Getting Data Projects Right With the Analytics Lifecycle

Managing data-intensive initiatives is distinctly different than traditional software development. Business managers don’t always know what’s possible, and it’s hard for data teams to be successful if the business isn’t sure what it’s asking for. Without a clear vision, even the most technically sound data products can miss the mark and fail to deliver the desired insights. How do we collaborate for success?

In this session, we will explore the analytics lifecycle and why a tailored approach is essential for data projects.

We will discuss:
- how to frame questions that the data team can help answer
- the key areas where product professionals and engineering professionals add value
- Techniques for defining requirements with the "end in mind"

Co-presented by a data engineer and a product manager, you'll gain insight from both perspectives as you learn how to turn raw data into real value—without wasted effort or misaligned priorities.

The Science of Choosing Which Dumpster Fire to Tackle First

Everything is on fire, every stakeholder is clamoring for their thing to be prioritized first, and every leader wants to know why theirs isn't. There are lots of ways to prioritize a backlog but the weighted shortest job first (WSJF) method offers ways to find the "low hanging fruit" that delivers the most value to the stakeholdes in the shortest amount of time.

Together we'll discuss the components of the technique and how to walk your stakeholders through the prioritization process. We will analyze both the strengths and limitations of this technique. Finally, we'll explore what to do when even that doesn't give you a definitive answer.

How I found my voice: from individual contributor to influencer

You have something to share with the world, but maybe you haven't figured out exactly how to share it. This talk is about discovering what you want to share with the world, and how to do that in a way that is uniquely you.

Finding your voice in big and small ways
Setting yourself up for success
Pro tips for better presentations.

We don't all have to be developers: exploring tech adjacent careers

Developers are just one important part of a team, but not all of us are cut out to write code or even want to. And they can't produce everything the clients want all by themselves. Good thing the rest of us have other important skills to contribute! In this session we will explore business analysis, quality assurance, product ownership and other roles as viable tech-adjacent career paths within an IT team.

The Art of Just Enough: Practical Business Analysis for Small Businesses

Running a small business requires constant decision-making, yet many entrepreneurs lack structured methods for analyzing problems and choosing the best course of action. Without good tools, they might revert to making decisions based on instinct, leading to missed opportunities or costly mistakes.

In this session, we’ll explore how to scale down business analysis practices for maximum impact in small business environments. We’ll examine core techniques that offer big value with lower effort when resources are scarce. We’ll also discuss how to adapt them to the realities of small business decision-making.

By the end of this session, you’ll be equipped with a streamlined, high-value BA toolkit designed for small business. Whether you’re consulting, mentoring, or embedding business analysis into a small-scale operation, you’ll gain actionable insights on how to apply "just enough" business analysis.

Five Powerful Questions for Getting the Answers You Need

What is the secret to getting the type of answer you need to solve your latest challenge? Whether it is acceptance criteria, requirements gathering, coaching or knowledge sharing, getting meaningful answers to your questions can help clarify problems, opportunities and situations in your mind so that you can confidently choose your next step.

In this session, you will learn what to look for in emails, interviews, and other information gathering techniques to understand the needs and achieve better outcomes.

1) Discover flexible ways to modify the question to fit the situation
2) Identify the components of a meaningful, useful answer
3) Techniques to sleuth out meaningful answers from nonverbal information.

Thrown in the deep end - finding your footing from mid-project

Imagine you are about to be up to your eyeballs in a project you weren't around for the beginning of. Maybe you just inherited a product or code base from someone who is no longer around. The project clock is ticking, and you need to get up to speed quick.

In this session we will explore a framework of knowns and unknowns to help you identify your first critical action items:

1. Known Knowns
2. Known Unknowns
3. Unknown Knowns
4. Unknown Unknowns

This is a great session for and early to mid-career professionals who are intimidated by next-level projects, who want to get traction faster, or just haven't learned how to admit, "I don't know yet."

3 Rules to Live By

The developer / BA relationship can be tricky. In this talk, you will learn specific steps you can take improve outcomes by developing a positive relationship with your developers, based on three pieces of advice Tamara received early in her BA career.

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Techniques for Change That Go the Distance

What does it take to support a multi-year, multi-national change effort—and still be standing at the finish line?

No matter your role—business analyst, product manager, change lead, or otherwise—this session provides practical tools for handling shifting priorities and organizational complexity while avoiding burnout.

Change management should be part of your initial strategy; this session will show you why and give you techniques to reduce organizational trauma during transitions.

Ideal for professionals supporting change in large or distributed environments, this session blends strategic insight with battle-tested tactics.

A Product Owner's Guide to Taming Your Backlog

Whether you just inherited a hot mess from someone else, or your own backlog just got a little out of hand when you weren't looking, this session is for you! In this session we'll discuss three techniques for evaluating, prioritizing and organizing your backlog so the team can forge ahead to deliver the Most Valuable Features.

This topic can be formatted as a presentation or as a workshop with user interaction.

Business Process Redesign: What to Know Before You Commit

If your organization constantly adds technical bandaids to solve its business problems, or if processes have become so complex no one remembers what they were trying to accomplish in the first place, business process redesign may hold answers, but it’s not for the faint of heart. In this session you'll learn what BPR is, what it isn't, and what your organization should be ready to commit to. If you want to go from reactive to proactive and get back on top of your business process game, you won't want to miss this.

Building Effective Professional Networks

What makes a healthy professional network? How do you build one? How do you know if it's effective? Networks, like good gardens, must be cultivated. They do not spring up fully formed overnight. In this session we will talk about what we must do to contribute to the larger professional ecosystem, while we build a network of professional contacts that works for us.

We can do hard things: letters from the transformation trenches

What does it look like to undergo both an Agile transformation and a business transformation simultaneously? Tamara will share what she has learned as a product manager and business analyst during her organization’s biggest business and technology transformation in 15 years. You will come away with specific approaches and techniques to consider for your own company’s initiatives.

Intentional Partnerships: Strengthening Product and Development Teams

In the world of software development, the relationship between product owners and the rest of the development team is sometimes... dicey. Miscommunication, unrealistic expectations, and conflicting priorities are just a few of the challenges that can cause friction and hinder success. In this session, Tamara Copple and Jason Divis will share how we developed a working agreement that fosters trust, encourages asynchronous communication, and leverages our complementary skill sets.

We will provide practical insights and real-world examples of how we navigated personalities, roles, and responsibilities to be effective. You will learn:

1. Effective communication techniques: How we developed clear and consistent communication channels to avoid misunderstandings and ensure everyone is on the same page.
2. How to set realistic expectations: How we collaborated to set achievable goals and deadlines that respect the capabilities and constraints of the development team, and how we navigate the inevitable arbitrarily set deadlines and disruptions.
3. How to build trust and autonomy: Why developing a relationship of mutual trust and respect takes time and steps to take that strengthen the partnerships within your team.
4. Ways to align priorities: Gain insights into how to balance technical excellence with business goals to create a harmonious and productive working environment.
5. Engage in collaborative problem-solving: Explore techniques for collaborative problem-solving that leverage the strengths of both product owners and developers to overcome challenges and drive project success.

Join us for a conversational approach to transforming your working relationships and fostering a high-performance team.