Esther Derby

Esther works with individuals, teams, and managers to improve their ability to deliver valuable software.  Esther is recognized as a leader in the human-side of software development, including management, systems-thinking, organizational change, collaboration, team building, facilitation and retrospectives.

She’s been a programmer, system manager, manager and internal consultant. Since 1997, she’s run her own consulting firm, esther derby associates, inc., in Minneapolis, MN.  Her clients include small niche firms, mid-size companies and Fortune 500 companies.  She’s worked in financial services, insurance, health care and manufacturing as well as in product  and software-as-a-service companies.

Esther is the author of over 100 articles, and co-author of Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great and Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.  She’s written widely on the topic of management, leadership, collaboration and change as they relate to companies adopting (or considering) Agile Methods, including Three Pillars of Executive Support for Agile Adoption (Agile Journal), Achieving Agility: Means to an End or End in Itself? (insights), and What’s a Manager to Do? (Better Software Magazine).

Esther is a sought after teacher and speaker. She’s given talks and workshops in the US, Europe, China, India, and New Zealand.

She’s a founder of the AYE Conference, and is serving her second term as a member of the Board of Directors for the Agile Alliance. She also was one of the three original founders of the Scrum Alliance.

Esther has an MA in Organizational Leadership and a certificate in Human System Dynamics.

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“I believe that most people want to do a good job. And when faced with tough situations at work, most people choose the best alternative they know. Sometimes people don’t (yet) have effective options. I see my job as helping individuals, teams, and organizations expand their available alternatives and make choices that result in productive work environments.”

Esther Derby