How Did I Get Here?
- Tana Parker
- Oct 22, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 24, 2024
If you’ve worked with me or spoken to me over the past decade, you’ve probably heard me say that what I do is as much a passion as it is a profession. When I’m not actively serving a client or team, I’m thinking, researching, learning, or building something to help others succeed. As I find myself in the latter half of my journey, I reflect on how I got here — and where I’m headed next.
Fresh out of the USAF, I began my career in IT as a technical writer before transitioning into roles as a Network Engineer and then a System Engineer. Eventually, I moved into management, climbing the ranks to complete that phase of my career as a Vice President.
My first brush with Agile came in the early 2000s (Developers sharing Scrum and XP concepts), but my primary focus at the time was engineering and operational excellence using traditional methodologies like TQM, ISO 9000, and ITIL/ITSM. After working on numerous M&A projects, the company I was with was acquired, and my position was eliminated. That transition led me to a new company, where I awakened to my raison d'etre and was reintroduced to Agile—this time through the Agile Manifesto and Scrum.
Initially, I viewed the Agile Manifesto with skepticism—it seemed almost heretical to me, given my background in linear, waterfall methodologies. But as I explored Scrum further, I recognized that many of the practices I had already been using successfully bore similarities to Agile principles, including aspects of Scrum, Kanban, and XP.
In 2014, I formalized my Agile journey by earning my Scrum Master certification. My training was delivered by Jeff McKenna, one of the founding contributors to the Scrum Guide and coach of the first Scrum team. He introduced me to Gil Broza, author of The Human Side of Agile, and from that point, I immersed myself fully in Agile ways of working.
It wasn’t long before I fully grasped the essence of Scrum and the Agile Manifesto at a conceptual level. But the real growth came as I learned how to apply it in practical, measurable ways that drive real success.
As Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times; I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Over the years, I’ve faced a myriad of challenges, built a rich toolkit, and learned that just because one approach doesn’t work in a particular situation doesn’t mean it won’t be the perfect solution somewhere else. Today, I think of myself as a kind of Swiss Army knife—adaptable, well-equipped, and ready to take on any challenge. And now, I bring that mindset and skill set into my freelance work.
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