August 2021 - Member Meeting

Online

Member Webex Meeting

Topic:: Focus With Roadmaps to Get Your Agile Transformation Out of the Ditch

Presenter: Mathew McConnell;

Consultant - Fusion Technology, LLC;

President - International Institute of Business Analysis, Pittsburgh Chapter

Webinar Abstract:  

Some agile teams get stuck in the weeds because it's more comfortable to focus on easily tasks than to take on audacious goals. If your goals don't seem to be getting closer with each sprint, it could be because you're lost in the wilderness and you need a map to find your way out.

Roadmaps are a powerful tool for focusing energy on solving the right problems. Unfortunately, they get lost in the shuffle between management and development teams. If you can create a good roadmap for your stakeholders up, down, and across your organization, it will focus everyone on making the right decisions to deliver big things.

Pro-tip: You don't have to be the boss to draft the roadmap.

In this talk, we'll cover:

• Why Product Roadmaps are important
• Who creates the roadmap (Hint: YOU)
• How to get started (or restarted) on a roadmap
• What belongs in your roadmap

Presenter BIO: 

Matt has spent 15 years helping teams deliver a range of technical public and private sector programs in supply chain, cybersecurity, retail, and ecommerce. Originally trained as a Business Analyst, Matt has applied the lessons of communicating software requirements to the broader problem of achieving business-IT clarity: sometimes as a Product Owner, sometimes as a Scrum Master, sometimes as a BA, sometimes as a PM, but always with an agile mentality.

Matt started off with a bachelor's in foreign language but found along the way that coaching business and IT to become cross-fluent with each other was far more fulfilling. Since that realization, he's earned an MS in Technical Management from the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins and maintains several certifications in business analysis, project management, and agile. Matt is active in the International Institute of Business Analysis, Project Management Institute, and other professional development organizations.Alan has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland, a master’s certificate in IT Project Management from the George Washington University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Agile Professional (PMI-ACP) through the Project Management Institute.