Business Process Improvement

"Atlassian’s recent global research, 96% of organisations reported no tangible benefit from their AI initiatives" https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/why-perspective-not-perception-is-key-in-a-world-of-ai \-\-\-\- We've had SDLC, agile and now AI ... yet projects seem to take longer than ever to complete. What we do know is that the faster we complete project the greater the value we deliver. The real question we need to understand as project managers is 'how do we best leverage AI to accelerate delivery?'. Tonight - we will dive into that question. We will have a presenter sharing what one organisation has done to uplift AI skills across their workforce, implement AI Agents, and benefits that brings. We will then expand to a panel to have a much longer conversation about how we as project managers can use AI to accelerate our delivery across the delivery lifecycle. Our speakers for this evening: **Andrew Mair** Andrew will help us set the scene this evening. He will share insights from leading recent implementations of AI and AI Agents and reflect on their impact on the people, process and policy implications for the organisation. We'll then step into a broader panel conversation where we have a range of panelists tease apart key ideas. * Andrew Mair Andrew is a leader in the technology space and has been leading the creation and adotption of AI initiatives across several different clients. He brings exprerience across Government and commercial roles including expertise in digital strategy and delivery, and is expert at bridging the gaps between business, IT and customers. * Neha Rahaman Neha is a Partner and Head of Delivery at Fabric Group, where she leads large-scale digital transformation and delivery programs for enterprise clients. With extensive experience in building high-performing product teams and modern delivery practices, Neha focuses on helping organisations accelerate outcomes through better operating models, automation, and emerging technologies such as AI. In this panel, she will share practical insights on how AI can enhance delivery efficiency, improve quality, and enable teams to move from traditional project execution to faster, product-led value delivery. * Events like this cannot occur without the support of sponsors. Tonight, we are delighted to welcome a new sponsor to our group - Fabric Group. Fabric Group is a collective of passionate technology professionals focused on delivering bespoke software solutions for our clients. With deep expertise in strategy, design, and software engineering with a distinctive design-thinking approach, to solve complex business challenges and drive measurable outcomes.

If you are honest with yourself and with others, you can't help but do well in life. A relationship exists between your own self-respect - how you look at your own personal values - and how successful you are. A person who is honest, outspoken and respects himself will get more done and accomplish his goals far easier than someone who is dishonest, introverted and withdrawn. Now you will learn the underlying reasons why people withdraw from others and life or feel a loss of personal integrity.

Speaking in public is not easy for most people, nor is running a workshop, writing a speech, thinking on your feet, or even speaking up amongst friends. At POWERtalk you will learn how to gain the confidence to step up to speak up. We've seen it many times over. We help you with simple techniques to look confident as a speaker even when you feel like crumbling. **You'll be giving presentations before you know it and loving it!!!** **\>\>\>** We believe there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to growing as a person and can tailor a plan to help you grow as an individual. **<<<** **Join us at a meeting soon to learn how to build your confidence as a speaker, effectively communicate, get creative, and have lots of fun doing so.** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- POWERtalk Australia is a not-for-profit organisation training in public speaking and leadership skills. Guests are free of charge for the first 3 meetings. Full membership is surprisingly very affordable. Please ask if you would like more information or become a member. We look forward to meeting you for a night of POWERtalk (1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month) *PS. If you have symptoms of cough, runny nose, fever or are unwell, we wish you a speedy recovery and please ask that you stay away until you are well again. Thanks :)* Come along and enjoy the fun. We look forward to meeting you.

Event Organizers Wanted for this group. Let us know what it is you wish to Organize from time to time. RSVP yes for this meetup or contact the groups Organizer.

Why do we find it hard to make money, while others are flourishing and prospering? Is it just that some were born lucky? No. Do some people just have a natural talent? No. It comes down to the art of communication. One's ability to communicate will determine how successful one will be, not only in business, but life as a whole. We will be covering different avenues of communication, and what you can do to bring change to your life. ------- The talk will go for roughly 45 mins, give or take. We will then proceed to do a Personality Test which will really break down what areas in your life you are lacking in, and can then get the appropriate tools to assist you.

**Struggling with study or learning? You’re not alone.** This meetup suits people at all levels of study skill. Too many children, teenagers, and adults find studying difficult—not because they lack ability, but because they were never taught **how to learn**. This meetup introduces the basics of **Study Technology**—a practical, proven approach that shows how learning really works and how to overcome common study barriers. It applies to children, teens (and parents), teachers, and adults alike. You’ll discover simple, effective methods to improve understanding, confidence, and performance—whether at school, work, or online. Teachers and parents often see rapid improvements in both behaviour and results. Yes, it *is* possible to improve study performance—in just **five easy steps**. If you can’t attend in person, online options are available. **Join us and learn how to study effectively—once and for all.** See you at the meetup, **Pam** When learning clicks, confidence follows.

It's time for "Listen Up", our favourite conversation game that helps turn strangers into friends! Join us for a drink and some nibbles while we have fun and make friends. For those who haven't played it before, Listen Up™ is a unique conversational board game that tests your listening skills and inspires deeper connections between participants. There are 3 categories of questions you can get asked depending on the round! (1) 🙃 Just for fun: all kinds of fun questions from if you were a candy or crayon what would you be to what's your fave smell in the world? 😋 (2) 😉 Share: Cause sharing is caring! Starting to get into the deeper questions like if you have a bad day would you prefer to be left alone or have someone cheer you up? 😉 (3) 😎 Listen Up!: Aha this is where all the deep questions are! (Juz and Nicole will be coming straight from work and will likely be there early. If you want join us for a bite to eat, send a message and we'll keep an eye out for you.) . . . 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 Welcome to our group! We are a bunch of Melbourne friends who decided to open up our circle to some new awesome people. We have a broad range of interests and will post some of our events here so you can come and join us. Join our Facebook Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/goodexperiencesgreatpeoplemelbourne . . . 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬: • Let's keep things respectful. Our group has a diverse range of members and we get along great! This is because we accept one another, avoid insensitive comments, try to keep swearing to a minimum, and steer clear of gossip and mindless venting. • Please be punctual. Our hosts will check the Meetup page and post their location upon arrival before redirecting their attention to the people present. If you are late (more than 5 min), don’t expect to be able to reach them as they may not check their phone. Please allow enough time for travel and parking. (On that note, we don't organise carpooling because of various liability issues.) • If you say you're going to come, then please actually come. Many of our events end up waitlisted so if you claim a spot and don't show up, then someone else might miss out. Attendees who don't show up (or cancel their RSVP within 12 hours of the event) will be flagged as "no-shows". Repeat "no-showers" will be banned from the group to make space for more reliable attendees. • We want to keep all our members safe and healthy so if you are unwell, then please stay home. If you need to cancel within the 12 hour "no show" window, please send a courtesy message to the event host. • Please don't come if you are just looking to hit people up for your own agenda. Our members are so much more than followers for your Instagram account, customers for your Herbalife business, or people for your Forex empire. In our community, we are about adding value to one another. If you are just coming with a self-serving agenda, then we aren't your crowd. • And finally, this isn't a great group for people who like wallowing in life's problems. We choose positivity and gratitude, so bring some with you!

Join us for our very first Melbourne Wellnesspreneur Club event, bringing together people who are passionate about building businesses that help others live healthier, happier lives. This relaxed social evening is designed for wellness seekers, aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone curious about the intersection of natural health and entrepreneurship. **Come along for good conversation, new connections and a welcoming community of people building meaningful work in wellness.**

Have you ever felt or been told that it is too hard to be successful? What does it take to stand out from the crowd, or be considered a professional? Find out what it takes to succeed, whether it be in relationships, in a job or in creating your own business. What ever the area, you can be a professional. That is a fact. This seminar will include topics, such as: * Professionalism * The Five Ways to Address a Problem * How to "WEAR YOUR HAT" * PLUS MORE There will also be a personality test after the seminar is completed which will help to isolate which areas of your life need to be addressed, so that you can then improve on those areas!

Discover the joy of making stuff up! Our Williamstown improv group is where Melbourne's west comes to play, connect, and unleash creativity. Improv isn't just about being funny (though you'll laugh heaps). It's about: ✓ Building confidence in social situations ✓ Improving listening and communication skills ✓ Meeting amazing people from Hobson's Bay ✓ Reducing stress through play and laughter ✓ Discovering your creative side ✓ Having a screen-free, present-moment experience No theatre experience? Perfect! No prepared material? Even better! The only rule is 'Yes, And...' - supporting each other's ideas and having fun. Drop in any Wednesday, 7-9pm. Location: **Williamstown Community and Education Centre Inc 14 Thompson St, Williamstown VIC 3016**. Suitable for ages 16+. First time is free, and its $10 a class after. ***Free parking out the back. Please come to the front, and we will open the door.***

What the #%\*@ is impact? In a world where corporations are judged on their social impact nations unite over goals for environmental sustainability and happiness is considered as a rival metric for a country’s GDP– organisations need to measure the impact their organisation has on the real-world, not just their own bottom line. But what even IS impact? Is it important for companies that don’t have social or environmental goals? How do you measure it? This workshop will first introduce the concept of Impact, followed by a dive into how it’s defined and measured around the world in a dozen different domains and ultimately how we might apply it to produce products that pack a punch. **Our facilitator** [JJ Monester](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjmonester/) works as an Associate Product Manager for the non-profit news media company, The Conversation International, a company which democratises knowledge by bridging the gap between academic research and the general public. Having worked on products where providing evidence of Impact to customers is fundamental, he has gone deep into the complex and nuanced world of understanding what frameworks attempt to achieve. Grokking organisational impact is an area of learning JJ could get lost in, and possibly already has :-). As an area that he is spending time on in his day to day, yet still feeling like he’s a beginner, he’s very much looking forward to sharing what’s he learning and getting deeper into the concepts alongside you all. Let’s have fun together. Our wonderful sponsors; [Revity](https://www.linkedin.com/company/revity-group/): Revity helps startups, scaleups and established organisations deliver product-led quality software outcomes. We partner with businesses to build high-performing teams, uplift engineering capability, and deliver product outcomes that last beyond the project.From applied AI and mobile apps to global expansion and customer lifecycle platforms, we focus on practical, scalable solutions that drive business value.At Revity, we don’t just deliver projects, we empower teams to learn by doing, so organisations grow stronger with every engagement. [Amplitude](https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplitude-analytics/): We help companies build better products\. \| We help companies unlock the power of their products\. • Join the team: [http://amplitude.com/careers](http://amplitude.com/careers) • Join the community: [http://community.amplitude.com](http://community.amplitude.com/) • Join our user groups: [https://community.amplitude.com/p/groups](https://community.amplitude.com/p/groups)

Smashing! Try something new Thursday Interactive workshop - Become the charismatic leader Serious about improving your leadership - **Why mess, come to the best** Why is Smashing different to other speaking clubs? Passion!!! 1\. Fast\-paced\, energized and exciting meets 2\. We practice **bold, confident** and **dynamic** leadership! 3. **Everyone talks** multiple times during super-interactive workshops every meet - Plus the chance to speak on the big stage for those that are keen 4. **FAST LEARNING** **Free parking** close-by: O'Connell and Cobden streets **IMPORTANT: Be on time, as doors close when the show starts** “Proudly Australian" – Free-flowing leadership & teamwork Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth St (Opposite Queen Vic Market) Level 1, Purple Room (End of corridor) More to come...

Hello everyone! Join us for an Apache Kafka® x Apache Flink® x Apache Iceberg® meetup on **Mar 18th from 5:30PM**, hosted by intelia in Melbourne! The address, agenda, and speaker information can be found below. See you there! **Venue**: intelia L3, 31 Queen St, Melbourne 3000 IMPORTANT: Please note that for security purposes, all attendees are required to sign in at the lobby to get into the building. \*\*\* **Agenda:** * 5:30pm: Doors open * 5:30pm - 6:00pm: Pizza, Drinks, and Networking * 6:00pm - 6:30pm: Olena Kutsenko, Staff Developer Advocate, Confluent * 6:30pm - 7:00pm: Paras Sitoula, Technical Lead, Tabcorp * 7:00pm - 7:30pm: Additional Networking \*\*\* **Speaker:** Olena Kutsenko, Staff Developer Advocate, Confluent **Talk:** Keeping data private in real-time pipelines **Abstract:** We all love real-time data — clicks, payments, rides, messages — but most of it comes with a catch: it contains personal information we're not supposed to leak, such as names, emails, locations, or even small clues that can identify someone. The challenge: how do we keep streaming data useful and safe at the same time? In this talk, we'll explore practical ways to protect privacy in streaming systems using Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, and Apache Iceberg. We'll cover: - simple tricks like masking and tokenizing PII; - why "anonymous" data often isn't anonymous (the re-identification problem); - techniques like bucketing, k-anonymity, and adding noise; - how to balance privacy with data utility (too much hiding makes data useless). Along the way, we'll look at real-world stories: from public data leaks to surprising deanonymization attacks, and show live demos of pipelines that anonymize data before it's written to storage. If you've ever wondered how to build privacy-aware pipelines, this talk will give you practical patterns you can use right away. **Bio:** Olena is a Staff Developer Advocate at Confluent and a recognized expert in data streaming and analytics. With two decades of experience in software engineering, she has built mission-critical applications, led high-performing teams, and driven large-scale technology adoption at industry leaders like Nokia, HERE Technologies, AWS, and Aiven. A passionate advocate for real-time data processing and AI-driven applications, Olena empowers developers and organizations to use the power of streaming data. She is an AWS Community Builder, a dedicated mentor, and a volunteer instructor at a nonprofit tech school, helping to shape the next generation of engineers. As an international speaker and thought leader, Olena regularly presents at top global conferences, sharing deep technical insights and hands-on expertise. Whether through her talks, workshops, or content, she is committed to making complex technologies accessible and inspiring innovation in the developer community. \-\-\-\-\- **Speaker:** Paras Sitoula, Technical Lead, Tabcorp **Talk:** Building an AI Agent on Kafka — Architectural Realities Beyond the Demo **Abstract:** Large Language Models make it deceptively easy to build an “AI agent”: consume an event, call a model, produce a decision. But when this pattern is introduced into a high-throughput streaming system built on Apache Kafka, the architectural assumptions begin to shift. Kafka is optimized for predictable scaling, low latency, and deterministic event processing. LLM-based agents, by contrast, introduce seconds-level latency, per-call cost, rate limits, and non-deterministic outputs. What appears straightforward in a demo can quickly create consumer lag, cost escalation, replay inconsistencies, and new operational failure modes in production. In this session, we will: * Build a simple event-driven AI agent on Kafka * Examine the architectural tension between streaming systems and LLM workloads * Explore the impact of latency, cost-per-event, backpressure, and rate limiting * Discuss how non-determinism affects replay and auditability * Present practical design patterns to isolate and control AI workloads in streaming environments Rather than focusing on prompt engineering, this talk takes a systems-design perspective. It is aimed at engineers and architects who are experimenting with AI in real-time platforms and want to understand the production trade-offs before deploying at scale. **Bio** Paras is a seasoned software/date engineer with significant experience in developing and optimizing realtime scalable systems. At Tabcorp, Paras leads a high-performing team, developing and optimizing real-time transaction monitoring systems utilizing technologies like Apache Kafka and Neo4j. With a robust background in both real-time and batch data processing, Paras has extensive experience across various platforms and tools, including AWS, Databricks, and Spark, which he leverages to deliver high-performance data solutions. \*\*\* If you would like to speak or host our next event please let us know! community@[confluent.io](http://confluent.io/)

Integral to the modern data scientists toolkit is understanding how to turn data into decisions. A core part of this is thinking about the end stage of your analysis pipeline, and how the communication and visualisation of your results will factor into decision making. But it's not just enough to deliver a solution. Part of successfully supporting end-user decisions comes from co-design. That means thinking about end user needs and how your end-users will engage with your solution. This talk explores both of these issues using fantasy basketball statistics. So come along if you have a love of data and data-driven decision making. Also come along if you are fan of sports analytics or forecasting.

Join Voice Over Pros Of Ohio for an exciting morning of networking, and exploring opportunities in the world of voice acting. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this event is perfect for expanding your network, learning how to start a VO business, and for honing your skills. Connect with fellow voice actors and VO experts, that will help you succeed in your voice over business. This event will feature discussions on professional development, entrepreneurship in the voice over industry, with tips for navigating the world of voice acting. Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn from others, collaborate with like-minded individuals, and take your voice over career to the next level. Join us Saturday, March 28, from 10am - 12pm and learn how to start or grow your voice over business. Let your voice be heard! The $10 fee covers refreshments and door prizes.

Is your business taking more of your time than you would like? [Rob Young](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinci-robyoung/) principal at [Stage 3 Group](https://www.linkedin.com/company/stage-3-group/), hosts this workshop series and is the author of Stage 3 Success. * Provides a framework and a playbook for leaders of emerging businesses * Reviews business management tools and techniques for scaling and maturing a business * How to recognize and leverage stories hidden in financial statements * How to implement financial and operational controls and use leading indicators to spot trouble before it occurs * How to manage your time for maximum effect * How to deal with nonperforming employees * How to create standard operating procedures throughout your organization Four sessions will include two hours of content and an optional 90-minute hands-on lab. Reserve your spot via this link: https://clintonvilleba.com/calendar/#!event/2026/3/20/chaos-to-clarity-to-control ($200 for non-CABA members.)

Whether you've never done improv before, or you've done it for so long you knew Del Close on a personal level, or anywhere in between, come join us! Swing by *Gresso's* for the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup** for some fun and games! The idea behind improv is to create entire scenes from scratch based on a suggestion from the audience. This can be done in game form, like *Whose Line Is It Anyway*, *ComedySportz*, or *Wild 'n Out*; it could also be done to tell stories, like *Middleditch and Schwartz*. Our meetup, which is central Ohio's longest running (and free!) weekly comedy event, brings the games (and occasionally different forms) for you to play in a safe, supportive, and compassionate environment. Not only is it a lot of fun, but you get to work on thinking faster on your feet, plus it's an excellent way to meet new people and make friendships that'll last a lifetime! Ask yourself if you want to join the **Columbus Improv Comedy Meetup**, and say "Yes, And" that you'll have fun!

Builders, creators, architects, admins, consultants - come one, come all. This one's for you. We're bringing a little friendly competition to the Columbus ServiceNow community while highlighting the cool things people have built on the platform. Five presenters will take the stage to showcase something they've built, solved, designed, or imagined on the ServiceNow platform - and a panel of judges (plus YOU, our amazing audience) will score them live. So basically, America's Got Talent but make it ServiceNow's Got Talent. Bring a notepad if you'd like 'cause you'll definitely be learning something new. Each presenter gets 10 minutes max to wow the crowd with: • A demo • A real-world business solution • A bold idea • A UX transformation • Or a creative use of the platform Judging Criteria: 🏆 Business Value 🚀 Innovation ✨ User Experience This event is about celebrating ideas, sharing knowledge, and showing how ServiceNow can drive both business impact and meaningful user value. Come learn. Come support. Come get inspired. Refreshments and bites will be provided. And maybe next time… you’ll be on stage.

Do toxic people weigh you down? Affect your happiness? How can having toxic relationships affect your Health? And moreover, how can you spot them before it’s too late? Attend this in-person meeting to find out how to spot these people and remove their negative emotions from your life. This event is hosted by The Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center in Central Ohio.

Discover Kiro, AWS’s innovative development environment that adapts to your workflow. Whether you prefer specification-driven development or a more intuitive, vibe-based approach, Kiro empowers you to build applications your way. In this session, speakers will explore Kiro’s core functionality and its evolution through re:Invent 2025, along with demonstrations of prompts used to create APIs, hooks, and steering documents. In the latter part of the session, watch as we build a complete example from scratch, showcasing Kiro’s agentic AI workflow in action for spec-driven development and vibe coding. What You'll Learn - Core Kiro concepts and development philosophy Feature evolution: pre and post re:Invent 2025 Practical examples: API creation, hooks, and steering docs Live coding demonstration with real-time problem solving Who Should Attend - Developers, solutions architects, and technical leaders interested in modern AWS development tools and AI-assisted coding workflows. **Speakers Bio:** Matthew Jorat: Matthew Jorat is a Customer Solutions Manager at AWS with nearly three decades of expertise in AI, cloud transformation, migration, modernization, IT, technology, and business. His career spans infrastructure engineer, solutions architect, security auditor, customer success director, support and services director, and operations officer. He was an early adopter of AWS services as a customer, and his current role at AWS uniquely blends his technical and business skills as he partners with executive teams to translate strategic priorities into measurable business outcomes through cloud adoption, AI implementation, and operational excellence. Matt leads end-to-end AI initiatives for enterprise customers, identifying high-impact use cases and maintaining relentless focus on measurable ROI. He holds eight AWS certifications and serves as Adjunct Professor at Franklin University teaching cloud computing and AWS architecture. His expertise encompasses GenAI, agentic AI systems, migration, modernization, and optimization strategies that drive transformation at scale. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjorat/) Girish Bhatia: Girish Bhatia is a seasoned technology delivery leader with deep expertise in cross-domain program management. He holds multiple AWS certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Generative AI Practitioner, and is also an AWS Community Builder. Girish brings over two decades of experience in the information technology industry. Throughout his career, Girish has led major technology-driven business transformation from modernizing on-premises applications to driving large-scale cloud migrations. His work includes API-based integration platforms, data-center and mainframe modernization, and enterprise cloud adoption initiatives. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Girish works at a tech-forward fintech company. He is passionate about AWS serverless architectures, Generative AI and emerging cloud technologies. An avid learner and builder, he continues to explore and apply the latest innovations in AWS to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/[https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishbhatia/) **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

Come attend a free in-person seminar where you will find out why you: -Feel isolated -Can't express yourself openly -Get nervous or anxious in front of people -Run out of things to say or feel tongue-tied -Feel introverted -Don't feel comfortable in any social setting -Can't make more friends -Are shy and miss opportunities to connect in a meaningful way And we cover what you can do about any one, some or all of the above. This seminar is the weapon against loneliness, isolation and boredom, come join us! COME TO THIS SEMINAR AND LEARN THE SECRETS TODAY This seminar is brought to you by the Dianetics & Scientology Life Improvement Center. 1266 Dublin Road, Columbus, Ohio 43215