I’ve been asked to be the overall conference chair for the Agile Alliance Agile2017 conference in Orlando. Since I’ve been transparent as a track chair and program chair in previous years, I want to continue this goal. Now the disclaimer is that this is my glimpse: former and future program chairs will think and potentially do things differently.
One of the first tasks that I have is to select a program team. This meant finding three individuals to comprise the program team with me:
- People
- Process at Scale
- Technical
Following previous program teams, I targeted some general goals/guides in helping to select:
- To minimize “relearning” everything each year, the goal is to build some succession knowledge sharing as each year continues.
- To continue to incorporate new individuals into the program team to facilitate different perspectives to help make this and future conferences awesome.
- Program chair candidates should have multiple years experience with volunteering and/or reviewing and being a track chair.
These were goals not mandates as I explored candidates. Where does the list of candidates come from. This year, I pulled from:
- This year’s returning track chairs as options
- Previous years’ track chairs for experienced options
- At Agile2016, we requested anyone interested in volunteering to contact someone on the program team or submit to a link that was published
- A list of recommendations from former program chairs
Then it all starts to get a little fluid. It’s not a simple direct process. Once I have a candidate in mind, I reach out to them. I talk to them about their interest in being a program chair. We discuss the responsibilities associated to the role. However, it’s important to highlight that this is not a guarantee as things may change and final approval of the full committee is needed from the Agile Alliance board. Overall, this is no easy process. There are a ton of names in that compiled list that I respect, that I would love to work with, and that would do a great job. There are just only so many spots 🙁
I’m now able to officially introduce Agile2017 program team:
Diane Zajac-Woodie: Diane was on the program team from Agile2016 as the program chair for Process at Scale. This year, she will be the returning program chair and covering the People program. Not only is Diane extremely knowledgeable; she is an amazing asset in helping the team consider the various dynamics of our decisions/processes. I look forward to continuing to work with her in the year to come. Welcome back 🙂
Christina Hartikainen: Christina was a returning track chair within the Agile2016 team. Each year, she consistently delivers a quality program with a dedicated and motivated team of evaluators. I had the opportunity to interact with her more this past year and I’m so excited to work with someone so engaging and passionate. And yes, I double checked spelling her last name correctly!
Doc Norton: Doc was a returning track chair after a little bit of time off in Agile2016. Specifically, he was selected by the program team to aid in the co-leading the experiment for advanced attendees, which turned into the Audacious Salon track. It only takes one meeting with Doc to understand why he is a well respected technical leader in the community. I was thrilled when he agreed to focus his time and energy into this team for Agile2017.
What happens next, well, lots. We have a ton to prepare for submission system opening and one of the first major steps is the program team selecting track chairs. I will again share as that is finalized. I have no idea if anyone cares about this but I was once curious. So I’m sharing.
Please join me in wishing them good luck for having to work with me 🙂
What would you be interested in learning more about with Agile2017?
