Mission Critical Agility

Time: 8:30 AM ET | 7:30 AM CT | 5:30 AM PT
Duration: One hour and a half

Speakers:
Jeff Norris, NASA

Whether it is controlling interplanetary spacecraft, managing medical records, or "merely" staying in business, it seems that more of us are facing the pressure of building and managing mission-critical systems and teams. Although it's tempting to think that reliability is all that matters, we're also forced to adapt to constantly advancing technologies, shifting priorities, and relentless competitive pressures. What can we learn about agility from great inventors like Alexander Graham Bell and the pioneers at NASA who risked everything to change the world? Is it wise to embrace innovation and take risks when so much is at stake? Can you afford to be agile when failure is not an option, or can you afford not to? Jeff Norris explores key principles of agility from a fresh and entertaining perspective by drawing on inspiring stories of people who demonstrated agile work practices long before anyone had heard of a ScrumMaster. Come take a break from the rulebooks and taxonomies of the modern agile zoo and reflect on core traits that we all should embrace as we seek better ways of working.

About the Presenters:

Jeff Norris, NASA

At the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Jeff Norris manages the Planning and Execution Systems Section, which is responsible for the software and mission control personnel that command many of NASA’s robotic spacecraft including the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, the Cassini Saturn Orbiter, and other missions to destinations throughout the solar system. A driving force behind the use of open source software at NASA, Jeff pioneered an innovative approach to software development that emphasizes teamwork and innovation. Before joining NASA, Jeff researched computer vision technologies at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and next-generation railroad control interfaces at the MIT Media Laboratory.

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