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Agile Straight Talk

Let’s be honest.  Project management is more complex today than it was a dozen years ago.  There is a profusion of Agile methodologies and certifications.  And, then there are all the traditional project management practices. 

The PMI Phoenix Chapter is hosting a panel discussion to provide honest answers about Agile and project management trends and practices.   The panelists have decades of experience leading projects, organizational transformations, and teaching others to be more successful.  

The panel plans to tackle which methodologies we should use and when?  What is better and why?  If I am in a traditional industry, like construction, how can Agile help me?

The panelists will debate the pros and cons of the Agile frameworks.  What is better—Scrum or Kanban?  What is PMI’s Disciplined Agile, and how does it compare to the other frameworks?  What is the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), and when should that be used? 

The panel will be prepared to discuss trending topics in Agile but is looking to the meeting attendees actively engage and ask their burning questions.  Questions can be submitted before this event by sending an email to events@pmiphx.org.

Panelist Biographies

Mr. Edjlali has over 15-years of experience in product, project, and program management in several industries.  He has led transformation initiatives in start-ups and Fortune 500 companies.    Amir has used various project management methodologies and practices in industries as diverse and Social Media, Financial Services, and Defense. 

Currently, Mr. Edjlali is the head of compliance strategy for a digital currency company.  Formerly, he has also worked at MasterCard, Facebook, Fannie, Mae, Booze Allen Hamilton, and Northrop Grumman.  In addition to holding his PMP since 2010, Amir holds his PMI-ACP and CSM (Certified Scrum Master).

Mr. Manketo is a multi-discipline Agile practitioner who has spent more than a decade leading the delivery of high-profile initiatives within technical organizations for Banking, Financial Services, New Media, and Federal entities. Additionally, he works across the organizational ecosystem to enable Agile transformations that radiate the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto. 

Mr. Manketo is actively engaged in building the Agile Community in the Mid-Atlantic Region. He is a regular speaker at area Meet-Ups and regional Agile Groups and served as an AgileDC Board Member for the last seven years.  

Mr. Manketo is credentialed as a SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), IC Agile Certified Practitioner (ICP), and Certified Scrum Practitioner (CSP).  Mr. Manketo holds an MBA from the University of Miami.

Ms. Ouellette has successfully partnered with organizations across the globe to bring about strategic change.  She has a broad range of project, portfolio, and program management expertise using agile and traditional best practices.

She helps executives develop organizational strategies.  She combines business management and technology skills to help her clients mature their processes and deliver these goals.  Beth was the 36^th person to achieve the Disciplined Agile Coaching designation and used these practices to create new and better ways of working for her clients.

Ms. Ouellette is a distinguished leader in the PMI community.  She is a PMI Fellow and past president of the New York City Chapter.  She co-authored the Program and Portfolio Management Standards and played leadership roles in developing the Requirements Management certification program.  She was the advisor and program manager for the Disciplined Agile Chapter Champions program. 

Mr. Zucker has over 25-years of experience leading projects and project execution organizations in Fortune 100 companies.  His agile experience predates the Agile Manifesto.  He played a leadership role in the agile transformation of a Fortune 50 financial services company.

Over the past 5-years, Mr. Zucker has been an instructor, consultant, and coach teaching traditional and agile project management practices.  He works with several national training organizations and developed Agile programs for colleges in the Washington, DC area.  He has advanced certifications in Scrum, Scaled Agile, Disciplined Agile.