AgilePalooza Chicago: VersionOne to Host Agile Conference for Regional Software Community

What: AgilePalooza (www.agilepalooza.com) is a community event presented by VersionOne (www.versionone.com). Meant to be a fun, low cost event linking internationally recognized coaches and trainers with the local software community, AgilePalooza is a day of collaboration, education and advancement of agile methods.

For $89 attendees receive a full day of agile learning, lunch and a choice of participating in one of two tracks; Practicing Agile and Planning Agile. These tracks offer topics ideal for those newer to agile as well as more experienced practitioners.

Where: AgilePalooza Chicago will be held at:

Hyatt Regency Chicago at River Walk
151 East Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 565-1234

When: September 30, 2011

Who: AgilePalooza Chicago has secured a line-up of experienced and talented agile experts and educators, including:

Mike Cottmeyer is an independent agile coach that provides agile training, agile coaching and agile transformation services. Mike has 20+ years experience leading IT initiatives using a combination of traditional, agile and lean project management best practices. Previously, he served as VP and General Manager of Pillar Technology Southeast, and prior to Pillar, was a product consultant and agile evangelist for VersionOne. Mike is a certified PMP Project Manager and a certified ScrumMaster. Mike speaks internationally on the topic of Agile Project Management and writes for several blogs including www.LeadingAgile.com and Blogs.VersionOne.com/Agile_Management. He currently co–leads the PMI Agile Community of Practice.

Douglas E. Shimp is establishing himself as a leader in applied learning for real product development. With 18 years of experience in the technology field, including key roles in software development. Doug believes that the core bases for applied agile is that “You must see the result for it to be real; otherwise it is all just theory to the individual”. He is actively writing a book on Scrum Topics. One of Doug’s distinctions is his focus on the interaction of technology and corporate cultural issues and he actively uses his passion to improve technology and people interactions. He has established both in-person and online communities and regularly fosters social networks where individuals and companies can build better reputations (http://doug-shimp.net/). Doug is a Certified Scrum Trainer with the Scrum Alliance and a Trained Facilitator with Innovation Games™.

Dave Nicolette is active in the Agile and Lean communities as a speaker, writer, trainer, and coach, frequently appearing at conferences and user group meetings. Since starting his IT career as a programmer in 1977, Dave has served in a variety of roles in IT departments of all sizes and has always had a strong interest in process improvement and methodology. Since 2002, his primary focus has been on Agile methods, and, more recently, on applying Lean Thinking and Systems Thinking to IT processes and blending the best of proven and emerging methods, with due attention to organizational and domain context. He has significant experience in coaching development/delivery teams, IT management, and business stakeholders in Agile and Lean methods. Dave coaches teams in the use of sound software development practices and helps management and stakeholders understand how to achieve and sustain strong end–to–end delivery performance.

Lee Cunningham is an experienced Agile coach and practitioner who is passionate about working with organizations and individual teams to help them consistently deliver high–value, high–quality software. Lee currently is with the VersionOne services group as an Agile coach and product trainer. Over his 12 years in IT, he has played many different traditional roles, including analyst, software engineer, development manager, QA manager, release manager, project manager, and program manager. Lee’s journey into Agile began quite organically, as he implemented common sense practices to empower teams under his leadership while involving the “business” more in the decision–making and the delivery process. Energized by working with people at all organizational levels, he typically works with several different groups to help make Agile practices relevant and effective.

John Galioto is an Executive Vice President at emergn, a certified scrum master and an industry leader in agile best practices. He has over 25 years of global IT consulting experience including 10 at the executive management level. During his career John has helped many Fortune 1000 clients throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa realize dramatic business results on strategic consulting and systems development and integration projects. John began working with agile in 2004 and is passionate about developing software in an iterative manner.

Other: For more information on AgilePalooza, or to register to attend, please visit:  http://www.agilepalooza.com/Chicago2011/default.asp and http://agilepalooza-chicago2011.eventbrite.com/.

About VersionOne

VersionOne is recognized by agile practitioners as the leader in agile project management tools. By simplifying the planning and tracking of agile projects, we help teams deliver better software faster. Since 2002, companies such as AAA, Adobe, Boeing, bwin, Lilly, Lockheed Martin, NASDAQ, Qualcomm, Sabre and Siemens have turned to VersionOne. Today more than 30,000 teams from over 170 countries use VersionOne. Agile Made Easier @ VersionOne.com.

Please direct all press inquiries to:
Crystal Macaulay
PerkettPR for VersionOne
781.871.8860
[email protected]