At the Agile Awards. They put a lot of effort into the room and tables. It was a great evening. Steve Punt, Master of Ceremonies comedian, cracked an Agile joke in the first few minutes. It went down well. There were 8 awards and the winners were:
Most Valuable Agile Innovation 2012
The 10 Second Builder won this award. Brian Henley, emergn, presented the award. He gave a lengthy speech about his company. This didn’t create a precedent for future presenters. Emergn were also nominated for their Value, Flow and Quality tool. Although the award sponsors were not involved in the judging, they were allowed to enter this category. However, it would have been embarrassing if he was presenting the award directly to someone from his company.
Best Agile Newcomer
Emma Hopkinson Spark received her award for Best Agile YoungcomerWon from Emma Hopkinson Spark by United Health. Hopkinson-Spark was praised for her leadership, impact and delivery skills, as well as her knowledge of agile methods and coaching abilities. Rob Smith, Indigo Blue presented the award.
Best Use of Agile in Public Sector
The Ordnance Survey Goose Team won it for their online ecommerce platform. They were very happy with it. Ian McKenna, Project Success, presented the award.
Best Use of Agile in Private Sector
Red Gate Software, who were praised for being a “truly agile company”, awarded the award. The award was presented by the Chairman of DSDM(r) Consortium. He stated that 2012 is “the year Agile comes of age.”
Best Agile Team
Telefonica UK was sponsored by Tata and won this award. They started with 40 people and set out to reduce customer lost hours. However, it was not explained what they were. O2 created an environment that was collaborative and learning. The team now has 220 members, all working in an agile manner.
Best Mentor or Coach for Agile Coaching
John Wright, Indigo Blue’s Managing Director, won the award. He has 10 years of experience in a variety of roles, from CXO to PMO. He was praised for his ability and willingness to lead by example.
The Agile Special Recognition Award
I went to Dave Putman, but it’s not clear why. He deserved it, I’m certain.
Most Valuable Agile Player (UK)
Keith Richards prepares to present the Most Valuable Agile player award. This award was presented last year by Keith Richards. He spoke out about Forrester research that said 27% of companies are agile, but he disagreed. He said, “Mature agility at the enterprise level is very rare.” He said that the awards night was great because it was great to see people doing Agile well, and to be with people who have been working in Agile for a while. He said, “Maybe we’re the fast moving water.”
Keith predicted that Agile adoption and accreditation will rise rapidly and stated that the Agile project management certification (APMG) is the most sought-after product the organisation offers.
Keith presented the award from Barrens Consulting to Shaun Smith, who was praised by his coaching, team engagement and ability to mentor.
I was invited by APMG to attend the awards.
