 Keynote Vince Mirabelli
Charting Your Journey: A Roadmap to Career Success
Vince has long been an advocate of applying good business analysis practices at an enterprise level and of continuous improvement in your role and in your career.
About Vince
Vince is a principal at Global Project Synergy, working with clients in the fields of project leadership, business analysis and Lean Six Sigma, with many years of direct senior-level experience in Project Management, Business Analysis, and Business Process Improvement. Vince has successfully instructed and trained hundreds of managers, executives and project practitioner professionals in multiple disciplines, to improve their understanding of project methodologies, as well as the relationships between them. In his role with GPS Group, Vince’s primary focus is to share his knowledge and experience, striving to help clients achieve optimal process outcomes.
He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®), Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®), Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
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 Our featured speaker, Shana Merlin
Persuasive Communication
In our four step process of getting curious, listening, blending, and using the seven persuasion signals, participants will be able to strategize a plan for their next professional or personal challenge
About Shana
Fresh off her recent TEDx talk, Shana Merlin is touring her fun and interactive presentations nationwide using the tools and techniques from improvisational comedy to teach team building, communication, sales, persuasion, leadership, making meetings matter, medical communications, and creativity. Some of her clients have included Dell, T-Mobile, Bumble, Methodist Medical Center and Deloitte. Shana is an associate at the Center for Health Communication at the University of Texas, a Professor of Improvisation at St. Edward’s University, and is the Founder of the Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation.
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 Tamara Copple
It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Change Mangement in Large Projects
In March 2020 Children International entered into a major replatforming effort from an obsolete CRM system to Microsoft Dynamics 365. Most business process re-engineering (BPR) projects fizzle at 18-24 months. Yet three years in, not only is the replatform effort still underway, but the entire organization is as enthusiastically behind the initiative as it was at the beginning.
What is the team doing that we have been given so much grace by our stakeholders? Come to this session to learn what has worked, and a few things that haven't in the way we have baked change management into this multi-year effort.
About Tamara
Product owner by day, evangelist for women in STEM by night, Tamara Copple, MBA, CBAP is a product owner with Kansas City-headquartered non-profit Children International. She is a past president of the IIBA Kansas City Chapter, and is a past leader and current ambassador for Kansas City Women in Technology, where she helped to build the Coding & Cocktails program for aspiring local women developers. In what spare time is left, Tamara enjoys counted cross-stitch, spontaneous weekend trips with her husband Matt, rewatching Marvel movies and the occasional game of Dungeons and Dragons.
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 Dustin Haisler
Preparing for the AI-Driven Experience: Colliding Macrotrends
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront, heralding a new era of information interaction and experience. This presentation dives deep into the colliding macro trends that are setting the stage for a transformative AI-driven era. As the boundaries between the digital and physical realms blur, there's a paradigm shift in how consumers, businesses, and societies at large interact with, interpret, and derive value from information.
Key takeaways from this session will include:
- Understanding the Macrotrends: A look into the major global shifts driving radical changes in how information is accessed inside and externally to organizations.
- The AI Impact: How AI technologies, from machine learning to generative AI, are redefining the ways in which data is processed, decisions are made, and experiences are crafted.
- Experience Reimagined: Exploration of AI's role in reshaping customer experiences across sectors.
- Human & Machine Synergy: A balanced perspective on the collaboration between human intuition and AI-driven insights. We'll explore how this synergy can lead to enhanced productivity, creativity, and efficiency.
- Preparation for the Future: Concrete strategies and guidelines for businesses, designers, and decision-makers on how to adapt and thrive in this AI-centric world.
About Dustin
Dustin Haisler is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) for e.Republic - the nation'ss leading state and local government media and research company - and the parent company of Government Technology, Governing, and the Center for Digital Government. Dustin also serves as an Eisenhower Fellow (2019 Zhi-Xing Program) and Program Faculty for the Texas State Certified Public Management Program (CPM). As the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Assistant City Manager for the City of Manor, Dustin quickly built a track record and reputation as an early innovator in civic tech. Dustin pioneered government use of commercial technologies not before used in the public sector – including Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing, and gamification. |
 Dan Corbin
One Ring to Guide Them All: Unlocking Success Through the Fellowship of Psychological Safety
Join us for a journey as we explore Psychological Safety, the hidden One Ring that binds creativity, innovation, and collaboration within any organization! Together, we'll venture through the lush landscapes of strategy and the Mines of Moria of real-world applications that foster a Rivendell-like sanctuary where everyone feels safe to be their authentic elves. Oops! I meant their authentic selves.
In this session, you will embark on the following quests:
- How to Craft the Council of Elrond at Work: Establish an atmosphere where ideas are shared as freely as tales around a Hobbit's dinner table, without fear of Orc-like ridicule or dismissal.
- From the Shire to the Workplace: Create group dynamics where every team member feels as valued as a member of the Fellowship.
- Harnessing the Bravery of Hobbits: Foster a culture where risk-taking is celebrated like a victorious battle at Helm's Deep, leading to the breakthrough innovation akin to the forging of Narsil.
- Shifting from Mordor to the Shire: Implement the techniques needed to move from a blame culture as dark as Sauron's shadow to one of growth, development, and Gandalf-like wisdom.
This session isn't just a presentation; it's an invitation to transform your workplace into the thriving ecosystem of Lothlórien, teeming with ideas, creativity, and collaboration. Join us on this adventure, and take the essential step towards a more harmonious and productive future for your organization, as bright as the glow of Eärendil's star!
About Dan
Dan is a distinguished leader in product management with a passion for optimizing product strategy and operations. With several decades of industry-spanning experience, he has helmed multifaceted teams across various sectors, demonstrating adaptability and innovation.
Dan is also a committed instructor, mentor, and coach who has guided numerous individuals to new heights in their careers, marrying theory with practical insights.
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 Michael Daehne
What Do BBQ & Business Transformation Have in Common? More Than You Might Think
Digital Transformation – like great brisket – is a journey, not a destination. You can’t get there without a great plan, but you also have to be willing to adjust on the fly and realize that there’s as much art to the process as there is science. It requires patience and persistence, and it’s impossible to do it perfectly every single time. But with a good approach, the right tools, and a positive attitude, you can beat the odds and deliver an extraordinary experience.
About Michael
Michael Daehne founded FlexPoint Consulting after many years of transformative consulting leadership at other firms. Michael brings to the table a wealth of knowledge in the areas of business and technology transformation, customer experience optimization, program delivery, and change management. He is passionate about working with business and IT leaders to design and implement innovative solutions that result in happy customers, engaged employees, and thriving businesses. |
Artificial Intelligence Panel - Sarah Alme, Trey Roady, and Cory Wilburn
Join us for a lively discussion about all things AI and how they apply to business analysts.
About the Panelists
Cory Wilburn - Cory is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. During his career he has worked in a wide range of roles that includes software engineering, business and systems analysis, project management, enterprise architecture, and recruiting and staff development.
Sarah Alme - Sarah is a visionary and seasoned UX Research and Design leader focusing on UX strategy, creative research methods and delightful designs. She specializes in UX and AI/ML technologies, pushing innovative boundaries to achieve usable, desirable and valuable product solutions.
Trey Roady - Trey is a passionate advocate for human centered systems and combines strong numerical research with qualitative narrative to define user pain points and drive lean and responsive experiences. Trey has notable experience with professional communication, mentorship, and group leadership and strongly believes that people are best empowered by digging into their perspectives and aligning incentives.
combines insights from different fields.
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 Cindy Brummer
How To Get Alignment With Tough Stakeholders
Too often we start our projects with a brief and vague direction, and without even understanding what our stakeholders really want. Sometimes they don't really know, either! In this workshop, Cindy will guide you through a vision session, what it is, why you should run one and how a vision session can align the product and keep everyone focused on the project.
This session will help you understand how to:
- Identify key stakeholders early
- Set up alignment early
- Run a vision session - Stakeholder Journey Mapping
- Mitigate risk: How to avoid conflict and consequences
About Cindy
Cindy Brummer is Founder and Creative Director of Standard Beagle Studio, a user experience design agency based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2012, Standard Beagle has improved the UX for a variety of companies in industries that range from healthcare to ecommerce, B2B SaaS to performing arts.
In addition to guiding the team at Standard Beagle, Cindy mentors designers, runs the UX in ATX global community of designers, and teaches the UX/UI boot camp program through the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. She is also a contributing author to the book “97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know,” published by O’Reilly. And, of course, she serves as the VP of Operations with IIBA Austin Chapter. Her kids and husband say the rumors are not true -- Cindy does in fact sleep, and she spends time with them. Mostly watching Marvel TV shows and movies.
Follow Cindy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindybrummer/. And visit her websites:
https://standardbeagle.com/
https://cindybrummer.com/
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