What’s this all about?
This is a mini-conference, aimed at practitioners who are working with Lean, Agile, or Systems Thinking techniques. The primary audience is the practitioner communities in Sydney, although you’re also welcome if you are from elsewhere. The event will be participatory, and collaborative. Workshops, activities, and discussions are favoured ahead of one person speaking at the front of the room in front of a slide deck.
The event is being run by practitioners from the Australian agile community. 2017 will be the second time the event will be held in Sydney. There are also versions in Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.
Our Principles
Our guiding principles are:
- To increase knowledge, understanding and capability of lean, agile and systems thinking principles and practices in the community of practitioners in Sydney.
- We believe that the best way to achieve this is to involve as many local community members as possible, as session leaders (speakers, facilitators), content curators and Local Organisers.
Why LAST?
LAST stands for “Lean, Agile, Systems Thinking”.
Our day is inspired by the Agile Tour, the inaugural Australian instance was held in December 2011, in Sydney. The organisers of LAST in Melbourne, thought that their community could really benefit from something similar, and so LAST Conference was born. Here’s Ed’s writeup of that event. He also explains “Why I started LAST Conference”.
With the naming of the event, we wanted to provide a broad remit, so that the full scope of practice could potentially be covered.
Who should come?
The event is not aimed at beginners, but rather for people who have worked in the field, and want to extend their knowledge, and share their experiences with other practitioners in a collaborative and interactive environment.
This may include but is not limited to: Developers, Product Managers, Business Analysts, Product Owners, Designers, UX Designers, Iteration Managers, Testers, Scrum Masters, CTOs, Project Managers, Trainers and Coaches. Technical and non-technical practitioners are welcome.
Should I come if I’m a beginner?
If you are starting out, there may be some things that go over your head, but you may also find the day useful. So come along if you want to, it’s up to you. Don’t be afraid to ask and learn from others.
What is the structure?
We will start announcing the sessions for the day in May (we think). We want to encourage activities and workshops, as well as talks, about real world experiences (both positive and problematic).
We will build the schedule iteratively, adding sessions if great new ideas come in or if there is a gap that needs to be filled. Session leaders are also free to alter their session in the lead up to the event, if they need to.
Not really. Our view is that there is too much tchotchke at a typical conference, so we aren’t having very much, if any. We want to focus on communication, interactions and value rather than schwag.
If you have a lanyard holder from a previous event (and we bet that you’ve got a few), please bring it. Otherwise, your name badge is self-adhesive, so stick it on your shirt! Similarly, you’ll probably have your own bag, so you don’t need another one, right?
Don’t worry, we still love you though, and have thought about all of your really important needs.
Will there be food?
You’ll be adequately fed and watered at lunch, and morning and afternoon breaks.
We always have a post-event gathering, with sponsored drinks (we hope). Make sure you allow time to stick around and engage in stimulating follow up conversations about the day!
When will Registration open?
Registration will open soon. Previous events have sold out weeks before the date, so it’s best to get in quick. Once full, please join the waiting list, and if there are any spots become available, they will be released to the waiting list first.
Who’s organising it?
LAST grew from the Agile and Lean community in Melbourne that holds regular evening user group events throughout the year. Colleagues in Sydney and Brisbane also wanted to run their own flavour of LAST Conference. Tabar, are the organising sponsors of LAST Melbourne, and they also support the local organisers in other cities. Tabar is a group of agile practitioners who provide coaching, training and consulting services…and events!
For Sydney 2017, Caoilte Dunne, Gareth Bowell and Nick Hughes are leading the organisation of the event, along with others in the local agile community.