Category Archives: Highlights

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

06 Nov

What’s new in SAFe 5.0

With the recent unveiling of SAFe 5.0, the world’s leading framework for Agility at scale has acknowledged in the theory what leading organizations have been pioneering in practice: to spread Lean/Agile principles far beyond digital development and IT. From Finance to HR and from Sales to Facilities, SAFe 5.0 is where Agile means Business. But wait; there’s more. The new version of SAFe contains several major improvements and redesign, making the 5.0 version... Learn more

01 Nov

Aegon Asset Management: “Health radars made our teams central to our transformation.”

Aegon Asset Management Agilists Kok Hing Cheung and Alexander Wierstra will present together at the RTE Summit. “We’re positively surprised by this powerful growth platform… and we wanted to share our experience.” It isn’t a sponsored contribution if the company behind the product isn’t on stage. When Kok Hing Cheung speaks about AgilityHealth’s ‘radars’, he does sound a bit like an advertisement though: “Finally we have a real sense... 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

22 Oct

Signify’s Lieven Verdin: “We made our UX design into a shared service for multiple ARTs”

Design Lead Lieven Verdin and Agile Coach Joris van Doorn have ‘tweaked’ an arrangement that isn’t perhaps orthodox SAFe, but it works well for them. They’re visiting the RTE Summit to shed light on building a shared service for a team that’s too small to be an ART, but too much in demand to be left aside. The international brand in advanced lighting solutions Signify has four Trains in operation, and they all need UX and other design skills for the many lighting... Learn more

02 Oct

Architecting while Agile? Yes, you can.

If you’d been in one of my trainings a while ago, you’d have heard someone ask me this question. “You Agile evangelists are always talking about these new roles: Product Owner. Development Team. Release Train Engineer. This, that and the other. Fine and good - but where does my work fit in? I’m an architect. And I can see my role is changing, but I’m not sure how exactly. Why is it changing, and more importantly what can I change... 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

30 Sep

Why bring Agile ideas to Hardware?

The advantages of working Agile have been a revolution for software development - and then for services-oriented businesses too. Why is the world of hardware development now suddenly becoming so eager to follow suit? Because, finally, it can. The promise of Agile is well-known and widely acknowledged. The ability to ‘turn on a dime, for a dime’. The ability to drastically reduce time-to-market. The increased sense of empowerment that pervades all layers of the... 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

15 Sep

“No fighting, no fleeing; an open review.”

Organizational psychologist and RTE Summit keynote speaker Dirk van Uffelen looks ahead to his contributions on November 11th and 12th. “A conflict of expectations isn’t necessarily a threat. People make it into one with their behavior.” When it comes to managing conflict in the workplace, there isn’t much that Dirk van Uffelen hasn’t seen. As a seasoned conflict analyst in the workplace, Dirk visits tens of organizations and teams to bring members to... 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

29 Jul

Newly appointed SPCT Niels Groen: “Excited to educate the change agents.”

Gladwell Academy’s own Niels Groen has been accepted into the ranks of the SAFe Program Consultant Trainers this week! As only the second Dutchman ever to receive this highest Scaled Agile certification, he’s quite thrilled: “Educating the change agents also involves me in the transformations they lead”. With demand for SAFe continuing to rise, becoming an SPC is an appealing possibility for thousands of aspiring Agile professionals around the world. So, Niels Groen’s SPCT... 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

17 Jul

Agile for Hardware 1.0 shares the success and the struggle

It’s over! Pioneers in hardware-oriented industries all over the world gathered at the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam to share stories of embracing Agility in hardware development at the Agile for Hardware conference, version 1.0. We had a fascinating time, and you? The first edition of Agile for Hardware opens with an audience of about sixty people. A humble crowd, but chairman Ralph Hofman and event coordinator Johanna Raivio are more than pleased: “It’s fitting: there aren’t... Learn more