From April 16th to 18th, 2018, the Odd-e Japan team attended the Global Scrum Gathering® Minneapolis 2018, hosted by Scrum Alliance® in Minneapolis, USA.
This is a major conference hosted by Scrum Alliance® for exchanging information and insights about Scrum.
The gathering is held twice a year, typically in the US during spring and in Europe during autumn. In 2018, the spring event was in Minneapolis, followed by London in autumn. The 2019 spring event is scheduled for Austin, Texas.
The Minneapolis gathering brought together 1,500 Agile coaches, Scrum Masters, and Product Owners from all over the world, including Canada, South America, and Europe. There were only seven participants from Japan, including our team.
With approximately 100 sessions held over three days, you can choose and participate in sessions that match your specific interests.
Sessions typically last 45 or 75 minutes.
Most are highly interactive workshops where you work with fellow participants at your table, rather than just passively listening to a lecture.
By bonding with participants, trainers, and presenters from around the world, you can discuss common challenges and exchange advice. This provides a unique opportunity to reassess your (or your company's) issues against a global standard, moving beyond just an internal or domestic perspective. A significant difference from Regional Scrum Gatherings in Japan is the wealth of information on applying Scrum to non-software development fields.
The second day features an Open Space segment.
In Open Space, any participant can freely host a session. You propose a topic you want to discuss, and people interested in that topic gather to dive deep into it.
During the morning marketplace, anyone wanting to host a session presents their topic, time, and location. Participants then attend the sessions that interest them at the scheduled times. Generally, the proposer acts as the facilitator.
Hosting a session is a great way to find solutions to your own challenges and gain valuable experience facilitating a diverse group of people from different countries and roles.
Experienced professionals, including Certified Scrum Trainers® (CST) and Certified Team Coaches® (CTC), are available to help you solve your specific problems.
There is also a dedicated space to consult directly with CSTs about how to advance your career toward becoming a trainer yourself.
Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided at the venue (included in the registration fee).
Since all participants gather in one place, it's a perfect time to ask speakers follow-up questions or network and exchange information with other attendees over a meal.
While many Scrum and Agile conferences are held in Japan, the sheer variety of sessions and presentations available at once is a unique feature of the Global Scrum Gathering®.
As a new trend, an increasing number of companies worldwide are applying Scrum to "non-software development" areas such as sales, marketing, and customer support to drive organizational improvement. Many of these companies have gained enough experience to share their know-how with the global community.
Related Links
Global Scrum Gathering®（Scrum Alliance®）
Global Scrum Gathering® London 2018（Scrum Alliance®）
Global Scrum Gathering® Austin 2019（Scrum Alliance®）
Other Reports from Global Scrum Gathering® Minneapolis
Global Scrum Gathering® Minneapolis
Our Open Space Experience
Graphic Facilitation Workshop Report
Recommended Books & Sites for Agile/Scrum
Agile Marketing Insights
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