Benny Baggott - I am a Certified Scrum Master and applications manager for Ingram Content Group in La Vergne, TN. I have worked in the IT industry for 25 years as a developer, architect, project manager and applications development manager. In 2003 I began to lead software development and project management using Agile concepts such as interative development, close user collaboration, and early and frequent demonstration of working software throughout the development process to address issues that I had repeatedly observed in utilization of waterfall project management and software development. In April of 2009, we formalized our process by moving to Scrum, basically to address inconsistencies from project to project and team member to team member.

After working with a Scrum coach to implement the process effectively for my development team and the business unit that we support, I attending training and subsequently, my Certified Scrum Master certification in June of 2009. From the time that we started using Scrum to today, we have utilized the Scrum process to continuously improve our effectiveness and the level of quality and value that we deliver our clients and the company. We refine our process continously through a constant focus on value and by actively using the values and principles of Agile software development as a compass.

As of April 2012, I have served the role of Scrum Master for 3 years (over 70 sprints) and I can honestly say that Scrum has lost none of its appeal. I have seen my development team transform into a self-organized team that is focused on value with the highest level of customer service. More importantly, I have seen the lines between business and IT blur to the point where the two have become "we" instead of us and them. I have seen my development team less frustrated and more satisfied in the work that they do. Scrum has liberated me to build software that works, and most importantly gets used.

As our team's success has been witnessed by the rest of our organization, the temptation to do something different, anything differt, has spread throughout the company, and I have been given the opportunity to share what we have done, train other development teams, and coach other development leaders and project managers to Scrum Master and Product Owner roles. I am also very active in the Agile community in Nashville and help lead the Nashville Agile Users Group. I am a frequent speaker locally and nationally on the benefits of Agile over traditional project management and software development. I have attended Agile20xx every year since 2010 and love meeting the people in the community that I have followed for guidance and inspiration over the last few years.

When I am not solving business problems with IT solutions, I am most frequently on my Harley with my knees in the breeze. I love doing anything with my family, from competing in martial arts tournaments, to winning national championship in paintball, to just hanging out and catching up. Music is an important part of my life and my personal means of expression is my guitar.

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