Doug Shimp

Senior Agility Instructor

Doug Shimp started as an entrepreneur at a young age, practicing agile before even knowing the term. Leading a business required teamwork, rapid feedback loops, and daily stand-ups. These practices helped ensure projects met stakeholder expectations, delivered on time, and stayed within budget. Through this hands-on experience, Doug discovered the value of the Scrum framework.

This work represents a foundational chapter of my career, focused on building strong teams through Scrum and systems thinking, principles I continue to apply today in broader technology and business contexts.

Doug’s career transitioned from being a business owner to pursuing graduate studies in biomolecular chemistry and software development. During this time, he wrote code in C, C++, and Smalltalk. This experience taught him the importance of encapsulation and clean code. Always curious, Doug later turned his focus to the study of methodologies, object modeling, and use cases. Currently, he is exploring the connection between interactive marketing, Innovation Games®, and Scrum practices. Doug believes the key to success, whether in coding, use cases, or innovation games, lies in forming a strong team.

Today, that same focus on teams, feedback, and learning informs my work applying modern technology, including AI, to real business problems.

As the founder of 3Back, Doug has worked with companies of all sizes, from Fortune 50 giants to small start-ups. Teams and leadership alike benefit from his deep Scrum knowledge. Doug excels at asking the right questions to help organizations improve their product development processes through Scrum. His engaging, hands-on training sessions create momentum, inspiring teams to apply Scrum to real-world challenges. Whether training rookies or seasoned veterans, Doug equips learners to implement Scrum effectively.

Doug is the co-author of Exploring Scrum: The Fundamentals, a book that shares his lifelong experience and knowledge in an easy-to-read format. Beyond his books, Doug developed the Scrum Leadership Series. This series offers a comprehensive set of courses aimed at improving leadership in Scrum teams. Additionally, Doug created Get to Done®, a team-friendly software tool. This “cards-on-wall” and online tool helps Scrum teams foster productive communication patterns. Get to Done® directly reflects the patterns explored in the Scrum classroom.

Outside of work, Doug values time with family and friends and staying connected to the community he lives in. He enjoys cycling and swimming along Lake Michigan, attending local events and gatherings, and being present in the relationships and places that matter most to him.