek, Texas with his lovely wife and lively six year-old son.

The objective of the Ask an Expert program is to provide free consultation by experienced Agile Austin coaches to any Austinite that wrestles with issues related to promoting, planning and executing Agile methods. The program will address the needs of practitioners in companies that produce software, embed software, or use software as an integral part of their business processes. In addition to 1-1 consultation, coaches will gladly hold discussions with entire teams.

Ask an Expert sessions should be primarily regarded as a step toward addressing concrete Agile issues that manifest themselves in a specific environment. Coaches might not be able to complete a comprehensive analysis, but will make certain to suggest what the heart of the problem might be and point out Agile resources that practitioners could use on their own.

To ensure available access to experts, consultative session time will be divided between attendees. Team discussions with any Agilists attending the program will be encouraged to maximize the sharing of experience and draw out the wisdom of crowds. One-on-one sessions are available on request, but will be time-limited based on attendance (15 minutes typical).

The program will strive to balance utility with fun. Utility will primarily be delivered through actionable insights; fun will be had through passionate exploration of Agile topics in a friendly and collaborative manner.