Details
| First Name | Simon |
| Last Name | Girvan |
| Username | SimonG |
Biography / Calendar
| Biography | I am an Agile Coach and author of the BCS book ‘Agile From First Principles’, which pretty much describes my attitude to Agile. I have been trained and used to some extent or another, all of the frameworks, but it all comes down to the values and principles. Whatever you are doing, if you are adhering to them, you are probably doing something right. Conversely, if you think you’re doing Scrum, SAFe, LeSS or one of the others, but are not adhering to the values and principles, then you will struggle. I work for Ivar Jacobson International, where I focus on helping people create powerful teams and organizations using Essence. No matter what way of working you are (or are not) using, Essence can help you improve, and if you are creating your own practices or custom ways of working, using the Essence Language to describe it will help you make it more effective, purposeful, and coherent. It will help you integrate it with any other practice, and open up a world of serious games and better ways of working. |
Work Experience
| Job Title | Principal Consultant |
| Company | Ivar Jacobson International |
| Dates | October 2021 – Present |
| Description | Agile Coach and Principal Consultant, specializing in Essence. Working with world experts to codify practices and methods using the Essence Standard and Language to bring them into the Essence ecosystem. Working with individuals, teams and global organizations to help optimize and improve their ways of working and unlock the potential of their teams. |
| Job Title | Subject Matter Expert |
| Company | BCS The Chartered Institute for Information Technology |
| Dates | November 2019 – Present |
| Description | Author of ‘Agile From First Principles’ (2022) Contributor to ‘Agile and Business Analysis’ (2017 and 2024) Subject Matter Expert. Including revising Foundation Certificate for Agile and reviewing Agile books for the BCS. |
| Job Title | Engineering Leader and Agile Coach (various roles) |
| Company | UK Government |
| Dates | October 1996 – October 2021 |
| Description | Various engineering leadership roles including Agile Coach across several UK Government Departments, including coaching, mentoring, internal and external conference presentations, training, etc. Established and grew new software engineering department from a team of 7 to over 150 including creating an Agile business model, creating a culture based on agile values and low-ego leadership. Led a Technology profession of more than 1000 technologists including establishing skills frameworks, apprenticeship schemes, performance criteria, recruitment, development schemes, and more using agile principles and modern leadership techniques. |