leadership

Scaling Community Discussion and Decision-making

Any free/libre software, volunteer, or even startup project will have elements of do-ocracy (rule of those who do the work) but not all decisions should devolve to implementors. Rather, a basic principle is that decisions should be made by the people who are most affected.

45 Minutes to Actionable Strategies that will Improve Customer Experience

Ever feel like you're jumping from one problem to the next putting out fires but never get the bandwidth to implement longer term solutions?  This 45-minute session focuses on the importance of establishing baseline assessments and measuring progress through regular formal audits of your content, architecture, workflow and infrastructure to seize opportunities that will strengthen visitor journeys and increase conversions.

Pivoting in a Project

As a Project Manager, Strategist, Developer, Designer, or Stakeholder, we are all part of the puzzle—and it's crucial to keep sight of the big picture—even when we’re required to pivot from the original plan. Pivots come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be a minor change that’s quickly integrated into the scope or a major departure that alters the entire course of the project.

Beyond babysitting and cat herding : How servant leadership makes for a better project manager

In a recent annual review, my boss acknowledged that the team appreciated my servant leadership on projects. Even though I had heard of this style of leadership, at first I was taken aback and almost offended by the term. I might’ve had a chip on my shoulder from battling stereotypes of females in the workplace and constantly proving myself as more than a notetaker and meeting scheduler. The last thing I wanted to be labeled as was a servant! 

“But I’m not privileged!” Why diversity and inclusion are everyone’s problem.

As Dries Buytaert discussed in the DrupalCon Seattle keynote, open source has a serious diversity problem - and that includes our own Drupal community. We are people who care about fairness for all, and yet inequality persists. What can we do?

The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Building Drupal Websites

Every developer has been there: fresh out of school, new to the field, or using a new technology. There is a lot to know to successfully build Drupal websites. To be successful, developers learn technical skills in school or from websites and books. Applying those skills in the real-world is not always straightforward. In addition, soft skills are equally as important to being successful in this field and are often neglected.

What Happens Next? Explore & Design Your Professional Path

"What's next?" is a question you may hear from your parents, peers, employers an ice breaker for interviews, one-on-ones, and learning / growth plan discussions You may be asking the question to yourself as you ponder professional or community growth. It is always a challenging topic to approach - regardless of age, role, or job position.

The Grown-Ups Are Not Coming

A promotion to management. A Drupal project royally derailed. Bringing home your first child or a medical diagnosis or getting laid off.  There are specific times in our lives when we get the strong instinct to look over our shoulders and ask, “who is coming to HANDLE this?!”  Surprise! The answer is you.

You are not a candle; don't burn out

This session will cover a topic near and dear to our hearts: How to juggle multiple complex IT projects without losing our balance. We’ll get real about distractions that we cause ourselves through unexamined habits or suboptimal work practices, and we’ll talk about how some basic Agile principles can support better work-life balance. We’ll also tackle how to recognize some systemic issues in a technical work environment, such as technical debt, and make a connection between small choices in our daily work-lives and big problems that snowball over time.

Why fork Drupal? The philosophy behind Backdrop CMS

Backdrop CMS is the Drupal fork. It is a faster and less-complex version of Drupal 7 with more features you want, and fewer you don't. This session will highlight the Backdrop Mission, it's intended audience, and it's guiding principles. We'll explain the decision making process, introduce the Project Management Committee, and expand on how the project's direction is set by the needs of the whole community. We'll cover topics like how we handle Security and Stability, and talk about how we're trying to decrease the cost of long-term website ownership.