Category Archives: RTE Summit

13 Nov

‘Hippie’ RTEs celebrate online togetherness

My personal highlight of the RTE Summit Global: seeing the conference’s chairman Ali Hajou wearing a black braided ‘hippie’ wig for a themed presentation halfway through the second day. That, and seeing so many seasoned RTEs share their stories of failure, struggle, strength and success at the end-of-day online roundtables. What was yours? Each morning started with dozens of visitors logging on and saying hi over the chat. From Hungary, from New York, from India. With over... Learn more

02 Nov

From the business with love (for RTEs)

Chris James expresses a deep appreciation for the Release Train Engineer. He has to, in a way: as CEO of Scaled Agile, RTEs are his bread and butter. But as CEO he’s also a Business Owner himself, working with the RTEs of Scaled Agile’s own ARTs – and from that perspective he’s seen some room to improve for many who drive that Train. So, Chris James’ keynote for this year’s RTE Summit on November 9th… dives into the business-RTE relationship. “Most RTEs assume the... Learn more

19 Oct

Nike’s historic cross-continental SAP implementation

Jenny van Rinsum and Larry Anderson are both witty personalities who like to share a joke. They also share the responsibility for a monumental undertaking at Nike: the replacement of its huge legacy ERP platform Island Pacific with SAP CAR and S/4HANA. And that’s no joke, especially because it involves a cross-continental ART that has several complex dependencies with other ARTs. “Dealing with cultural differences can make or break this effort,” says Jenny. “I look forward... Learn more

01 Oct

Amy Doerflinger: Diversity & Inclusion is the HeART of the ART!

RTE Amy Doerflinger of Boeing, a self-described “recovering project manager,” is planning a discussion at this year’s RTE Summit Global. Her activity will be based around how through increased awareness of diversity and inclusion she was able to facilitate improved unity, cohesiveness, and performance throughout her Agile Release Train. Building her knowledge of the RTE role Amy began her Agile journey two years ago when she was asked to take on the RTE role by Boeing during their... Learn more

22 Sep

Catch up with Weronika Śreniawa-Pisarska, ‘RTE of the Year’ 2020!

Each RTE Summit features the election of an ‘RTE of the Year’ in recognition of someone’s contribution to building the Release Train Engineer practice. In preparation for the RTE Summit Global, learn about what this year’s winner Weronika Śreniawa-Pisarska has been up to since receiving the award. A ‘Foundational’ RTE With an extensive background in project management, Weronika made the jump to Agile and SAFe several years ago, becoming an RTE at Nordea in Gdynia... Learn more

26 Aug

RTE Summit Global: An event for RTEs by RTEs

Ali Hajou, co-chairman of the RTE Summit discusses his ambitions for the first ever virtual RTE Summit, set to be online from Gladwell Academy’s professional. Aimed entirely at strengthening the community of practice of Release Train Engineers everywhere, he invites both experienced hands and newcomers to contribute: “If you have a real-life story to share, or a question you need answers to, The RTE Summit Global is the place for you.” High hopes for the first Virtual RTE... Learn more

05 Aug

Enlist in our ‘RTE Bootcamp’ and begin your RTE Journey in only One Week

Join up with Gladwell’s ‘RTE Bootcamp’ for a full week and learn all the needs and requirements of an RTE through the mentorship, knowledge, and experience of some of the industry’s best and brightest RTEs and SPCTs. Begin your RTE by attending the first ever virtual RTE Summit Global on November 9 – 10, followed by our three-day course. Scaled Agile Framework: Release Train Engineer Training Discover Gladwell Academy’s tried and proven effective 3-day program for... Learn more

03 Aug

Saahil Panikar: “Compromise in the changing demands of PI Planning.”

Certified SPCT Saahil Panikar of Icon Agility Services is planning a workshop at the virtual RTE Summit Global. The pitch: a deep-dive into the conflicts of communication and visualization that take place between teams during PI planning events. Saahil being an expert in every facet of working within an Agile framework, we expect an exciting, informative moment. An RTE with ‘rock star’ status? Saahil has over 10 years of experience with Agile, working with SAFe since 2014, and... Learn more

14 Nov

RTE Summit 2019: “…inspirational.”

Yesterday’s LinkedIn post by Bengt Magnus Dyrkorn of EVRY/Tieto just about sums it up for us: “…two super exiting days at the yearly RTE Summit in Amsterdam.…really inspirational talks and presentations on a variety of subjects.” Thanks, Bengt! He also mentions some of the most ear-catching topics covered: measuring of value delivery, improving flow and value throughput in product development; enhancing predict ability and how to create energy when speaking to big... Learn more

07 Nov

UMS Consulting: “The new generation of employees embrace change.”

First-time Platinum partners to the RTE Summit UMS consulting are ready to share their experience with end-to-end transformations. Senior Manager Roger Balcombe and Partner Frank Rill will present together alongside the global stainless-steel manufacturer, Outokumpu. UMS Consulting is an established brand with over 30 years of experience. While Lean and ‘end-to-end’ transformations are their bread-and-butter business, they recently adopted SAFe as a fitting addition to their consulting... Learn more

31 Oct

Airbus: “Leadership has evolved just as much as we have.”

From Airbus France come two seasoned Agilists to share their experiences. Solution Train Engineer (STE) Laeticia Chatiron and Agile Coach Florian Labadens present on the Skywise Solution Train: “It has gone very quickly. We started two years ago and already we’re at 500 team members.” Skywise is a new and exciting ambition at Airbus, explains Florian Labadens: “If you know that thousands of Airbus airplanes are in the air at any given moment, you also know... Learn more

29 Oct

Rentouch is a Bronze partner: “The piplanning app makes all the difference for RTEs.”

First time Bronze Partners to the RTE Summit, Rentouch look forward to sharing how their piplanning app enables RTEs to facilitate remote PI planning events. SPC Silvio Wandfluh: “RTEs are constantly looking for opportunities to increase performance and effectivity of teams and ARTs. That’s why the RTE Summit community is the perfect stage for the piplanning app!” Digital Boards for a PI Planning - Why? “Four years ago, our focus was on other products, but we were in contact... Learn more

23 Oct

Petrie Velthof, Dutch National Police Force: “From 200 cases to zero in a matter of months.”

Petrie Velthof pioneer the Agile transformation within the Dutch police force takes the stage at this year’s RTE Summit to introduce how the Agile way of working is increasingly allowing the police to work faster and with higher satisfaction rates – for officers as well as civilians. Around two years ago, Petrie Velthof introduced the way of Agile working to a few innovation-minded teams in the Force. At the same time “Q”, the innovation start-up movement within the... Learn more

10 Oct

Egor Sviridenko: “Targetprocess gives true visual focus in complexity.”

First-time bronze partners to the RTE Summit, Targetprocess will be looking to demonstrate how RTEs can benefit from their software. Managing Director of Targetprocess Germany Egor Sviridenko: “RTEs are among our key top three personas who see the most value in our solution; naturally, coming to the RTE Summit this year was essential for us.” Targetprocess is an established business software brand with over 10 years of experience. Their added value is in the visual nature of... Learn more

01 Oct

Platinum partner CollabNet VersionOne: “Insight into the delivery process is vital to RTEs.”

After visiting last year’s RTE Summit, platinum partner CollabNet VersionOne is once again looking forward to this year’s RTE event. Enterprise Account Director Olav Maassen: “whether you’re using enterprise Agile or more traditional methods, we have an option for everyone.” CollabNet is an established brand with over 20 years of experience in the IT industry. VersionOne is its main agile product, with suites such as TeamForge more suitable for waterfall organizaitons.... Learn more

29 Sep

He has not spoken in over 50 countries; he’s coming to not speak here, as well.

Motivational non-speaker Steve Barnett, also known as ‘The Silent Conductor’, gives us a hint of what we can expect on the November 12th at the RTE Summit. Originally from South Africa, Steve Barnett’s unique non-verbal method of bringing large groups of people together is something to watch out for at this year’s Summit. His captivating performance builds on compelling notions of tribal culture to give a high-spirited and energetic keynote. Steve has delighted... Learn more

02 Sep

AgilityMasters.com partners with RTE Summit: “RTEs are crucial for growth.”

CEO Wessel Herwijnen was quick to decide on a renewed Bronze partnership between AgilityMasters.com and Gladwell Academy’s RTE Summit: “Of course we’re doing this…!” Growth for both! AgilityMasters.com has been growing steadily in the past year, Wessel describes. “We offer professionals in a wide variety of Agile roles to help out organizations in need of such expertise: either because they’re undergoing a transformation, or because of a situational shortage. With so... Learn more

24 Aug

Become an RTE ‘in one week’!

The subtle work of the Release Train Engineer (RTE) requires a lot of what the Germans call ‘Fingerspitzengefühl’. In other words, experience is key. What better way to boost your beginnings as an RTE than with our ‘RTE in a week’ offer? Immerse yourself in a full week of mentorship, knowledge exchange and training by the world’s most experienced RTEs and SPCTs. From 11 to 14 November… it’s all about the ART. Course: Release Train Engineer This is... Learn more

01 Aug

“Priorities, velocities and stakeholders aside – this is what being an RTE boils down to.”

Keynote speaker at the RTE Summit Eelco Rustenburg looks ahead to his contribution on November 12th. Renowned SPCT and big-picture thinker Eelco Rustenburg’s keynotes are usually a thing to look out for: high-energy, visionary, playful contributions, a welcomed break from sessions that excel at niggling over technical details. We asked him what he looks forward to sharing at the upcoming Summit: “The theory of the RTE is a lot of planning and priorities... Learn more

24 Jul

Joe Vallone discusses new version of SAFe at RTE Summit

“By the time of the RTE Summit in November, we will have released a new version of the Scaled Agile Framework. So, while I’m not allowed to say what the version number of the new framework will be, I can go into particulars at the RTE Summit. I’ll also discuss how the role of the RTE evolves in the new version. That might be something to look forward to.” Evolving role He continues: “The role of the RTE is continuing to evolve. There are thousands of RTEs all over the... Learn more