about us
LitheSpeed offers premium Agile software development training, coaching
& consulting services. We blend Agile methods like Scrum and XP with Lean process
expertise to speed value delivery and drive enterprise evolution. Our pragmatic
approach lets us worry about the methods, while you concentrate on your business
needs.
Our consultants and trainers have had more than a decade of experience implementing Agile methods including Scrum and eXtreme Programming (XP) at companies ranging from Fortune 100 stalwarts to startups. Our trainers are recognized experts with real life experience gleaned from multiple engagements across various industries.
At LitheSpeed, we are passionate about believing that we have an obligation to our wider community to contribute economically and socially.
We hope to positively impact our community by:
• Offering substantial individual needs-based discounts to our trainees, and organizational discounts to non-profit clients
• Providing year-round pro-bono presentations at community user groups, webinars and non-profit conferences
• Sharing our knowledge freely through our blog, articles and presentations, and
• Sponsoring the Agile Philanthropy Initiative.
Leadership Team 
Lead Consultants Partner Organizations Network Partners
Sanjiv Augustine, President
An industry-leading agile and lean expert, Sanjiv has assisted several leading clients adopt Agile methods over the past decade. He is the author of several publications including Transitioning to Agile Project Management: A Roadmap for the Perplexed, The Lean-Agile PMO: Using Lean Thinking to Accelerate Agile Project Delivery and the book Managing Agile Projects (Prentice Hall 2005); and the founder and moderator of the Yahoo! Agile Project Management discussion group. Sanjiv is also a founder and advisory board member of the Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN), and a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) ’s Agile Forum Steering Committee. As an in-the-trenches practitioner, he has personally managed Agile projects varying in size from five to over one hundred people, trained thousands of agile practitioners via public classes and conference presentations, and coached numerous project teams. For more information, see Sanjiv’s website: www.sanjivaugustine.com.
Arlen Bankston, Executive Vice President
Arlen is an established leader in the application and evolution of process management methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma and BPM, as well as Agile software development processes such as Extreme Programming (XP) and Scrum. He is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Certified ScrumMaster Trainer. He also has twelve years of experience in product design, leveraging principles of information architecture, interaction design and usability to develop innovative products that meet customers' expressed and unspoken needs. Arlen has led Agile and Lean deployment and managed process improvement projects at clients such as Capital One, T. Rowe Price, Freddie Mac, and the Armed Forces Benefits Association. Arlen's recent work has centered on combining Lean Six Sigma process improvement methods with Agile execution to dramatically improve both the speed and quality of business results. He has also led the integration of interaction design and usability practices into Agile methodologies, presenting and training frequently at both industry conferences and to Fortune 100 clients.
David Bulkin, Vice President of Training Services
David is a well known agile trainer, consultant, coach, speaker and writer with
25+ years software product development experience, and over a decade of agile experience across the entire value stream from
product ideation to development. David has assisted over 50 teams and hundreds of invididuals
with the transition from predictive plan driven management to agile methods.
As a Certified Scrum Trainer,
David delivers Certified ScrumMaster, Certified Product Owner Training, Requirements Workshop, Team Workshop and other courses.
David frequently presents at conferences including Agile 20xx, Scrum Gathering and Agile Palooza while blogging for LitheSpeed and serving as an
agile editor at InfoQ.
While on the Board of Directors at the Center for Program Transformation (CPT) he prepared Senate testimony on IT Oversight
and contributed to federal legislation. During the late 1990's David
was a VP at JP Morgan Chase managing mission critical technology projects, such as eBanking software development. In the
mid 1990's David built an Internet startup from the group up. David was also a member of the Software
Program Managers Network (SPMN) where he identified proven software best practices, conveyed them to managers of large-scale DoD system acquisition programs,
and consulted on numerous projects.
Bob Payne, Vice President and Head, Agile Coaching
Bob Payne is a leading proponent of Agile Methodologies and Agile Engineering Practices with 25 years of project management, software development, engineering and business experience. As an early adopter of Extreme Programming (XP), he has worked exclusively as an Agile Coach and practitioner since 1999. He has mentored and managed many projects ranging in size from five to over one hundred people. As host of the AgileToolkit podcast he has produced over 60 podcasts, recording a variety of industry leaders and Agile practitioners. He has been on the organizing committee of the Agile Software Development Conference in 2007 and 2008. He is cofounder of the Washington, DC XP Users Group. Bob is passionate about training development teams in the use of Agile Engineering Practices that allow them to deliver high quality software in an Agile, iterative and incremental manner. With a MSEE in Computer Architectures for Artificial Intelligence and having grown up working in his family restaurant, he brings a unique blend of technical excellence and customer service to bear on his projects and training courses.
Derek Huether, Senior Manager
As the voice behind The Critical Path blog and author of Zombie Project Management (KDP 2011), Derek would describe himself as a different type of Agile Project Professional. He's held titles like U.S. Marine, Start-Up Founder, Project Manager, and Federal Government Project Management Office (PMO) Advisor. Derek has helped start-ups, private corporations, educational institutions, and government agencies for the last 15 years. As a Certified PMP® (Project Management Professional) and PMI-ACPsm (Agile Certified Practitioner) through the Project Management Institute and both a Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Product Owner through the Scrum Alliance, he identifies the customer's needs and wants and then proposes the best approach to deliver value and meet their goals. He’s also a member of the Agile Leadership Network and Agile Influencers of D.C.
Derek has been involved with PMI in the ACP development process since the PMI North American Congress in 2010. As one of the few independent reviewers of the PMI-ACP curriculum, he modified, revised, updated or deleted elements to ensure that the exam was comprehensive, contemporary (reflective of current practice), concise, and clear. Now that the exam has exited the pilot phase, he has transitioned to a new role as co-lead of the PMI-ACP Support Team.
Colin Agnew, Lead, Operations and Customer Support
Colin Agnew, as lead of our customer service team, ensures that any special client needs are met after they have completed their training with Lithespeed. He also produces our newsletter, assists in event marketing, and lends a sturdy hand to all members of our team as needed. Colin graduated from the George Washington University in 2009, receiving a BA in International Affairs and Political Science, with a concentration in international politics. After college, Colin interned at Congressional Quarterly Press as an editorial assistant on their Encyclopedia of US Policy and Law, as well as the Center of European Policy Analysis where he was involved with keeping tabs on the political situation in Eastern Europe, keeping the analysts updated. Singing as a baritone with the all men’s choir, the Washington Men’s Camerata, Colin has had the privilege of performing for many years around the DC area, including the prestigious Kennedy Center. He currently plays the bagpipes or drums in three different pipe bands, the City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums, the Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band, and the City of Washington Pipe Band–which most recently came in first place at the Bonnie Brae Highland Games in New Jersey. You can find Colin around town trying out a new Microbrew or two, another hobby added to his full mix.
Arin Sime is an Agile Coach and consultant, with over 14 years of experience as a developer, project lead, architect, and entrepreneur. Arin is a strong proponent of Agile software development practices and has spoken at Agile2009, Agile2010, and the upcoming XP2011 conference, as well as a number of local user groups. He has also guest lectured classes at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia on software and database design topics. Arin has led Agile process consulting, training, agile coaching, and eXtreme Programming (XP) coaching engagements with clients, as well as completed in-depth industry analysis and process analysis engagements. Arin has worked on projects in the US and Europe, with a diverse set of clients including e-commerce, start-ups, telecoms, non-profits, government, and military organizations. Arin has developed software in most leading languages, including .NET, Ruby on Rails, Groovy, Java, and Php. Arin holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Master's degree in Management of Information Technology (MSMIT) from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.
George Dinwiddie is a Software Development Consultant and Coach. George is a teacher and mentor for software developers who favors a hands-on collaborative approach. He has over 20 years experience in software development from embedded systems to enterprise systems. George is an experienced System Analyst/Architect and Software Designer/Developer with expertise in object-oriented (OOA/D) and structured analysis and design, user-centered, task-oriented interface design, test-driven development (TDD), refactoring, and design patterns. George is especially proficient in agile software development methodologies to develop robust systems that deliver true business value. He is a strong proponent of mentoring and life-long learning.
Jeff Patton has designed and developed software for the past 13 years on a wide variety of projects from on-line aircraft parts ordering to electronic medical records. Jeff has focused on Agile approaches since working on an early Extreme Programming team in 2000. In particular Jeff has specialized in the application of user centered design techniques to improve Agile requirements, planning, and iterative product design and development. Some of his recent writings on the subject are found at www.agileproductdesign.com , Alistair Cockburn's Crystal Clear, and his regular StickyMinds.com and IEEE Software Magazine columns. His forthcoming book "Agile Development Outside-In" will be released in Addison-Wesley's Agile Development Series and gives tactical advice to those seeking to deliver useful, usable, and valuable software using Agile methods. Jeff is the founder and co-moderator of the Yahoo agile-usability discussion group.
Chris Doss
Chris is an Agile Coach, trainer, consultant, and Certified Scrum Trainer (CST). Chris has over fourteen years as a project manager and is a Project Management Professional (PMP). Chris has coached or supported over fifty different Agile teams and led the implementation of Agile for large organizations with extensive organizational change management experience. Having served in management for an Agile organization, Chris understands the support system and infrastructure that needs to exist in order for Agile to thrive within a company. Chris is
a Six Sigma Green Belt and applies Lean principles to software development, business process and product development. In addition to his experience as a manager, coach and trainer, Chris has strong leaderships
skills honed over 15+ years as an officer in the Army National Guard; he has applied these skills to build high-performing teams. Chris received his master's degree in Business Administration from Lynchburg College and his bachelor's degree
from the Virginia Military Institute.
Robbie Mac Iver
Robbie Mac Iver helps organizations understand agile principles and values, and then create collaborative work environments in which agile practices can thrive. He brings business and technology teams together to create innovative business solutions by providing practical, sensible, and effective project leadership. Robbie improves both teams and processes to achieve visible, predictable results.
As a LitheSpeed consultant Robbie provides professional services in project management, agile leadership, training and coaching. He holds the PMP certification from the Project Management Institute, is certified by the ScrumAlliance as a Certified Scrum Master and a Certified Scrum Professional, and is a facilitator of Innovation Games® for Agile Teams.
Robbie is on the board of directors of the Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN), co-founder of the Houston APLN chapter, and served as the Agile Adoption Stage Producer for the Agile2010 conference.
A frequent conference speaker, Robbie has spoken locally at PMI Houston conferences, Houston TechFest events, and several local professional organizations. He has also spoken at the APLN Leadership Summit in conjunction with the Agile Development Practices 2009 Conference and at Agile2010.
Xebia is an international IT services company specializing in Enterprise Java technology and Agile software development. They stand out on account of their staff, who make the difference to clients by realizing optimum returns on IT investment focusing on the business value of IT projects. Xebia Global Services partners with LitheSpeed to offer a high-quality, high-velocity Agile Distributed software delivery model. They are internationally oriented, with offices in The Netherlands, France and India, servicing clients directly in The Netherlands, Belgium and France.
The Scrum Training Institute
The Scrum Training Institute (STI) is the premier global provider of certified Scrum training and consulting. Founded by Jeff Sutherland, the co-creator of Scrum, and leading international Agile experts Gabrielle Benefield, Pete Deemer and Jens Østergaard, STI provides a complete solution for companies seeking high-impact results from Scrum and Agile development. The STI has a full-time presence by its founders in the US, Europe, and Asia, and is the largest provider of certified Scrum training in India, specializing in helping enterprises with globally distributed organizations succeed with Scrum and Agile development. STI has extensive experience using Scrum successfully for offshore and multi-location development, including in a services environment and at CMMI Level 5 organizations.
SoftKey, Inc. is a project management and consulting firm offering professional project management, education, mentoring and consulting in the US and abroad. SoftKey’s consultants are project management and education professionals with experience in many industries, and are required to become certified as Project Management Professionals by the Project Management Institute. Many of SoftKey’s consultants are bilingual and are able to offer services in their clients' native tongue.
SoftKey was founded by two technology professionals to create PC applications for small businesses. Their first major application was The Design Staff®. This application was created to assist the interior design professional with the tools needed to handle their financial and operational needs. Through the years, SoftKey has changed its focus to meet the growing demand for project management and today focuses exclusively in this area.
PMI Silver Spring Chapter provides an open forum for professionals in the field of project management in Silver Spring, Maryland and the surrounding Washington, DC metropolitan area to promote the principles of the Project Management Institute through networking with other project managers, sharing project experiences, providing and receiving training, and supporting project managers in their certification and continuing professional development efforts.
The Houston chapter is one of the largest PMI chapters in the world with over 3000 members from all industries including Engineering and Construction, Industrial, Information Systems, Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Education, Telecommunications, Government, Marketing and Advertising, and Service / Support sectors.
Network Partners
Jim Highsmith directs Cutter Consortium's Agile Project Management Advisory Service, is a fellow of the Cutter Business Technology Council, and and is a member of the Software Development Productivity Council for Flashline, Inc.. He has 25-plus years experience as an IT manager, product manager, project manager, consultant, and software developer. Jim has consulted with IT and product development organizations and software companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Japan, India, and New Zealand to help them adapt to the accelerated pace of development in increasingly complex, uncertain environments. Jim consults in the areas of Agile Project Management, Adaptive Software Development, and Team Collaboration. He has held technical and management positions with software, computer hardware, banking and energy companies. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Management.
James Grenning, founder of Renaissance Software Consulting, trains, coaches and consults worldwide. With more than thirty years of software development experience, both technical and managerial, James brings a wealth of knowledge, skill, and creativity to software development teams and their management. As his professional roots are in embedded software, he is leading the way to introduce Agile development practices to that challenging world. He is currently writing a book on applying Test Driven Development to embedded software. See James' articles for applying Agile to embedded software development. James was doing Agile before it was called Agile. He is one of the original authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. He is a seasoned extreme programming coach and trainer, coaching his first XP team in 1999. James has worked with Bob Martin, the author of many great books on software development, most of his professional career. They both share a passion for software and building it right. James was trained by the guys that started it all: Kent Beck, Ron Jeffries, Martin Fowler, and Ken Schwaber.
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