Biography

Is a co-founder of SoftwareMill (http://softwaremill.com), where he works (remotely) as a ScrumMaster. Before starting his own business he worked for several companies including JBoss, a distributed start-up, and a large financial enterprise.

In his job he strives to switch freely between focusing on business goals and system users' needs, and the lines of the (thoroughly tested!) application code. With over 6 years experience in Java EE / JBoss, he also provides consulting and training services.

Pawel is an active member (and co-lead) of the Warsaw Java User Group. He contributed to the success of the Javarsovia and AgileByExample conferences as a member of their Steering Committees.

Lectures

Visibility Shift in Distributed Teams

The talk presents the reality behind a new way of working: remotely from the home office, and offers practical advice for members of distributed teams, both developers and managers. It is based on the observations I have made (together with colleagues) over 6 years of delivering software this way.

I will show that contrary to common belief, working this way can actually make it easier to adapt an agile approach to software development. Compared with the co-located group, a distributed team experiences what I call a shift in visibility. The hours spent in the office no longer count, therefore more focus is placed on actual work done and business value delivered. If your team suffers from poor communication or endless meetings, working remotely will make this even more conspicuous.

Basically I believe that working in a distributed environment is like using Scrum - it does not solve your problems, but makes them more visible. At the same time, following a couple of good habits and practices makes it enjoyable and efficient.