Recommendations
SR - Greenville, SC
Our experience with Tom, both as a trainer and coach, was excellent! He adjusted very quickly to our environment and challenges. The courses (Essentials and Planning) were exactly the material and level we needed to start this project and become successful with Agile! In addition, Tom provided a wealth of experience, knowledge, and short sessions on techniques. He also adapted well to changes and suggestions. As a result of his help, this team is beginning Sprint 3 (today) and could well become one of our 'model' teams.
Our experience with Tom, both as a trainer and coach, was excellent! He adjusted very quickly to our environment and challenges. The courses (Essentials and Planning) were exactly the material and level we needed to start this project and become successful with Agile! In addition, Tom provided a wealth of experience, knowledge, and short sessions on techniques. He also adapted well to changes and suggestions. As a result of his help, this team is beginning Sprint 3 (today) and could well become one of our 'model' teams.
BW - Denver, CO
Amazing – we were suffering from stagnancy and not a lot of buy in. Some basic practices in place but needed the whole picture painted and a pathway drawn for OUR needs to get us to where we wanted to be. I especially appreciated Tom’s ability to rebut the naysayers in a manner which validated their concerns but pointed out other success stories and encouraged folks to embrace change – try it! Lots of checking in, lots of on-the-fly problem solving and support.
Tom came prepared and had excellent communication skills. Listened to the team, responded appropriately focusing on the pain points and highlighting the things we were already doing well. A perfect balance of the pure rules of practice with experiences which draw on them were core to Tom’s teaching. His breadth of experience allowed him to speak to a variety of issues which came up throughout the training and consultation days.
Tom truly excels at presenting an objective view and plan based on the assessment of the organization. Again to balance the strengths with some opportunities for improvement can be difficult and Tom did it with ease and not a lot of push back. One strategy was to ask our development team to prioritize pain points and to focus on those in his recommendations helped people embrace change in the interest of making things more efficient/better. Even in delicate situations, the feedback was professional and managed positively with a focus on outcomes.
Tom checked in, continued to provide feedback and problem solving as we progressed and consistently asked for feedback on his own work (including the tools he provided) and whether the path he was helping to lead us onto was valid given our work environment (resources etc). He is a great listener – able to incorporate feedback and adjust accordingly quickly and with ease. He is great and enlisting participation from the team. He is ‘safe’ to talk to – even frankly with fears and concerns. Tom is able to convert negative comments into an opportunity for improvement by validating.
Highly recommend!
Tom came prepared and had excellent communication skills. Listened to the team, responded appropriately focusing on the pain points and highlighting the things we were already doing well. A perfect balance of the pure rules of practice with experiences which draw on them were core to Tom’s teaching. His breadth of experience allowed him to speak to a variety of issues which came up throughout the training and consultation days.
Tom truly excels at presenting an objective view and plan based on the assessment of the organization. Again to balance the strengths with some opportunities for improvement can be difficult and Tom did it with ease and not a lot of push back. One strategy was to ask our development team to prioritize pain points and to focus on those in his recommendations helped people embrace change in the interest of making things more efficient/better. Even in delicate situations, the feedback was professional and managed positively with a focus on outcomes.
Tom checked in, continued to provide feedback and problem solving as we progressed and consistently asked for feedback on his own work (including the tools he provided) and whether the path he was helping to lead us onto was valid given our work environment (resources etc). He is a great listener – able to incorporate feedback and adjust accordingly quickly and with ease. He is great and enlisting participation from the team. He is ‘safe’ to talk to – even frankly with fears and concerns. Tom is able to convert negative comments into an opportunity for improvement by validating.
Highly recommend!
LF - Raleigh, NC
I heard from one of my more blunt engineers that the session this afternoon was one of the best he had ever been to. You must be really good!
CN - Austin, TX
Tom was very effective in mentoring our pilot teams as they transitioned to agile. He was able to find the right balance between allowing teams to make mistakes and learn from them without letting the teams go too far down the wrong path.
Tom established a strong mentoring relationship with our project leader/scrum master; allowing our project leader to guide the team, and allowing the team to establish practices that worked best for them.
In addition to mentoring teams, Tom taught and co-taught several classes relating to Scrum adoption, including a “foundations of agile” class. Additionally, Tom identified topics relevant to specific teams and effectively facilitated "Scrum Master Minutes" to further the teams' understanding of these topics.
As with many organizations, one of our biggest challenges in transitioning to Scrum was an understanding and application of roles, particularly those outside of the programming group (e.g.: the “product owner role” and the role of our infrastructure staff). Tom was sensitive to the organizational culture that contributed to this difficulty, and provided valuable insight and advice to the organization’s leaders for addressing this challenge.
Tom established a strong mentoring relationship with our project leader/scrum master; allowing our project leader to guide the team, and allowing the team to establish practices that worked best for them.
In addition to mentoring teams, Tom taught and co-taught several classes relating to Scrum adoption, including a “foundations of agile” class. Additionally, Tom identified topics relevant to specific teams and effectively facilitated "Scrum Master Minutes" to further the teams' understanding of these topics.
As with many organizations, one of our biggest challenges in transitioning to Scrum was an understanding and application of roles, particularly those outside of the programming group (e.g.: the “product owner role” and the role of our infrastructure staff). Tom was sensitive to the organizational culture that contributed to this difficulty, and provided valuable insight and advice to the organization’s leaders for addressing this challenge.
JQ - Pittsburgh, PA
Tom was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Course [PMI-ACP] was great!
DB - Pittsburgh, PA
The environment and instruction provided by Tom was one of the best training prep experiences that I have had!
WM - Boulder, CO
I had the pleasure of working closely with Tom in designing an advanced ASP web application in 1997 - 2000 for which Tom implemented the back-end capabilities nearly single-handedly. This application became the primary technology asset for which the company we worked for was sold for $25M. Tom's ability to offer multiple options for achieving the business requirements for this project revealed him to be one of the most creative and open software architects with whom I have ever worked
JB - Fort Collins, CO
Tom is an excellent agile trainer and an empathetic and extremely effective coach. He brings an infectious enthusiasm to every training session and understands at a fundamental level how to coach individuals and teams as they transform the way they work. His innate understanding of collaboration and teamwork bring the agile values and principles to life for trainees, the teams he coaches, and his teammates. In short, Tom is an exceptional agilist and an invaluable asset
AG - Boulder
Tom has a vast software development experience and savvy. He has great analytical skills and organization skills. His direct and to the point communication style complements the above. I would gladly work with Tom again if the opportunity were to come up.