Leigh Zainal

Biography

Leigh Zainal, PMP, SA, CSP (CSM + CSPO), PMI-ACP

I have been in IT Project Management for more years than I care to count.  I have worked in the telecommunications, internet, e-commerce, media and entertainment industries and have found that no matter where you go, the challenges facing a software project manager are virtually the same.  Prior to being Agile, I was climbing the Project Manager ladder of success, reaching Director of PMO.     

In 2009, I was thrown into the deep end of the pool with respect to Agile, being tasked to transition a traditional Waterfall software delivery team to Agile/Scrum.  I often told my Scrum team that I would know I was successful in leading them through the transition when they no longer needed me as a Scrum Master (or project manager).  And together we worked me out of a job!, so I moved on to the next team to transition.  I love to watch a Scrum team form and grow; and I grow with them, learning new approaches with every team.

In my current role, I am helping transition a software development team to Agile Scrum, not only in process, but in culture.  This promises to be a very fun ride.  We're embracing all sorts of "new" ideas (for the team) like Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery and Test Driven Development.  

My personal goal is to approach each day as a learning opportunity.  Scrum allows me the flexibility to "fail fast" and learn quicker.  And even if something did not work for one team, does not mean it won't work for a future one.