Why I joined Scrum.org

I’ve been working in software for a long time, and for most of that time I’ve been trying to find better ways of delivering working software. I’ve had the good fortune to start my career, in the early 1980’s, at the beginning of a real revolution in the way software was developed and delivered. For the first time, computers became widely available, demand for software exploded, and a period of tremendous innovation and creativity in software development and delivery began and it has never really stopped.

It has become a cliche to say that every company has become a software company, but it’s true. Software has gone from merely supporting the business to being the core means by which industry leaders deliver value to their customers. It is not hyperbole to say that organizations who cannot become great at delivering software will simply cease to exist. The business leaders who understand this are changing entire companies and industries. When Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, regards software delivery as key to GE’s ability to innovate and thrive, you know something remarkable has happened.

However, the problem is that many organizations still struggle with the profound transformation that they must undertake to become truly great at quickly delivering high-quality experiences through software. They want to transform, but transformation is hard, and with so much at stake they can’t afford to make big mistakes. They are, in fact, afraid of making any mistakes, and that fear paralyzes them. I have seen what can be achieved when organizations become truly agile enterprises. I have also seen enough organizations in the throes of transformation to know how hard it can be.

I joined Scrum.org because I think it is has the best potential to help organizations solve this challenge. I am equally excited to have the opportunity to work with Ken Schwaber. He is one of the foremost leaders in the Agile community as a signer of the Agile Manifesto, the co-creator of Scrum, founder of the Agile Alliance and Scrum.org, and someone who has the passion for improving the profession of software delivery. I now get to work side-by-side with Ken to continue on his vision of bringing Agile and Scrum to the enterprise.

I believe that Scrum.org has the best opportunity to help organizations fulfill the full potential of Agile. It has great credibility in the Agile community for delivering high quality thought leadership, training , and certifications. It also has a great community of experts and practitioners who are already helping organizations at many levels. I bring to this my own experience in helping large organizations transform. I have also learned a lot in my years covering Agile and DevOps as an industry analyst; I’ve seen what leading organizations are doing, and I have helped other organizations learn from the experiences of others. I plan to continue and build upon that work, working with my new colleagues and new community at Scrum.org.

Our timing could not be better. Becoming an agile enterprise is on the agenda of every C-level executive, and yet they struggle with the change. They are looking for help and guidance, and partners who can help them make the change. Agile has always been popular at the practitioner level, but many teams became frustrated by the lack of executive support. We can help execs see that agile is not just a better way to develop software but a better way to run their businesses, and then help them adapt and thrive in a period of unprecedented challenge and opportunity.