"Everything we do, at home, at work and in our communities, can embody the spirit of agile because it’s the human way of working."
About Brian
When I first came across agile, I was perplexed - people standing up to speak, post-it notes everywhere, and something called scrum. But this seemingly weird way of working stuck with me. I took some of the techniques and applied them to the software testing projects I was working on at the time.
It wasn’t until later on in my journey that I saw the real power of agile. I was part of an organisation that used the Extreme Programming (XP) agile framework. The short feedback loops and open communication really made a difference, and for the first time in my career, I didn’t feel burdened by bureaucracy and process.
I started speaking at events about bringing agility into the world of software testing, and a highlight was doing a talk at the world’s largest software testing conference, Star West.
Agile is a natural fit for me because I’ve always been comfortable with ambiguity. But agile isn’t chaos. It’s about cutting through the noise to achieve clarity.
As a trainer and coach at Skills Development Group, I try to bring the human side of agile to life in the classroom. Rather than teaching scrum or Kanban by the book, I love weaving in stories that give a broader perspective of agile.
I’m a Kiwi living in Australia, so it goes without saying that I love rugby, and you may even hear a few rugby analogies thrown into my talks! My other passion is producing a podcast with my brother-in-law called Epich Aotearoa. We chat with aspiring Kiwi entrepreneurs and others around the world who have made a positive impact.
My certifications
- BBBST® Black-Box Software Testing Foundations, Association for Software Testing
- BBST® Bug Advocacy, Association for Software Testing
- ISTQB® Advanced Level Test Analyst (CTAL-TA)
- ISTQB® Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst (CTAL-TTA)
- ISTQB® Advanced Level Test Manager (CTAL-TM)
- Rapid Software Testing Explored, RST
- Rapid Software Testing for Managed, RST
- ICAgile Authorised Instructor
- ICAgile Certified Professional (ICP)
- ICAgile Certified Professional – Business Agility Foundations (ICP-BAF)
- ICAgile Certified Professional – Agile Product Ownership (ICP-APO)
- ICAgile Certified Professional – Product Management (ICP-PDM)
- ICAgile Certified Professional – Delivery at Scale (ICP-DAS)
- ICAgile Certified Professional – Coaching Agile Transitions (ICP-CAT)
- ICAgile Certified Professional - Agile Testing (ICP-TST)
- ICAgile Certified Professional - Agile Team Facilitation (ICP-ATF)
- ICAgile Certified Professional - Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC)
- ICAgile Certified Professional – Leading with Agility (ICP-LEA)
