This is the first XP Day, or indeed any Agile conference, that I’ve been too. Whilst there were some basic introductory sessions to Agile I think it’s more geared towards those who are already involved and want to improve what they are doing and also feedback to the community their experiences. What I heard reassured me that I don’t have some warped view of what Agile is and that others experience similar problems in getting Agile adopted in big companies.
There were numerous interesting sessions and, with the exception of a couple that required an additional fee, you were free to choose which ones you attended. There were 4 streams run in parallel, the real problem was deciding which of the sessions not to attend. Fortunately I was there with a couple of colleagues so even though I didn’t manage to attend all that I was interested in I did get to hear about them second hand.
More to follow in other posts on the individual sessions.
One general thought that did strike me about the sessions was that most had two presenters, and by that I don’t mean one stood up and talked a bit then sat down and the other then did their bit but rather one person said something, the other would elaborate, give a counter view or just start on the next point and this alternating would carry on through the presentation. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen a presentation done in this way, that one done by Martin Fowler and Dan North which I think I’d have to class as the best presentation I’ve seen. I’m not sure why it seems to work so well, is it because you feel in some way, even if it is passive, part of a conversation rather than just someone being talked at, is it as simple as a little variety helps keep ones attention or is it because of the dynamic between the presenters? Maybe when I’ve seen it done badly it’ll be apparent what makes it work.
Based on this years I’ll certainly try to attend next years and would recommend it to anyone else involved in Agile, just don’t book your place before I get mine!
You got your blog online at last, I see