I've been doing agile coaching and consulting since 2003. First internally, later external working for various consulting organizations all over the globe. Well, one of my key experiences was, that before being able to teach agile, the mind needs to be freed from old school thinking. Think about a major reset. I won't say that everything taught is unusable, however, it is often used in the wrong context. There is more and more evidence that better ways of working -- especially, in the field of knowledge work -- do exist and agile is one of them.
Since 2010 I am a Professional Scrum Trainer with Scrum.org and teach various Scrum classes. Depending on the mixture of the audience and their background, it does take some time to free their minds from the old believe system and make them receptive to the new ideas. Better late then never, but for a two day course it is not as effective as it could be. Often, the AHA-effect happens late on day two.
After having given the PSM to a bunch of very stubborn senior managers, I decided that a there must be a better way to change the world of software development. That night, the 1000 student challenge was born. The idea is simple - don't try to change the head of the system, but have future agile thought leaders join the system and move up the ladder.
My vision is to teach 1000 students in Scrum and hope that they will change the world of tomorrow.
On May 28-29 2011 I gave me first Pay It Forwad - Professional Scrum Master (PIF-PSM) training at the University of Bern. I had the pleasure to work with 13 bright students, willing to come in on a Saturday and Sunday to learn about agile and Scrum. The training is essential for free - however USD 100 per student is required to cover the assessment fees and the course material.
13 people joining the workforce with a an agile mind set. It is a small beginning, nevertheless I really feel good about it.
If you are interested in doing this at your local university please contact me and we work out a way to spread Scrum at your place as well.
987 more to go ...
Posts
