Failure is normal. It’s so normal that many software development teams encourage people to fail and fail fast. Failure is also scary. It makes us feel vulnerable. We may even worry that our jobs, relationships, or goals are on the line. Yet we hear countless stories of people turning failure into success in seemingly magical ways. This session will teach you what’s behind that magic. You’ll discover how to help yourself and others fail successfully. You’ll learn how to reflect on failures and apply those reflections in the future. Because success is hard to see in the midst of failure, we’ll also discuss techniques for surviving the challenging times. With this knowledge, you can use your failures as the building blocks of your own seemingly magical successes.

1. Failing
Successfully
Cassandra Faris
@cassandrafaris

3. to survive all of
this,
I had to embrace
vulnerability

4. #fail

5. Vulnerability, noun: the
quality or state of being
exposed to the possibility
of being attacked, either
physically or emotionally

6. Vulnerability
= Weakness

7. Part 1: Failing Fast – The Agile Way

9. What is agile?

10. delight clients
self-organizing
client-driven iterations
delivering value
radical transparency
continuous improvement
interactive communication
Characteristics of Scrum Teams

11. What is scrum?

12. Characteristics of Scrum Teams
•self-organizing
•non-hierarchical
•focus on goal one
objective at a time
•include a scrum master,
product owner, and
developers

13. Source: https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-values-poster

14. Scrum Events
•sprint
•sprint planning
•daily scrum
•sprint review
•sprint retro

15. Scrum Artifacts
•product backlog
•sprint backlog
•why?
•what?
•how?

16. What about
failure?

17. failing safely

18. Failing safely
failing quickly

19. learning from failure

20. creates a culture of fear
excludes team members
hinders learning and innovation
lowers morale and retention
What if we don’t let people fail?

22. Part 2: Into the Thick of It

23. #fail

25. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging,
joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the
source of hope, empathy, accountability, and
authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our
purpose or deeper and more meaningful
spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
– Brene Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable
Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

26. it’s weakness
it’s not something I do
it’s oversharing
I’m fine on my own
Brene Brown’s Vulnerability Myths
Source: Brene Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be
Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

27. foreboding joy v. practicing gratitude
perfectionism v. appreciating the beauty of cracks
numbing v. setting boundaries
letting it all hang out v. clarifying intentions
Vulnerability Armor v. Daring Greatly*
* Source: Brene Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be
Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

30. practice gratitude,
not toxic positivity

31. rely on your
support system

32. find new
perspectives

33. distractions
are good

34. avoid making
non-urgent
decisions

35. setbacks
happen (but
they still suck)

36. hard days will still
be hard

37. talk to a
professional

38. help others
fail

39. respect your
boundaries

40. Part 3: Not All Happy Endings Look the Same

43. and that’s OK!
Vulnerability Is Risky...

47. Let’s keep
chatting!
@cassandrafaris
cassandra.faris@gmail.com