The Power of Communities of

Practice in TestingSquaring the circle of learning

#AgileTD

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

Startup Founder. Partner & Practitioner“I help technology companies become more effective at meeting their business goals by

applying simple and effective tools to reduce risk, increase joy, create knowledge and get good stuff

shipped.”

23 11 ~200 ~2200years in

techyears as a

coachteams helped

people supported

Helping teams and individuals build resilience, their own good

habits and responsibly own their working process

Helping organisational leaders develop modern, human centric strategies for knowledge work

based industries

Spark Communities of Learning

Advise management teams and executives

Mentor agile teams and their support structures

I help to bring focus on the need for continuos learning within and

outside practice. For competence and joyful fulfilment

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

Mike SuttonAgile Coach and Improvement Partner

“I help technology organisations become more effective in meeting their business goals by applying simple and effective tools - that reduce risk, increase value and create knowledge - and by nurturing a culture of open and joyful collaboration.

In the next 45 minutes…

Reframe how you learn - why and where you learn Show the limitations of work-

driven learning

Discover the hidden possibilities of internal communities of practice Get tips for starting and

sustaining your community.

The A-B-Cs

Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a craft and/or a profession who deliberately come together to

advance their practice

organic

informal active practitioners

purposeful

Situated learning i s a m a t t e r o f creating meaning f r o m t h e r e a l activities of daily l i v i n g w h e r e learning occurs in a pro-social but informal setting.

“Whatever the Problem, Community is the

Answer.” - Margaret ‘Meg’ Wheatley

Why does this matter?

You didn’t get this good by just doing the work.

You’re not going to get much better by only doing the work.

Community

Team

What’s in it for me?

I learn from others in my

company (context)I get Peer Support

(to vent, to plot, to drink)

I meet some new people that I have a lot in common

with

My professional status increases

My participation is recognised and

rewarded

I help others learn

What’s in it for us?

Our collective knowledge grows and is available to

everyoneWe are

recognised as a purposeful group of professionals

We can get more support for our growth

- together (collective bargaining)

We are greater than the sum of our parts

We advance our craft

Tips(aka: Things Mike has tried that worked for Mike

and a few others and might work for me too)

Have the ‘WIIFM’ conversation first.

Core

Active

Passive

Beware the Onion of Engagement

Dis

enga

gem

ent

Do uncomfortable things in pairs

Make it easy for people to help

Plan the next one at the end of this one.

Experiment on content/format (do lots, see what works)

Bring food.

Have fun.

Review Adapt Repeat

You.

You + Community.

grazie

@mhsutton

http://mhsutton.me

dankeThank you

감사합니다

dziękuję obrigado terima kasihgracias

תודה.

merci

kiitos