“Indulge me in a metaphor. Imagine that the sum of all Agile knowledge is a vast mountain. Most people relax at base camp, contenting themselves with having learned the basics. A few hearty mountaineers brave the elements and ascend ever higher. Well, if any of them were to make it up to the summit - that's where Theron would be. And he'd definitely be running some sort of Zen monastery up there where worthy disciplines can learn from his accumulated wisdom. In all seriousness, Theron is someone who deeply understands the principles behind how humans work together. When I came to the Skins team 2.5 years ago, it was a disorganized "cloud" of 40 artists where the method for making skins was a bunch of project managers running around trying to figure out who had free cycles. Skins were released haphazardly and with little thematic affinity (i.e. a robotic skin would come out with a cute skin and a scary skin). Through his mentorship and guidance, we were able to get the basics into place. We created a unified backlog and split the team into autonomous pods, so that we were finally able to release multiple skins in the same thematic at the same time to create a big moment for players. That was base camp, but he kept going. His next big push was towards self-organization, or teaching the team to "play the game of game development." Just as you wouldn't want the coach on the basketball court insisting his players pass to them first, he reasoned, we wouldn't want artists waiting around for production to tell them how a meeting should run, to unblock them, or to make a nuanced creative decision. For the first time in my career, I began to see my role as unlocking the inherent brilliance in my team rather than simply making sure we shipped. Maybe that would be a good stopping point for some, but Theron saw further. At the beginning of this year, we did something I've never seen any team at any company I've worked for do before. We asked the PMs to come up with a set of six outcomes they wanted to see happen this year. We defined some light staffing parameters around how much we were willing to invest in each outcome. And then one day, we asked the team to consider what was best for Riot and organize into squads that would best be able to tackle those outcomes. As leaders, we think we know what's best for our people - what types of projects motivate them, who they want to work with (and who they don't). This exercise taught me that we can never truly be as wise as they are. Immediately after the exercise I could feel an energetic shift on the team as these small squads started to gel and develop a creative shorthand with each other. Cycle times went down, quality went up. Knowing Theron, this is just the beginning. He's a pioneer, and whatever comes next, it won't be in any book - he'll be the one writing it in a few years.”
About
I am available for consulting opportunities as I continue my adventures in creating high…
Contributions
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You're running low on resources for software project planning. How do you decide which tasks to prioritize?
When resources are tight, prioritize tasks that offer the highest business impact and align with strategic goals. Focus on urgent deadlines, high-risk mitigation, customer satisfaction, and tasks that unblock others. Leverage available skills and aim for quick wins with high ROI. Always be ready to adapt as project dynamics change.
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How can you set realistic expectations with clients in software project management?
Use Monte Carlo forecasting spreadsheets to forecast project completion dates. Monte Carlo forecasting is a technique that involves running simulations to predict the outcome of a model that has inherent uncertainty. It's widely used in various fields, including project management, finance, and engineering.
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How can you build resilience when dealing with project budget cuts?
Key Strategies: - Focus on core value - Quality as a non-negotiable - Empowerment and leadership - Invest in team and organizational health - Agile adaptability - Stakeholder engagement Consider the framework of the Agile Triangle (credit to Jim Highsmith). By expanding the concept of the Agile Triangle and incorporating a more holistic view of value, project teams can better navigate the challenges posed by budget cuts. This approach promotes not just resilience but also sustainable growth and continuous improvement, ensuring that the project delivers value and maintains quality, even in constrained environments.
Activity
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To see a solution is to create a tradeoff.
To see a solution is to create a tradeoff.
Posted by Theron James
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15 prompt engineering tips from a recent Anthropic talk: 1. Communicate clearly and precisely when writing prompts. The ability to clearly state…
15 prompt engineering tips from a recent Anthropic talk: 1. Communicate clearly and precisely when writing prompts. The ability to clearly state…
Posted by Theron James
Experience
Education
Licenses & Certifications
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CSM
Scrum Alliance
Volunteer Experience
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Tutor
School on Wheels, Inc.
- Present 15 years 9 months
Children
Tutoring kids at various shelters in all subjects.
Projects
Recommendations received
5 people have recommended Theron
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Thanks a million to Charles Icay for taking the time to animate Nubian the Animation Rig I recently released with Motion Capture for Games. Go and…
Thanks a million to Charles Icay for taking the time to animate Nubian the Animation Rig I recently released with Motion Capture for Games. Go and…
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🌟 Excited to share this spooky character design from one of the talented teams I have the privilege to support! 🎨 Seeing these amazing ideas…
🌟 Excited to share this spooky character design from one of the talented teams I have the privilege to support! 🎨 Seeing these amazing ideas…
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The anime FLEX by Black Myth Wukong: https://lnkd.in/ek-y_Mzh
The anime FLEX by Black Myth Wukong: https://lnkd.in/ek-y_Mzh
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You’ve got a vision. Maybe it’s that perfect combat system you’ve always dreamed of, or a world you can’t wait to explore. But how do you take that…
You’ve got a vision. Maybe it’s that perfect combat system you’ve always dreamed of, or a world you can’t wait to explore. But how do you take that…
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The Seed of Vision – Creating the Game You Want to Play A great game can often start with a personal vision—an idea or experience no other game has…
The Seed of Vision – Creating the Game You Want to Play A great game can often start with a personal vision—an idea or experience no other game has…
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Discord is on the rise! I recently had the opportunity to meet some of the incredible folks behind the Activities Team, and I was inspired by their…
Discord is on the rise! I recently had the opportunity to meet some of the incredible folks behind the Activities Team, and I was inspired by their…
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