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Diane Blake
Retired Agile Coach | Project Manager
Diane Blake is an experienced professional specializing in helping organizations transition from waterfall project delivery to agile product delivery, enabling quicker realization of business value.
With a diverse background that includes roles such as Project Manager, Scrum Master, Agile Coach, and Product Owner, Diane brings a wealth of experience and practical knowledge to guide others on their agile journey.
Her key skills encompass Agile Coaching, DevOps Coaching, Agile Transitioning, Certified Scrum Master and Product Owner, Project Management, Programme Management, Change Management, Business Value from IT, Software Development, and Software Package Implementation.
Diane has worked across various sectors including Oil & Gas, Medical Devices, Electricity, Government, Banking, Insurance, and Logistics, offering her expertise and insights to a wide range of industries.
She pursued Master of Science at University of Strathclyde, Business Studies at Bi Norwegian Business School, and Bachelor of Science in Genetics at University of Glasgow, showcasing a blend of technical and business education.
Her professional journey includes holding positions such as Agile Coach at ING, Agile Transition Lead/Product Owner at Shell, Agile & DevOps Coach at Shell, Business Project Manager & Scrum Master at Philips, and various managerial roles at organizations like TenneT, Belastingdienst, ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Fortis Bank N.V., Clerical Medical, ACC, Irdeto, Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, Storebrand, and Continuum Worldwide.
Highlights
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Agile Coach at Rabobank!
To certify or not to certify …..?
One of the most annoying things about Prince2 was the mis-use of the certification. Anyone with half a brain could read the book and pass the exam – no experience required! Anyone with lots of experience and a good track record but without the Prince2 exam couldn’t get a job!
So, imagine how disappointing it was when agile looked to be doing the same thing. A 2-day training course and a multiple-choice exam and people think they are qualified as Scrum Masters or Product Owners. So, it’s with some trepidation (and to provide a good laugh for my former colleagues at Shell) that I’m posting that I’ve passed my Product Owner certification (PSPO 1). I was impressed with the learning paths laid out by Scrum.org. A good mix of blogs, videos and more in-depth articles.
In the same way as you can compensate for your flights with carbon offsets; I’ve compensated for joining the ranks of the certification junkies by signing the Agnostic Agile principles:
Next up for me is SAFe training and certification. What am I going to have to do to compensate for that one? Suggestions welcome below ….. #agilecertification #agnosticagile #pspo
