The Company
At Tech Trades, we offer consulting and training to suit your needs. We will take the time to analyze your specific situation and business objectives and ensure our pragmatic approach to process improvement and solution development more than fulfills your goals.
We specialize in improving the performance of software development teams in agile environments by making them more efficient and effective by employing the values and principles of scrum.
We offer our 20 years of real world experience in successful scrum environments across multiple industries to help you avoid the common pitfalls and barriers to properly implementing scrum. By definition, scrum is simple to understand but difficult to master. Let our knowledgeable, talented staff coach you through the process to make it as easy as possible.
The Founder
My education at The Ohio State University, where I studied engineering and aviation, set the foundation for me taking a very pragmatic approach to problem solving and solution development throughout my career. Using an engineering background and learned technical knowledge in the very practical application of learning to fly and attaining my pilot’s license set the basis for employing complex skill-sets in simple real world situations.
On active duty in the United States Coast Guard, I learned many of the leadership skills necessary to motivate individuals, unify teams, and accomplish critical objectives while overcoming challenging obstacles. At that time we followed the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) which shares much in common with Six Sigma and puts a strong emphasis on training and accountability. Following this methodology taught me the importance of adhering to lightweight processes that allow for input and change by those responsible for the outcomes.
In my early civilian career, I spent five years as a Senior Technical Trainer teaching all levels of students from novice to advanced. Subject areas ranged from basic web development skills to advanced database design techniques. The key to being successful is the ability to explain complicated topics in simple language and breaking down complex problems into small, easily achievable solutions. Teaching others is not only personally rewarding, it is also one of the best ways to learn and reinforce your own knowledge.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with extremely smart, highly skilled software developers and managers during the start to my IT career. I worked for years as a software developer myself, then moved into more business facing roles as technical analyst, business analyst, and project manager. I thoroughly enjoy being in and around the world of Information Technology, there is no industry more fascinating.
Throughout my later career in management roles at various levels, I have been a huge proponent and champion of agile processes for software development. I am a firm believer in the principles and values of scrum and an enormous advocate of the scrum framework for IT groups. After acting in the capacity as scrum developer, product owner, and scrum master, it was only natural to progress to agile coaching for shops that wanted to continuously improve their product, their team, and their working environment.