Getting Agile

Brent Barton and I have decided to start a new company called Sterling Barton that will focus on delivering products to market. We have just started this venture and in our spare time have begun development for our first product. The following letter explains our move to separate from SolutionsIQ so that we can concentrate on this new endeavor. It also outlines how we will continue to work with SolutionsIQ in a complimentary into the future.

To whom it may concern:

For many years we, Chris Sterling and Brent Barton, have worked for SolutionsIQ. We both have had an amazing time working and establishing great relationships, strategic business capabilities, and successfully supporting SolutionsIQ clients. We recently decided to follow a passion of ours: creating products. This means that as of October 16, 2009, we will no longer be employees of SolutionsIQ and will begin work under our new company, Sterling Barton.

It is important to let everyone know that this does not mean the end of our working relationship with SolutionsIQ. We are working diligently to have a partner agreement that enables both of our companies to fulfill engagements together. It is our expectation that this will be a strong relationship that continues well into the future. Our focus will be to fund our product development through consulting and this means our relationship with SolutionsIQ should be seen as complimentary.

Leaving SolutionsIQ is both exciting and difficult. We have incredible friends at SolutionsIQ who also challenge us with their insightful perspectives. SolutionsIQ has proven to be a joyful place to work combined with significant capabilities that go hand-in-hand with great people. This has not changed and we expect this to be continuing into the future and improving with time. We want the bonds we have created with the people at SolutionsIQ to extend past our employment with SolutionsIQ.

Brent, if you didn’t already know, started with SolutionsIQ six and one half years ago. He started the Agile Consulting part of the business four years ago and has shown himself to be a tremendous thought leader and respected individual in the Agile community.

For those not familiar with Chris, Chris started with SolutionsIQ four years ago as ScrumMaster and team member on projects. He joined Brent on Agile Consulting engagements soon after that part of the business started and has also become a thought leader in the Agile space.

With SolutionsIQ, we have both found the freedom and support needed to pursue new business opportunities and raise the presence of the company and ourselves within a larger community. We are grateful for these opportunities and are happy with where we are today based on these and many other people’s efforts.

As we venture out and build a grass roots business, feel free to contact us. We are having fun and would love to share more good times together with you.

Sincerely,

Chris Sterling and Brent Barton

sterlingbarton.com

If you are interested in contacting us, you can email us at brent at sterlingbarton dot com or chris at sterlingbarton dot com. If you are interested in hiring us to support you in Agile adoption, management consulting, and technology consulting please send an email to info at sterlingbarton dot com. Thank you.