Has Agile become a cult or is it just the new status quo? In this session we'll apply the lens of 21st century psychology and cognitive complexity science to the art of the Agile - revealing the science behind both Agile's excellences and limitations. Through this process we'll uncover both roadblocks and step ladders to the wider spread and self sustaining success of the Agile movement; gaining valuable insights into the question 'is Agile enough'?
Simon is currently Managing Principal for LASTing Benefits (UK / Australia).
LASTing Benefits is a boutique consultancy specialising in augmenting Lean and Agile adoptions with cognitive complexity and systems thinking techniques to create self sustaining organisational change.
Simon's particular interest and expertise lie in how the systems and scenarios we find ourselves in drive our behaviour; specifically the ways in which we view and interact with each other and how this affects our perceptions of the world and our decision making processes.
This interest in human systems began in the early 90's whilst working on military simulations. It was during this time that he first learned about OODA loops, game theory and Lean Manufacturing.
After a decade of 2167/A based projects Simon then discovered what was soon to be known as Agile Software Development and began experimenting with techniques such as XP, Crystal and Scrum for inhouse software development before joining Conchango a UK based consultancy who specialised in the delivery of complex software projects for Blue Chip clients using Agile Methodologies and Lean Software Development.
A popular conference speaker and workshop facilitator, Simon covers a wide gamut of topics with a central theme: from how Game Theory can improve the outcomes of your Agile Contracts, how your employment contract affects your performance (and those around you), what Cynefin can tell us about Scrum and how obsessive backlog grooming could lead to a breakdown in the cognitive abilities of your stakeholders.
Twitter: @cgosimon