Summary

Every year around Christmas we host the annual Agile Yorkshire Lightning Talk Competition. It's an Xmas tradition to make the December 13th meeting a celebration of community speaking, with prizes to boot. If you haven't been before then you've definitely missed out on a quite a bit of fun and an opportunity to be inspired.

Programme

Do You Trust Your Dog ?
All about building and developing trusting relationships.
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David Oakes
David is a versatile IT delivery specialist who combines deep technical knowledge with sharp business acumen. Known for his meticulous problem-solving approach and understanding of how technology underpins business success, he consistently drives positive outcomes. A respected IT leader with an approachable personality, David excels at translating complex technical concepts into clear business value.
Hello, this is Windows support desk...
This is the humerous tale of when the support scammers picked on the wrong guy. I'll explain how on two occasions I spent over an hour winding up a fake support company. I'll explain many of the petty and annoying techniques I used to cause the poor "support" team to despair at my self imposed inept abilities and why they resorted to calling me a "monkey". But there is a serious side to this and hopefully you'll take the "funnies" from this and share it with those who might be at risk.
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Andy Burgin
Andy has been a digital industry professional in Leeds since 1994, bringing extensive experience across development, infrastructure, operations, and project management. As the founder of Leeds Devops, he has successfully established a growing community that's attracting interest from both large corporations and small businesses throughout the Leeds area, despite the group being relatively new.
Different types of failure
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Tom Crane
Tom Crane is an experienced Product Owner who has managed one of the UK's leading free online credit report services, supporting around 3.5 million customers. He's worked as a Senior Consultant in Business Analysis managing a team of 7 plus a string of consulting roles. He combines team leadership with hands-on business analysis throughout the project delivery lifecycle.
Why Triathlon is better than football
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Adam Mitchell
Adam is a seasoned Agile coach with long history of IT industry experience across the Leeds and Manchester regions. Having transitioned from a development background, they now specialise in guiding companies through comprehensive agile transformation programs. Beyond their professional expertise, they maintain an active lifestyle as a dedicated triathlete, balancing technical knowledge with physical discipline.
The problem with Agile is...
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Steve Trapps
Steve brings over 20 years of diverse IT expertise, having excelled in roles ranging from Head of Technology and Technical Architect on high-profile projects to Scrum Master for multiple development teams and hands-on Developer. His impressive career spans industry giants including BSkyB, Nestlé UK, and Procter & Gamble, alongside valuable experience helping small and medium enterprises scale effectively by strengthening their development processes and nurturing their technical teams. This breadth of experience across organizational sizes and technical roles gives him a unique perspective on technology leadership and implementation.
MonsterLith Inc: A Tale of two Ditties
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Ethar Alali
Ethar Alali serves as CxO of Axelisys and creator of Agile-EA methodology. A systems engineering expert and serial entrepreneur, he has founded multiple start-ups while implementing agile practices since 2002. Ethar's distinctive approach combines mathematics, statistics, and lean thinking principles, reflecting his analytical mindset and commitment to efficiency-driven solutions across his technical endeavors.
Geospatial for dummies - why mapping matters
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Dave Livesey
Dave is an accomplished Web Developer with extensive experience in the marketing and advertising industry. Specializes in front-end technologies including HTML5, CSS3 (employing BEM methodology and Sass), and JavaScript frameworks (Vue.js and React). Proficient in back-end development using PHP and MySQL. Consistently delivers high-performance, accessible websites and web applications that combine technical excellence with exceptional user experience. Committed to creating digital solutions that meet both client objectives and end-user needs while adhering to modern web standards.
Why does your browser think #chucknorris is a color?
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Daniel Drozdzewski
Daniel Drozdzewski is a seasoned software development professional whose career includes a role as a Software Developer at William Hill. His experience spans multiple organisations, including positions as an Android and Java Mobile Developer at a messaging platform company, a Software Developer and Scrum Master at a business software firm, and an R&D Software Developer at a major technology laboratory. Throughout his career, Daniel has developed expertise in various technologies and demonstrated leadership capabilities, particularly in his Scrum Master role.
You built what I asked for, it's not what I needed
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Naeem Sarfraz
Naeem Sarfraz is a technical architect specialising in legacy system transformation and business process optimisation. With experience at IAM Cloud implementing Azure automation and leading ERP replacement projects, he combines technical expertise with strong leadership skills. Naeem has managed development teams, created healthcare RFID solutions, and developed mobile applications that enhance customer engagement. His strengths lie in balancing stakeholder needs with technical excellence, delivering efficient systems through thoughtful analysis and practical innovation.