About Chris
Background and Education
Chris Shinkle has been a thought leader and initiator of new ideas and continuous improvement at SEP since 1997. His experience comes from building products with many clients in a variety of industries, including aerospace, medical, healthcare, and finance.
Working at SEP
Chris introduced and led SEP’s adoption of Agile in 2004, followed by Lean and Kanban in 2007. He has used these methods for leading large, complex projects, including aircraft engine monitoring and maintenance systems and an FDA-regulated remote patient monitoring system.
In the Community
As SEP’s Director of Innovation, Chris leverages many community ideas to help SEP makers and clients deliver better products. Chris speaks at conferences across the United States promoting Agile, Lean/Kanban, Product Management, Strategy and Innovation, and Digital Transformation. In 2019, Chris completed a bucket list item and delivered a TED talk at TEDx Indianapolis.
Involvement includes:
- Conference Speaker
- Lean Systems Society Fellowship Inaugural Member
Awards
- TechPoint Tech 25 Winner
- Lean Kanban North America Brickell Key Award Nominee
On a Personal Note
Chris lives in New Palestine, Indiana with his wife of over 30 years. They raised two sons there, both of whom are now pursuing technology careers—one in a cybersecurity PhD program at Purdue and the other studying computer science at Taylor University. In his spare time, Chris enjoys playing golf and working on projects around the house.
Posts by Chris
Navigating AI + Team Effectiveness with Llewellyn Falco: Highlights from SEPTalks
At a recent SEP Talks event—“AI, Team Effectiveness & the Future of Software Development”—we hosted a live fireside chat with industry expert Llewellyn Falco. We invited Llewellyn to help us think more deeply about the impact of AI on how we build software, collaborate, and grow as teams. What followed was a series of sharp […]
How to Make Bets That Pay Off: Effective Prototyping for Product Organizations
Many product organizations today face similar struggles: delivery cycles take longer than expected, timeframes are unpredictable, and schedules lead to unforeseen costs and outcomes. Often, designed, built, and delivered features go unused, ultimately failing to achieve the desired business results. We’ve seen these struggles appear when organizations pursue a solution without understanding critical assumptions about […]
In Product Strategy, Ideas Are Important, but Execution is Critical
Ideas are important, but executing them is even more so! I had the opportunity to present at our recent SEPTalks event about how companies can close the gap between idea and delivery. We touched on the North Star Framework, what barriers get in the way of trying to achieve these goals, and a mental model […]
Agile2022 Conference Reflective
While attending Agile2022 this year, I couldn’t help but reflect back on my long history with this conference. I attended my first Agile conference in 2008 in Toronto. The following year in 2009, I was a speaker. Since then, I have presented or attended nearly every year since. I’ve been a reviewer, helping review and […]
Software Truths
Thanks to Jeff Patton for inspiring us to design new artwork inside the SEP Product Design Studio. Jeff has used these points in many of his presentations and it was too good not to recreate. Software Truths PDF
Build Better Backlogs Using Behavioral Design
Decisions we make every day are driven by cognitive biases designed to save time and energy. These mental shortcuts serve us well. Marketers have used this knowledge to build successful marketing strategies for many years. Armed with the same knowledge, is it possible for us to build more engaging products? In this video we’ll look […]