Written by Lakisia A. Jones, PMP
How do you empower Agile Teams? Those seeking answers to that question received the answer during the Agile Forum on August 18, 2015. The presenter for the evening was John Williams, Enterprise Agile/Scrum Coach, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) and Certified Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Program Consultant (SPC). He shared the knowledge he has acquired over the last 10 years as an Agile coach. John began by asking, “How do you keep people motivated?” Attendees in the audience replied receiving compensation, to be told they are doing a good job, feeling like they are appreciated, receiving bonuses for hard work, and recognition. As the question was answered, the audience selected from an assortment of pipe cleaners. John explained that he learned a trick from a Scrum meetup at Lego Play that people tend to be more interactive and less confrontational when their hands are busy. So, for the remainder of the discussion the attendees were encouraged to make something interesting with the pipe cleaners while actively engaging in the discussion. John continued the discussion while the attendees listened, interacted, and made cool objects with the pipe cleaners.
Q. How did you become interested in the project management profession?