It’s been a few weeks but I’ve finally been able to write it all up. I have attended this conference every year since Agile2007 minus Agile2020 but no one could attend that year! And each year, I write a reflection and appreciation post following the event. This time there is just so much that this post is going to be in a series. So part 1…behind the scenes.
As a former conference organizer (volunteer, reviewer, track chair, program chair), conference chair (2017) and Agile Alliance board member, I have first hand knowledge of how much goes into putting on this week. In this feedback centric community, we can have high expectations and sometimes be pretty tough on people. Personally, I remember finally being unable to take anything more and breaking into tears over a super small piece of feedback that I even agreed with. So are there things I would have done differently, sure. Are there things that I noticed, of course. And at the end of the day, I wasn’t the one doing the work. I wasn’t the one who had all the context for those decisions. I wasn’t the one responsible. So this series will be focused on what has me still glowing after Agile2024.
- Volunteers: The smiles, the help, the energy…all of it. ALWAYS helpful. ALWAYS bringing spirit. ALWAYS making a difference. What this team continues to deliver year after year is nothing short of amazing. Purple shirts rock!
- The Agile Alliance, Program Team, and Track Chairs, Organizers and Elastic – I tip my hat to each one of you. I know how much work leads up to and during this week. The care, passion, and focus on experiments came through loud and clear. You all had so many extra challenges this year and you handled them with grace, while providing a wonderful learning environment for the rest of us. Mad respect!
- Taking the C.L.E.A.R pledge (curious, listening, empathetic, action-oriented and reflective to the needs of the most vulnerable). and when I act it will be informed by the five Ds (distract, delegate, document, delay, direct). I hope I lived up to this pledge and created safe places for others. Thank you Tobey for helping people be educated, take action and support everyone.
- Someone asked me if being on the board and doing all of those years of organizing was worth it. I’d be lying if there were times I questioned if this was true. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were extremely difficult times. But as I engaged during Agile2024, I was able to take an reflective and appreciative look at what I helped impact that I’m extremely proud of and makes the answer a very simple… yes! Now, as I’m about to write these out, let me state – there were many people involved and my part is a very small part often. So here I go:
- Women In Agile. I’m not a part of the organization. In fact, this was the first full event I was able to attend but I was part of the Agile Alliance program team that provided the space for their very first event. I remember the conference program team’s discussions to champion the value behind the scenes for giving space on Sunday. Fast forward to now and seeing the numbers of new voices they have helped…it was just awesome!
- Agile in Color. I’m extremely hesitant to list this one as I had a very very little part. But it’s behind the scenes and they very much deserve a kudos. In 2020, we as the Agile Alliance board of directors held a series on racial equity. April Jefferson and Antony Marcano delivered incredible facilitation and space. One of the things that emerged was the Agile in Color initiative. Their focus on supporting people, encouraging people, connecting people…and more, has made a difference in our community that I can only express by saying…THANK YOU! I am in awe of the impact you all are making.
- Agile Advice. As part of the conference program team, we wanted to increase the participation of this type of activity at the conference. After numerous discussions (and naming battles), agile advice experiment was implemented. I’ve been able to participate for a few years now and I absolutely smile from ear to ear as I read the feedback from attendees after their advice session. Chris Li, you and the team of people over the years, have made this offering more than we could have hoped for. Thank you.
- Agile Companies. As part of the conference organizing team, we experimented by expanding the topics and creating a track called agile companies (again, after some naming battles). The track as titled doesn’t exist anymore but the contribution of talking about how software is built within an entire organization. That agility didn’t just apply to software development. I had so many marketing, hr, sales, etc type conversations related to business agility and leadership. Made my heart happy for what is possible.
- Audacious Salon. After a conversation with Lyssa Adkins, an experiment was born. Could we create a space where experienced people could engage in sessions without impacting speakers. Where the session wasn’t about the speaker but about the topic. Where new ideas, difficult conversations and hopefully some fun could emerge. There has been several track chairs caring for this experiment over the years. And as I’ve been able to watch it evolve, I couldn’t be more thrilled with the value and potential still to come.
Thank you again for everyone that works so hard behind the scenes. That effort is hard, but the value is enormous. This conference goer had an amazing experience and is so proud to be a part of this community.
Next up in the series: Sessions
Do you have any Agile2024 behind the scenes thoughts to share?
