We are very pleased to announce that Jim Benson will be joining us as the Saturday keynote speaker for Code PaLOUsa 2012!
We are Not Engineers
Engineers assemble known parts into predictable shapes. In some cases, the tools they use have been around for centuries. In software, we create products with unknown possibilities from tools often only months old. The software world is not simple - it's not complicated, complex, or even chaotic - it's all those things at once. As developers, we are simultaneously called upon to be logical, creative, visual, verbal, innovative, and predictable. In this keynote, Jim Benson will dispel the notion that software is "engineered." He will discuss how software is better created collaboratively, with teams that actually know what is going on. Drawing from tools and disciplines as varied as agile, kanban, cognitive psychology, and social economics, he will provide insights into why software development has been frustrating in the past and should be much less so in the future. Jim has patience for almost all things on this earth - except PowerPoint. Therefore, and as always, he promises a 100% PowerPoint-free discussion
About Jim
Incorporating lessons from a multi-disciplinary background that includes psychology, urban planning, government technology planning, software development, and corporate change management, Jim Benson specializes in the management of “knowledge work.” Over the course of his 22 year career, he has acquired a rich understanding for how people process information, set goals, and achieve their objectives.
In 2007, he started his current company, Modus Cooperandi. As the name suggests, Jim believes that the successful completion of any project requires cooperation. To this end, he works with all elements of a project: the individual, the team, and the organization as a whole to ensure that communication and collaboration are sound.
With that collaborative framework in place, a culture of continuous improvement can result - a culture that actively seeks out opportunities to improve job satisfaction and/or performance. Since starting Modus, Jim has helped The World Bank, NBC Universal, The United Nations UNDP and UNEP, The Library Corporation, Comcast and others find collaborative solutions, identify and implement improvements, and create more innovative cultures.
Jim is also the creator of “Personal Kanban,” a lean process used to manage knowledge workers. Knowledge work is a fundamentally tricky type of work to gain focus around, as those engaged in this type of work are by nature inventive. Invention and innovation are unpredictable, and related tasks are often amorphous. For the past two decades Jim Benson has worked at uncovering ways for groups to find clarity in unpredictable and amorphous environments.
Prior to Modus, Jim led transportation and software development projects of all sizes, and created custom software for government and business. He understands the trade-offs between marketing and development that inevitably arise in both government and private industry. His Lean and Agile project management backgrounds help him clearly express current work to staff and dynamically prioritize work based on current business needs.
