Rick Pollick
SDLC & Agile Delivery Manager @ UPMC Enterprises | MBA, A-CSM, SA | Business Administration Doctoral Candidate
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
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Rick is a business leader with a notable track record of managing teams at several companies, including Fortune 500 companies.
As an expert in business operations and project management, with a background in software engineering, he specializes in developing and implementing business initiative roadmaps.
Rick's professional ethos is driven by a passion for efficiency and a focus on executing the most strategically important tasks. His expertise lies in utilizing data to effectively advance program and project management methodologies, and he is skilled in guiding professional teams toward the successful realization of their business objectives.
Some of the places Rick has worked:
- UPMC - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (currently as an Agility/Agilist manager)
- BNY Mellon
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- ThermoFisher Scientific
- McKamish, Inc.
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Area of Expertise
Topics
The State of Agility Address: Crafting an Organizational Agility Report
Crafting useful quarterly organizational Agility reports is beneficial for several reasons. These reports offer a comprehensive view of a team's progress and performance over a quarter. They help in assessing how effectively Agile methodologies are being implemented and their impact on project outcomes. Such reports also facilitate strategic planning and decision-making by providing data-driven insights into team productivity and operational efficiency.
Capturing relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for quarterly reports can be challenging. It's important to identify KPIs that align with an organization's strategic goals. These may include metrics related to delivery speed, quality of deliverables & customer satisfaction. The data should be collected systematically, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Analyzing & presenting KPI trends helps stakeholders understand overarching performance and make informed decisions. This process ultimately assists in driving continuous improvement.
Target Audience:
- Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, Project Managers, and general Agilists.
- Business Analysts and Data Analysts.
- Senior Management and Decision-makers interested in organizational performance metrics.
Content Overview:
- Introduction to the importance and benefits of quarterly Agility reports.
- Discussion on the process of identifying relevant KPIs that align with organizational goals.
- Explanation about the methods of data collection and ensuring accuracy and relevance.
- Discuss techniques for analyzing and presenting KPI trends in an understandable manner.
- Demonstration on how these reports aid in strategic planning and informed decision-making.
- Illustration of the role of these reports in driving continuous improvement within an organization.
- Provided examples or case studies to showcase effective Agility reporting.
Technical Requirements:
- Hardware: A computer with a stable internet connection for presenting, and potentially software for data visualization.
- Software: Tools for creating and showcasing reports (like Microsoft Excel, Tableau, or similar).
- Audio/Video: Quality microphone and webcam for virtual presentations; projector and speakers for in-person sessions.
List of Conferences:
- Conferences focusing on Agile methodologies, business analytics, and strategic management.
- Business intelligence and data analysis forums where this topic would resonate.
First Public Delivery:
- N/A
Preferred Session Duration:
- A 60-minute session, with 45 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for Q&A.
Interactive Elements:
- Can include a live demonstration or walkthrough of creating a quarterly Agility report
- Conduct interactive polls or surveys to engage the audience and understand their current practices.
- Facilitate a Q&A session to address specific questions and encourage dialogue.
Promotional Strategy:
- Use social media, professional networking platforms, and industry newsletters to promote the event.
- Engage with Agile and project management communities for wider audience reach.
Collaborate with organizations or interest groups for joint promotion.
Feedback Mechanism:
- Set up an online survey or feedback form to collect responses from attendees post-session.
- Utilize the feedback for refining future presentations and tailoring content to audience needs.
Supplementary Materials:
- Prepare handouts or digital resources that summarize the key aspects of crafting Agile reports.
- Include templates or sample reports as a reference for attendees.
- Provide links to additional resources or tools that can assist in report creation and analysis.
Follow-up Strategy:
- Plan for follow-up communications with attendees to offer additional resources or answer questions.
- Consideration of creating a forum or group for ongoing discussions and sharing best practices related to Agility reporting.
Set it & Forget It... Kind of: Automate Project Management Overhead
Leveraging automation to perform project management tasks within an agile framework is extremely useful. Agile methodologies thrive on iterative delivery and swift responses to change; automation significantly enhances efficiency. As projects grow, the volume of tasks and data to manage increases. Specifically, utilizing automation in agile project management lowers administrative overhead and allows for better scalability and adaptability.
Automation enables agile frameworks to be applied uniformly to a wide breadth of projects. Automation systems can provide feedback that enables teams to quickly adapt to changes in project scope or direction, which is a frequent occurrence in many projects.
Project management automation also assists Scrum Masters in ensuring adherence to the Agile framework by streamlining and optimizing Agile processes. Furthermore, with repetitive tasks managed by automation, product owners and managers can invest more in team leadership and development.
Target Audience:
- Project managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and general Agilists
- Product owners and team leaders interested in enhancing efficiency.
- IT professionals and software developers.
Content Overview:
- Introduction to the concept of integrating automation in agile project management.
- Discussion bout how automation reduces administrative overhead and enhances scalability.
- Explanation of how automation supports uniform application of agile frameworks across diverse projects.
- Highlight of the role of automation in providing real-time feedback for quick adaptation.
- Demonstration of how automation aids Scrum Masters in maintaining agile framework adherence.
- Emphasizing the benefits of automation in freeing up product owners and managers for more strategic tasks.
- Provided case studies or examples where automation significantly improved project management processes.

Interactive Elements:
- Can include a live demonstration of an automation tool used in agile project management.
- Conduct interactive polls or surveys to engage the audience and gather their insights or experiences with automation.
- Facilitate a Q&A session to address specific queries and encourage discussion.
Technical Requirements:
- Hardware: Computer with internet access for presenting and demonstrating software tools.
- Software: Project management tools with automation features (e.g., JIRA, Asana) for demonstrations.
- Audio/Video: Quality microphone and webcam for virtual presentations, and a projector for in-person events.

List of Conferences:
- Conferences that focus on project management, agile methodologies, and technology in business.
- Or, industry-specific events where project management and agility are key.
First Public Delivery:
Choose a date that allows enough time for preparation and audience outreach.
- N/A
Preferred Session Duration:
- A 60-minute session is ideal, allowing 45 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for Q&A.
Promotional Strategy:
- Utilizing social media, professional networking sites, and industry forums to promote the event.
- Reach out to project management and agile methodology communities for wider audience engagement.
- Collaborate with organizations or groups that might be interested in the topic for co-promotion.
Feedback Mechanism:
- Implementation of a feedback system, like online surveys or feedback forms, to gather post-session responses.
- Use this feedback to refine future presentations and understand the audience's needs better.
Supplementary Materials:
- Preparation of handouts or digital resources summarizing key points.
- Included links to further reading or tools that the audience can explore post-session.
Follow-up Strategy:
- Planning for follow-up communications with attendees, offering additional resources or answering questions raised during the session.
Agile Artistry: Data-Driven Approaches to Crafting Custom Solutions
Agile Artistry, in the context of data-driven approaches, will discuss the skillful and flexible application of data analytics and insights to craft custom framework solutions for complex challenges. The importance of this approach lies in its ability to adapt to changing scenarios and tailor solutions to specific needs. The presentation will review practical implementation steps, along with real-world examples and results.
In practice, "Agile Artistry" involves collecting relevant data, analyzing it for insights, and using these insights to inform decision-making and solution development. Unlike traditional, rigid methods, Agile Artistry thrives on a truly iterative process, where solutions & execution alike are continuously refined based on ongoing data feedback. While "Agile Artistry" leverages "Agile Methodology" best practices... by defining relevant collection mechanisms & leveraging data in real-time, organizations can create more solutions that are better aligned with demands.
Target Audience:
- Professionals in data analytics, project management, IT, and general Agilists.
- Decision-makers in organizations looking to implement agile and data-driven methodologies.
- Teams and individuals interested in innovative approaches to problem-solving.
Content Overview:
- Introduction to Agile Artistry and its importance in today's dynamic business environment.
- Discussion on the process of collecting relevant data and analyzing it for insights.
- Highlight of the iterative process of solution development and execution refinement based on ongoing data feedback.
- Showcase of real-world examples and results to demonstrate the practical application and success of Agile Artistry.
- Concluding with key takeaways and potential future developments in the field.
Technical Requirements:
- Hardware: A reliable computer with a strong internet connection for smooth presentation delivery.
- Software: Presentation software (like PowerPoint or Google Slides), and potentially data analytics tools for live demonstrations.
- Audio/Video: A good quality microphone and webcam if the session is virtual. Ensure screen sharing capabilities.
List of Conferences:
- Conferences that focus on data analytics, agile methodologies, and innovation in technology.
Consider industry-specific conferences where the application of Agile Artistry can be particularly relevant.
First Public Delivery:
- N/A
Preferred Session Duration:
- A 45-60 minutes, which allows time to cover the topic comprehensively without overwhelming the audience.
Include time for Q&A to engage with the audience and clarify complex points.
Interactive Elements:
- Incorporation of interactive elements like live polls, Q&A sessions, or small group discussions to enhance engagement.
- If feasible, a live demonstration of a data-driven decision-making process can be highly impactful.
Promotional Strategy:
- Developing a promotional plan to attract the right audience. This might include social media posts, email campaigns, and networking in relevant professional groups.
Feedback Mechanism:
- Setting up a method to collect feedback post-session to refine and improve future presentations.
Rick Pollick
SDLC & Agile Delivery Manager @ UPMC Enterprises | MBA, A-CSM, SA | Business Administration Doctoral Candidate
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Links
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