Tag Archives: DREAM

DREAM15 Tweets from Vianen

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DREAM15 Tweets – the conversation during the DREAM15 conference

Previous post: The DREAM15 Conference – my experience

Below is a collection of the DREAM15 tweets that were tweeted by participants of the 15th Dutch Requirements Engineering And Maintenance conference held in Vianen, on the 8th of October 2015.

 

 

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The DREAM15 Conference – my experience

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DREAM15 Event

Location: Hotel Vianen, Utrecht, Netherlands

In my earlier post “22 reasons why I’m Attending the DREAM15 event“ I described a conference that DREAM (Dutch Requirements Engineering And Management) were holding.

In it I had mentioned that one session didn’t have a speaker yet. I was ecstatic when the organisers asked me to fill that spot. While you can read my slidedeck from that session here, today I’d like to describe the conference itself.

Arrival

“Buzzing” is the word I would use to describe the atmosphere at the conference when I arrived. I was taken aback  at the number of people that were attending. The place was packed. And this became even more evident during the opening keynote.

Opening Keynote

The opening keynote speaker was Paul Turner. As I’ve mentioned (in the above-mentioned post), Paul Turner is one of the co-authors of the excellent book “Business Analysis Techniques (99 Essentials Tools for Success)“. Paul was entertaining while being informative, and while Paul presented in English, and the audience was Dutch, everyone enjoyed his presentation. In fact, what he had spoken about was repeated at several times during the day by other speakers. (However, Arjen Uittenbogaard, one of the speakers, commented in his (dutch) blog that Paul had given a bit of a mixed message at one stage.)

Sessions

This was where it was difficult. And the organisers, in the introduction in the morning, acknowledged that it would be . There were just so many great sessions running in parallel. It really meant that you had to make a choice.

I had intended to write a little bit about them all. I even tried this, in the morning, by watching a little bit of each presentation, running from one conference room to another, Unfortunately, this was not very effective.

Brainwriting

In the afternoon, there was one session that I wanted to attend: “Brainwriting“.

Like brainstorming, this technique also allows for the generation of ideas. However, unlike brainstorming that relies on the quick, and “public” shouting out of ideas, brainwriting involves lists. Blank ones. The main problem, or goal, is written at the top of the lists. Participants are divided into groups of 6, and then each person is given a list. They write their idea down on the list and, after a given time, each participant hands their list to the person to the right of them. A new idea is written down. And so on. At the end, there are a large number of ideas, and these can be discussed.

As mentioned, the aim of this technique is similar to brainstorming but lets everyone come up with an idea, rather than just the loudest people in the room.

This was a practical session and very effective. As well as being a lot of fun. I recommenced searching for more on this.

My Session

It was an honour (and a surprise) when the organiser’s asked me to present.
(You can read my presentation here).

There were more people in the audience than I had expected, and my presentation was well received. (Even considering that I presented in English – just goes to show how well the Dutch can speak a language that isn’t their own.)

Closing Keynote

The closing keynote, by Theo Severein, took the opposite angle from the opening keynote and looked at organizational improvement from a holistic viewpoint. This was also a crowd-pleaser.

Socialising

This is one of the big draw-cards for me. A chance to mix and mingle with other like-minded people. It also was a chance to meet, in person, people that I have been interacting with online.

During one of the breaks I was doing the rounds of the vendor stands and had a chance to meet Jan Willem Knop, one of the committee members of the IIBA NL chapter. it was really great to finally meet him in person, and learn more about the IINA in the Netherlands.

Carrying on around, I also got to meet Stefan Sturm, the Managing Director of IREB (International Requirements Engineering Board). Through some of my blog posts and posts on LinkedIn, I been “conversing” with Stefan for awhile. Also a really great chance to meet him in person.

Just before the end of the break, I was able to introduce myself to Paul Turner (the keynote speaker). This was an honour, and I had a  very, very interesting chat with him.

In fact, it was a great chance to learn more from Jan Willem, Stefan, and Paul, how the IIBA, IREB and BCS will be playing together in the new alliance/partnership that the IIBA had announced.

Conclusion

All-in-all, a great day. Great sessions combined with an excellent chance to meet, and talk with, others in the industry.

Related Links

  • DREAM site: http://www.dreamevent.nl/
  • My presentation: here
  • Zingeving voor RE’er, by Arjen Uite
  • Tweets from the conference: here

 

Do you want to learn more?
(Important Disclosure)


Udemy Courses

Requirements Analysis Destroys Ambiguity
Exposing Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
Writing Better Requirements in Plain English

 

 

 

 

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The Value of BA Standards

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In 2015 I had the honour to present at the DREAM15 event. This is run by DREAM (Dutch Requirements Engineering And Management).

In an earlier post, I wrote about the 22 reasons that I was attending the conference.

However, in that post, I didn’t mention the 23rd reason – that I had been invited to present.

The Mistakes Pieter Made, or the Value of BA Standards

Here is the slide deck from that presentation.

[slideshare id=53786963&doc=themistakespietermade-151011062302-lva1-app6892]

 

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22 reasons why I’m Attending the DREAM15 event

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DREAM15Vianen

English – Nederlands

DREAM15 event

I’ve registered for the DREAM15 event being held in Vianen, on the 8th of October, 2015, in the Netherlands. And I am looking forward to it!

What’s DREAM?

DREAM is an acronym for Dutch Requirements Engineering And Management.

It’s an initiative that was set up, in the Netherlands, in 2008. Originally spearheaded by Atos, but is now supported and run by representatives from different organisations, with the goal of sharing knowledge and best practices surrounding Requirements Engineering and Management.

So … what’s DREAM15 then?

Dream15 is the sixth conference that Dream has organised. This year there will be three main topics:

  • Business Analysis – Business analysis has to do with change in organisations from identifying the changes that are needed and creating suitable solutions through to the implementation of the solution and subsequent analysis of its effectiveness.
  • Best practices – following proven/accepted standards helps reduce errors, and keeps unexpected problems to a minimum.
  • Methods, techniques and tools – What methods can Business Analysts use, what techniques are handy for the BA, and what tools are available.

Ok … what are these 22 reasons why you are attending?

Where to start?

1. Great keynote speeches

Opening Keynote

The conference is kicking off with a keynote speech by Paul Turner. Paul Turner!!! He’s one of the authors of “Business Analysis Techniques (99 Essentials Tools for Success)“. (This book is my go-to book for BA techniques. It should be in the bookcase of every Business Analyst).

Paul is also the Director of AssistKD. (Check out their site, there’s tons of great resources there.)

Paul will be talking about systems thinking and the soft systems approach, concentrating on how they can be used to add value to the Business Analyst.

Closing keynote

At the end of the conference, Theo Severien is going to give a presentation on organizational improvement from an holistic point of view. that is – when changes are implemented, the order of attention is people – > business – > information – > systems.

Theo will be going further into how this is all possible using a mixture of philosophy, theory and practical examples. It sounds fascinating. I’m definitely hanging around for this one.

2. Great sessions

There are 16 sessions that are spread across 4 streams.
 (One of the sessions is still to be filled).

This is frustrating, because  I want to see all the sessions, but because they are running in parallel, I’ll have to make a choice…

There’ll be (in no particular order):

a PhD student, from Utrecht University, presenting on quality levels in user stories, and a web application that the University has created to check this automatically
a presentation on digital litigation and the impact that will have on UX and also on requirements.
a chance to learn about, and practice, brainwriting
an in-depth look at Specifications by Example and how they were used, at bol.com, to bridge the communication gap between stakeholders and developers.
one of the Netherlands’ largest banks (ABN AMRO) presenting how it implemented a central requirements management tool to accommodate multiple projects, multiple BAs, multiple regulations, and many, many requirements.
an “exploration” of the correct detail level for requirements in an Agile environment
a look at how Business Analysis techniques such as Impact Analysis can be used to improve the bureaucratic Dutch government system of registrations (“stelsel van basisregistraties“)
two interesting presentations that cover complexity, and how the Cynefin framework can be used.
a discussion about the “uncovering” of requirements hidden in business processes.
a look at how Behavior Driven Development (BDD) was used inside an Agile environment.
a process simulation and game using … socks
the chance to see how the national railway company in the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) was able to guarantee quality in its requirements enineering.
presentations by Synergio and also by Atos.

3. Great sponsors

I’ll get a chance to visit the stands of some of the top companies, in the Netherlands, in this field, and see what they can offer…

This includes: Atos, Devoteam, Entrador, Le Blanc Advies, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Synergio, iSQI, IREB, Jama, Microfocus, Mithun, PNA, The Future Group

4. Learning

I always love the opportunity to get together with like-minded people. It can be very inspiring as everyone speaks the same language.

There’s always a great chance to learn something. Whether at the sessions mentioned above, or by listening to the keynote speeches, or challenging the vendors, or talking with other attendees. 

5. Making New Friends and Networking

This event will be an excellent chance to meet new people. my goal is always to meet as many people as I can in the time.

6. Conversations

As mentioned in the previous “reason”, we’re all in the same game. We all talk the same talk. I look forward to asking others what they do, and why. What techniques they prefer. Whether they think Agile is “the answer”, or whether Waterfall has its place.

Having a conversation is one of the most dynamic, and enriching things that we can do. And often I have discovered that, just by having a conversation, valuable things have come from it.

Where’s it being held?

The Dream15 event will be held at Hotel Vianen

Where can you learn more?

  • Check out the DREAM website
  • Download the DREAM flyer

So – those are the 22 reasons I’m going to DREAM. (I know – there are only 6 listed above, but if you count the keynotes and the sessions, there are 22 reasons).

I’ll be blogging while I’m there, so if you someone frantically scribbling notes, and dashing back and forth between sessions, then that’s probably me. Feel free to say Hello.

 

Do you want to learn more?
(Important Disclosure)


Udemy Courses

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22 redenen waarom ik deelneem aan DREAM15

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DREAM15Vianen

English – Nederlands

Op 8 oktober 2015 wordt het 6de DREAM Event georganiseerd: DREAM15. Daar heb ik best wel zin in.

Wat is DREAM?

DREAM is een afkorting voor Dutch Requirements Engineering And Management.

Het is een initiatief dat in 2008 is opgestart door Atos, maar ondersteund is en uitgevoerd door vertegenwoordigers van verschillende organisaties, met als doel het delen van kennis en best practices rond Requirements Engineering and Management.

OK … wat is DREAM15 dan?

DREAM15 is de zesde conferentie die DREAM heeft georganiseerd. Dit jaar worden er drie hoofd onderwerpen onder de loep genomen:

  • Business Analyse – Business analyse heeft te maken met veranderingen in organisaties
    • het identificeren van de nodige veranderingen
    • het creëren van geschikte oplossingen
    • de implementatie van de oplossing en vervolgens …
    • een analyse van de effectiviteit ervan.
  • Best practices – bewezen/geaccepteerde standaarden helpen fouten te beperken en helpen onverwachte problemen tot een minimum te beperken.
  • Methoden, technieken en hulpmiddelen – welke methodes kan een business analyst gebruiken, welke technieken zijn handig voor de BA, en welke tools zijn ook beschikbaar?

Ok … wat zijn de 22 redenen waarom ik deze dag wil bijwonen?

Waar te beginnen?

1. Uitstekende Keynotes

Opening Keynote

De conferentie begint met een speech van Paul Turner. Paul Turner! Hij is een van de auteurs van “Business Analysis Techniques (99 Essentials Tools for Success) “. (Dit boek is mijn go-to boek voor BA technieken, en hoort thuis in de boekenkast van elke Business Analyst!).

Paul is ook de Directeur van AssistKD. (Ga even naar hun website, er zijn daar veel behulpzame resources.)

Paul zal spreken over systems thinking en de soft systems approach, waarbij het accent ligt op de manier waarop ze waarde kunnen toegevoegen aan de Business Analyst.

Closing keynote

Aan het einde van de conferentie, gaat Theo Severien een presentatie geven over het verbeteren vanuit de essentie van de organisatie. Dat is – de volgorde van aandacht bij het implementeren van verbeteringen is: mensen -> business -> informatie -> data (systemen).

Theo gaat verder in op hoe dit allemaal mogelijk is met een mix van filosofie, theorie en praktische voorbeelden. Het klinkt boeiend.

2. Interressante sessies

Er zijn 16 sessies verdeeld over 4 streams. Dit is frustrerend, want meestal wil ik alle sessies zien, maar omdat ze op hetzelfde moment lopen, moet dan ik een keus maken …

Er zijn (in willekeurige volgorde):

Een PhD student, van de Universiteit van Utrecht, die een presentatie gaat geven over verschillende kwaliteitsniveaus in user stories, en over een web applicatie die de Universiteit gemaakt heeft , om dit automatisch te checken
een presentatie over digitaal procederen en de belang van de UX en bijbehorende requirements
de kans om over brainwriting te leren, en ook om het te oefenen
een diepgaande blik op Specifications by Example en hoe ze, bij bol.com, gebruikt werden,  om de communicatiekloof tussen stakeholders en ontwikkelaars te overbruggen 
één van Nederlands grootste banken (ABN AMRO) presenteert hoe zij een centrale requirements management tool hebben ingericht die geschikt is voor veel projecten, veel BAs, veel regelgeving, en heel veel requirements
een “exploratie” van het juiste detailniveau voor de eisen in een Agile omgeving
hoe Business Analyse technieken zoals het Impact Analysis gebruikt kunnen worden voor het verbeteren van de bureaucratische stelsel van basisregistraties
twee interessante presentaties over complexiteit, en hoe de Cynefin framework kan worden gebruikt.
een discussie over de “ontdekking” van verborgen eisen in bedrijfsprocessen.
een kijk op hoe Behavior Driven Development (BDD) werd gebruikt in een Agile omgeving.
een proces simulatie en game met … sokken
de kans om in de RE-keuken van de NS te kijken
presentaties van Synergio en ook Atos.

3. Top sponsors

Er wordt de mogelijkheid geboden om te zien waar sommige van de top bedrijven in Nederland mee bezig zijn in dit gebied.

Dit zijn: Atos, Devoteam, Entrador, Le Blanc Advies, Nederlandse Spoorwegen,Synergio, iSQI, IREB, Jama, Microfocus, Mithun, PNA, The Future Group

4. Learning

Ik vind het altijd geweldig om in de gelegenheid te zijn om samen met gelijkgestemden mensen te praten.

Het kan heel inspirerend zijn als iedereen dezelfde “taal” spreekt. Er is altijd een geweldige kans om iets te leren. Bijvoorbeeld tijdens de sessies die hierboven genoemd zijn, of door naar de keynote sprekers te luisteren, door met de sponsors te spreken, of gewoon door met andere deelnemers te praten.

5. Nieuwe vrienden en Networking

Dit evenement geeft mij de gelegenheid om nieuwe mensen te ontmoeten. Mijn doel is zoveel mogelijk mensen te leren kennen als ik kan in die tijd.

6. Gesprekken

Zoals vermeld in de vorige “reden”, zitten we allemaal in hetzelfde vak. We praten allemaal dezelfde “taal”. Ik kijk uit naar de kans om anderen te vragen wat ze doen en waarom. Voor welke technieken hebben zij voorkeur. Of ze denken dat Agile “het antwoord” is , of Waterfall nog steeds zijn plaats heeft.

Een gesprek is één van de meest dynamische en verrijkende dingen die we kunnen doen. En vaak heb ik ontdekt dat op basis van een gesprek, waardevolle connecties ontstaan.

Waar gaat het gebeuren?

De droom15 evenement vindt plaats in Hotel Vianen

Hoe kunt u hierover meer leren?

  • Check out de DREAM website
  • Download de DREAM flyer

Zo, dit waren de 22 redenen waarom ik naar DREAM ga. (Ja – ik weet wel dat erboven maar 6 zijn vermeld, maar als je de keynotes en sessies ook telt, zijn het er 22).

Als ik daar ben, ga ik bloggen, dus als je iemand ziet die als een gek aan het noteren is en heen en weer rent tussen sessies, dan ben ik dat waarschijnlijk. Wees niet bang om “Hallo” te zeggen.

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