Bob Hartman

CSPO, CSM, CSP, CSC, CST

I am honored to run for a position on the Scrum Alliance board of directors. If elected I believe I will bring some important qualities to the position, including significant financial, leadership and Scrum community experience.   

In the financial arena, I was Treasurer and de facto budget chairman of a non-profit organization with a budget of nearly $1,000,000/year. I am also an entrepreneur, with Agile For All being the third company I have started. The first two were quite successful and so is Agile For All, which has substantially grown revenues each year since it was founded. I believe board members need to understand finances to be effective.   

I have been in leadership positions throughout my life. I was elected as an officer of a 1,000+ member non-profit; founder/president of small companies; and Vice President of a NASDAQ listed company. I believe Scrum Alliance is poised to make a huge difference in the world, but there must be solid leadership that understands how to create effective strategy and vision in order to do that.   

In the Scrum and greater Agile communities I am reasonably well known because I have spoken at many conferences, including the yearly Agile conference as well as a Scrum Gathering, regional conferences, etc. I believe in spreading the word of Scrum far and wide. I am both a Certified Scrum Trainer and Certified Scrum Coach, which helps me spread the vision of Scrum Alliance. I have helped companies large and small adopt Scrum. I have helped both private and public universities and other non-profits as they adopted Scrum. This work has exposed me to hundreds of companies and thousands of people. This exposure gives me a meaningful perspective of what Scrum Alliance members want and need in order to be successful. Scrum Alliance will be successful if its members are successful.   

I have a career that is incredibly fulfilling and fun for me because I am a member of Scrum Alliance. I would be honored to be elected to the board of directors and be able to give something back to the organization. If elected, my primary push would be to have Scrum Alliance educating companies about how to become successful with Scrum rather than just getting people certified and trying to do Scrum. This involves a change in mindset and a long-term investment in experience. The world needs more coaching on Scrum to help new CSM/CSPO/CSD members achieve long-term success. The entry-level certifications need to be encouraged to keep gaining experience to become CSP and beyond. Better leveraging the coaching and training talent of CSC/CST members can do this. The CSC in particular needs to be pushed as being a way for companies to truly transform effectively. This is what can help grow organizations and their people, allowing Scrum to truly transform the world of work.   

The overall goal of transforming the world of work is admirable, but the effect so far has been pretty minimal. We are not effectively reaching enough people and that needs to change. The board and staff need to be spending time meeting the needs of current members, while also keeping in mind the needs of the greater community of people that are not members. Many of those people should become members and we need to make sure we are reaching them effectively. We also need to ensure when we reach them that they receive quality education and are plugged into a thriving community that helps them be successful. Companies need to be made aware of this and Scrum Alliance has to be the organization to make them aware.

If elected to the board, I would also be striving to help Scrum Alliance be more transparent with their 160,000+ members. There needs to be more visibility into programs and progress. This transparency needs to be in place in order to allow members to feel a better connection with the organization and its overall direction. 

I don't have all the answers, but I do know how to work hard to get results and make a difference. That's what I pledge to do if elected to the board of directors of Scrum Alliance.  

See my website at www.agileforall.com, blog at www.agileforall.com/blog and email me at bob.hartman@agileforall.com.