Rob Lineberger

You've probably heard of agile or waterfall approaches to developing software. But did you know that all of modern IT project management is founded on a colossal misunderstanding from four decades ago? The Blur Box reveals this hidden past, then presents a creative visual model for understanding how iterative projects actually work. By the end, you will have a transformed understanding of why certain approaches work and some fail. One of my past attendees says it best: "The Blur Box was a life-changing understanding for me." This talk will: 1) Provide a concise, eye-opening history of IT project management. 2) Introduce The Blur Box, which is a compelling visual representation of how iterative software development actually behaves. 3) Discuss talking points based on The Blur Box to help you escape the bear trap of agile software development. If you're looking for an entertaining, mind-bending talk to get your stakeholders in alignment, this is the one.

Would you go on a hike without water or a flashlight? This pragmatic talk shares essential skills for gaining insight about proper use of AI. With real-world examples of success and failure with AI, this talk shows how to make effective business decisions by discussing ten essential strategies: 1) AI literacy 2) Fact checking 3) Your AI policy (you have one, right?) 4) Trustworthy news sources 5) Security and Risk 6) Tools and how to evaluate them 7) AI readiness 8) Prompt engineering 9) Daily interactions 10) Psychological safety By the end of this talk you will not be an AI expert. But you will be oriented to an understandable road map, and empowered with effective strategies to improve your organization's AI literacy.