About

Peter Walen
Quality, Agile & Change Coach & Consultant

Pete Walen is a strategist, technologist, and philosophical thinker who has spent the past 25 years focused on solving quality problems in complex organizations. His formal education at Aquinas College included history, philosophy and music. Using dialogical methodologies honed from years of teaching and technology experience, Pete works to help organizations, teams, and individuals enact positive change by changing the social relations in the organization. 

Pete's dialogical methodology has proven effective in large, enterprise organizations as well as small startups. Notably, Pete has employed his methodology in full-time, contract, and consultative capacities. He understands the nuanced challenges that every type of tester faces in an ever-changing landscape, and uses the depth of his knowledge and breadth of his experience to make changes in the organizations where he works, and to help other software professionals do the same.

Pete says this about himself: 

Quality Advocate – Quality in Software is something that people argue about and debate and quote “experts.” My “working definition” is “Quality is fitness for use that does not cause broader harm.” It isn’t enough for software to “conform to requirements.” It isn’t enough to talk about “value.” Those concepts are present. However, they are not the limit of the definition. They are merely the starting point.

Change Maker – I help organizations, teams, and individuals enact positive change. When people find ways to do good work and feel good about the work they do, then morale and productivity improve.

Product Improver - Enacting positive change in how teams and people work opens communication around the state of software projects and products. While keeping the product’s vision and direction in mind, they can then propose meaningful changes and improvements to how the product can be delivered to drive customer delight.

Coach, Mentor, Practitioner - I find it vitally important to help organizations, teams and individuals understand what these practices are and how they can be implemented to help their organizations. My most effective work for technical practices is done in small groups helping the individuals see what the differences in the steps are and what the impact they have. For Agile organizations, I work to ease people’s fears, reducing their reluctance to try new approaches. Rather than mandating the “new practices” have them try them, understand them and embrace them.

ScrumMaster – I am a Certified ScrumMaster through the Scrum Alliance. I am a member of the Scrum Alliance, as well as the Agile Alliance. I participate in on-going professional development and helping people understand the premise and history behind Agile. What I have learned, I share. 

If these things seem important to you and  your organization, I likely can help you.