It's BeyondAgile: people making software that works

The hopefully-not-anticlimatic second event of the still-pretty-new BeyondAgile is happening on Thursday:

"Agile Challenges Clinic/Swap Meet"
Thursday, 26 March 2009
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Locations on the Eastside and Seattle!
Read on for agenda and location information, or visit our Google Group at
http://groups.google.com/group/beyondagile

The Blurb
At the first event, everyone (over forty people) created a backlog of ideas, suggestions, and work items. Among them were two suggestions that gave rise to this event's focus: "a bring-a-problem" session where everyone helps everyone with their challenges. We've extended the idea of a clinic, where you bring a problem to an expert and get help, to a swap meet (or potluck), were everyone brings something and gets something. So come if you think you're brimming over with answers and expertise, and come if you're wanting other perspectives or advice on how to tangle with the problems that bedevil your days.

We'll also form a program team, a group that'll work proactively to plan interesting and exciting events in sufficient time for the blurb-writer–that's me–to write and distribute the blurb a few weeks before the event. If you're wondering who'd be good at doing that, go look in a mirror—it's you we need!

Second Event Agenda
o Welcome and Announcements (10 min.)
o Formation of Program Team (10 min.)
o "Agile Clinic/Swap Meet (85 min.)
o Giveaway Drawing (5 min.)
o Meeting Retrospective (10 min.)
o Socializing and Breakout/Breakup/Beer

Event Locations
Eastside:
SolutionsIQ
First Floor Training Center
10785 Willows Road NE, Suite 250
Redmond WA
directions and picture of building at http://www.solutionsiq.com/about-us/contact-us.php
Look for the tent signs and the blue BeyondAgile logo

Seattle:
Amdocs Digital Commerce Division (formerly QPass)
Greece Room
2211 Elliott Ave Suite 400
Seattle WA

Questions? Contact us at beyondagile@..., or visit our Google Group, or contribute to the nascent Wiki at beyondagile.org.

Why come?
Here's your chance to be in on the beginning of an exciting new collaboration of the Puget-Sound area (and beyond!) agile-interested. And if that's not enough, we'll hold a drawing to win exciting and valuable prizes!

What's BeyondAgile?
It's the combination and follow-on to a number of the agile-oriented user and interest groups that have operated in the Puget Sound area. Representatives of the Seattle XP User Group and Seattle Scrum came together in December to try and combine the efforts of all of us who care about and use agile methods.

Why does BeyondAgile exist?
o Find best practices among all agile processes
o Build a bigger agile community
o Take advantage of overlaps between existing groups
o Expand beyond meetings and provide a place to collaborate
o Align software development and business
o Explore cutting-edge ideas and techniques

What is BeyondAgile like?
That, in large part, is up to you. A primary reason for consolidating our efforts is to broaden our base of support, capability, and leadership. We envision a more active, multi-faceted organization that does more than just host talking heads. We'll gather at least once a month on the 4th Thursday of the month, and probably more often, once you figure out what other events you'd like.

Where do BeyondAgile events happen?
Our goal is to have many answers to this. As a result, we've worked to remove the impediment offered by bridges and commuting: for our monthly meetings, we hold our events in both Eastside and Seattle locations, through the semi-magic of videocasting. We're experimenting: we've thought of trying to alternate the "real" physical meeting between sides of the lake. At this point, we're only at the stage of using a semi-okayish video link between the two locations, and try *very* hard to make the meeting balanced between locations. That's harder than it seems; come and help us work it out! We're still dreaming of enabling people anywhere to attend through streaming video, even after the meeting's already happened, but we need more knowledge, resources, and volunteers before that's going to happen.

I have question for you.
Great! Visit the Google Group (BeyondAgile) or send a message to beyondagile@...