Pre-Dinner Presentation "Leading Through the Shift: Navigating Change and Driving Impact in the Age of AI"

Mahesh Karnik

Sheshadhri Veeraraghavan is a highly experienced human-centered technologist who still codes as time permits.
He has built and led global engineering and coaching organizations that have delivered significant customer success and business outcomes, and his biggest takeaway has been that you never go wrong by putting people first.

Sesh cares deeply about animal welfare and enjoys playing with his three rescue dogs.

Topic Synopsis:

In the age of AI, leadership is evolving fast. This session is designed for AI leaders and project managers who are navigating shifting expectations, new decision-making contexts, and constant change.
Discover emerging best practices in AI-driven change management, learn how to align teams around clear, measurable outcomes, and gain the insight to lead with clarity, confidence, and impact in this transformative era.

Learning Objectives:

The rapidly evolving role, expectations, and language of AI leaders
The emerging patterns of effective AI leadership and change management practices
How to create impactful success measures for your AI initiatives

PDU Triangle:

0.5 Business Acumen & 0.5 Ways of Working PDU

Ways of Working Technical

Dinner Presentation "Will AI Take Your Job—or Join Your Standup?"

Claudio Lassala300 Claudio Lassala is a Technical Director at Improving, as well as a software developer, consultant, and speaker with over 30 years of experience helping teams deliver valuable software. Claudio specializes in bridging the gap between developers, business stakeholders, and end-users. He has coached teams across various industries in Agile practices, user-centered design, and modern engineering techniques—while exploring how AI can become a practical teammate rather than a passing fad.

Claudio has spoken at conferences and user groups across the U.S. and internationally, sharing insights on Agile, software craftsmanship, and the human side of technology. He’s also the author of 20 Lessons from 20 Years of Blogging, and publishes regular reflections on leadership, learning, and technology at lassala.net.

Topic Synopsis:

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how Agile teams discover needs, design solutions, and deliver value—but it’s not here to replace you. In this interactive session, Claudio Lassala will share real-world, team-ready methods for integrating AI into your software development process. You’ll see how AI can support every step—from refining user stories and facilitating discovery workshops to prototyping, testing, and presenting results that matter to stakeholders.

Regardless of your role or title, you’ll learn how to partner with AI to sharpen focus, speed up feedback loops, and unlock your best problem-solving skills. You’ll walk away knowing where AI can help, where it can’t, and how to start experimenting in a way that elevates your team’s performance and impact.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Integrate AI into project practices – Apply AI tools to support planning, discovery sessions, prototyping, and testing in ways that enhance—not replace—team collaboration.
Facilitate clearer stakeholder alignment – Use AI to translate complex stakeholder needs into actionable, testable requirements and acceptance criteria.
Accelerate learning and feedback loops – Leverage AI to design prototypes, run experiments, and capture insights earlier, reducing waste and increasing delivered value.