Agile at scale is often sold as a framework—yet successful scaling is never one-size-fits-all. In this session, Joel Bancroft-Connors will unpack the foundational patterns, principles, and practices that form the building blocks of real-world agility. Drawing on years of experience coaching teams beyond the team level, Joel offers a practical, high-integrity approach to scaling that steers clear of dogma and focuses on sustainable delivery over rigid models. This talk is especially relevant for project and program leaders navigating Agile adoption inside traditional structures. You’ll explore how scaling connects to organizational change, learn how to deconstruct big frameworks into adaptable parts, and walk away with tangible ideas for supporting cross-team collaboration, aligning value delivery, and sustaining change over time. Whether you’re Agile-curious or deeply embedded, this session offers practical entry points to help you move forward.

Takeaways:

Participants will learn to:

• Define what scaling, scaled, and descaling mean - and distinguish what scaling is and is not in a real-world Agile environment
• Recognize the difference between patterns, principles, and practices - and why that matters for adaptability
• Identify common anti-patterns that derail cross-team coordination and delivery
• Recall key questions to ask when assessing whether scaling is helping - or just adding overhead

Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in project tools, dashboards, and decision workflows, yet many project managers struggle to understand how to use it responsibly and effectively. This session cuts through the hype and fear by focusing on how project managers should think about AI, not how to code or implement it.

Drawing from real project leadership contexts, this presentation helps PMs understand where AI adds value, where human judgment remains essential, and how accountability shifts in AI-augmented project environments. Attendees will gain practical mental models to evaluate AI-driven insights, ask better questions, and lead confidently as AI becomes a routine part of project delivery.

Takeaways:

Participants will learn to:

• Explain AI in plain language to stakeholders without technical jargon
• Distinguish between prediction and decision-making in AI-assisted projects
• Evaluate AI-driven insights using context, ethics, and judgment
• Retain ownership and accountability while working with AI-enabled tool
• Position themselves as confident, future-ready project leaders