Gillian Scott

I began my career as a business analyst and worked for over 20 years, helping organisations improve the efficiency of their operations. Then in 2011, I started working with the Shoprite Group in South Africa. We were using waterfall, but our vendor was using scrum. I was interested in the differences between the two and became a Certified Scrum Product Owner and Scrum Master. Later, while working for Trade Me in New Zealand, I discovered the agile approach.

What piqued my interest was agile's focus on empowered, self-organising teams. Weaving in my scrum background, I began trying a hybrid agile methodology called 'Scrumban.' It brought all the best of the pragmatic structure of scrum and the flexibility of Kanban to create an approach that gave teams the freedom to continually improve their workflow.

As an agile trainer and coach, I am most passionate about supporting people on their journey and being a role model for the agile mindset. I love sharing my knowledge and tried and tested techniques, and I even have a Kanban board at home, so I'm living the agile way.

Outside of work, I love reading. I've read the Harry Potter series more times than I can count. I'm also learning more about breathwork and mindfulness, which helps me with the agile principle of remembering to stop and reflect. 

My certifications:

• ICAgile Authorised Instructor
• ICAgile Certified Professional (ICP)
• ICAgile Certified Professional – Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC)
• ICAgile Certified Professional – Agile Team Facilitation (ICP-ATF)
• ICAgile Certified Professional – Agile Product Ownership (ICP-APO)
• ICAgile Certified Professional – Agile Leadership (ICP-LEA)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)^®, Scrum Alliance^®
• Professional Scrum Master™ Level 1 (PSM I), Scrum.org

My education:

• Business Analysis Diploma, Faculty Training Institute
• National Certificate in Business Analysis, MICT Sector Education and Training Authority