About David

What happens when a lifelong change‑maker swaps Gantt charts for plot twists? You get me! Someone who now channels four decades of transformation work into books that inform and stories that provoke, while still lighting up conference stages around the world.

I’m driven by a simple idea: beautiful businesses—organisations that balance planet, people and profit—start with brave conversations.

Whether I’m writing a how‑to guide on OKRs or crafting dystopian fiction that questions corporate power, the goal is the same: invite readers and audiences to re‑imagine how we work and live.

In my off-duty time, I collect locally produced wine (when I say collect, I mostly mean drink), prototype board‑games about complexity, and believe any problem can be sketched on a whiteboard—preferably with the wrong‑coloured pen.

A brief history in three acts
  • Act I – The Developer (1980s‑2000s): From coder, to project manager, and scrum master. I discovered lean & agile when modems still screeched; delivered my first public talk on ‘Tiny Websites for Business’ in 2004 in London; and wrote my first online article in 2010, after emigrating to Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Act II – The Analyst and Coach (2000s‑2020s): From business analyst, to product owner, and enterprise coach, I supported change from small initiatives to enterprise transformations in telco, fintech, government, energy, and aviation; co‑founded Agile on the Beach NZ; and completed an MBA exploring ‘The Paradox of Agile Transformation‘.
  • Act III – Author and Speaker (now): Published Scrum (2017) and Agile Project Management (2015) (In Easy Steps series); keynote appearances from Auckland to Atlanta; currently plotting a near‑future fiction series that blends AI, social media, and a touch of Kiwi grit.

… and yes, I still coach and teach (over at Align to Deliver), but this site is all about the written and spoken word.

The written word
  • Practical playbooks – Lean & agile, OKRs, facilitation
  • Opinion pieces – Humane workplaces, sustainable value, leadership mind‑shifts
  • Fiction in progress – A gritty saga where algorithms divide society and a reluctant developer tries to rewrite the rules

Curious? Browse the Books page or dip into the Blog—I post a mix of field notes and ‘behind‑the‑manuscript’ diaries.

The spoken word

Topics cover:

  1. Leading change without losing your soul
  2. OKRs that actually move the needle
  3. From waterfall to whirlpool: stories of agile gone right (and wrong)
  4. Imagining work in a post‑AI world

Want a bespoke keynote or workshop? Head to the Speaking page—let’s co‑design something memorable.

My creds in one (long) breath

MBA (University of Auckland), Certified OKR Professional, CSP, PSPO, CSM, SAFe Practice Consultant, CBAP, ICAgile Accredited Trainer—plus 40+ years’ field experience turning buzzwords into business outcomes.

I believe true transformation comes from aligning values with actions, creating a thriving workplace for all.

David Morris

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