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From Cobbled To Agile: Re-Engineering Library IT

From Cobbled To Agile: Re-Engineering Library IT. Joan A. Smith, PhD Emory University. Why we did it. Library IT Division “Cobbled” Together Created piecemeal over 15+ years Technology dumping ground

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From Cobbled To Agile: Re-Engineering Library IT

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  1. From Cobbled To Agile:Re-Engineering Library IT Joan A. Smith, PhD Emory University

  2. Why we did it • Library IT Division “Cobbled” Together • Created piecemeal over 15+ years • Technology dumping ground • ILS + Desktop Support + Grant Projects + Webs + System Administration + Anything Involving a Computer • Mixed Staffing Situation • Regular Staff + Faculty + Contract Staff + Undergrad Students + Grad Students • Capacity questions • Project costs, capacity, impact unknown & unmeasured • Few staff + lots of projects = prioritization crisis Emory University

  3. Back Then... HodgePodge Group A Multitude of Projects If it’s computing, it belongs in IT! A Variety of Staff & Skills .......No Capacity Planning....... Emory University

  4. What was needed • Comprehensive Operational Vision • Professional Staffing Plan • Capacity and Cost Measurements • Performance Metrics In other words: A Business Model Emory University

  5. Comprehensive Operational Vision • Clear mission statement • why we’re in business • who we serve • Defined “tech stack” • primary tools for doing our job • skill levels expected • University-IT role vs. Library-IT role • Service redundancy = wasted money • Focus on appropriate market share • Utilize economies of scale Emory University

  6. Professional Staffing Plan • Classic, industry-based model • Technical Project Managers • Software Developers • System Administrators • Sustainable project staffing • Post-grant maintenance & updates • Common “tech stack” • Professional development & mentoring • Junior, intermediate, senior levels of expertise • Code/Project/System Reviews for coaching • Training materials, conferences, “info-forums” Emory University

  7. Capacity and Cost Measurements • How long to get “X” done? • Will it be on time (% probability)? • How many people to get X delivered? • What is complexity level of project X? • How soon can we start on new project Z? Emory University

  8. Performance Metrics • Measure Planned Effort • Time: Planning/Development/Deployment • Cost: Planning/Development/Deployment • Support Costs (software, security patches, e.g.) • Measure Actual Times/Costs & Compare • Refine the Estimating Process • Play It Again, Sam • Keep Track of Grant & Matching Funding • Don’t exceed matching unnecessarily • Track accuracy of plan against real expenses incurred Emory University

  9. How we do it *Continuous improvement! Emory University

  10. Plan 1 3 5 4 2 Emory University

  11. Execute Begin: Iteration #1 End: Iteration #1 Emory University

  12. Measure Emory University

  13. Rinse & Repeat Emory University

  14. Timeline: 2 Years & Counting 8 months 12 months 20 months Emory University

  15. Light-Weight ToolsFor Agile Teams • Project Planning Tools • Web-Based Proposal Form • Dashboard • Process Tools • Scrums (Cork Board + Index Cards) • Iteration Planning Meetings • Web-Enabled Process Management • Task Tracking Tools • TRAC (http://trac.edgewall.org/ ) • Time-Tracking Tools • ActiTime (http://www.actitime.com/ ) • Measurement Tools • dWrangler • Velocity Estimating • Evaluation Tools • RAP Sheets • Iteration Reports Home-Grown & Open-Source Note: Screenshots on next slides for reference during live tools demo Emory University

  16. Project Planning Tools (1) • All projects require a proposal • Simple • Fast (mostly) Emory University

  17. Project Planning Tools (2) • Web-Based • Consistent • Quick Status Emory University

  18. Project Planning Tools (3) Dashboard tracks all projects and status phase Emory University

  19. Process Tools (1) • Several tools involved • Coordination via Dashboard: Emory University

  20. Process Tools (2) • Scrums: Bulletin Board + Index Cards Yes, it is analog on purpose… Emory University

  21. Process Tools (3) • Web-Enabled Process Management Everyone contributes… Emory University

  22. Task-Tracking Tools (1) • Staff use TRAC to manage tasks • Note wiki comment option • SVN data noted, too • This is a single task ticket • Change history clarifies • Attachments optional Emory University

  23. Task-Tracking Tools (2) • Project-oriented view of tasks • Note break-down of User Stories into individual tasks • Also note Milestone headline Emory University

  24. Task-Tracking Tools (3) • Timeline for a project – one of many views Emory University

  25. Task-Tracking Tools (4) • And there is the usual SVN repository… Emory University

  26. Time-Tracking Tools (1) • Staff enter project time daily (well, they try…) Emory University

  27. Time-Tracking Tools (2) • Example Report: Total time for each of our projects Emory University

  28. Time-Tracking Tools (3) • Custom reports available Emory University

  29. Measurement Tools (1) • TRAC & ActiTimehooked into our metric tools • dWrangler is a home-grown product built with Django Emory University

  30. Measurement Tools (2) • Velocity estimates enable capacity planning • “Points Open” tracked for each project • “Points Completed” tracked for each project Velocity = Points Completed Per Iteration Emory University

  31. Evaluation Tools (1) • Monthly RAP Sheets (Report on Resources, Activities, Plans) • BRIEF summary of project • Discussion points for managers Emory University

  32. Evaluation Tools (2) • Iteration Meetings & In-Meeting Report • Written while in the meeting • Focus on continuous improvement Emory University

  33. Lessons Learned • One step at a time • Organize the teams • Conduct trial-runs for ~ 3 months • Set a “go live” date • Training, training, training • All members need to understand the Process • No blame, just gain: incremental improvements • Requires (mostly) disciplined behavior by all team members • Measure, predict, measure again • Refine the estimates with actual performance data • Teams improve; measure again Emory University

  34. Agile Manifesto (http://agilemanifesto.org/ ) We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more. Emory University

  35. From Cobbled To Agile -ish • Agile is a journey, not a destination • Still refining our tools, teams, processes • Some projects need more planning than usual for Agile projects • Too frequent changes can affect hard deadlines • User stories don’t work for System Administration tasks • Some projects are more about configuration and deployment than software development • Agile doesn’t work for all projects, all roles, across all teams • Underlying concepts are sound for estimating team capacity • Keep what works, refine/replace/remove what does not Emory University

  36. Questions? Feedback and Comments are welcome Thanks for attending Contact me: joan.smith@emory.edu Emory University

  37. Links for Screenshots • https://digital.library.emory.edu/ • https://heisenberg.library.emory.edu/dwrangler/tracback/digital-masters/ • https://heisenberg.library.emory.edu/dwrangler/ • https://techknowhow.library.emory.edu/announcements/iteration-report-13-sept-24-sept-2010 • https://techknowhow.library.emory.edu/announcements/planning-meeting-iteration-11-oct-22-oct-2010 • https://heisenberg.library.emory.edu/dwrangler/tracback/projects/worksummary/ • https://larson.library.emory.edu/trac/digitalmasters/timeline • https://larson.library.emory.edu/trac/digitalmasters/roadmap • https://larson.library.emory.edu/trac/digitalmasters/ticket/133 • https://heisenberg.library.emory.edu/dwrangler/tracback/digital-masters/collection-editing/ • https://techknowhow.library.emory.edu/ • http://bohr.library.emory.edu:7080/actitime/login.do Emory University

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