2025-03-13 –, Parsenn
This talk explores the evolution of people and project management practices - from the ancient times to modern days. Who first introduced “data-driven” approaches in industry? And would medieval peasants have preferred Waterfall or Agile?
By examining how people and project management practices have evolved—and the reasons behind these changes - we can gain insights into how we should work today.
Many of us start our careers with Agile as the default project management approach.. While we focus on engineering, user needs, and product development, which are essential, it’s easy to overlook a critical question: Why do we work this way?
We’ve all heard, “We use Agile because it’s better than Waterfall.” Most of us are satisfied with this answer and continue with our sprint planning, 1:1s, and busy schedules. But have you ever wondered:
Why was there a Waterfall in the first place? What came before that? And did people organise into 5-7 people cross functional teams in past centuries?
This talk dives into the history of people and project management, tracing the practices that have shaped how we work today and the context, the time, in which those practices emerged. We’ll explore how people throughout history managed projects, structured work, and navigated change.
I am a software engineer with a decade of experience in the industry. I have a wide work experience - from game dev startups to huge corporations like Google and Booking.com. Through years I've been both the pure technical and more managerial roles, finding interesting challenges on both sides.
In private life I am interested in diverse scientific topics, especially around physics, as well as computer and board games.