Headshot of James Baker.

Meet James

James J. Baker is an IS&T Project Manager and Agile Delivery Leader with over two decades of experience navigating technical transformations in the financial services, energy, and manufacturing sectors. A graduate of Kansas State University, his career-long focus on quality systems began with research into a motorcycle vendor rating system he developed published by the Clute Institute: a foundation in systems thinking that eventually led to the development of the AI Scrum framework.

From Development to Validation

In late 2023, as the AI tsunami began to reshape the industry, James recognized a fundamental shift in the landscape of delivery. While many focused on how much faster code could be written and how AI could accelerate some daily tasks, James looked further downstream. In early 2024, he became a Certified Prompt Engineer to master the mechanics and ethics of Large Language Models (LLMs).

He realized that as AI compresses development time from days to mere minutes, the traditional bottlenecks of Agile, specifically development capacity, would inevitably shift to validation and governance. The core challenge for modern organizations is no longer creating work, but ensuring that work is safe, compliant, and architecturally sound.

Staying Ahead of the Technology

Drawing on his experience as a pilot, James applies the principle of "staying ahead of the airplane" to the world of Artificial Intelligence. Just as a pilot must maintain total control to ensure safety, a project leader must govern AI, whether it is an LLM or an embedded tool, to ensure it serves the organization’s objectives without introducing exploitable risks.

James holds an extensive array of industry credentials, including:

  • Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)

  • IBM Certified AI Product Manager

  • Certified Prompt Engineer (CPE)

Today, James leads enterprise data initiatives and advocates for human-centered governance in high-tech delivery. AI Scrum: The Agile Inversion is the culmination of this journey, offering a pragmatic playbook for leaders who refuse to be left behind by advancements in artificial intelligence technology.