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Platform

Matthew Carr

Why do some tech teams feel energised and productive, while others feel trapped in an endless cycle of chaos?   
I’ll share real-world stories and how I used practical strategies for cleaning up processes, energising teams, and consistently delivering real value, all by focusing on creating an environment where people can do their best work.  

Building a Culture Where Technology Teams Thrive (and Actually Deliver)

Mark Moreau

Product Managers are often quite poor at strategy. People also complain quite a lot about Product Managers being poor at strategy. Bizarrely, product strategy should be the one thing every Product Manager excels at. Are we making this more complicated than it really is? 

Strategy Is Hard. But Easier Than You Think. 

Spring into agile with us this May as Agile Yorkshire brings together the region’s vibrant tech and delivery community for another evening of insight, inspiration, and connection. Whether you're deeply embedded in agile ways of working or just beginning to explore new approaches, our monthly meetups are a welcoming space to learn, share, and grow.
Expect thought-provoking talks from experienced speakers, practical takeaways to enhance your teams and projects, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals over refreshments in our relaxed city centre venue.
Come along, get inspired, and be part of Yorkshire’s thriving agile community. We can’t wait to see you there!

2025 May Meetup

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Catherine Bonner

What You'll Learn:
✔️ Developing your speaking style and delivery
✔️ Using voice and body language to convey your message
✔️ Managing nerves and building confidence
✔️ Structuring and organising any presentation effectively

What You'll Gain:
✔️ Practical skills to become a more effective speaker
✔️ A safe and supportive environment to practice
✔️ Valuable feedback from experienced speakers
✔️ A growing network of fellow speakers and Agile professionals

Who Should Attend?
This workshop is open to all Agile Yorkshire members who have spoken at a past event or are interested in speaking at a future one. If you want to improve your public speaking, refine your presentation skills, and boost your confidence, this is the perfect opportunity.

Speech Master Incubator – Elevate Your Public Speaking Skills 🎤

Effective communication is a vital skill in any professional setting, especially for those in Agile and tech communities. Whether you’re preparing for a presentation, leading meetings, or looking to build confidence in public speaking, Agile Yorkshire’s Speech Master Incubator is designed to help you refine your skills in a supportive and practical environment.

Exclusive Bonus for Agile Yorkshire Speakers
As part of our commitment to fostering growth within our community, past and future Agile Yorkshire speakers are eligible for a 100% DISCOUNT CODE on this workshop. Contact us for your discount code or let us book you in directly: info@agileyorkshire.org

Speech Master Incubator

Amardeep Sirha

Balancing project management in an agile environment requires flexibility, collaboration, and a focus on iterative progress. Traditional project management principles must be adapted to agile frameworks like scrum or kanban, emphasizing continuous feedback, adaptability, and stakeholder involvement. Key strategies include clear communication, prioritising tasks based on value, empowering self-organising teams, and using agile tools to track progress. The goal is to maintain a balance between structure and flexibility while ensuring timely delivery of high-quality work.

How To Balance Project Management in An Agile Environment

Steve Martin

Imagine a world where management are purposeful, decisions happen quickly, and everyone is aligned. No more endless calls or reports. Teams and leaders work in sync, with real-time visibility of priorities and progress. Obeya makes this possible. It replaces outdated communication methods with a dynamic, transparent approach. Companies like ING and Tesco have transformed their operations, improving collaboration, reducing reporting, and creating a single source of truth for decision-making. In my talk, we’ll explore why traditional communication is failing and how Obeya provides a more effective solution. An interactive workshop will give the audience hands-on experience in how Obeya can streamline communication, improve visibility, and drive smarter decisions. I'll show how to implement Obeya, starting small before scaling, and participants will leave, fully energised with a practical, tangible solution to a challenge that’s been frustrating everyone for far too long.

Obeya Unleashed: the Next Evolutionary Agile Step

Join us for another inspiring Agile Yorkshire gathering as we bring together the community for an evening of learning, discussion, and collaboration. Whether you're a seasoned agile practitioner or just starting your journey, this is the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas, gain fresh perspectives, and connect with like-minded professionals. Expect engaging conversations, real-world insights, and plenty of opportunities to expand your agile network. Come along, be part of the discussion, and take away valuable knowledge to apply to your teams and projects. We look forward to seeing you there!

2025 April Meetup

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BCS Sheffield

Rohit Ratan Mani

Our presentation details our strategy for assisting clients in enhancing business agility within their clinical operations.
We will illustrate our clients' experiences and the significant impact we have had in promoting business agility, improving efficiency, expediting trials, achieving operational excellence and building internal capabilities to empower clients to continue their agility journey independently.

Unleashing Business Agility in Pharma Companies

Great ideas deserve to be heard. But if we can't communicate them, we'll never get traction. Whether you’re presenting at a tech conference, leading a team meeting, or explaining complex ideas to non-technical audiences, how you communicate matters. In this practical and engaging talk, Catherine Bonner will equip you with the essential tools to speak with confidence, clarity, and impact. No matter if you're preparing for your first talk or refining your stage presence, you'll walk away with a stronger, more versatile public speaking toolkit.

Build and Refine Your Public Speaking Toolkit

Join us for an exciting milestone event as Agile Yorkshire ventures beyond Leeds for the first time! We're partnering with the Sheffield chapter of the British Computer Society for a special evening of agile insights and community building.
Our journey to Sheffield marks a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow agile practitioners across Yorkshire. We're particularly grateful to Eva Barabas from the BCS Sheffield chapter, whose work behind the scenes has made this collaboration possible.
The evening features two exceptional speakers. We're delighted to welcome Rohit Ratan Mani, who brings his wealth of experience as a certified coach and trainer to share his agile experiences within the pharma sector. Rohit has experience, practical guidelines and valuable lessons learned from implementing agile practices in heavily regulated environments.
Joining Rohit is our very own Catherine Bonner, Agile Yorkshire's speaking coach extraordinaire. Catherine will offer an engaging preview of our popular speaker workshop – a free resource we proudly provide to all Agile Yorkshire speakers, past and future, as part of our commitment to nurturing talent within our community.
Don't miss this chance to be part of Agile Yorkshire's expanding footprint and connect with like-minded professionals in Sheffield. Come along to share experiences, learn from industry experts, and be part of our agile community!

On Tour Sheffield Meetup

Yann Golanski

Scrum is a core of applied Agile, first introduced in 1990. It promises much in terms of delivery of good software with transparency, inspection, and adaptation — twice the work in half the time. Failure to meet those goals is generally laid down at the feet of “you're doing it wrong”, sometimes even with good reasons. However, is scrum actually good at helping teams deliver good software? What are the bad and ugly things lurking under the shadow of scrum's promises? It is important to explore these criticisms to understand where Scrum might fall short and how it can be improved. Introspection matters.

Scrum Introspection: What Lies in the Shadows

Lewis Bellwood

Flow Metrics and Forecasting are hot topics in Agile but often people become bogged down in the charts and can be put off by the maths and statistics behind them. How many times have you showed your multicoloured super graph to a team and they have no idea what it actually means? I aim to (re)introduce you to these topics in a way that anyone can digest, without presenting endless Jira Search Queries and Burn Down chats.

Disrupting the Flow

Spring into agility with Agile Yorkshire’s March 2025 meetup! This session is all about new ideas, fresh perspectives, and practical insights to help you refine your agile approach and tackle challenges with confidence.
Join us for an evening of engaging discussions, expert talks, and networking opportunities with professionals who are passionate about continuous improvement. Whether you're looking to level up your skills, exchange experiences, or simply connect with the local agile community, this event is for you!

2025 March Meetup

Clement Pickering

Imagine a tech team that makes few mistakes and quietly gets on with its work. Sounds great right? As a leader it’s one less headache perhaps, one less thing to need to worry about. But what if the lack of noise wasn’t actually a good sign? What if the lack of mistakes was actually because people were reluctant, or even afraid, to admit them? And the silence was a signal of people holding back, from asking questions, raising concerns or suggesting new ideas? Suddenly the picture is less rosy - we’re storing up the risk of more significant issues down the line, and worse, potentially wasting the potential for genuine high performance. In this talk we’ll explore the concept of psychological safety and how it’s the key underpinning for all high performing tech teams.

Silence Isn’t Golden: Psychological Safety and High Performing Teams

Katja Obring

Every Agile team Katja has worked with has, at one point or another, felt held back by their quality assurance process, and often rightly so. Too many quality assurance professionals have been trained to be gatekeepers, not enablers of safe releases.
In this talk, Katja will explain how modern quality assurance professionals can shift from being bottlenecks to becoming quality coaches, finally breaking down silos and building a stronger engineering culture. She will present practical strategies for implementing this shift, such as pair testing, collaborative code reviews, and quality-focused workshops that will improve the entire team’s testing capabilities.

From Quality Gatekeeper to Quality Coach: Empowering Agile Teams for Better Releases

The February 2025 Agile Yorkshire meetup offers an opportunity to explore innovative ideas and gain insights from expert speakers. The event will focus on practical strategies and real-world applications to improve agile practices, team collaboration, and overall effectiveness.
This session is ideal for professionals seeking to enhance their skills, share knowledge, and connect with others in the agile community. Secure your place today to engage with like-minded individuals and advance your agile journey.

2025 February Meetup

Tom Hoyland

Wondering how to make new ways of working stick? Are you evolving your processes, tools, metrics and measures but still finding friction in team collaboration? Curious about creating conditions that foster focus, creativity and innovation for the people in your teams? Look no further.
In this fast-paced, interactive talk, Tom will return to the principles and values of the Agile Manifesto, highlighting the vital role of human connections in building successful teams. He’ll showcase practical tools and methods, including Facilitation Techniques and Clean Language, to better understand what individuals need to improve focus, performance and overall success. 
Tom will also shed light on the often-overlooked aspects of team interaction, participation and consent, creating environments where everyone feels heard, valued, and equipped to do great work. Whether you're in an agile team, a leadership role, or simply want to learn more about yourself, join this talk for valuable insights and inspiration.

What Happens in There…

Bina Champaneria

Bina will unlock the secrets of effective communication! From overcoming language barriers to understanding VARK styles, this talk explores how to adapt and connect in a noisy world—plus a glimpse into how AI is revolutionising the way we share and interpret messages.

Didn't You Read the Email?

We're excited to begin 2025 with our first meetup of the year, bringing fresh energy and new opportunities to learn, connect and grow together. As we dive into the new year, join us for an evening of inspiring discussions, practical takeaways and a chance to catch up with like-minded professionals in the agile space. Whether you're looking to sharpen your skills, exchange ideas or simply get back into the agile mindset, this is the perfect way to start the year. We can't wait to see you and make 2025 a year of agile success!

2025 January Meetup

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Amy Thompson

Amy Thompson will present "Leveraging AI at Work: Reducing Workload and Enhancing Productivity." She will explore how the growing normalization of AI tools in daily life can be applied in the workplace to reduce workloads, improve efficiency, and enhance quality. With practical insights and real-world examples, Amy will demonstrate how AI can boost productivity and deliver better outcomes.

AI on the Prize

Adam Mitchell

Adam takes a humorous and self-deprecating look at the highs and lows of traveling over 25,000 air miles a year for work. He shares witty anecdotes about the challenges of frequent flying while defending the tongue-in-cheek argument that “turning left” on a plane is the cheapest way to travel for business. With relatable insights and plenty of laughs, Adam offers a fresh perspective on life in the skies.

Global Consultancy: Life Above the Clouds

Underwater Survival 101: How to Be Safe in a Strange and Beautiful World
Learn how scuba-diving courses taught me to navigate the underwater world safely while soaking in its breath-taking beauty. In this talk, I’ll share tips and stories that make exploring this strange and enchanting realm both safe and unforgettable.

Don't hold your breath

Dan Hammond

The ideal team size is often overlooked or debated, as organisations prioritise cost-cutting and expanding spans of control. Drawing on insights from science and data, Dan explores why team size matters for engagement and performance—and uses a festive glass of Baileys to illustrate these dynamics in a relatable and memorable way. Prepare for an insightful and light-hearted take on optimising teamwork during the holiday season!

The Two Christmas Pudding Rule: Why the Elves Should Work in Small Teams

Carly Watson

Carly shares her inspiring journey to becoming ADHD medication-free, focusing on practical strategies that help her thrive personally and professionally. She highlights tools from her “managing ADHD without meds” toolbox, including cold water therapy, ADHD-friendly meditation and lifestyle adjustments to improve focus and reduce symptoms. Carly also discusses how these approaches fuelled her success in tech and ultimately led her to start her own business.

Managing ADHD the Holistic Way

Luca Sabato

A personal journey that explores the essence of embracing an agile mindset. This experience delves beyond frameworks to highlight core values like adaptability, collaboration and continuous improvement, fostering a deeper understanding of true agility.

Am I Agile?

Simon Cookson

Picture this: the Christmas dinner table, filled with festive cheer, flowing drinks and party hats perched at jaunty angles, surrounded by family—even the ones you’d rather avoid. Then it happens: the conversation shifts to tricky topics like politics, climate change  or the final season of Game of Thrones. Discover how to stay composed, respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively and keep the holiday spirit alive despite the conversational landmines.

How Not To Fall Out Over Christmas

Tom Preval

Tom highlights the importance and benefits of well-written features, demonstrating how clear communication drives better outcomes. With a Christmas twist, he adds a festive flair to this essential topic, making it both insightful and fun.

Delivering Gifts, Not Grievances: the Magic of Well-written Features!

It’s That Time of Year Again!
Get ready to unwrap a surprise event that’s sure to jingle your bells! We’re pulling a festive Lightning Talk right out of the stocking this December and you won’t want to miss it!
Join us for an evening of rapid-fire fun, where speakers will have just 10 minutes to share their holiday-inspired tech tales, Agile antics and maybe a few giggle-worthy stories. Whether you’ve got a unique software saga or a festive tip that’ll sleigh your co-workers, we want to hear it!
This is your chance to connect with fellow tech enthusiasts, spread some holiday cheer and dive into the spirit of the season. We will serve 
delightful treats in a cosy atmosphere filled with enough holiday cheer to make even the Grinch smile! You might even have the chance to win a prize!
So, polish off those elf-sized ideas and get ready to shine brighter than the star on top of the tree. Let’s wrap up the year with laughter, learning and a sprinkle of merriment. We can’t wait to celebrate the season with the Agile Yorkshire family—it’s going to be a holly jolly good time!

2024 December Meetup

What You'll Learn:
* How to develop your speaking style and delivery
* How to use your voice and body language to convey your message
* How to manage your nerves and build confidence
* How to structure and organise any presentation

What You'll Get Out of It:
* Gain the skills and confidence you need to become a more effective speaker
* Have the opportunity to practice your speaking skills in a supportive environment
* Get feedback from experienced speakers
* Build a network of fellow speakers

Who Should Attend:
* Past and future Agile Yorkshire speakers. 

Join us for the Speech Master Incubator, an exclusive public speaking workshop led Catherine Bonner from Ambient Tribe.
Tailored specifically for our past and future Agile Yorkshire speakers. 
With a small group of just twelve participants, the incubator offers personalised coaching in a supportive and collaborative environment. 
Do not miss this opportunity to strengthen your public speaking skills among friends in the Agile community.

As an added bonus, we have created a 100% DISCOUNT CODE for you, covering the full cost of the workshop.  To receive your code, please reach out to us at info@agileyorkshire.org and we can handle your booking on this occasion to make it easier.
If you have not yet spoken at Agile Yorkshire or volunteered to speak at an upcoming event, we are unable to offer a place at this time. However, if you are interested in speaking at a future event, please contact us at speakers@agileyorkshire.org — we would be glad to hear from you!

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David Westgarth

AI has arrived and it's here to stay! But are you leveraging its full potential to amplify your agile practices? This session explores real-world AI use cases for scrum masters, product owners and agile teams to increase effectiveness. Through demos and discussion, discover new possibilities for streamlining workflows, enhancing collaboration and driving continuous improvement using cutting-edge AI applications and tools.

AI Powered Agile

Impostor syndrome is a well-known but often misunderstood topic. One look at LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram highlights how prevalent the term is and the huge range of conflicting views and opinions. As both someone who manages their own feelings of impostor syndrome, and as an impostor syndrome coach, through this talk Clem aims to demystify the subject, looking at what it is and isn’t, who it affects, and the different ways it can show up. He shares his own personal experience with the phenomenon and provides tips on how to settle your own impostor feelings – because yes, it’s likely everyone will feel like an impostor at times. And while impostor syndrome isn’t constrained to one particular industry, group or profession, the tech industry does seem to be affected more than most. The talk will look at examples relevant to tech and explore strategies to prevent it from becoming overwhelming, debilitating and holding you back in your career.

Impostor Syndrome: Is It Just Me?

The Agile Yorkshire November 2024 meetup is set to be another fantastic event, featuring insightful talks from expert speakers. We are excited to welcome David Westgarth, Delivery Manager at BJSS, who will present real-world AI use cases for agile teams, exploring how AI can amplify effectiveness and streamline workflows. Also joining us is Clement Pickering, an independent coach and consultant, who will share his expertise on managing impostor syndrome in the tech industry, drawing from his extensive background in software engineering and leadership. 
Both talks promise valuable takeaways for professionals looking to enhance their agile practices and team performance. 

2024 November Meetup

What to Expect
- Practical tips and techniques: Learn how to communicate clearly, connect with your audience, and present complex ideas in an engaging way.
- Building confidence: Gain tools to overcome stage fright and feel more comfortable in front of an audience.
- Informal stage time: Participate in practical exercises and receive personalized feedback to improve your delivery.
- Collaboration: Connect with other Agile Yorkshire speakers and exchange tips on public speaking and storytelling.

This workshop is a great way for anyone considering speaking at Agile Yorkshire to develop their public speaking skills and receive the support they need to deliver impactful presentations.

Public Speaking Workshop

We are excited to announce the first public speaking workshop with our official partner Ambient Tribe, hosted by Catherine Bonner, founder and super star communication coach.
This workshop is FREE for past and future speakers of Agile Yorkshire and specially designed to help build confidence, refine public speaking skills, and develop effective techniques for sharing ideas on stage. Whether you're a seasoned presenter or just starting your speaking journey, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights from an experienced communication expert.

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Rebecca Dainton

After years of experience as a seasoned Scrum Master working with various Product Development Teams, Rebecca made the leap into Agile Coaching. Her first assignment took her across a vast tribe that spanned Europe and North America. Over the past year, Rebecca has gathered invaluable insights and experiences, which she will candidly share during her presentation. She will highlight the unique challenges that arise in the transition from Scrum Master to Agile Coach and the vital role that data played in fostering continuous improvement, ultimately driving the tribe towards greater efficiency. Attendees can expect an engaging talk filled with honesty, humor, data-driven insights, and plenty of fun!

A Journey From Scrum Master To Agile Coach - How Data Saved My Life!

Penelope Hindle

Penelope will share her inspiring journey in the tech industry, emphasizing the transformative power of flexibility and financial freedom for women. In her presentation, she will discuss how technology enables women to create careers on their own terms, providing the tools to gain control over their financial futures. Penelope will also explore the critical importance of diversity and inclusion in building a tech landscape where women can truly thrive. By highlighting the role of these values, she aims to show how flexibility and financial independence are not just buzzwords, but key factors in shaping a more inclusive and empowering future for women in technology.

The Most Important Words: Flexibility and Financial Freedom

Agile Yorkshire is excited to announce an upcoming event in celebration of Ada Lovelace Day this October, a day dedicated to celebrating women in technology. 
Ada Lovelace, a pioneering mathematician, is widely regarded as the first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage’s early mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. Her vision laid the groundwork for the digital age, making her an enduring influence in tech. 
Agile Yorkshire is thrilled to have our own successful women in tech, including Rebecca Dainton, Agile Coach at Poker Stars and Penelope Hindle, Senior Software Engineer at Code First Girls to present. Promoting women in tech is vital to fostering diversity and innovation, and the event is a great opportunity to network with like-minded professionals and be inspired by their journeys.

2024 October Meetup 

Flutter HQ

Matthew Skelton

In this talk, Matthew Skelton - founder at Conflux and co-author of the book Team Topologies - explores techniques and metrics to help you untangle your software delivery, together with real-world examples of organizations successfully applying Team Topologies and related approaches to decouple teams and improve flow: Independent Service Heuristics (ISH) User Needs Mapping (UNM) The 4 key metrics (DORA) Flow efficiency and proxy measures.

Untangling software delivery with Team Topologies, flow metrics, and careful decoupling

Royd Brayshay

In this presentation, we delve into the realm of high stakes project management, organisational design, and relentless delivery. We will shine a light on the existing innovation in these areas and emphasise the need for smart thinking and creativity. Drawing parallels from sport, we will explore fast flow design teams in high-stakes environments and discover how innovative approaches can transform traditional delivery and elevate team performance to new heights.

The Power of Process Innovation, Insight and Inspiration for Organisational Leaders

Welcome to the September edition of the Agile Yorkshire community of practice meet up! We are thrilled to announce that this month's gathering is going to be something truly special. We are super excited to have Matthew Skelton, the co-author of the best-selling book "Team Topologies," as our headline guest speaker.
"Team Topologies" has made a significant impact in the world of delivery management, earning its place as #3 on the "100 Best Product Management Books of All Time" list. Matthew Skelton's insights into optimising team structures and dynamics are invaluable for anyone involved in delivery organisations, whether you're working at the team level or influencing organisational change.
Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the leading voices in the field and connect with fellow Agile enthusiasts. We look forward to seeing you there!

2024 September Meetup

These days there are becoming less 'Agile Transformations' from scratch and more 'Agile Aversion' due to previous failed and expensive attempts. This talk will explore how and why Change Strategies go so wrong and offers practical steps to get back on track with positive business change approaches that apply to everyone in the organisation.

Reagility: How To Fix a Broken Agile Implementation

Andy Burgin

The DevOps and SRE community is focusing on product-focused platform teams, managing platforms, pipelines, and tooling as products to speed up development and reduce complexity. This shift brings renewed attention to Developer Experience, with industry experts debating its definitions and benefits. As a Platform Engineer, how can you enhance speed for your customers? Which aspects of Developer Experience matter, and how do you curate a successful experience? What works, what doesn't, and how do you measure success? Andy, part of the Container Platform squad at Flutter UK and Ireland, has been involved since its inception in 2016. In 2019, he was asked to lead a newly formed Platform Developer Experience team, ensuring a streamlined experience for developers across the business.

Curating a Developer Experience (for Platform Engineers)

Get ready for an action-packed August meetup with the Agile Yorkshire community! As we gear up for the excitement of the Olympics, we're thrilled to present our very own gold medal speakers, Amy Thompson and Andy Burgin.
Join us for an evening that promises to be as engaging as the games themselves, filled with valuable insights, practical advice, and maybe even a few laughs. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn from the best and get your Agile game to the podium!

2024 August Meetup

Sharon Dale

I have spent the last ten years working with agile teams in a variety of roles with remits as varied as supporting stakeholders new to agile, user centred, design led ways of working, building effective teams, building capability for service owners in government, supporting teams to build out a service for a new policy area with multiple parties from agencies, contractors, policy team and other departmental stakeholders plus a bit of delivery. This is a run through of my go to techniques to influence and inspire.

The Things I Go Back To When Working With Agile Teams

Lauren Ackroyd

Have you considered disrupting your ways of working to improve your teams? I want to talk to you about how as Scrum Masters, in many cases, our focus is on improving our teams, how we can change them, how we can experiment with them, how we can make them more efficient whilst delivering more value, and whether you could make a greater impact by changing that focus.

It's Not You, It's Me

Hello Agile Enthusiasts! Summer's here, and so is our next Agile Yorkshire Meetup! We're thrilled to invite you to our July gathering for an evening of inspiration, learning, and camaraderie. Gain practical insights and techniques from our industry experts that you can apply directly to your teams, connect with like-minded professionals and build your agile network. Plus, relish in delightful refreshments, city centre venue and snacks that will keep you energised throughout the evening. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn, network, and have a great professional time of agile awesomeness! 
Looking forward to seeing you there.

2024 July Meetup

Robin Hackshall

"The only constant in life is change." - Heraclitus Change within organisations is often driven by the need to adapt to evolving market conditions, technological advancements, and competitive pressures. Despite knowing that change is always likely to be 'hiding around the corner', it is often disruptive and can be challenging to deal with. In this short talk, we begin to investigate the problems associated with change and the impact that change initiatives can have on organisations, teams and individuals. This will lay the foundational 'building blocks' for a longer interactive workshop in July where we look to demonstrate how the emotions felt by individuals when change occurs and explore the techniques that could be used to contribute towards successful change initiatives.

The Problem With Change

Vernon Richards

How I Think Quality Engineering, Glue Work And Quiet Quitting Are Related and what we can do about it!

How We're Setting Up Qes To Fail

Agile Yorkshire's June Meetup is here! With expert speakers Robin Hackshall and Vernon Richards with an exploration into the complexities of organisational change and the hidden pitfalls facing quality engineers. Robin's talk on "The Problem With Change" will shed light on why transformations often falter, while Vernon's "How We're Setting Up QEs To Fail" will uncover the challenges in quality engineering roles. Join us for an evening filled with knowledge-sharing, networking.

2024 June Meetup

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Lindsay Baker

Agile principles and practices present opportunity to truly embrace the strengths of diverse cognitive styles. Creating an inclusive environment, which enriches team dynamics and empowers the collective capability is integral to building teams with the diversity of thought, skill and experience to succeed in delivering valuable software products & services. In this meet up we will explore what neurodiversity means and look at opportunities to recognise the strengths and needs of individuals in teams. I will share some of my experiences as a neurodiverse colleague. Moving away from working patterns that contribute to burnout, the two sides of emotional hypervigilance and overcoming the overwhelming concern that I may lose all my words when presenting to large groups of people (still working on this one!) We will explore ways we can overcome barriers to inclusion by sharing practical tips and strategies across our community, focused on leveraging strengths and building collaboration

Embracing Neurodiversity in Agile Teams

Great public speakers aren’t just born that way…it’s a skill that can be learned, developed and honed. In a tech landscape where sharing ideas, concepts and opinions is integral to your success, developing your ability to connect, engage, and inspire an audience is a great way to further your career. Our new Public Speaking Partner, Catherine Bonner from Ambient Tribe, shares practical tools and techniques to up your presentation game, whether you’re just starting out, refining your skills or preparing to speak on the main stage.

Build and Refine Your Public Speaking Toolbox

Our May Agile Yorkshire meetup is set to be a vibrant and enlightening gathering, featuring two engaging talks. Lindsay Baker will delve into "Embracing Neurodiversity in Agile Teams," offering a fresh perspective on team dynamics. Catherine Bonner's session, "Build and Refine Your Public Speaking Toolbox," promises to equip attendees with essential communication skills. It's an ideal opportunity for those looking to spice up their professional toolkit while keeping the vibe light and engaging. We'll be announcing more details about Catherine's involvement in due course, keep an eye on our news feed and socials. 

2024 February Meetup

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Aaron McKenna

In this talk, we will look at two recent case studies where we've used OKRs to align and elevate portfolio performance using agile practices. We will share some of our most impactful takeaways on how to supercharge your goals and alignment within your organisation.

Supercharge Alignment With OKRs

Matthew Turnbull

Listen to my journey as a scrum master so far, discussing the many challenges I have faced, from not coaching a team to very challenging stakeholders. But, also the highlights of the role, seeing teams improve and learn! If your curious about learning what it means to be a Scrum Master working their way through the fog of helping individuals and a team, come along.

My Scrum Master Journey

Hey Agilistas,
Get ready for a blast at next month's upcoming meetup, where agile adventures are on the horizon. First off, Aaron McKenna will be taking the stage with "Supercharge Alignment With OKRs", promising to reveal the magic of aligning team goals with agile wizardry. Expect insights, case studies, and a sprinkle of Aaron's infectious enthusiasm.
Then, Matthew Turnbull will share his "My Scrum Master Journey", taking us through the highs and lows of his 18-month adventure in the scrum world. From Leeds to leaderboards, Matt's story is set to inspire and entertain, showing us the real side of scrum mastery.
Both sessions are bound to be not just informative but sprinkled with laughs and real-world wisdom. Prepare to leave inspired, a bit more knowledgeable, and eager for more. Plus, the networking will be top-notch as always.

March Meetup: Aaron McKenna and Supercharge Alignment With OKRs plus Matthew Turnbull's Scrum Master Journey

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Kieran Baker

Rachel Carrington

Agile is not just for software development, the principles and approaches can be applied to deliver a multitude of different services. We will present an example of using agile approaches to deliver a high-quality national analytical service for the NHS.


Delivering a national analytical service using agile-at-scale

Alan Raison

In an increasingly complex world, it is important for developers to be able to create local development environments quickly and easily, without fear of restrictive corporate policies preventing them from having the tools they need. Many tools have emerged in this space over the past few years and by taking a selection of them, could it be possible to have a properly audited and rapid way to provision useful environments for development teams? Let Alan guide you through the available tools and find out whether there is a solution that provides developers the tools they need in an auditable way.

Agile vs Regulation: Development Environments

After running almost every month for nearly ten years Agile Yorkshire has been on a hiatus since shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown. We've not been idle however and with a new website we're ready for a relaunch.
We have an amazing speaker line up in Kieran Baker - Chief Digital and Information Head for South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Alan Raison - Principal Engineer for NewRedo. Between them, they have a smorgasbord of agile stories to tell rooted in real-world experience from large-scale delivery to the technicalities and economics of building developer environments efficiently for effective and flexible delivery teams.


Agile Yorkshire the Relaunch

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Jutta Eckstein

Ten years ago, Jutta published the very first book on Agile Software Development with Distributed Teams. Moreover, Jutta has also published Agile Software Development in the Large, Retrospectives for Organizational Change, and together with Johanna Rothman Diving for Hidden Treasures: Uncovering the Cost of Delay in your Project Portfolio. Just recently Jutta has pair-written with John Buck a book on Company-wide Agility. This book focuses on synthesizing Beyond Budgeting, Open Space, Sociocracy, and Agility.

The Remote Challenge in Agile Software Development

The Agile Yorkshire team are pleased to be able to bring you all the insights from our monthly event to the comfort of your home. We’ve got some incredible speakers confirmed to discuss a topic that’s never been more relevant: keeping your distributed teams agile. Not only will attendees get a surprise delivery the week of the event, but we’re also running a short Kwizzbit quiz after the webinar for the chance to win a £25 voucher for a local independent of your choice. The quiz will test your knowledge of Agile practises, Yorkshire and some other random knowledge subjects thrown in for good measure.
### Agenda
* 5.30pm - Welcome
* 5.45pm - First talk
* 6.05pm - Second talk
* 6.25pm - Agile Yorkshire Kwizzbit Quiz & Beers
* 6.45pm - Agile Yorkshire Quiz Winner announced & end

Agile

Yorkshire

About the Agile Yorkshire Community

The Organisers

Royd Brayshay

Past Speakers

Matthew Carr

Mark Moreau

Catherine Bonner

Amardeep Sirha

Steve Martin

Rohit Ratan Mani

Agile

Yorkshire

Services

Website

Privacy

Agile

Yorkshire

About the Agile Yorkshire Community

The Organisers

Royd Brayshay

Past Speakers

Matthew Carr

Mark Moreau

Catherine Bonner

Amardeep Sirha

Steve Martin

Rohit Ratan Mani

Our Sponsors

Agile

Yorkshire

Services

Website

Privacy