Did You Pack the 12 Agile Principles on Your Agile Journey?

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Matthew Gray
6 years ago
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1 Did You Pack the 12 Agile Principles on Your Agile Journey? Others Talk, We

2 Elisabeth White Coaching & Mentoring Agile Leadership Techniques Agile Principles & Core Values Culture Development Organizational Effectiveness Employee 2

3 Will Fehringer Agile Coach Co-Author 3

4 Karen Rodd Agile Coach Co-Facilitator 4

5 Making the Most of the Session! 5

6 PURPOSE To provide an overview of the 12 Principles of Agile To discuss behaviors that cause misalignment to the 12 Principles of Agile To discuss solutions for realignment to the 12 Principles of Agile 6

7 DESIRED OUTCOME Create a Learning Community Generate 1-3 next steps that can be applied immediately to align (or realign) to the 12 Agile Principles Next steps will be within the sphere of influence that attendees have 7

8 PROVISIONS 12 Principles of Agile Handouts Stickies & Sharpies Top Secret Envelope White Boards White Board Markers Agile SWAG!!! 8

9 The 12 Principles of Agile 9

10 12 Principles of Agile 10

11 12 Principles of Agile 11

12 12 Principles of Agile 12

13 12 Principles of Agile 13

14 12 Principles of Agile 14

15 12 Principles of Agile 15

16 12 Principles of Agile 16

17 12 Principles of Agile 17

18 12 Principles of Agile 18

19 12 Principles of Agile 19

20 12 Principles of Agile 20

21 12 Principles of Agile 21

22 Choose Your Own Adventure! 22

23 The 12 Principles of Agile

24 And the Adventure Begins 24

25 For Every Problem There Is A 25

26 As Our Adventure Comes to an End 26

27 WRAP UP Agile is easy in theory but hard in practice Think big, start small, move fast Every increment of improvement is a success story 27

28 BLOG SERIES Did you Pack the 12 Agile Principles on Your Agile Journey? Part 1: Deliver Value Part 2: Changing Requirements Part 3: Deliver Frequently Part 4: Work Together Part 5: Motivated Individuals Part 6: Face-to-Face Conversation Part 7: Working Solutions Part 8: Sustainability Part 9: Technical Excellence Part 10: Simplicity Part 11: Self-Organizing Teams Part 12: Reflect 28

29 Thank you for engaging with us today! Others Talk, We

30 SUPPORTING ARTIFACTS For each Agile Principle: Common issues that lead organizations astray Solutions that lead organizations back on track 30

31 Deliver Value Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray There is a desire to complete and deliver a project in its entirety. Even when early and continuous delivery is possible, value has not been defined. There s no feedback loop to determine if the customer was indeed satisfied. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Identify opportunities for delivering working solutions incrementally. Know thy Customer engage them and define value together, and regularly. Create feedback loops! Circle back with customers to ensure satisfaction, and course correct when satisfaction has not been achieved 31

Embrace Change Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Welcoming change can be terrifying. And late in development can be even more terrifying.

32 Embrace Change Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Welcoming change can be terrifying. And late in development can be even more terrifying. The plan, Gantt charts, and requirements documents have already been created. It would be a crime to lose all that upfront work and effort. There is a lack of understanding for what will give the customer a competitive advantage. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Focus on short term goals without losing sight of the long-term vision. Planning is vital, but a plan can be worthless. Only plan for what s in front of you. If the landscape changes, it will be easier, and quicker, to pivot. Seek to understand the customer and the terrain in which the customer operates. This will help navigate changes to enable the customer s competitive advantage. 32

Deliver Frequently Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Sprint/Iteration timeboxes exceed 3+ weeks. User Stories are too big and take more than a couple of weeks to complete.

33 Deliver Frequently Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Sprint/Iteration timeboxes exceed 3+ weeks. User Stories are too big and take more than a couple of weeks to complete. There are dependencies outside the team boundary that prevent the delivery of working software. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Shorten Sprints/Iterations to 1-2 week timeboxes to limit focus, make smaller commitments, and deliver completed work quicker. Write smaller User Stories that can be completed within a day or no longer than 2 weeks. As much as possible, eliminate dependencies outside the team boundary that cause delays. 33

Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Tear down the barriers! Move desks, tables, walls, etc. into a collaborative formation that brings everyone together in one easily accessible place.

34 Work Together Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Office space is not conducive to collaboration creating physical silos. Offices and teams are globally distributed, introducing time-zone and online collaboration issues. Cultures lacking trust and respect cause breakdowns between the organizations. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Tear down the barriers! Move desks, tables, walls, etc. into a collaborative formation that brings everyone together in one easily accessible place. Be conscious and sensitive to time zone constraints and find a golden window of time when all individuals can come together for at least one hour a day. Be the change Start by making collaboration a priority and finding time daily to be available so that a culture built on trust can begin to form. 34

Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Introduce/Empower the Product Owner role ensure Product Owners are not only maintaining healthy backlogs but providing the why behind the work so

35 Motivated Individuals Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Long hours and burn-out have led to demotivated individuals. There is a lack of purpose and understanding behind business priorities making it difficult to stay motivated. There is a genuine lack of trust that anyone will successfully get the job done. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Introduce/Empower the Product Owner role ensure Product Owners are not only maintaining healthy backlogs but providing the why behind the work so teams have purpose. Ask teams what type of working environment they need to be successful and then create it it could be as simple as dimming the lights and keeping noise levels low (or high). Introduce/Empower the Scrum Master role Scrum Masters ensure teams have the support they need or escalate quickly when that is not the case. 35

Face-to-Face Conversation Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray A lack of co-location (either within an office or across the globe) makes it difficult to have face-to-face conversations.

36 Face-to-Face Conversation Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray A lack of co-location (either within an office or across the globe) makes it difficult to have face-to-face conversations. Information is currently conveyed through some form of online collaboration technology/tool - conference calls, IM's, the dreaded chains. The culture prevents or discourages crucial conversations from taking place. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course When possible, co-locate all individuals involved with the work. For teams that cross time zones, create overlap in schedules and availability to allow for virtual face-to-face conversations. Tools are good, but face-to-face conversations are great. Only use online collaboration technology/tools as needed, and when you do, establish the best possible virtual presence. Turn those cameras on! Don't shy away from crucial conversations. Create a safe space to encourage teams and individuals to engage in face-to-face conversations even when the subject matter is difficult. 36

Working Software Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Using screenshots, diagrams, or videos instead of showing true working software.

37 Working Software Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Using screenshots, diagrams, or videos instead of showing true working software. Practicing "ScrumFall" - doing each part of the Waterfall lifecycle across Sprints/Iterations instead of within Sprints/Iterations. Too many dependencies on other teams or external sources that prevent working solutions. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Go live! When possible, use live demos in an environment that could be accessible to the Customer. Focus on incremental progress by creating User Stories that don't exceed the Sprint/Iteration timebox and leverage the INVEST User Story format. Eliminate dependencies where appropriate and ensure teams have identified or mitigated as much risk as possible. 37

Sustainable Pace Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Planning is not continuous or consistent, causing imbalance in work load and flow.

Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Define a continuous planning lifecycle that balances work weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. Avoid low and high tides of work to create a steady flow.

38 Sustainable Pace Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Planning is not continuous or consistent, causing imbalance in work load and flow. The expected pace to do and complete work has been set by someone(s) other than the worker. More is more there is a desire for more functionality to be pushed to the Customer. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Define a continuous planning lifecycle that balances work weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. Avoid low and high tides of work to create a steady flow. Empower teams to set their own pace and allow them to adjust it when appropriate. Find the path of least resistance. Start with or scale back to simple, lean processes and approvals. Only incorporate additional workflows when the desired outcome is not being achieved. 38

Technical Excellence Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray The vision does not expand beyond current understanding innovation is nonexistent.

39 Technical Excellence Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray The vision does not expand beyond current understanding innovation is nonexistent. Teams have not created standards of excellence that all work must adhere to. Creating a culture of continuous learning has not been made a priority. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Create with a purpose but don't stifle innovation. Understand what needs to be created but then allow flexibility in how it will be created. Establish a "Definition of Done": The standard of excellence that all User Stories will abide by and adhere to ensuring as little compromise to technical excellence as possible. Invest in training opportunities to further grow the skillsets of teams through conferences, workshops, webinars, online/in person courses, and cross-team collaboration. 39

Simple Solutions Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray There isn't a true understanding of the problem, so all possible solutions have been considered and mapped out.

40 Simple Solutions Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray There isn't a true understanding of the problem, so all possible solutions have been considered and mapped out. Funding supports projects that have pre-set plans of requirements, losing sight of desired outcomes and Customer success. The Customer has not been consulted and has not been included in decision making. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Name the problem. Scale back to the minimal solution needed to solve the problem. Only enhance the solution when the Customer requires it. Follow the Lean Startup ideas of Measure, Build, Learn. Shift from project-based funding models to capacity-based funding models that support minimal viable solutions and avoid set plans that will inevitably change. Watch. Listen. Stay close. Engage the Customer frequently (before, during, and after release) to ensure solutions delight the customer. Not every idea or solution is what they need. 40

41 Self-Organizing Teams Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray Teams have been predetermined based on org charts and department lines. Decision making is centralized amongst authoritative directors or other governing bodies. Projects have in-depth requirements and timelines pre-defined. Additional input is not needed. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Focus on up-playing the strengths of team members and ensure each team collectively has the skillsets needed to accomplish the work. Value Delivered > Organizational Structure. De-centralize decision making by empowering teams to make all necessary decisions quickly and iteratively to avoid delays in delighting the Customer. Give the power to the people! Hold teams accountable to what they say they can and cannot do and then empower them to be successful. Lead instead of direct. 41

42 Reflect & Adjust Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray There's no time for delay! One project is completed and another is started. Teams lack the confidence and trust needed to reflect candidly. Adjustments translate to failures and unmasking failures is highly discouraged. Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course Introduce Retrospectives! Build in a minimum of two hours between projects (or even better, between Iterations/Sprints) for teams to come together and reflect. Set ground rules for Retrospectives, and stand by them! Identify working agreements that create safety and trust, encouraging candid communication within the team boundary. Embrace and celebrate failures as learning opportunities. Some of the greatest innovations and most iconic people in history were born out of failure. 42

Agile Projects 7. Agile Project Management 21

Agile Projects 7. Agile Project Management 21 Contents Contents 1 2 3 4 Agile Projects 7 Introduction 8 About the Book 9 The Problems 10 The Agile Manifesto 12 Agile Approach 14 The Benefits 16 Project Components 18 Summary 20 Agile Project Management