Category Archives: Highlights

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

11 May

Lisa van de Voort: “Training the U.S. Army is both other-worldly and familiar.”

Lisa van de Voort, a seasoned Agile transformation consultant at BlinkLane Consulting, reflects on her recent first training session with the U.S. Army on Agile practices. Traveling to the U.S. military base in San Antonio, TX she visited “a unique organization with its own unique challenges… and a wholly unique impact.” Experienced and knowledgeable Lisa comes to this training with over 4 years of experience as an Agile consultant, having contributed to over twelve Agile... Learn more

11 May

Agile Coach Webinar: Keeping your teams with you

With social distancing the norm, and everyone working remote, are you finding it harder to stay relevant for your audience as an Agile Coach? Join Gladwell Academy Agile Coach and trainer Boris de Jong for an informative and interactive Agile Coach webinar on how to stay on everyone’s radar, on May 15, 2020 10:00 AM. The distance problem Agile Coaching is always a very hands-on role, putting yourself directly at the heart of a team or an organization, navigating by tension and to... Learn more

04 May

Eduardo Alvim: Adapting Remote RTE Training

With the World Health Organization’s current guidelines Gladwell Academy finds itself moving its trainings into an online remote only setting. Gladwell Trainer Eduardo Alvim discusses how he has adapted the highly advanced, SAFe RTE course to be effectively taught in a remote classroom. “A great course!” Eduardo describes how the traditional in-person RTE course is one of his favorites to teach. “RTE’s usually come to the course excited and ready to collaborate and interact during... Learn more

30 Apr

Markus Weck-Bonetti: “Locking down Agile in hardware in lockdown”

The corona virus has virtually every organization scrambling to adapt: social distancing and other measures have an immense impact on everyone’s business and the way we work. We spoke with Markus Weck-Bonetti, principal consultant and Agile Coach at our German partner Co-Improve. He offers a glimpse into how the Agile mindset allows hardware organizations to work and communicate effectively in this difficult time. Never too late to learn “While I’ve been working in hardware... Learn more

28 Apr

Eduardo Alvim: “Moving Leading SAFe online”

Gladwell Academy trainer Eduardo Alvim has been hard at work adapting our course content for remote teaching. A candidate to become SAFe Program Consultant Trainer, he recently taught his first remote Leading SAFe course and has walked away excited and motivated to make the course even better. A SAFe foundation “This has always been one of the best courses in SAFe. We go over a lot of different subjects around managing and leading change. This course is especially interesting for leaders... Learn more

21 Apr

A sneak peek of “The journey into the Lean-Agile mindset”

Gladwell Academy SAFe Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT) Anand Murthy Raj will present this year at the European SAFe Summit on June 10.... remotely! Here is an exclusive first look into the topics and ideas he plans to discuss. Anand’s ‘a-ha’ moment Anand has spent over twenty-two years working in IT in a wide variety of roles beginning as a developer. As a product developer in 2009 he was introduced to “a new way or working. I was totally shocked to discover the whole... Learn more

07 Apr

Remote Classrooms: keepin’ it lively!

Here’s a few tips and tricks how we organize remote classes to encourage active engagement, participation and interaction for participants involved. Interaction via technology When teaching via a video screen it is important to note how interactions are different compared to the traditional classroom. The trap to avoid is when participants ‘sit back’ and become passive receivers of information rather than active learners. We have a few strategies to counter this:... Learn more

30 Mar

Remote Classrooms: three things we’ve learned

Suddenly both trainers and participants find themselves unable to travel or even stuck at home entirely. Luckily, we’ve come prepared: we’re thrilled to introduce Gladwell Academy’s Remote Classrooms! With adapted content and pacing to allow digital delivery of our courses in SAFe in Agile Scrum and Kanban and in information management, your professional learning journey is continues fully adapted to digital interaction! Tried and true platforms Our instructors at Gladwell... Learn more

26 Mar

Herbert Schönebeck: “Typical mistakes when starting an Agile transformation”

At this year’s upcoming Agile for Hardware conference hosted by Gladwell Academy, Herbert Schönebeck from Co-Improve is planning an interactive workshop where he will offer a deep-dive into the typical problems encountered during an Agile transformation. Expert on Hardware and Agility Herbert describes how he spent “over twenty-five years in various functions within traditional line-organizations, where I was responsible for a wide variety of different projects. In 2017 I made the... Learn more

17 Mar

Remote Classrooms: distant locations, nearby learnings

Suddenly both trainers and participants find themselves unable to travel or even stuck at home entirely. Luckily, we’ve come prepared: we’re thrilled to introduce Gladwell Academy’s Remote Classrooms! With adapted content and pacing to allow digital delivery of our courses in SAFe (private only) in Agile Scrum and Kanban and information management (both private and open), your professional learning journey is continues fully adapted to digital... Learn more

12 Mar

Andres Jansen: “Organizations often run on distrust; RTEs should change that.”

Andres Jansen, Founder and Chairman of the RTE Summit (EU & Americas) and an experienced RTE himself explores the ‘culture of distrust’ that he says exists in most organizations. RTEs can be instrumental in founding a new ‘philosophy of trust and cooperation’. Cutting your teeth as an RTE Andres bases his perspective on the RTE role from over 15 years working with Agile practices and various frameworks. He launched over a dozen Agile Release Trains (ART) around the globe... Learn more

11 Mar

The Agile Coach Toolkit

The responsibilities of the Agile Coach are many and diverse. Hence, the ‘ Agile Coach Toolkit’ for the AC is equally diverse! Here’s my own take on the collection of skills and best practices that every Agile Coach should employ. It ranges from to ‘how to start out as an Agile Coach’, to Agile Coaching techniques, and to the Agile Coach’s role as a facilitator - to name a few. Supercharge your organization’s Agile transformation with these Agile Coach ‘tools.’ Building my... Learn more

08 Mar

Partner CO-Improve is ‘a natural fit’ with Gladwell Academy

To build a consultancy firm that embodies values like appreciation and trust. That combines industry, product development and transformation competence. To irreversibly improve – rather, ‘co-improve’ - complex industries that they know inside-out. That was the goal of founder and managing partner Dirk Meissner, some eight years ago in 2012. Three years ago, they added SAFe to the range of improvement frameworks that they practice – and today Gladwell Academy CEO Miranda Goossens... Learn more

06 Mar

Ali Hajou, the youngest SPCT ever: “On the crusade to cut the bull*!”

Ali Hajou has just recently received his SAFe® Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT) certification, making him the youngest person to receive Scaled Agile’s highest certification. Here’s how he reflects on his journey towards SAFe grand wizardry. Doing things differently Ali has been working to advance Agility since 2009, when he noticed how, at a pharmaceuticals company, “passionate people eager to develop new medicines spent the majority of their time developing documents instead of end... Learn more

04 Mar

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

Certified SPCT Saahil Panikar of Icon Agility Services is planning a workshop at the RTE Summit Americas. 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 virtually every aspect 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 time... Learn more

24 Feb

Calling US based RTEs and Super Scrum Masters to New York: June 19, NYC

After four successful editions of the RTE Summit in Europe, we’re taking this event to the United States: RTE Summit Americas! As the first and only event to focus entirely on building best practices for the role of the Release Train Engineers and Scrum Masters at scale, Gladwell Academy and Scaled Agile are bringing this event to the Western hemisphere. Andres Jansen, chairman of the previous Summits will host the Summit in New York City on the June 19th. Why are... Learn more