Scrum War Rooms: an NDS Case Study

1. Scrum War Rooms: an NDS Case Study Avidan Lamdan, Director

2. Agenda • NDS – a quick overview • NDS & Agile • Scrum war rooms • WH question • NDS experience • Questions

3. History of NDS • Founded February, 1988 • Acquired by News Corp, Rupert Murdoch Corporation, 1990 • First Conditional Access service [BSkyB], 1990 • First digital Conditional Access service [DIRECTV], 1994 • China Cable Network (INC at the time), May 2000 • Sky+ launched at BSkyB with XTV technology, 2001 • Since February 2009 NDS Group Ltd is a private company owned by Permira Funds and News Corporation • Won China DTH CA Business for ~10M smart cards, 2009/2010 • 2009: NDS commemorated shipment of 300 millionth smart card

4. Conditional Access Customers

5. Digital pay-TV Leader • NDS VideoGuard® CAand DRM solutions protect 116 million active devices • NDS M/W deployedin 135 million devices • NDS DVR technology deployed in 25 milliondevices • NDS leads as iTV pioneer • NDS leads with provenconvergence solutions 5

6. NDS & Agile • Using Agile framework over the past three years • Multi-site, Multi-national • Large-scale projects (over 300 people) • Supporting management • SCRUM implementation: • Sporadic across the company • ~10 different teams (10-40 people each)

7. Scrum War Rooms - What • A Single room dedicated for a scrum development team • Should facilitate XP environment • Should include the SM & Team (at least) • PO is an option • The best room • Central, Spacious, lighted, ignited

8. Scrum War Rooms - Why • Better productivity • Better communication • Better adaptation for changes • One stop shop • Transparency • “All together now”

9. Scrum War rooms - How • Reduced external communication • No landline telephones • Mobile on vibration • Whiteboard, Flipchart, Projector • Lots of power/LAN outlets • Large desk • Paired (10-12 people)

10. Scrum War Rooms - When • Class II scrum team and above • The group is well formed and performed • Limited to 12 people • Leverage the “knee effect”

11. NDS Experience • Setup • First meeting • Fiasco • Recovery plan • Current status • Lessons learned

12. NDS Experience - Setup • Dedicated team • Internal and newcomers • Allocation of new area • Supportive management • Up a certain level  • Lots of goodwill

13. NDS Experience – First Meeting • Players: • Team leaders • Logistics • Architect • Issues: • Open space • Firm conformance • Limited budget • General structure

14. NDS Experience –Fiasco • Poor preparation • Not enough communication • Intra-team • Intra-company • Bad vibes • Maslow pyramid compromised…

15. NDS Experience – Recovery Plan • Compromise • Single war room • At least 50% occupancy • Crowded seating cubicles • A LOT of “rest” space • And a movie

16. NDS Experience – Lessons Learned • Communication, communication, communication! • War room is NOT open space • Team success is more important than mr² • Less documentation • Highly adaptive teams

17. NDS Experience – Current Status • War room – mostly occupied • Meeting rooms – not in use • Waiting to get approval for second room • Company-wide traction

18. Questions?

19. Thank you