Connect With Experts

Supports Pillars:

Self Improvement

Dependencies on Other Skills:

n/a

Definition:

It is much more efficient to learn from the mistakes and successes of others who have come before us than to discover everything on our own--especially in software development where it is easy to feel omnipotent after repeatedly wielding a machine to our will. Agile Developers recognize that the more connections we make with experts (books + discussion forums + conferences + classes + direct collaboration), the more opportunities we will have to be inspired to try out some of their ideas.

Resources:

Conferences where one can meet the experts: http://www.agilealliance.org/events

User Groups: http://www.agilealliance.org/show/1641

Decomposition of this Skill:

Practice skills that the experts say are important.

Stay current by reading journals or trade magazines, books, or web content on a daily basis.

Share tough problems with other practitioners/experts, and compare the potential solutions.

Organizational Support of this Skill:

Sponsor user group meetings and conferences

Encourage employees to participate in user groups and forums

Cover employee expenses to travel to conferences