learning agility over learning agile

Learning Agility over

Learning Agile

@daniel_davis

Monday, June 2, 14

Who I am?Business Improvement ConsultantAgile Practitioner/DeveloperInnovatorHackerMakerCub MasterProfessional Snowboard Instructor

Where I’ve been?Delphi

AAA LifeGeneral Motors

Blue Cross Blue ShieldCengage Learning

Delta DentalGordon Food Service (GFS)

CintasFarm Bureau Insurance

Monday, June 2, 14

Focus For The Session

Principles over Prescription

Discussion over Presentation

Experiential Learning over Listening

Monday, June 2, 14

Agile - Defined

Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools

Working software over Comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation

Responding to change over Following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

Agile software development is a group of software development methods based on iterative and incremental development, in which

requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. It promotes adaptive planning,

evolutionary development and delivery, a time-boxed iterative approach, and encourages rapid and flexible response to change.

Monday, June 2, 14

Learning Agility - Defined

Learning agility is the willingness and ability to learn from your experiences and then apply those lessons to help you succeed in new situations.

Monday, June 2, 14

Characteristics of learning agility...

- solicit early and direct feedback

- self-reflect

- resourceful with what’s at hand

- seek to fail fast

- always looking for new challenges

and most importantly...

- Continuously Learning

Monday, June 2, 14

Continuous Learning - Defined

Continuous learning is the constant expansion of skills through learning and increasing knowledge. It’s about expanding our skill-set in response to changing environments and new developments.

Monday, June 2, 14

Continuous Learning - Why it’s important

Being able to continuously learn has become a must within our modern-day technical careers. If you aren't growing, adapting, and evolving your skills as technologies change, then you are stagnating.

Eventually you won't outgrow your job - it will outgrow you!

Monday, June 2, 14

Characteristics of continuous learning...

- asking for help when something is not understood

- observing more experienced employees at work

- trying new ways of doing things and exploring alternative methods

- finding ways to improve such as taking up training programs or online seminars outside of work

and most importantly...

- practicing what has been learnt already

Monday, June 2, 14

Ways to support continuous learning -

Code Katas - Helps hone skills through practice and repetition.

- cyber-dojo.org

- codekata.com

- thePrimeFactorsKata ~ butUncleBob.com

- self driven ~ new ideas ~ old problems ~ unknowns

Monday, June 2, 14

Ways to support continuous learning -

Pair Programming -Drives shared knowledge and collective understanding. Allows for focused learning in collaboration with an instant feedback loop.

- Across the experience: • Expert with Expert

• Expert with Novice

• Novice with Novice

- Amongst the team: • Business with Development

• Development with Testing

• Testing with Business

Monday, June 2, 14

Ways to support continuous learning -

Online Training -

skillshare - Master real-world skills with hands-on projects. Hundreds of online classes to chose from.

pluralsight.com - A rich library of full-length online training courses for developers and IT pros, created by the best authors in the industry.

Monday, June 2, 14

Quotes and motivation -

“I am still learning”

Michelangelo - at 87 years old

“stop doing Agile and start being agile”

not sure - but I use it enough to claim it

“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.”

Lemony Snicket

Monday, June 2, 14

Challenge -

What is one learning objective you can set for yourself today?

Monday, June 2, 14

Q & A

Monday, June 2, 14

Business Solutions Consultancy For those who value... value.

Clients collaborate with us to solve business problems.

The first step is figuring out how we can either make or save them money.

BUSINESS AGILITY

Monday, June 2, 14

Daniel Davis

ddavis@pillartechnology.com

daniel.davis.tech@gmail.com

@daniel_davis

linkedin.com/in/davisdaniel

Thank you!

Monday, June 2, 14