Category Archives: Highlights

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

31 Jul

Jobbeke de Jong: “A team is not the sum of its members”

Jobbeke de Jong is founder and director of Tachles: a company that helps organizations optimize team performance through system centered interventions. At this year’s virtual Agile Coach Conference on October 28th, she aims to facilitate Agile Coaches in experiencing teams as a ‘whole’. This is the basis for intervening in the ‘undercurrents’ of team dynamics. The ‘undercurrents’ of a group “In my career, I have specialized in group dynamics from a systems... Learn more

31 Jul

Remote SPC Training: “More important, and better than ever.”

Ever since social distancing made impact, we have been hard at work making all of our courses and trainings compatible with remote learning. Through hard work and expertise, trainers like SPCT Anand Murthy Raj have made remote SPC training effective, informative, and enjoyable leaving participants ready to begin their SAFe Program Consultant journey. How SPC training has adapted to remote classes Anand describes: “The first challenge we had to overcome in remote training was to build a... Learn more

27 Jul

SAFe POPM: Vision and expertise give authority

Product Owners and Product Managers (POPM) together represent the customer’s wishes regarding a service or product. We asked Gladwell Academy trainer Boris de Jong to offer his thoughts on what role the PO and PM play in a SAFe organization, and how they can optimize their work. The Product Owner and Product Manager in SAFe “At a more basic level, Scrum creates two roles, the Scrum Master and Product Owner. It’s the Product Owner who sets the product course for the whole team.... Learn more

22 Jul

Agile Coach Bootcamp: what they think

Gladwell Academy recently held one of its Agile Coach Bootcamps: a three-day course meant to give you the knowledge you need to get started as an Agile Coach. We sat down with two participants, Geert-Jan van Vliet of Dutch Railways (NS) and Robert Agterberg from Vivat, to get their thoughts on the course. Why did you attend this course? Robert: Well, I’m already coaching teams, and it’s always good to gain more knowledge about coaching. I’m also playing a part in making the company more... Learn more

14 Jul

Post-Covid Agile Hardware Development (2/2)

Dirk Meißner, owner and founder of CO-Improve Consulting continues his discussion with Gladwell Academy on the “Corona emergency program for development projects” and how it can help Hardware organizations bounce back following Covid-19 social distancing measures. This article continues from part 1. Step 3: Product Development Process Essentials “Once we’ve taught the teams how to work Agile, to work efficiently, that’s when we shift our focus to the macro level. We... Learn more

09 Jul

Maaike Klasen: “Ethics in Agile Coaching.”

Maaike Klasen, an experienced Agile Coach and Scrum Master, gives us an idea of the workshop she intends to host at the virtual Agile Coach Conference on October 28th. She is planning to delve into the “Ethics in Agile Coaching”, and you can expect a deep dive into how to balance the tightrope of transparency and confidentiality within an Agile organization. Who is Maaike? Maaike began her career as an Educational Psychologist and Play Therapist but it wasn’t long before she found... Learn more

06 Jul

Leading SAFe: Everything you need to know

Have you heard about the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and how it can bring both Agile and Lean ways of working to large organizations? Maybe your organization has decided to adopt SAFe but you don’t know where to begin? The Leading SAFe course answers all your questions as you begin your SAFe journey and earn your SAFe Agilist certification. The course We asked Gladwell Academy trainer Renate Cremer to describe what the course has to offer prospective participants. “This two-day course... Learn more

01 Jul

Voices from the classroom: “SAFe is an egalitarian model”

Gladwell Academy’s “Leading SAFe” course with instructor Boris de Jong was one of its first courses to move to a remote setting following social distancing measures. We reached out to a former participant to get their thoughts on the experience and what they learned. SAFe methods to encourage SAFe thinking “When I took the remote Leading SAFe course, I was surprised by how much I actually learned! In conventional courses it’s easier to ‘hide in the crowd’ and just... Learn more

29 Jun

Sicco Maathuis: “Connect the data, connect the people”

Our first presenter to highlight for the virtual Agile Coach Conference is Sicco Maathuis, who has worked at Dutch market leading companies such as Ahold, Nike and PostNL. He explains why he looks forward to the Conference, and a bit of what he plans to share. Data, connections and computing “It’s an exciting time for roles like the Agile Coach – so it’s also a good time to visit this event. Companies and organizations are getting used to the idea, and especially virtual Agile... Learn more

21 Jun

Eduardo Alvim: “Investing in Agile pays off in times of crisis!”

With social-distancing measures gradually being rolled back, Agile trainer Eduardo Alvim looks back to where and how organizations stumbled in handling the crisis. “Time, money, and resources have been wasted where value-driven investments could have been made.” Why it’s important to invest in the right place “It’s important for organizations to know where and how to invest if they wish to remain competitive and successful. Having an Agile mindset can answer such questions... Learn more

19 Jun

SAFe Summit 2020: A new frontier in virtual communication

On June 10-11 2020, Gladwell Academy was proud to be among the exhibitors at Scaled Agile’s first ever virtual European SAFe Summit. One of the first events of its kind, the summit provided an opportunity to consider where the future of events to share knowledge and build new connections may be moving. A new platform The SAFe Summit’s remote setting did nothing to hinder the exchange of new ideas and knowledge. Gladwell Academy’s speakers found that the online platform offered... Learn more

16 Jun

SAFe for Architects: “The shift to agile architecture impacts everything.”

SAFe for Architects is a relatively new training in the Scaled Agile curriculum. What value does it add and why is it important? A seasoned architect himself, Frank Langeveld is also a SAFe trainer at Gladwell Academy. He shares his insights and experience with organizational architecture. Improve the impact of architecture “This course fundamentally addresses how architects work because the shift from traditional architecture to agile architecture impacts everything. “When the class... Learn more

14 Jun

First Agile Coach Conference: “Remotely building the knowledge exchange”

The number of people who call themselves ‘Agile coach’ has exploded in recent years. For Gladwell Academy, reason enough to build a platform for knowledge exchange in this diverse discipline. First order of business: the first Agile Coach Conference held remotely on 28 Oct ’20 from a professional film studio. A place to become immersed in the Agile Coaching despite the distance between everyone. Chairwoman Renate Cremer, experienced Agile coach trainer, dives into the agenda. Why an... Learn more

07 Jun

Gladwell Academy remotely trains over 170 participants simultaneously!

Okay, here’s a challenge for you. At Gladwell Academy, we recently remotely trained an organization that produces hardware and advanced technology. This training on SAFe practices presented a new threshold for us, as it brought our training to a scale previously unheard of! Our trainers bringing everything together In preparation for this monumental undertaking, Gladwell Academy’s trainers brought everything they had learned about remote trainings together to make this course they’re... Learn more

03 Jun

Post-Covid Agile Hardware Development (1/2)

Dirk Meißner, managing partner and founder of CO-Improve Consulting has opted to share his four-step for 'Corona emergency program for development projects' with us. It leverages Agile ways of working so hardware organizations might recover from social-distancing measures smoothly and quickly. Step 1: Project recovery check “Before we can do anything else, we set one day aside to sit down with our clients. We assess together what their most important projects are; why they are... Learn more

02 Jun

Group interaction in remote training? Yes, we can!

Most trainers will agree that group activity is invaluable for the learning experience. But doesn’t a remote setting make such interactive moments all but impossible? Our trainers at Gladwell Academy would disagree: not only is group activity possible…it’s everywhere! Ad-hoc Scrum Masters Careful preparation by the instructor in advance of the course is key to the success of these group activities. We carefully consider who will be attending our courses: what their needs are,... Learn more

19 May

Summer spare time? Get a discount on your training!

Beginning in 2017, Gladwell Academy began offering discounted summer courses in Scrum & SAFe and will continue to do so this year. With summer coming and many organizations slowing down, now is the time to take the initiative on your career path with training that will boost you and your organization in the coming year. Summer sun, same training While most organizations slow down over the summer, Gladwell Academy keeps going as strong as ever. Offering a mixture of both... Learn more

17 May

Remotely happy? Participant feedback

Working remote means following remote trainings, too. Is a remote course worth your time? What’s it like? How does Gladwell Academy enhance the experience? Here’s what Jeroen Frenken has to say. Jeroen Frenken, Product owner business intelligence Jeroen Frenken attended of one of Gladwell Academy’s very first remote Leading SAFe courses, and he was kind enough to share his experience with us. “In terms of content, the course was what I had expected. That didn’t vary... Learn more

13 May

Renate Cremer: “The perfect time to become an Agile Coach”

At Gladwell Academy we are moving forward with our Agile Coach courses, adapting them to be offered remotely. According to Agile Coach Trainer Renate Cremer “crises like this are exactly when Agile Coaches are needed most,” and she has already begun to consider how this period of isolation will change the way we work and teach Agile. An evolution in Agile Coaching While Renate has been hard at work adapting our existing coaching content to be taught remotely, she has already... Learn more