Our Experience at Agile Alliance 2025: Key Takeaways from Denver

After three inspiring days at the Agile Alliance 2025 conference in Denver, we're excited to share the highlights that matter most to our community. 

TL;DR: What You Need to Know

• The agile community feels more hopeful and connected than it has in recent years
• Personal relationships and human connection took center stage (sometimes literally at Red Rocks Amphitheater!)
• There's a renewed energy for welcoming newcomers and supporting each other's growth - out of over 1k attendees, about half were first time participants!

The Magic of Connection: Red Rocks and Beyond

Monday evening exemplified what made this conference special. Our ProKanban crew took a party bus up to Red Rocks to see Killer Queen (a fantastic Queen cover band), and it was pure magic. Between the stunning views, incredible music, and shared laughter on the bus ride, it reminded us why in-person gatherings matter so much. There's something about experiencing "Bohemian Rhapsody" under the Colorado stars with your professional family that you simply can't replicate virtually.

The Big Picture: A Community Renewed

After a few challenging years, this conference had a noticeably different energy. There was genuine optimism in the air - not naive positivity, but the kind of hope that comes from weathering difficulties and emerging stronger. The agile community feels more connected and purposeful than it has in some time.

The conversations and buzz were not just about methodology or techniques; they were about where we've all been personally and professionally since we last gathered. Hearing everyone's updates, challenges overcome, and new directions was genuinely inspiring. The agile community's resilience and optimism came through in every hallway conversation.

The major themes that emerged were:

• Sustainable Practices: Building approaches that teams can maintain long-term without burnout
• AI Integration Challenges: Wrestling with how to adopt intelligent tools while preserving agile values and humanity
• Community and Connection: Recognizing that our strength comes from supporting each other.

Professional Insights Through Personal Connection

Some of our best learning happened in those informal moments - over coffee, during dinner, on that party bus. The technical sessions were valuable, but the real gold was in:

• Understanding how different organizations have adapted and evolved their agile practices
• Learning about new challenges our trainer colleagues are helping their clients navigate
• Sharing stories and breakthrough moments from the past year
• Discussing where we see the most opportunity for growth in our training approaches and programs

ProKanban on the Main Stage

We were thrilled to have strong ProKanban representation in the conference program. Colleen's sessions on timeboxing failures and industry trends generated fantastic discussions. Marie Dingess, one of our very own Professional Kanban Trainers, also led a vulnerable and practical session on career resilience, and showed our community's dedication to supporting each other through challenging times. Our commitment to flow, sustainability, data-driven learning, and human-centered methods resonated deeply within the agile community, as evidenced by the feedback from all three sessions.

Our Favorite Sessions and Why

"Breaking the Box: How Time-Boxing Creates Systemic Failure for agile Teams" (Colleen Johnson)
Colleen challenged one of agile's sacred cows, showing how teams often chase sprint deadlines, stretch work to fill time-boxes, or try to shrink work, creating stress, frustration, and gaming of metrics. This session perfectly captured why our approach focuses on flow over artificial time constraints.

"Navigating Industry Trends with Agility" (Panel led by Colleen Johnson with Jay Hrcsko, Deena McKay, and Cat Swetel)
This data-driven look at the agile industry explored hiring trends and what executives value in today's agile professionals. The panel covered how to leverage your skillset for both internal and external branding and strategies to navigate career paths - perfect timing given all the career conversations happening in our community.

"From Layoff to Lift-Off: 5 Strategies for Thriving Through Career Uncertainty" (Marie Dingess (PKT) & Doug Steele)
Marie & Doug shared their personal journeys through layoffs, uncertainty, and reinvention, speaking directly to what many in our community have experienced. The vulnerability combined with practical strategies for building support networks and turning challenges into opportunities made this deeply impactful..

Notable Moments and Insights

• Red Rocks Magic: Sometimes the best professional development happens on a party bus singing Queen songs with your colleagues under the Colorado sky
• Hallway Renaissance: The informal conversations felt richer and more meaningful than they have in years - people were genuinely excited to reconnect
• Optimism Returns: After some challenging years for our community, there's a palpable sense of renewal and hope for what's ahead
• Cross-Pollination: Seeing how different methodologies and communities are learning from each other, rather than staying in silos

Join the Conversation

Share your own thoughts and experiences with us in our Slack Community or email us at support@prokanban.org 

The energy and innovation at agile Alliance 2025 reminded us why we love this community so much. Thank you to everyone who made it such a valuable experience, and to those who couldn't make it - we hope to see you next year!

Janee McConnell - Director of Community Operations at ProKanban.org

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