Lastest From APLN Board
This is an update from the board meeting at the Agile 2009 conference
on Monday, August 24. First, this message is from your new board
co-presidents--Jim Highsmith and Julie Chickering. While some good
things are happening at APLN, there are areas that need attention. In
fact, it appears to be a critical time for the future of APLN. We hope
each of you will read this carefully and let us know if you have
comments or ideas for the future. Our near term goal is to revitalize
the APLN.
Current Situation
The positive: The local chapter, at least many of them, continue to be
strong and have significant attendance. In addition, the Executive
Summits continue to attract participants and are now being held in
conjunction with the Better Software and the Agile practices
conferences.
The not so positive: At the board level, the situation has
deteriorated. While many good things have been done over the last
several years, the involvement required to keep operations and
programs going has shrunk to too few board members. This is always an
issue with volunteer organizations, but we need to correct this
situation. Part of the problem may be a lack of clear vision and
mission--something we need to work on--soon. Our new board is a great
start!
The bottom line is that we need together decide if the APLN continues
or not. This is a strong statement, but we see no need to pull punches
at this point. With the Agile Alliance, the Scrum Alliance, and the
new PMI Agile Community of Practice, we need to decide what role, if
any, the APLN can serve in this environment.
Action Steps:
- Elect a new board: We decided on co-officer positions for the
board, and the following people have stepped up to the tasks:
Co-President Jim Highsmith, Julie Chickering
Co-Vice President: Sanjiv Augustine, Rose Anton, Robbie Mac Iver
Co-Treasurer: Susan Fojtasek, Steven "Doc" List
Co-Secretary: Linda Cook, David Chilcott
Co-Past President: Pollyanna Pixton, Todd Little
- Clear up operations: There were a number of areas in which
operations (membership, budgeting, web site) need to be updated.
Various board members have agreed to follow up on action items.
- Communications with membership: This email is a start. We will
update you on any significant events when they occur, or at least
quarterly.
- Next meetings: The board will have regular monthly phone
conferences. Those board members attending will meet at the Agile
Practices conference in Orlando in November. The next scheduled board
meeting will be in February. All meetings are open to members.
- Vision and Mission: Ultimately this item will determine the future
of APLN. The board, with your input, will be working on this over the
next 6 months. Our goal is to re-vitalize the APLN in that time frame.
One area we are considering is a vision somewhere along the lines of
"Growing Agile Enterprises" and helping organizations make that
transformation. Holding local group meetings and summits isn't enough,
we need a Vision that shapes what we do and what we hope to achieve.
Our long-term mission will be a topic for discussion, but our
short-term mission is to revitalize through: 1) becoming operationally
sound, 2) supporting local chapters, 3) conducting leadership summits,
4) communicating regularly with members, and 5) developing long-term
vision and mission.
We hope you will join us in this effort, we need your ideas, your
comments, and your efforts.
Regards,
Jim Highsmith & Julie Chickering
