Calendar of Events

Disagreement Doesn’t Have to be Divisive
Nan Gesche
Productive conversations, even in the face of different views and opinions, are critical for well-functioning organizations and societies. Yet rather than engage in potentially difficult or uncomfortable conversations, many of us try to avoid them all together for fear of creating conflict.

There is a big difference between healthy, productive disagreements and heated arguments. For two parties to come to a mutually beneficial agreement, there has to be a level of professionalism and respect. While navigating this territory can feel uncomfortable, it is possible for people with different points of view to have a constructive conversation. Join me for a discussion of some simple, yet powerful tools help you speak your mind and be receptive to other perspectives to build common ground.

How to Avoid Agile Failing Even Though Agile Projects Succeed
Robin Goldsmith

There’s more to Agile success than merely delivering working code each sprint. Yet, too many organizations’ Agile effectiveness can be blindsided due to focusing only on sprints. Learn how to detect and avoid the Agile failure ‘iceberg’ lurking 90% below the surface.

Nan Gesche
Nan is an energetic speaker who uses experience, insight, and some sturdy research, all sprinkled with a little humor, to get people to see themselves and the world differently. Her passion is “Helping people play well together!” Nan provides audiences a chance to ponder and practices different ways of thinking and acting around change, conflict, decision making, communication, and leadership all in hopes of providing more positive outcomes.
Nan has worked with diverse organizations on projects such as change management, resiliency building, conflict management, as well as working with individuals on conflict management issues. Nan’s corporate experience includes Change Enablement Manager, Director of Training & Development, Organizational Effectiveness Facilitator, and National Bank Examiner.

Robin Goldsmith
Robin F. Goldsmith, JD works directly with and trains business and project professionals to get the right results right that their business needs via requirements analysis, quality and testing, software acquisition, project management and leadership, metrics, REAL ROI™, and process improvement. He is President and co-founder of Go Pro Management, Inc. consultancy. Author of the Proactive Testing™, REAL ROI™, and Beyond the Textbook™ Software Acquisition methodologies, numerous articles, the Artech House book Discovering REAL Business Requirements for Software Project Success, and the forthcoming book Cut Creep—Write Right Agile User Stories and Acceptance Tests, and a frequent featured speaker at leading professional conferences, he writes the “Unconventional Wisdom” blog on TestHuddle.com. Formerly International Vice President of the Association for Systems Management (ASM) and Executive Editor of the Journal of Systems Management, he is Vice President and past President of the Software Quality Group of New England. He currently is actively contributing to his third IEEE/ISO standard. He is a subject expert on requirements and testing for TechTarget SearchSoftwareQuality.com and a subject expert and reviewer for the IIBA Body of Knowledge (BABOK v2). Robin earned the following degrees: Kenyon College, A.B. with Honors in Psychology; Pennsylvania State University, M.S. in Psychology; Suffolk University, J.D.; Boston University, LL.M. in Tax Law. Mr. Goldsmith is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.