Real world experience. Practical knowledge. Highly interactive classes.
Brian Milner's Agile journey began probably like a lot of yours did - he was working at a company that transitioned from Waterfall to Agile. The company brought in trainers to get everyone up to speed and Brian took on the role of a Scrum Master for the first time. He lived and breathed with his teams and saw them become one of the fastest in the organization by cutting red tape and trusting the team to get the job done. To quote Brian about this time, "I saw the difference in made in my teams. Not just the speed and productivity, but the morale. It became a place where people wanted to come to work. That's what hooked me. Agile made the workplace a more humane place. I knew then and there that I didn't want to go back to the days of Waterfall."
He began his career working as a programmer. He started with SQL programming and moved on to ASP and PHP before moving up to manage teams. It was during this time as a manager that he was introduced to Agile. After coaching several highly successful teams, he moved on through other companies in a variety of industries, each using Agile to help them become more successful in some way. "Don't get me wrong, they weren't all doing Agile well! There were some companies in there that really had no idea what it meant to be Agile other than to move faster. That part they liked and wanted. They didn't care so much for trusting their teams and listening to them when they provided estimates. Even bad experiences taught me though. Seeing anti-patterns and the outcomes from them can be a great teacher. "
Since becoming an Agile Trainer and Coach, Brian has worked with companies and a wide range of industries helping them gain the benefits from and Agile approach. While company names can't be listed due to privacy agreements, we can say that clients have included numerous fortune 500 companies in the auto industry, financial, retail, and eCommerce spaces. This experience has given Brian the ability to share practical knowledge in his classes from actual corporations who have tried various approaches and sought his help to get back on track.
Brian lives in Dallas, TX with his wife of over 25 years, his two teenage daughters, and his Mother-In-Law. He explains to his classes that one of their favorite pastimes is visiting National Parks in the United States where they live. Brian is also a lifelong fan of Star Wars, the Dallas Cowboys, and The Beatles and will only be all too happy to discuss any in his classes!
Brian is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Path to CSP Educator, CAL Educator, Scrum Foundations Educator, CSP both SM and PO, Advanced SM and PO, CSM and CSPO - all with the Scrum Alliance. He is also a Path to Agility Facilitator and a Training from the Back of the Room Certified Trainer.
Clients regularly include Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 businesses.