Dustin Thostenson
Understand, Be Understood
Des Moines, Iowa, United States
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Dustin Thostenson is an independent consultant, leading Delta3Consulting. He has been a developer, mentor, trainer and agile coach for decades. His passion lies in helping people grow and teams deliver. To keep it interesting he helps lead the Iowa .NET User Group and volunteers in Central Iowa. To keep it real he spends time with his wife and 4 kids. To keep it random he tweets @dustinson
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Sustainable Software
Lean is Green.
Sustainability is a massive subject, moving far beyond Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
It may feel overwhelming, but there are things software devs can do which are better for your flow, your company's costs, and the environment.
You may be surprised how simple practices can save time, money, sanity and more.
This talk will help you focus on the outcomes you may desire with strategies around the software development process, Product Management, DevOps and Cloud cost containment.
Learn how Lean principles (TIMWOODS) can help you find solutions good for your natural and business environments.
Modeling Better Decisions
Quality decisions need to be made without full analysis and include uncertainty.
Patterns exist. Comparing a new problem to an existing model can help elude analysis paralysis. A 2010 study by LexisNexis showed, “on average, employees spend more than half their workdays receiving and managing information rather than using it to do their jobs!” Recognizing what models we may be using to validate our gut instincts may help us find more models to expand our capabilities
It's the end of Agile as we know it, and I feel fine
"The times, they are a-changing" - Bob Dylan
If you've been a coach or practitioner leading transformations, you know what Bob's talking about.
"Agile" has become a punchline in some circles. Using the "Agile" label like "Smurf" may no longer be helpful.
The market is changing, and we need to change with it.
How do we maintain enthusiasm and foster continuous improvement in this new landscape?
This isn't an "Agile is Dead" rant.
It's a pragmatic discussion , diverging from theoretical and dogmatic practices of recent years.
Let's embark on a journey to understand how we arrived here and explore the opportunities that lie ahead.
Our discussion will cover:
- The evolving timeline and critical inflection points in Agile's journey.
- Foundational concepts that have proven effective.
- Growing resentment stemming from failed practices.
- Tactics to fuel your improvement journey and career.
Positively Influence: Change how you try to change others
Congratulations!
NDC is a great conference and you will learn many wonderful ideas and practices!
When you return home, you'll find many opportunities to share your knowledge.
How great could this be for your team?
It may not be easy though.
Sometimes people don't like change.
Your attempts to inspire and invigorate may not go well.
If you've attempted changing one person, or transforming an enterprise, you've likely experienced this.
I've seen people lose jobs while inflicting help.
Their intent was positive, but the results were not.
Join me to explore what's needed to influence, positively, and avoid common mistakes.
You'll learn:
- How to clarify expectations
- Engagement techniques
- Influence techniques
Techniques to Tackle Tech-debt Today
Between aggressive deadlines and mounting Tech-debt, teams often feel helpless . They struggle to deliver high quality solutions they are proud of which also delight their users.
Sometimes leaders can't help them.
Teams recognize the origins of the mess but often grapple to break free.
Thankfully there are tried and true tactics to tackle the tech-debt troubles, Today! You don't need a dramatic dedicated deconstruction department. You and your team can solve this yourselves!
Learn technical, political, and procedural techniques to create more joy in the new work with less pain from the old.
This session is for all members of a software delivery team.
Tech-debt is the most common pain point teams face. There are many things in their control to improve Flow.
Session Outcomes:
- Self: Identify motivational, technical and operational steps to improve your positive impact.
- Team: Implement cultural practices to grow abilities and remove hurdles.
- Stakeholders: Educate and Influence for alignment and support.
"The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere" — Fundamentals > AI
"The more things change, the more they stay the same" -- Alphonse Karr, 1849
From COBOL to .COM to DevOps to AI, our industry has repeatedly promised a future where developers are no longer needed.
And yet -- developers remain critical.
Each wave didn’t eliminate developers—it forced them to evolve.
As AI accelerates, many developers will face a hard truth: we’ve optimized for syntax instead of solving real problems.
Short-term gains have come at the cost of learning the fundamentals that actually create value.
AI won’t fix this—it will expose it.
Design patterns, system thinking, effective communication, and quality practices didn’t go anywhere.
WHAT we do hasn’t changed nearly as much as HOW we'll do it.
This isn’t a talk about AI tools.
It's about becoming the developer our future needs.
If it appears dark, shine your light.
To move forward, we need to look back.
Confront the risks emerging from:
- Missed outcomes
- AI-generated “slop”
- Cryptic, sprawling systems
- Tests for compliance instead of confidence
You’ll learn how to refocus on what matters:
- Define problems and desired outcomes succinctly
- Clearly Test intent, not implementation
- Design systems with clear responsibilities and boundaries
Women In Agile Columbus
Modeling Better Decisions
Iowa Code Camp Fall 2024 Sessionize Event
NDC Porto 2024 Sessionize Event
Agile + DevOpsDays Des Moines 2024 Sessionize Event
InfoQ Podcast - Tech-debt
Dustin and host Shane Hastie have a empathetic discussion around the technical and inter-personal aspects surrounding the challenges teams face when dealing with their Tech-debt.
Iowa .NET User Group
Techniques To Tackle Tech-debt Today
Agile2024 Sessionize Event
Agile & Beyond 2024 Sessionize Event
PhillyXP
Sphere Of Control: Techniques To Tackle Tech-debt Today
Virtual Agile Meetup
Positively Consult: Change how you try to change others
The SCSU Computer Science Club
Career Expectations presentation at St. Cloud State Univ, Mn
DevOpsDaysDsm
Sphere Of Control: Techniques To Tackle Tech-debt Today
Mob Mentality Podcast
MobMentality-Turn The Tables
Agile2023
5 Techniques To Tackle Tech-debt Today
Agile & Beyond 2023 Sessionize Event
IBADD - Iowa Business Analyst Development Day
Positively Consult: Change how you try to change others
ScrumMaster's Toolbox Podcast
Embracing Self-Awareness and Empathy in the Agile Change Process
DevOpsDays Des Moines
If You're Fighting You're Failing
THAT Conference
(Virtual) If You're Fighting, You're Failing
Mob Mentality Podcast
'Clear & Simple'
Agile2022
Modeling Better Decisions
The SCSU Computer Science Club
TDD Code Katas
Agile Online Summit
Track Lead
Iowa .NET User Group
Failure to Launch: Common Consulting Crashes
Iowa .NET User Group
Monoliths to Babyliths
Iowa .NET User Group
Coding with COVID
Tech Career Talk Podcast
'Career Talk' podcast with Tom Henricsen
Agile & Beyond 2019 Sessionize Event
Big Apple Scrum Day
Coaching Clinic
DevOps Days Des Moines
Modeling Better Decisions
Iowa .NET User Group
Modeling Better Decisions
Iowa Org Camp
So, Who's Gonna Tell 'Em?
Iowa .NET User Group
So, Who's Gonna Tell 'Em?
dsmAgile
So, Who’s Gonna Tell ‘Em? (interpersonal feedback)
Central Iowa Java User Group
DevOps Panel
KCDC
Failure Driven Development
Iowa Code Camp
Failure Driven Development
.NET Rocks Podcast
Failure Driven Development
Nebraska Code Camp
Failure Driven Development
Nebraska Code Camp
University Of Iowa College Of Business BTA group
5Years6Digits
Iowa Code Camp
LINQtroduction
Cedar Rapids .NET User Group
LINQ
Iowa Code Camp
LINQtroduction
Nebraska Code Camp
5Years6Digits
Iowa .NET User Group
LINQtroduction
Iowa .NET User Group
VS2010 launch
Heartland Develop Conference
Iowa .NET User Group
Introduction to Code Generation using T4
Dustin Thostenson
Understand, Be Understood
Des Moines, Iowa, United States
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