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Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
What: Unconference for Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, Agile Trainers, Leaders, Change Agents and Mentors.
When: 7th-8th June 2013
Where: Hotel Ramada, Bangalore
Theme: True Essence of Coaching
Role of a Coach?
Many of us have embraced an agile coach’s role, but do we really understand what coaching is all about? How coaching is different from mentoring?
To help us learn about the true essence of coaching, during this Coach Camp, we’ve dedicated one full day to work with Judy van Zon, who is
Other Popular Topics for Day 1
- Agile Estimation Techniques
- Part-time vs. Full-time Coaching
- Getting team buy-in
- Enterprise Agility
- Coaching == Leading by Example
- Agile Fixed-bid Projects
- TDD on Large, Legacy Code
- Agile Adoption Patterns
- Code Quality Metric
- Performance Evaluation in Agile
- Product Discovery & Story Mapping
- Agile and Audits- Oxymoron?
- Slicing User Stories
- Agile Portfolio Management
Register online at http://booking.agilefaqs.com/accb13/
Posted in Agile, agile india, Coaching, Community, Conference | No Comments »
Thursday, April 4th, 2013
Over the last few months, multiple friends and connection from US have asked me to share my experience with pricing Agile related tools and services in Asia (specifically India.) Following is my perspective:
Disclaimer: Asia is the most diverse and dynamic continent out there. Any reasonable generalization is bound to have loopholes. Take it with a pinch of salt.
Since the topic on hand is pricing & positioning agile related services and tools, let’s focus on senior managers at software companies, who are interested & responsible for procuring (or at least recommending) a service or a tool for use inside their company. These folks mostly belonging to upper-middle class or above. Its important to focus on these folks because we can draw the following behavioral patterns based on their profile:
- 1. They are very value-for-money conscious. .i.e. while they are very price conscious these days they are also getting quite brand conscious. Feature-richness or “fully-loaded” appeals to them because they associate it with value-for-money.
- 2. Premium pricing model works well with them. .i.e. price the product or service artificially high in order to encourage favorable perceptions among buyers. Exploits the tendency in buyers to assume that expensive items enjoy
- an exceptional reputation,
- are more reliable or desirable,
- represent exceptional quality and distinction
- 3. If they can’t bargain the price while buying, they feel they did not get a good deal.
- 4. In my experience, Freemium model generally does not work very well. People will somehow find a way to stay on the free plan. Software Piracy is still a notable problem. Things like sharing a license with others is considered wrong, but people will still go ahead and indulge in it. May be because they don’t fully think through the implications or can’t empathize with IP related regulations.
- 5. Price Discrimination strategy appeals to these folks. .i.e. pricing the product differently for different companies. Bigger discount for larger number of licenses is common. But doing something more like: bigger discounts for startups or discounts for specific verticals like Telecom can attract customers.
Based on my experience consulting and coaching IT companies in India, I would categorize Indian IT companies, who are interested in Agile, into the following 5 categories:
- 1. Large Outsourced Services Organization (InfoSys, Wipro, TCS, CTS, HCL, MindTree, TechM, etc.)
- 2. Large ODC (Off-shore development centers) for giant software product companies (Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, McAfee, EMC, Philips, Dell, GE, Siemens, VMWare, Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson, Aricent, Huawei, etc.)
- 3. Large ODC for large non-software product/services companies (Banks and Financial Institutes [JP Morgan, Citi, RBS, Fidelity], Store Chains [Tesco, Walmart, Target], Transportation [Volvo, John Deere], etc.)
- 4. Mid-size product and services companies (Directi, SlideShare, ClearTrip, Cactus Global, etc.)
- 5. Startups (Eko, Interview Street, CommonFloor, HelpShift, OlaCabs, Olx, Zomato, etc.)
Category 1 is highly obsessed with process adherence & compliance. Typically they have an internal process & tool which all projects have to use. In addition, clients of most projects might have a different process & tool required. Teams end up using both. Most teams use different tools because there are concerns regarding how much transparency is healthy for an outsource client-vendor relation. They want only limited data to be shared with the clients. In fact in my experience, to ensure company-wide consistency and compliance, most companies even have their own home grown tool/solution to deal with this issue. If majority of customers are using a process/tool, its an easy pitch to the companies to use the same approach, provided there is an easy way to share limited info with clients. Using same process/tool could add to the company’s marketing/credibility pitch. These companies are price conscious, but if the value proposition (better customer acquisition) is shown, they have the budgets to buy the tool or service. Might require multiple rounds of negotiation. They are willing to commit higher numbers if bigger discounts can be offered. Fairly long sales process.
Category 2 is fairly process conscious, but certainly to a lesser extent compared to Category 1. For these companies majority of the process and tool decisions are made by their counter-parts from west. They do have a say, but are not going to make the buying decision. However they can sabotage the process/tool decision if it does not work for them. Because of the “distributed & off-shore” nature of work, their needs might be different from the folks making the decision. These guys appreciate higher attention/care to their specific needs. Sales process tends to be much faster than Category 1.
Category 3 is also very process conscious. They are predominantly cost centers. Any tool or process which can show clear cost saving, better accountability & tracking is a big hit. Buying decisions are jointly made, however offshore folks do have a big say. Typically these folks require quite a lot of customization to the service or tool to fit their specific needs. Sales process tends to be very long.
Category 4 is out of the startup mode, and are the “wanna-be-enterprise” scale. These are in my opinion the best companies to chase for process change and tool adoption. They have the right attitude to change. Typically they also have the cash and they generally don’t bargain much. They have a strong desire to scale and standardize. Perfect pitch for a Industry Leading Tool to come in and steal the deal. Again these guys don’t tend to bargain too much, but if you give them a discount it will help make the decision faster because they are still price conscious. These guys will do a very detailed market study & competitor analysis. If possible, they prefer to pick the best in category. Sales process tends to be either couple of days or 6+ months (extremes.)
Category 5 is the least process conscious. However are very efficiency & savings driven. They won’t even talk to you if they feel the product is priced and targeted at Enterprises. They would assume/feel the product is expensive and too heavy-weight for startups. A clear pitch for startups in your offerings is very important. These folks will hunt you down. Again very price conscious, but can be good brand ambassadors. Sales process does take some time.
Hope this helps. Also would be keen to hear your experience.
Posted in Agile, agile india, Marketing, Product Development, Tools | 2 Comments »
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
Agile India 2013 Conference hosted a total of 904 attendees over the 4 days. These attendees represented the following 195 different companies:
99tests |
ABB IDC |
Accenture |
Aconex India Pvt Ltd |
Aditi Technologies |
Aditya Birla Minacs IT services |
Agile Developer, Inc. |
AgileFAQs |
Alcatel Lucent India |
Alliance Global Services |
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions |
Allscripts India Pvt Ltd |
Altair Engineering |
AppDev |
Aricent Technologies |
ASCI |
Aspire |
Atex |
Atlassian |
BA Continuum India Pvt Ltd |
Bank of America |
BKTB Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd. |
BMC Software |
BNP Paribas India Solutions |
Bwin.Party |
C-SAM India Solutions Pvt Ltd |
Centurylink Technologies India Pvt Ltd |
CGI Inc |
Change Vision, Inc. |
Cisco Systems |
Clear2Pay |
Cleartrip |
Cognizant Technology Solutions |
Collabnet Software Pvt Ltd |
Comakers |
CommonFloor |
Comviva Technologies |
ConceptBytes Consulting |
Consultant |
Crest Premedia |
Crisp |
CSC |
Curbralan |
Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd. |
Deinersoft, Inc. |
Dell India R & D |
Dell International Services India Pvt Ltd |
Deloitte Consulting |
Dev Bootcamp |
Digiata |
Digite Inc. |
Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. |
Direction Software Solution |
DuraSoft |
Edventure Labs |
eGain Communications |
Enteleki Technology Solutions |
Envestnet Asset Management India Pvt Ltd |
Equal Experts |
Ericsson |
ESBU |
Exelplus Services |
Exilesoft Pvt Ltd |
Fiberlink Software Pvt Ltd |
FICO India |
Fidelity Business Services India Pvt. Ltd. |
Fidelity Worldwide Investment |
Fred George Consulting |
Freelancer |
GE Appliances & Lighting |
GE Energy Management |
GE Healthcare |
GE India |
GembaTech |
GSU |
HCL Technologies Ltd |
Host Analytics Software Pvt Ltd |
Huawei Technologies |
IBM India Pvt Ltd |
Independent Consultant |
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur |
InfoQ |
Infosys Limited |
Infotech Enterprises Limited |
InMobi |
Ino software solutions |
InRhythm |
Institut Agile |
Inteamo innovations |
IntelliGrape Software Pvt. Ltd. |
Intense Technology |
Intergraph Consulting Pvt Ltd |
Intuit |
Invision |
IVY COMPTECH |
John Deere India Pvt Ltd |
JP Morgan |
Juniper Networks |
Khanyisa Real Systems |
KulChitr |
Lean Mantra |
Leanpitch Technologies Pvt Ltd |
Linda Rising LLC |
MailOnline |
Maxheap technologies |
McAfee |
McFadyen Solutios |
McKinsey & Co |
MEDIA iQ Digital |
Mindtree Limited |
Monsanto India IT |
Moolya Software Testing Pvt Ltd |
MSCI |
Multunus Software Pvt Ltd |
Napa Software Services India Pvt Ltd |
National University of Singapore |
Navteq India Pvt Ltd |
NDS Services Pay TV Limited |
Ness Technologies India Pvt Ltd |
NIIT Technologies Ltd |
Nokia Location & Commerce |
Novell |
Ostrya Labs |
Pitney Bowes Software |
Pixelogue |
PM Power Consulting Pvt Ltd |
PMI |
PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY |
Poppendieck.LLC |
Prowareness |
Pulse Energy |
Qualcomm India Pvt Ltd |
Rakuten Ichiba |
Rally Software Development |
Reaktor |
Renatus Consultants |
Rotary International Infotech Pvt. Ltd. |
S.I. Systems |
Saab India Technology |
Sabre Holdings |
SAP Labs |
Sapient |
SAS R&D, India |
Satyam |
Schneider Electric India |
SCIT |
SCRUMguides |
Sears Holdings India |
Shah Abdul Latif University |
Shop Smart Inc/BradsDeals.com |
Shoptree Technologies Pvt Ltd |
ShuHaRi Agile |
Siemens Technology and Services |
Siemens, CT DC AA |
Silver Stripe Software |
Simpthings |
Societe Generale |
Software Artisan |
SolutionsIQ |
Springer |
SSN College of Engineering |
Still Point Software |
Stixis Technologies |
sumHR |
Support |
Symphony Teleca Corporation |
Synerzip Softech Inida Pvt Ltd |
Tata Consultancy Services |
TenXperts Technologies |
Tesco Hindustan Service Centre |
The Advisory Board Company |
Thomson Reuters |
ThoughtObjectz LLC |
ThoughtWorks |
Toboc International / Toboc Deals |
Transcendence Corporation |
U2opia Mobile Pvt Ltd |
UNICOM |
UNOPS |
Valtech India |
Valueinnova LLC |
Velammal Engineering College |
Visteon |
VMware India |
Volvo India Pvt LTd |
Walmart Global Technology Services |
Waseda University |
Watchy |
Wipro Technologies |
Xicora Consultants |
Yahoo India Pvt Ltd |
Yellowtail Software |
Yodlee |
YourBus |
Zenbilling |
We had participants with 320 different roles at the conference:
Account Manager |
Advisory Technical Analyst |
Agile & IT Process Consultant |
Agile and Lean Coach |
Agile Coach |
Agile Coach and Lead Engineer |
Agile Coach and Scrum Trainer |
Agile Coach/Scrum Master |
Agile Consultant & Coach |
Agile Head Coach |
Agile Project Manager |
Agile Strategist & Coach |
Application Development Lead |
Architect |
Assistant Manager – Quality |
Assistant Professor |
Assistant Vice President |
Associate |
Associate Architect |
Associate Architect – QC |
Associate Manager |
Associate Manager Development |
Associate Principal Architect |
Associate Professor |
Associate Project Manager |
Associate Software Developer |
Associate Test Architect |
Associate Vice President |
Blackbelt |
BUSINESS ANALYST |
BUSINESS CONSULTANT |
Business Manager |
CEO |
CFO |
Cheif Consultant, Agile Coach and Trainer |
Chief Architect & Head – Central Architecture Group |
Chief Manager |
Chief Project Officer |
Chief Technical Lead |
Chief Technology Officer |
Client Principal |
Co-Founder |
Co-Founder & Managing Director |
Co-Founder and CEO |
Coach |
CoE Lead – Agile SW engg and Web Technologies |
Commander |
Consultant |
COO |
CTO |
Delivery Manager |
Delivery Manager – Testing |
Deputy General Manager |
Designer/Founder |
Developer |
Development Engineer |
Development Manager |
Development Team Lead |
Development Vice President |
DGM |
Director |
Director – Engineering |
Director – Enterprise Architecture & Core Technology |
Director – Product Development |
Director – Products |
Director – Quality |
Director – Software Development |
Director and Software Architect |
Director Engineering |
Director ePlatform Development |
Director of Enterprise, Enterprise Applications |
Director of Programme Management |
Director Sales |
Director Software Engineering |
Director, India Sales |
Director, Product Marketing |
Director, Wireless Division |
Engineer |
Engineering – Director |
Engineering Best Practice Specialist |
Engineering Lead |
Engineering Manager |
Engineering Sr Director |
Enterprise Agile Coach |
Enterprise Agile Coach, Delivery Manager |
Enterprise Architect |
EVP & CTO |
Executive Manager |
Expert Software Engineer |
Founder |
Founder, Director |
Free Agent |
Function House Head |
General Manager |
General Manager – PMO |
General Manager – Quality |
General Manager – Software Development |
Globla Operations Director |
Group Development Manager |
Group Manager |
Group Manager – Consulting |
Group Manger |
Group Product and Technology Director, Technology |
Group Program Manager |
Group Project Manager |
Group Technology Director, Technology |
Head – Enterprise Architect |
Head – India Consulting |
Head – IT Quality & Tools |
Head – Quality & Process |
Head – Tools Group |
Head – IT,Defence and Aerospace markets |
Head Marketing |
Head of Engineering |
Head of Project Management |
Head Product Manager – Partner Management |
HR Executive |
ICT Development Team Lead |
Independent consultant |
India Sales Manager |
Inside Sales Manager |
Integration Manager |
IT Architect |
Lead – Development and Testing |
Lead Analyst |
lead application developer |
Lead Business Analyst |
Lead Consultant |
Lead Developer |
Lead Engineer |
Lead Enterprise Architect |
Lead Executive Quality |
LEAD HR |
Lead Product Develper |
Lead Programmer |
Lead Software Architect |
Lead Software Developer |
Lead Software Engineer |
Lead Software QA Engineering |
Lead-Quality Assurance |
Lead-Software Engineer |
Leader Engineer |
Lecturer |
Management and Organizational-design Consultant |
Manager |
Manager – Projects |
Manager – QA |
Manager – Software Development |
Manager – Software Engineering |
Manager – Software Quality Engineering |
Manager Projects |
Manager Sales |
Manager, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE |
Manager, R&D Program Management |
Managing Director |
MANAGING DIRECTOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER |
Managing Director & Chief Technology Officer |
Manual QA Engineer |
Market Principal |
Master Shifu |
Mentor-Coach |
MTS |
Offshore Development Manager |
Operations Manager |
Owner |
Partner |
PhD Student |
Portfolio Manager |
Practice Head – Microsoft and Agile Transformation Services |
Practice Lead – QA |
Pre-Sales Consultant |
President |
Principal |
Principal Agile Coach |
Principal Agile Coach & Manager-Consulting |
Principal Architect |
Principal Consultant – QA |
Principal Consultant & Agile Coach |
Principal Software Engineer |
Product Architect |
Product Developer |
Product Development Manager |
Product Lead |
Product Manager |
Product Manager, Platform & Analytics |
Product Owner |
Product Owner – Non Functional Requirement’s |
Product Owner/Technical Lead |
Professor |
Program Director |
Program Director – BSC |
Program Manager |
Program Manager – Core Map Products |
Program Manager – QA |
Program Manager Quality |
Program Mnager – QA |
Project Lead |
Project Lead and Scrum Master |
Project Manager |
Project Quality Manager |
Projects Manager |
PSC |
PSE |
QA Engineer |
QA Lead |
QA Manager |
QA Project Lead |
QA Technical Lead |
Quality Manager |
R&D Director |
R&D Lead Project Manager |
Release Manager |
Research Engineer |
RESEARCH SCHOLAR |
Ruby on Rails Programmer |
SAP Practice Manager |
SBU Head |
Scrum Master |
Scrum Trainer and Agile Coach |
SE |
Self |
Senior Agile Project Manager |
Senior Architect |
Senior Business Analyst |
Senior Consultant |
Senior Developer |
Senior Director |
Senior Engineer |
Senior Engineer – QA |
Senior Engineer, BSP |
Senior Engineering Manager |
senior executive – quality |
Senior Group Manager |
Senior IT Project Management |
Senior Lecturer |
Senior Manager |
Senior Manager – Consulting |
Senior Manager – Creative |
Senior Manager – QA |
Senior Manager – Software Development |
Senior Manager – Technical Group Head |
Senior Manager – User Experience |
Senior Manager Engineering |
Senior Manager Technology |
Senior Manager- Test Engineering |
Senior Manager-Technical Group head |
Senior Manager, Agile Coach |
Senior Member – Technical Staff |
Senior Member Technical Staff |
Senior Performance Lead |
Senior Perogram Manager |
Senior Product Manager |
Senior Program Manager |
Senior Project Lead |
Senior Project Manager |
Senior Project Manager – Infosys Tools Group |
Senior QA Engineer |
Senior QA Lead |
Senior QA Manager |
Senior Quality Assuarance Enginner |
Senior Software Architect |
Senior Software Developer |
Senior Software Development Engineer |
Senior Software Engineer |
Senior Software QA Engineer |
Senior Systems Analyst |
Senior Systems Specialist |
Senior Technical Architect |
Senior Technical Lead |
Senior Technical Manager |
Senior Technical Specialist |
Senior Test Manager |
Senior Vice President |
Service Manager |
Software Architect |
Software Artisan |
Software Developer |
Software Developer (Embedded System) |
Software Development Manager |
Software Engineer |
Software Engineering Sr Mgr |
Software Manager |
Software Manager – Technical Writing |
Software Product Manager |
Solutions Architect |
Specialist |
SSE |
Staff Engineer |
Strategy and New Product Development |
Student |
Supervisor Software Development |
Systems Analyst |
Team Lead |
Team Lead – Product Affiliates |
Team Lead Software Development |
Team Manager |
Tech Fellow |
Technical Architect |
Technical Director – Software Development |
Technical Leader |
Technical Leader / Scrum Master |
Technical Product Manager |
Technical Project Lead |
Technical Specialist |
Technologist |
Test Engineer |
Test Engineer Manager |
Test Lead |
TEST MANAGER |
Tester |
UI Engineer |
Vice President |
Vice President – Engineering and Site Operations |
Vice President – Global Agile Strategies |
Vice President – Value Engineering |
Vice President, Process Design Consultant |
VP – Corporate Relations |
VP & GM – APAC Sales |
VP Market Development |
VP Solutions |
Participants from 25 different countries participated in the conference:
Australia |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
Denmark |
Egypt |
Finland |
France |
Germany |
Gibraltar |
India |
Indonesia |
Israel |
Japan |
Malaysia |
New Zealand |
Pakistan |
Russia |
Singapore |
South Africa |
SriLanka |
Sweden |
Ukraine |
United Kingdom |
United States |
They had the following Agile experience:
Number of Years of Experience
Posted in Agile, agile india, Analytics, Conference | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
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Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
Lunch Menu
27th Feb – Indian |
28th Feb – European |
1st March – Oriental |
2nd March – Italian |
Soup |
Soup |
Soup |
Soup |
Drumstick Soup |
Cabbage Chowder |
Sweet Corn Veg Soup |
Classic Ministroni |
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Salads |
Salads |
Salads |
Salads |
Kachumber Salad |
Greek Salad |
Spicy Glass Noodle Salad |
Mix Grilled Vegetable Anti Pasti |
Dahi Gujjia |
Hawain Chicken Salad |
Kimchi Salad |
Mushroom Escabeche |
Mix Bean Salad |
Pasta Salad With Creamy Pesto |
Oriental Veg Salad With Raw Pappaya |
Cannalini Beanse Salad |
Curd Rice/Papad/Pickle |
Bread /Butter |
Curd Rice/Papad/Pickle |
Bread /Butter |
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Main Course |
Main Course |
Main Course |
Main Course |
Murgh Makhani |
Grilled Chicken With Creamy Peppercorn Sauce |
Kung Pao Chicken |
Chicken Fiorenina |
Malai Kofta |
Lazagnia Vegetable |
Stir Fry Tofu In Green Curry With Thai Basil |
Vegetable Pot Au Feu |
Paneer Butter Masala |
Gratinated Potato |
Stir Fried Vegetable In Black Bean Sauce |
Carrot And Potato Lazagna |
Aloo Muter |
Three Bean Ragout |
Cauliflower Manchurian |
Egplant Parmangiana |
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Schezuan Fried Rice |
Spinach And Riccota Crispelle |
Yellow Dal Tadka |
Dal Panchamel |
Arhal Dal Tadka |
Hare Moong Dal |
Makkai Pulao |
Peas Pulao |
Bhuna Pyaz Aur Pudina Ki Pulao |
Onion Jeera Ki Pulao |
Asst Indian Breads |
Asst Indian Breads |
Asst Indian Breads |
Asst Indian Breads |
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Desserts |
Desserts |
Desserts |
Desserts |
Shahi Tukda |
Mango Mouse/Chocolate Truffle |
Pinapple Crumbkle |
Tiramisu |
Asst French Pastries |
Mud Cake |
Asst Mousses |
Pineapple Pastries |
Ice Cream With Condiments |
Ice Cream With Condiments |
Ice Cream With Condiments |
Ice Cream With Condiments |
Dinner Menu
28th Feb – International |
1st March – Middle Eastern |
Soup |
Soup |
Tom Yum Kai Soup |
Soup E Murgh |
Cream Of Tomato With Basil Pesto |
Ash E Sabzi |
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Salads |
Salads |
German Style Pasta And Ham Salad |
Hammus/Pita Bread |
Tomato And Bocconcini Salad |
Fetoush |
Fattouch Salad |
Babaganoch |
Shakrkand Ki Chat |
Burani Spinach |
Semiya Bagala Bhath |
Curd Rice |
Papad/Pickle |
Papad/Pickle |
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Main Course |
Main Course |
Gosht Awaadhi Korma |
Iranian Mix Grill |
Paneer Kundan Kaliyan |
Vegetable Skewer On Saffron Rice |
Gobhi Mutter Pudhinawali |
Ghoresht Bamia |
Spinach Corn Gratin |
Vegetable Saloona |
Dal Makhani |
Komeh Sabzi |
Subz Dum Biryani |
Zereshk Polo |
Hing Methi Ki Chote Aloo |
Potato Gratine |
Asst Indian Breads |
Asst Indian Breads |
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Desserts |
Desserts |
Hot Chocolate Mud Pie |
Om Ali |
Seasonal Fresh Cut Fruits |
Asst Melons |
Kesar Rasamalai |
Rosugolla |
Ice Cream With Condiments |
Ice Cream With Condiments |
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Snacks |
Snacks |
Aloo Mutter Samosa |
Falafel |
Muter Kismiss Ki Tikki |
Shish Tawook |
Fish Finger With Tartar Sauce |
Spanokopita |
Hariali Paneer Tikka |
Kubedeh |
Posted in Agile, agile india, Conference | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
Last year, we had 2 designs, this year we are going for only one. Its a black color, collared T-Shirt.
Posted in Agile, agile india, Conference | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
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Thursday, January 31st, 2013
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Friday, January 25th, 2013
At least 3-4 people I respect in the Indian software community have asked me:
Why are there so few Indian speakers at the upcoming Agile India 2013 Conference?
My question to them:
Should we pick speakers based on their nationality?
I strongly disagree. We pick speakers purely based on the quality.
I care a damn which country they belong to, what is the color of their skin, who they worship, which sports they like, which beer they drink, etc. These things should not and won’t matter.
Would I like more speakers from India, bloody yes. Which is why, we run tons of other smaller, local conferences in India. First we want them to speak at these local events, get good at it and then present at an international conference.
Also to give some more context around what went into making of the program this year:
Poor quality speakers at Agile India 2012 Conference was the biggest complain we got last year. Personally, I believe we had an issue with the speaker quality. Open submissions and open review, somehow just does not work that well.
To fix that issue, this year we identified some exceptional speakers with a proven track record. We asked them for proposals, picked the best proposals from them and created a program with many open slots in it. Then we opened the submission system like last year and invited speakers to submit proposals that best fitted those slots. Best proposals were picked and the program was created. This process went on for 3+ months.
Our single, most important driving goal during this process was to create a conference program that the best of the conferences will struggle to match. I hope you will support us in this mission.
Posted in Agile, agile india, Conference | 3 Comments »
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