“If you want to grow, you need to contribute something valuable to the Community of Practice”. So, my Agile journey began with a piece of advice from my mentor Stephen Okoye that has guided me ever since. This advice has been a cornerstone of my approach, driving me to constantly bring fresh ideas, engaging games, and innovative inputs to the Agile community of the company where I’m currently working at.
SAFe Summit Berlin
This year has been particularly busy and fulfilling as I participated in various Agile conferences, both as a speaker and an organizer. It all started with the SAFe Summit in Berlin. As a freshly graduated SAFe Practice Consultant, I was eager to reconnect with my trainers and classmates, meet SAFe methodologists, and attend insightful sessions. The event was a powerful reminder of the strength and vibrancy of the global Agile community. It was no surprise that I left the summit with a wealth of new LinkedIn connections and a renewed sense of purpose.
Online Scrum Master Summit
Soon after, I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer for the Online Scrum Master Summit, working alongside an amazing team: Crystal Newmon, Allen Jellas, Alina Lenuta and Jennifer Joynt, all led by the inspiring Jeannie Flynn and Esther Schmit. Our goal was ambitious—to attract 5,000 participants worldwide—and the experience was as rewarding as it was challenging.
Agile Community of Practice
In the midst of these activities, I continued to support our local Agile Community of Practice at ExxonMobil, organized an Agile Book Club, where we were fortunate to host Maarten Dalmijn, the author of a bestselling book “Driving Value with Sprint Goals”. Additionally, we organized the local “Agile for All” conference, which featured some of my new friends from the SAFe Summit, Raul Barth and Eduardo Alvim, as external speakers from Gladwell Academy.
In August, we took our efforts globally by organizing a 24-hour Global Agile Day at ExxonMobil. This event was unique, covering all regions where ExxonMobil operates. I was honored to participate both as a speaker and a host, contributing to an event that truly brought our global community together worldwide.
Women in Agile Europe
Currently, I’m actively involved in the marketing team for the upcoming Women in Agile conference. This event is incredibly important to me as it not only highlights the contributions of women in the Agile space but also offers a fantastic opportunity for networking and professional growth. If you’re interested in attending, I highly recommend securing your tickets soon – this is an event you won’t want to miss!
RTE Summit Amsterdam
Lastly, I’m looking forward to facilitating a prioritization workshop at the RTE Summit in Amsterdam later this year, alongside a nice friends and colleagues Tamas Kokai, Zula Ganbat and Gergely Utri. This workshop will be an amazing opportunity to dive deep into prioritization techniques and share insights with other Agile enthusiasts.
What’s next?
My journey in Agile is a testament to the power of community and continuous learning. Each event, whether large or small, offers a chance to give back, learn something new, and grow both personally and professionally. I’m excited to see where this path will take me next.
By Iana Bybina
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iana-bybina-08b68536/
Hi Iana! You truly are an ispiration! 👏🏻