Anthony Akins

I have been in in the software industry for over 35 years, across a wide range of industries, positions and the entire development lifecycle. Yeah, that's a long time, and there are times it feels like forever, but there are times when I still feel young.

When I was in undergraduate school I had an excellent academic advisor who said that since I had chosen a technical field I would have to continuously learn new things because if I didn’t I would wind up obsolete in three to five years due to technology changes. I took him at his word and have tried to reinvent myself every three years. What’s been interesting is that the techniques of reinvention haven’t changed all that much, and that ultimately, if I’m honest and not overly selfish or narcissistic, it comes down to PDCA or OODA - two problem solving techniques that have been around for awhile. I try to apply these techniques to all things both in my professional life and persona life. They have served me well. Agile is built around PDCA and OODA and that’s one reason I consider myself to be an agilist.