Topic Summary:

The Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe) was recently named the most widely used method for Scaling Agile from a team level to a Program and then Enterprise level, making the value of holding a SAFe Certification greater now more than ever before. With over 70% of the US Fortune 100 companies and government agencies like the DOD using SAFe; the demand for SAFe certified professionals is growing at an exponential rate. Many employers are seeking professional candidates who bring credentials that demonstrate their ability to work within a SAFe environment, as displayed and verified through a SAFe Certification.

Since there are no prerequisites or experience to take any of the courses and get certified, you can experiment with different areas this fast-growing Project Management framework and decide what career track suits your skills, experience, and interests! 

Debra Hildebrand, Founder, and CEO of LurnAgile, a boutique Scaled Agile coaching and training firm, will walk you through the evolution of SAFe and how it can boost your career – even if you have been working in traditional project management up to this point.

Speaker Bio:

Debra Hildebrand, MBA, SPC, PMP

Debra Hildebrand is the Founder and CEO of LurnAgile and has over 20 years’ experience in project management; including consulting and training in the public and private sector and teaching in higher education. She is one of the architects for the Project Management Certification program at the University of Washington, where she received the Team-Teaching Excellence Award and currently instructs in the online portion of the program. Additionally, she developed and currently teaches traditional and agile project management courses at Stanford University.

“I am passionate about helping organizations realize their full potential through Business Agility.” says Debra “I love working with organizations to build big systems and/or solve big problems. For over 20 years I have worked on some tough, high profile consulting assignments and have enjoyed every minute of it. I work hard to understand each client’s specific needs, problems, and “personality.  Becoming a Scaled Agile Transformation Partner was the perfect fit for our organization”.

Her passion projects include highlighting Women in Agile through her Business RadioX Show, The Lurnist, and helping veterans transition into meaningful careers in project management after service disconnection through her work on the board of Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance (VPMMA).

She is a certified SAFe Program Consultant (SPC 5.0), Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute and has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York, NY.

Debra currently lives in Phoenix, AZ

About LurnAgile

LurnAgile is a boutique firm that offers SAFe Certification Training, Transformation Coaching, and “SAFe as a Service” for clients that are going through an Agile Transformation.  We are a Scaled Agile Silver Transformation Partner, which means that we have invested a great deal in the framework so our students and clients know we are committed to the highest quality and standards of training and coaching delivery.  We are an Elite Team of Agile Coaches and Instructors – each team member has over 10 years’ experience coaching and leading Agile Transformations, so you know you are working with someone who “has been there and done that”. 

Topic Summary: 
Have you ever found yourself in this position? You're a rock-star project manager, and your project was successful. But within the year, the project's deliverables lie abandoned and the organization is already spinning up another project to solve the same business problem. What happened? How did everything go off the rails after you wrapped up the project? Projects are agents of change and, by nature, people resist change. As project managers, are we doing the things necessary in our projects to help prepare our stakeholders for change? Do our projects truly deliver business benefits, or do they just create deliverables? And what's the project manager's role in preparing the organization for change?

Speakers:

Drew Middleton, Partner at Kolme Group

Drew Middleton is a value-focused IT professional with twenty-five years of experience leading highly effective teams. He has spent his career applying project management, business analysis, and change management techniques to a wide array of IT projects, including enterprise efforts focused on infrastructure uplift/consolidation, data center operations, application development and sustainment, service desk operations, and process improvement. In his approach, Drew strives to balance communication and organizational skills, proactive risk management strategies, and proven project/program management practices to help organizations deliver projects on time and within budget. Drew currently holds a PMI PMP, ITIL v3 Foundations, Scrum Alliance ScrumMaster, and Prosci Change Practitioner certifications.

Connect with Drew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewmiddleton1/

Kornelia Homewood, Project and Portfolio Management Consultant at Kolme Group

Kornelia Homewood is a knowledgeable PM consultant with a well-rounded experience that spans coaching PMs, building and evaluating PMOs, and managing projects in technology, finance, higher education, and marketing. She is passionate about the PM industry and is always up for an opportunity to talk about the latest trends in PM, OCM, and agile methodologies or practices. Kornelia is an active member of PMI Phoenix, a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Professional Scrum Master, Prosci Certified Change Practitioner, and graduated with distinction from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide with a Masters of Science in Project Management.

Connect with Kornelia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/korneliahomewood/

About Kolme Group:

At Kolme Group, we believe that data is the best foundation for business decision-making. Hunches and intuition just don’t cut it in today's agile business model. Executives, leaders, and teams need to make educated, data-decisions in order to successfully navigate the complex and ever-changing business landscape. Kolme Group helps you connect with that game-changing asset -- The data which can help chart the best course forward.