Becoming Agile An Introduction and Tips for Getting Started

1. Becoming Agile An Introduction and Tips for Getting Started Bob Schommer, CSP, CSPO, PMP Agile Coach September 17, 2013

2. About Skyline Technologies • Microsoft Gold Certified Partner supporting five practice areas including: Business Intelligence, Custom Software Solutions, Enterprise Portals, Online Marketing and IT Business Consulting. • Skyline’s IT Business Consulting group: • Builds IT strategies that transform IT from a cost center into a strategic asset; • Integrates IT into official business processes so companies can exploit technology to drive profitable growth, control costs and improve customer service; • Guides and mentors people in best of breed development methodologies, business analysis techniques and quality assurance programs; • Provides certified (PMI and Scrum) program and project managers, senior quality assurance professionals and experienced business analysts. • Proud sponsors of PMI-NEW and the Northeast Wisconsin Agile Users Group Credible People, Credible Solutions, Incredible Results!

3. Agenda • Agile Principles • The Scrum Framework • Slicing the Cake • Visualizing Progress (or the lack thereof) • Becoming a ScrumMaster • Final Thoughts and Questions

4. What does it mean to be agile? • Iterative and incremental development (IID) • Working software in each iteration • Evolutionary and adaptive • Inspect and adapt • Visibility • Iterative and adaptive planning • Risk driven • Value driven • Self managed and self organized teams • Time boxed

5. History • 1957: IID was used on NASA’s Project Mercury • 1970’s: Successful use on numerous large, life-critical systems (e.g. space, avionic, defense) • 1992: Canadian ATC system • 1994: DoD adopts new standard that prefers iterative and evolutionary methods • 1995: Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber first formalized Scrum • 2001: Agile Manifesto emerged during a weekend meeting of seventeen “agilites” in Utah

6. Agile Manifesto “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.” www.agilemanifesto.org

7. Agile Principles • Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. • Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. • Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. • Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. • Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. • The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

8. Agile Principles • Working software is the primary measure of progress. • Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. • Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. • Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done – is essential. • The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. • At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

9. Triple Constraint Does Not Go Away Traditional Methods Agile Approach Scope Scope Prioritized by business value Scope drives budget and schedule Budget and schedule drives scope Cost Time Cost Time It is impossible to fully define requirements until the client actually begins to use the product.

10. Agenda • Agile Principles • The Scrum Framework • Slicing the Cake • Visualizing Progress (or the lack thereof) • Becoming a ScrumMaster • Final Thoughts and Questions

11. Scrum Terms

12. Scrum Roles

13. The Scrum Framework Potential Deployment ScrumPlanning Sprint2-4 Weeks Product Backlog & Team Formation Team Retrospective Sprint Planning2 Parts: Selection and Decomp Sprint Review Daily Scrum

14. The Scrum Framework Potential Deployment ScrumPlanning Product Backlog & Team Formation Sprint2-4 Weeks Team Retrospective Sprint Planning2 Parts: Selection and Decomp Sprint Review Daily Scrum

15. The Scrum Framework Potential Deployment ScrumPlanning Product Backlog & Team Formation Sprint2-4 Weeks Team Retrospective Sprint Planning2 Parts: Selection and Decomp Sprint Review Daily Scrum

16. Becoming Agile Skeleton • Fairly easy to implement • Within weeks for many • Customers begin seeing improvement Heart • Can be more difficult • Can take months or years • Change in culture, behavior and organization • Opportunities are exciting!

17. Agenda • Agile Principles • The Scrum Framework • Slicing the Cake • Visualizing Progress (or the lack thereof) • Becoming a ScrumMaster • Final Thoughts and Questions

18. Slicing the Cake

19. Software Layers Sprint 1 Sprint 2 Sprint 3 Sprint 4 Sprint 5 Web Application Business Service API Back Office System

20. Considerations when slicing the cake • Focus on high value features first • Code will be “touched” multiple times • There will be re-work • There will be changes • Plan for refactoring • Multiple test cycles should mean higher quality • Expect customer excitement • Stop at “good enough”

21. Agenda • Agile Principles • The Scrum Framework • Slicing the Cake • Visualizing Progress (or the lack thereof) • Becoming a ScrumMaster • Final Thoughts and Questions

22. Sprint Backlog – Day One Unplanned

23. Sprint Backlog – Day Five Unplanned

24. Sprint Backlog – Day Ten Unplanned

25. Bottom’s Up Unplanned

26. Unplanned Work is Killing Us! Unplanned

27. Everyone’s Busy But Nothing is Getting Done Unplanned

28. Getting to “Done” • Has “Done” been defined and is it understood? • Checklist • Demonstrable value • Three questions work well for co-located, disciplined teams • Focused on getting stories “done” • Walk the board to keep focus on the story • Holds team members accountable • Impediments are obvious • Team should lead the discussion • Mix it up

29. Techniques • Remember the team should be self managed • Use the retrospective to problem solve • Stress ownership • Any team member can do any task • Keep tasks small • No more than 2 days to complete a task • Remove impediments • Ask questions • Coach

30. Agenda • Agile Principles • The Scrum Framework • Slicing the Cake • Visualizing Progress (or the lack thereof) • Becoming a ScrumMaster • Final Thoughts and Questions

31. Being a ScrumMaster Requires … • A servant leadership attitude • “I work for the team.” • Protector of team • Maturity • Comfortable with conflict • Hold the team accountable • Confidence • Let the team manage themselves • Work yourself out of a job • Bravery • Challenge the status quo

32. High-performing development “engine” Product Owner Scrum Team High Performance Development Engine Raw Materials High Business Value

33. ScrumMaster’s Role • Maintenance, repairs and clean up • Optimizes and tunes the “engine” • Ensures high quality “raw materials” from the Product Owner • Drives organizational change • Facilitates • Resolves impediments

34. Some common impediments • Interruptions • Environments • Physical • Technical • Work space • Other team members • Organizational • PMO • QA • Managers • Product Owner

35. Agenda • Agile Principles • The Scrum Framework • Slicing the Cake • Visualizing Progress (or the lack thereof) • Becoming a ScrumMaster • Final Thoughts and Questions

36. Agile’s popularity is a reaction by teams to … • Overbearing controls • Paperwork • Detailed estimates that become reality • Project “death marches” • Unproductive meetings • Forced deadlines • Long hours • Time not spent developing Developers want to develop. Testers want to test.

37. Challenge the Status Quo • Agile is consistent with continuous improvement • Lean for software development • Anything that impedes the team should be challenged • Governance • PMO • Even regulatory (Do “just enough” to pass) • Impetus for holistic organizational improvements

38. When was the last time you added a tool to your toolbox? • Your value to your organization increases when you can solve more and bigger problems • Not every problem is a nail so … • Your solution should not always be a hammer • Agile and traditional methods are both viable approaches depending on … • The project • Your organization • Your skills

39. Resources • Web Sites • http://agile.vc.pmi.org • www.agilealliance.org • www.scrumalliance.org • www.mountaingoatsoftware.com • Books • Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager’s Guide by Craig Larman • Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn • Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber • Kanban and Scrum: Making the most of both by Henrick Kniberg and Mattias Skarin • Succeeding with Agile by Mike Cohn • NEW Agile Users Group (www.newagile.org)

40. Thank You! Bob Schommer BSchommer@SkylineTechnologies.com www.skylinetechnologies.com