Agile Open Forum (AOF)
Agile Open Forum (AOF) Workshop
Wednesday Sep 13
6:00 PM to 7:15 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Live Online
Support@Grow-Lean.com or +1.609.975.9294

Agile Open Forum

Free Event to Grow Agility

Date Wed Sep 13
6:00 PM to 7:15 PM (EDT)
Notes Live-Online session where you choose the topics.
Fees Free Event
Facilitators David Bulkin, Aleksandr Kofman, Chris English
Notes Live-Online session where you choose the topics.

Don't miss out on the popular Grow-Lean Agile Open Forum™ (AOF) for Grow-Lean alumni and any working agilists. The AOF covers topics selected by attendees, so come with your challenges, bring your friends, and be ready to learn from others while helping others learn.

Join us for this FREE event if you...

  • Want an outside perspective on your organization's use of agile.
  • Want to discuss a specific challenges.
  • Want to meet with like-minded agilists and form connections.
Click to Register Now


David Bulkin

Scrum Alliance: CST, CSP SM, CSP PO, CAL 1; SAFe SPC, PMI: PMI-ACP

David Bulkin is a managing director and head of training services at Grow-Lean. He delivers the CSM, A-CSM and CSPO courses. He certified over 10,000 students with the Scrum Alliance. Unlike most trainers David continues to build systems as a team member, doing hands on work like designing, coding, testing, etc. His commitment to training others, combined with his continued work as a team member, positions him to deliver a classroom experience that will boost your career.

David's thought leadership in 2009 on progressive elaboration for agile requirements, influenced what is now known as refinement (entering Scrum in 2011). David has successfully applied agile to manufacturing, marketing, sales, finance, and other areas outside of IT. He was an independent reviewer of the original PMI-ACP body of knowledge that fed the creation of the PMI-ACP Exam and has worked on the exam questions for the Certified Scrum Master Exam. David’s broad background ensures you are getting up to date ideas to apply in your workplace.

David has 37 years of work experience, making him an old guy, but no worries, he has high energy and is up to date on modern technologies. David has been applying agile since he got his start in 2001 at JP Morgan Chase where Kent Beck, The Father of Extreme Programming (XP), and perhaps also Agile, was his coach. Via DevOps, XP techniques are growing in popularity today; David is in a good position to help you learn them.

As a hands-on practitioner David has had many roles including Project Manager, Coder, Tester, Business Analyst, Product Manager, Product Owner, and Scrum Master. David continues to build things, including the software serving up this web page, so, if it is broken, contact him.

By continuing to work on actual projects and product development, David stays practical and level headed. He brings an understanding of your needs into the classroom so you benefit from his experience.


A Bit About David From David

Hi,

I live on the East Coast of the US close to New Jersey and Philadelphia. I have one wife, two kids, and a cat. My older daughter is a in college, living away from home for the first time. My other daughter is high school. Like many, our family got a pet, in our case, a rescue cat, early in the pandemic. I miss being in session with students, but it has been nice to see my wife, kids and the cat!

I am known for high energy and keeping it fun, and personal, so, if you attend a session with me, you won't be bored.

Aleksandr Kofman

CSP-SM | SPC 5 | RS@SP | CSPO

Bilingual Agile Coach & Trainer with over 10+ years of successful experience in software development and Agile methodologies. Recognized consistently for performance excellence and contributions to success in various industries. Skilled in building rapport with leadership and stakeholders, building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, and the ability to think outside the box.

Chris English

CSM, CSPO, Scrum@Scale Practitioner

I started my agile journey with Grow-Lean in 2020 by taking the CSPO. Since then, we have collaborated regularly on improving Grow-Lean alumni services. Some of these services improve the quality of learning in Grow-Lean's courses like online quizzes which help prepare students for certification exams as well as deepen their learning. We have also created free services to help our alumni and the agile community. Free events like the Agile Open Forum and the Agile Open Community were designed to help everyone, no matter what part they are on of their agile journey.

David Bulkin's Testimonials

Validated testimonials. For Google and TrustPilot testimonials click to go to source website.

Preparation for Session

Maximize learning by preparing your technology for the session

We use common tools for our virtual sessions. Please read on to confirm what you need for the Agile Open Forum session.

  • Internet connected Computer / Tablet: Many students use a single device for the session, others use two devices, perhaps their work laptop for the webcam and a separate device for sharing.
  • Working Webcam: Virtually all laptop have integrated webcams. If you don't have that, we will assist you in setting up your phone as a webcam.
  • Working headset or speaker plus microphone: Depending on your laptop, the built-in microphone and speaker may be sufficient. Many use earphones.
  • Access to Zoom: If you haven't used Zoom, test it at: https://zoom.us/test. Click "Join", and follow the prompts. If you have problems, check the Zoom article at: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115002262083-Joining-a-Zoom-test-meeting
  • A location from which to participate: .
    • Ideally this location will:
      • Have good lighting
      • Be relatively quiet
      • Ensure that you have minimal interruptions
    • But, no worries if you don't have a perfect spot. It is expected that kids, dogs, cats, spouses, siblings, roommates, parents, or someone else makes some noise, or appears on camera.
  • Practice with Mural: Mural is a virtual white board.
    • Prior to the class you will benefit by going to https://learn.mural.co/.
    • After the class we provide you an electronic copy of the completed Mural Board which captures your classroom experience.
  • Getting into the Session: The Zoom information will be provided no later than 48 hours prior to the session. You will be able to join the session up to 30 minutes early to check your technology.

David Bulkin

Scrum Alliance: CST, CSP SM, CSP PO, CAL 1; SAFe SPC, PMI: PMI-ACP

David Bulkin is a managing director and head of training services at Grow-Lean. He delivers agile/lean training and consulting to individuals, teams and organizations.

David serves as a catalyst to expedite the journey from plan driven to adaptive methods. David is known for practicality and achieving results. He helps individuals grow their careers while leading organizations on the path to higher ROI.

David has 36 years experience delivering software and systems and has been applying agile methods for 19 years across the entire value stream from strategy and product ideation to development and support. As a hands-on practitioner David has had many roles including Project Manager, Developer, Tester, Business Analyst, Product Manager and ScrumMaster.

Through training, coaching and speaking, David has impacted over 20,000 individuals, helping them grow their use of agile methods.

As a coach and consultant, David helps organizations adopt and expand their use of agile by working with change agents, teams, PMOs, managers and executives. As a speaker David regularly presents at the two major agile conferences, the Scrum Gathering and Agile 20xx, as well as at regional events. David is active in the agile communities including Scrum, Extreme Programming, Lean, Kanban, and SAFe.

David has provided thought leadership in areas such as applying progressive elaboration to agile requirements, integrating engineering principles into development teams, and applying agile to marketing, sales, finance, and other areas outside of IT. He was an independent reviewer of the PMI-ACP body of knowledge that fed the creation of the PMI-ACP Exam and has worked on the exam questions for the Certified ScrumMaster Exam.

As a Certified Scrum Trainer David delivers Certified ScrumMaster, Advanced Certified ScrumMaster, Certified Product Owner Training, PMI-ACP Prep, as well as non-certified sessions on topics including agile engineering (Extreme Programming / XP), requirements, teaming, and the executive side of agile.


Learn more about David Bulkin by clicking here to see his LinkedIn Profile.

David's Agile Certifications

  • Scrum Alliance: Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Certified Scrum Professional (CSP), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
  • Scaled Agile Academy:  SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
  • Project Management Institute: PMI Agile Certified Professional (ACP)

David's Public Speaking on Agile

  • From Extreme Waterfall, to Agile
    October 10, 2016 : Agile Tour 2016, Philadelphia, PA
  • Agile Coach & Trainer, to CEO, Should I Follow My Own $%*! Advice?
    July 27, 2016 : Agile 2016, Atlanta, GA
  • PredictAgility with Adaptive Release Planning
    May 12, 2016 : Nashville PMI Symposium, Nashville, TN
  • Agile Coach to CEO: Leadership in Action!
    May 12, 2016 : Nashville PMI Symposium, Nashville, TN
  • Surviving Extreme Waterfall, Making Agile Work
    April 19, 2016 : Scrum Gathering, Orlando, FL
  • The Agile PMO
    April 15, 2016 : Virtual, United States
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events, Making Agile Work in the DoD
    October 26, 2015 : Agile DC, Washington, DC
  • Authentic Agile Adoption, Avoid Agile Anti-Patterns
    October 5, 2015 : Agile Tour, Philadelphia, PA
  • Building Righter Stuff with Agile & HDD
    August 13, 2015 : Nashville Tech Council, Nashville, TN
  • Cracking the Agile Culture Code
    August 6, 2015 : Agile 2015, Washington, DC
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events, Making Agile Work in the DoD
    August 5, 2015 : Agile 2015, Washington, DC
  • Agile versus Fragile
    June 18, 2015 : Virtual, North America
  • Agile for the Waterfall Guy and Gal
    May, 2015 : Scrum Gathering, Phoenix, AZ
  • Build Righter Stuff with Hypothesis Driven Development
    October 21, 2014 : Agile DC, Washington, DC
  • Agile for the PMI Guy and Gal
    October 6, 2014 : Agile Tour, Philadelphia, PA
  • Build Righter Stuff with Hypothesis Driven Development
    October 6, 2014 : Agile Tour, Philadelphia, PA
  • Team Based Business Process Re-engineering with Scrum
    September 22, 2014 : Scrum Gathering, Berlin, Germany
  • Long Term Adaptive Release Planning
    July 29, 2014 : Agile 2014, Orlando, FL
  • Build Want You Need, Not What You Wanted
    July 29, 2014 : Agile 2014, Orlando, FL
  • Using Agile Testing to Improve Business Outcomes
    June 10, 2014 : PMI Conference & Expo, Houston, TX
  • Agile Release Planning for the PMI Guy
    June 9, 2014 : PMI Conference & Expo, Houston, TX
  • Long Term Adaptive Release Planning with Scrum
    May 6, 2014 : Scrum Gathering, New Orleans, LA
  • Build Want You Need, Not What You Wanted
    May 5, 2014 : Scrum Gathering, New Orleans, LA
  • Don’t Build Want You Want, Build What You Need
    October 8, 2013 : Agile DC, Washington, DC
  • Hypothesis Driven Development, Aligning to Outcomes
    October 7, 2013 : Agile Tour, King of Prussia, PA
  • Continual Backlog Refinement, Get Stories to Ready
    August 7, 2013 : Agile 2013, Nashville, TN
  • Beyond Stories, an Intro to ATDD, BDD & HDD
    August 6, 2013 : Agile 2013, Nashville, TN
  • ATDD/BDD and Then Beyond with HDD
    July 9, 2013 : Agile Philly, Wayne, PA
  • Don’t gamble on user stories alone, specify by example!
    May 7, 2013 : Scrum Gathering, Las Vegas, NV
  • Keynote: Agile Teams, from Good to Great
    October 12, 2012 : AgilePalooza, New York, NY
  • Specification by Example
    April 16, 2012 : Agile Leadership Network, Jersey City, NJ
  • Moving Towards Agile Greatness
    November 14, 2011 : Agile Leadership Network, Jersey City, NJ
  • Keynote: Agile Teams, Good to Great
    November 4, 2011 : Agile Palooza, Boston, MA
  • Three Plus Amigos & the Readiness Team
    November 4, 2011 : Agile Palooza, Boston, MA
  • Individuals to Teams, from Good to Great
    October 26, 2011 : Agile DC, Washington DC
  • Agile Teams, Good to Great
    Sep 10, 2011 : Philly Day of Agile, Philadelphia, PA
  • 10 Minutes to a Better Standup
    August 9, 2011 : Agile 2011, Salt Lake City, UT
  • 10 Minutes to Testable Specifications
    August 9, 2011 : Agile 2011, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Keynote: Agile Teams, Good to Great
    June 10, 2011 : Agile Palooza, King of Prussia, PA
  • Three Plus Amigos & Readiness Team
    June 10, 2011 : Agile Palooza, Philadelphia, PA
  • Agile Risk Management
    Apr 5, 2011 : NDIA, Baltimore MD
  • Decoupled Requirements Pipeline, “Get to Ready”
    August 11, 2010 : Agile 2010, Orlando FL
  • Keynote: Agile, A Case for Change
    May 19, 2010 : Agile in Action, King of Prussia PA
  • Decoupled Request Pipeline
    May 9, 2010 : Orlando Scrum Gathering, Orlando FL

I live on the East Coast of the US close to New Jersey and Philadelphia. I have one wife, two kids, a cat, and a fish. My older daughter is a freshman in college, but living at home (saving us money). My other daughter is in middle school. Like many, our family got a pet, in our case, a rescue cat, early in the pandemic. I miss being in session with students, but it has been nice to see my wife, kids and pets!

I am known for high energy and keeping it fun, and personal, so, if you attend a session with me, you won't be bored.

Aleksandr Kofman

CSP-SM | SPC 5 | RS@SP | CSPO

Bilingual Agile Coach & Trainer with over 10+ years of successful experience in software development and Agile methodologies. Recognized consistently for performance excellence and contributions to success in various industries. Skilled in building rapport with leadership and stakeholders, building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, and the ability to think outside the box.

Chris English

CSM, CSPO, Scrum@Scale Practitioner

I started my agile journey with Grow-Lean in 2020 by taking the CSPO. Since then, we have collaborated regularly on improving Grow-Lean alumni services. Some of these services improve the quality of learning in Grow-Lean's courses like online quizzes which help prepare students for certification exams as well as deepen their learning. We have also created free services to help our alumni and the agile community. Free events like the Agile Open Forum and the Agile Open Community were designed to help everyone, no matter what part they are on of their agile journey.

"Learn from, and help others learn, at the Agile Open Forum"

The Agile Open Community and Agile Open Forum Team Members

Overview of Grow-Lean Agile Open Forum

Agile Open Forum Logo

The Grow-Lean Agile Open Forum™ (AOF) is for Grow-Lean alumni and any working agilists. The AOF covers topics selected by attendees. Bring your challenges, bring your friends, and be ready to learn from others while helping others learn.

Join us for this FREE event if you...

  • Want an outside perspective on your organization's use of agile.
  • Want to discuss a specific challenges.
  • Want to meet with like-minded agilists and form connections.