Agile charleston the 5th principle - april2014

Editor's Notes

• #6: Keep in mind, the Agile Manifesto resulted from 17 of the best minds in the industry, coming together and uncovering better ways of developing software based on their combined experience. These folks know what they are talking about. Each value and principle is there for a reason. Read between the lines and apply them to your daily work habits.Who does this speak to? Who is it directed at?TRAPS:Avoid the unmotivated individuals.Agile suggests that to succeed (go fast) – look for individuals who are motivated by nature.“Only find individuals who are already (or inherently) motivated and use them on your projects. “Seek and hire only driven personalities who love their job and are passionate about what they're doing. Get rid of the uninspired as they will have a major negative impact on the project's success.”
• #7: Old English derivation of word for MotionThe process used to allocate energy to maximize the satisfaction of needsEconomics
• #8: The motivational poster – trying to psychologically give us more energy to play with and allocate accordingly
• #9: Often referred to as a key to professional successMotivated – notice no mention of skilled, or talented
• #10: Why does the source of motivation vary?By definition, an individual has his/her own sets of needs goals separate from the group.
• #11: MASLOW:American (Brooklyn)psychologist Humanist psychology – “It is as if Freud supplied us the sick half of psychology and we must now fill it out with the healthy half”Maslow’s Hammer - "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" HERZBERG:American psychologist (Lynn, MA) one of the most influential names in business management. Can’t talk employee motivation without mentioning him.1968 published "One More Time, How Do You Motivate Employees?" Has sold 1.2 million reprints by 1987 and was the most requested article from the Harvard Business Review.Job Enrichment – motivating by providing an opportunity to use the range of one’s abilities – variety, complete/meaningful tasking, feedback/encouragement/communication
• #12: Content theories attempt to explain the specific factors that motivate behavior. None of these theories have been conclusively shown to be valid but they are helpful in providing a contextual framework for dealing with individuals.Maslow’s Hierarchy 1943:a theory that organizes universal human needs in order of priority, with the most fundamental ones at the bottom. When you've climbed up through the bottom four levels, you have the freedom to reach your full potential.Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survivalLife at risk results in stress – PTSD, exampleSafety - LivelihoodLove/Belonging –As human beings, we desire relationships and bonds – see attachment theory – and a sense of belonging and acceptance among a social group – Loneliness, social anxiety, clinical depression without itEsteem – lower and higherThe need to feel respected by others (lower) – including self-esteem/self-respect (higher). Accepted and valued by others.-- inferiority complex without it, helplessness, victimSelf Actualizationwhat a person's full potential is and the realization of that potential - the desire to accomplish everything that one canVery focused and specific to the individualMaslow believed that to understand this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous needs, but master them.Herzberg's Dual Factortheory (1959 – 16 years later) Looking at increasing job enrichment and applied Mazlow’s Hierarchyconcentrates on the importance of internal job factors as motivating forces for employees. Herzberg wanted to create the opportunity for employees to take part in planning, performing, and evaluating their work by:“Removing some of the control management has over employees and increasing the accountability and responsibility they have over their work. Which would in return increase employee autonomy, authority and freedom.Creating complete and natural work units where it is possible. An example would be allowing employees to create a whole unit or section instead of only allowing them to create part of it.Providing regular and continuous feedback on productivity and job performance directly to employees instead of through supervisorsEncouraging employees to take on new and challenging tasks and becoming experts at a task.”Sound familiar?
• #13: If that sounds familiar it may be because you’ve heard it from Daniel Pink.Paraphrased Herzberg without mentioning Herzberg(carrots and sticks) Incentive and Punishment (extrinsic)
• #14: Soft Science can only go so far in terms of psychology --- everybody is different!Changes over time, generations, classes, cultures. So how does Agile handle change and the unknown? Inspect/Adapt
• #15: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job doneBuilding the team is also valuable – not just the value of the productIf agile is to apply broadly, we can’t reserve it just for those projects that start with motivated individuals. We need to learn how to cultivate them.“Find individuals who are open to caring about their work (i.e. potentially motivated). Engage them to become motivated about building something valuable. Let them make delivery commitments they believe they can achieve. Support them and get out of their way.”Listening to the needs of individuals will help you be a better Agile ManagerThat’s how you build projects around motivated individuals.
• #16: If agile is to apply broadly, we can’t reserve it just for those projects that start with motivated individuals. We need to learn how to cultivate them.“Find individuals who are open to caring about their work (i.e. potentially motivated). Engage them to become motivated about building something valuable. Let them make delivery commitments they believe they can achieve. Support them and get out of their way.”Listening to the needs of individuals will help you be a better Agile ManagerThat’s how you build projects around motivated individuals.Next: Turning a collection of individuals into a high performing Team
• #17: Some common teaming guidelines or patterns:Lencioni’s 5 dysfunctionsCulture – refined iteratively with the FSNP model
• #18: Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with passion.Sum of = shared Identity, Values, Beliefs, Behaviors and ActionsCulture -> Habits -> DecisionsThe stronger the culture, the less corporateprocess a team needsOne can trust everyone to do the right thing. People can be independent and autonomous. They can be entrepreneurial and innovative.where culture is weak, you need an abundance of heavy, precise rules and processes -- SLOW
• #19: Protected from the consequence of failureOn Maslow’s Hierarchy – extrinsic – comes from the leaders and the team members around you
• #20: Idiot – self defeating or counter productiveAdmiration
• #21: A high performing team doesn’t blameThe team owns the failures of its team members, and learns the lesson collectively
• #22: What is it you’re really afterWhat’s the outcomeTeam shared outcome?We can’t read minds of our team matesTrust is next –When we have safety, mutual respect, shared ownership, and the same desired outcome – what does that mean about working together to solve a problemwe can trust each other
• #23: We build trust by first forming and keeping agreementsBut where do we start? Or how can we reboot a broken team?
• #24: Agile ZenStart with the fundamental agreements of the frameworksThen through retrospective, new agreements should evolve
• #25: When these things happen, the trust we share in ourselves and in our colleagues erodes, and we unintentionally reinforce a culture that reduces our ability to solve the problems we face every day.BitterJadedDistrustful
• #26: “You have to be authentic, forgiving, and let people see your foibles, your blind spots. Leaders sometimes fear that they can’t show weakness. I disagree—you have to show your whole self and open up.”Agreements, well made and well managed, are the engine of culture change. This culture engine, when properly maintained and fueled, creates an environment that amplifies the power of the tools and techniques we use and supports the extraordinary collaboration that is required to achieve extraordinary results.By mastering agreements, we realize the full potential of ourselves and of our teams to solve the wonderful and terrible problems we encounter when we aspire to make great software.Next: KindergartenSo, how do I as a team member on a high performing team conduct myself for team success
• #27: The High performing team member
• #28: SuccessesFailuresChallengesCodeIdeasQuestionsAnswersGoals
• #29: Agree to follow the same “rules” – working agreements, definition of done, scrum core valuesCommitmentOpennessFocusRespectCourageDon’t cheat - metricsBe honest and open - transparencyBe a team player
• #30: Constructively address conflictDon’t injureand don’t assume injuryGolden Rule
• #31: Check out/Check in codeKeep the Kanban board accurateCollective ownership
• #32: Code qualityAccountability
• #33: Credit/Blame – Joint ownershipOpinions/Estimates – The person doing the work estimates the workRealize there are things that belong to the team and things that belong to the individual.Ultimately, the team is accountable for both.
• #34: Address injury as soon as possible – three part apology – I’m Sorry for – Next time I will – Do you forgive me (accept)?Be humbleAsk forgivenessMake it rightMove forwardApologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value the relationship more than your ego.
• #35: Surgeons scrub in to prevent outside things from infecting their operationLeave it outside, scrub down, get clean, be aware of what you may be bringing into the team
• #36: Eliminate negativityUtilize retrospectives effectivelyClear the airMove on
• #37: Carbs make people happy! – Carbs release serotonin in the brainKeep energy highContribution to the teamThe power of food to connect peopleThe act of service and nourishment of making food for others
• #38: Sustainable paceHave funSpend time apart
• #39: Promote cross functionalityInnovateChallenge yourselfDoing these things with others will form relationships with those you perform with
• #40: http://michaelhyatt.com/why-you-should-take-a-nap-every-day.html20-30 minutes tops during a lunch breakA nap restores alertnessA nap prevents burnoutA nap heightens sensory perceptionA nap reduces the risk of heart diseaseA nap makes you more productive
• #41: Represent and advocate for the team when engaging externallyTeam ownership – avoid leaving anyone under the busSprint review behavior - Expect to build relationships beyond the project
• #42: Pick your head up and look aroundAdmire the work of those around youLook for opportunities to learn and teach
• #43: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.Same basic fundamentalneeds (Maslow)Food, water, and sunshineCultivate the growth of your teammates
• #44: Keep perspectiveEverything – all projects, teams, careers, life – endsMake the most of what you have while you have it
• #45: And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.AroundUpDownKeep your eyes openBe awareObserveFind ways to continuously approve
• #46: Miles per Gallon?Horsepower? Torque?Performance Management - Traditional thinking - Performance isn’t solving problems, it’s meeting goals – specifically goals that align to the organizational objectives.Aubrey Daniels – Lake City, SC – Coined Performance Management in the late 70’sIs a clinical psychologist by training, but is sometimes referred to as “the father of performance management”, Consideredthe impact of applying behavioral science to the workplaceTechnology for managing both behavior and results – the critical elements of performanceA scientifically based, data-oriented management system. It consists of three primary elements- measurement, feedback, and positive reinforcement.
• #47: http://www.infoq.com/articles/agile-performance-management/Agile talks about team performance so why am I measured on individual goals which traditionallyhave little to do with team performance?Traditional performance management does not assess the actual performance at all. 3 key gaps1.Most managers focus on the person, behaviors, and skills. They rarely assess on outcomes achieved as an individual or as a team player2. The second most important gap is insufficient and infrequent feedback when it is really important.3. A third gap is scoring - the individual performance score has potential to be very demoralizing as it sets a comparison with peers without actually providing a common platform for comparison that isn’t completely up to the subjectivity of the manager. 
• #48: Performance management has been made private and personalVery sensitive topic, almost to the point of secrecy.High Performing = High MaturityIt takes a mature group of individuals to make the kind of performance agreements that are interdependentHow do we get maturity?Lots of frequent/continuous feedback and adjustments over time – address that second gap.Takes a lot of trustREALLY complicated when compensation is tied to system. Fit the organization and uncouple compensation where possible. Eliminate that wild card extrinsic carrot.Profits are like velocity, in terms of a measurement – if the right work gets done well, both will increase
• #49: Here’s one experiment:Test the hypothesis -The more collaborative a team is, the greater the percentage of goals they should be able to share – 50/70% shared?Can the team sustain at high velocity?Can the team deliver so much business value?Defect/code quality objectives?Customer Feedback scores?What other types of measurements can we use as goals?Continuous feedback loop instead of once or twice a year. Performance goals designed to improve organizational performance and not just to be judgmental on an individual.The new age performance management system must think about more creative ways to acknowledge and reward teams.Get away from the traditional carrot and stick, and think of new constructs through which to generate honest feedback that addresses those intrinsic motivations of the individualBUTReward the team when goals are achieved! Morale is a multiplier for velocity. Mold to fit the organization
• #50: Address that third gap –Can we de-emphasize the subjectivity of the manager when we give people a number?How do your teams want to be measured?Self-organizing, so put the problem to them?Can teams and organizations come to that agreement?Lots of templates to choose from?1.Sample form for manager’s performance reviewEvaluating the performance of a manager is certainly different from evaluating that of an employees. Therefore, different form will be used, too.2. Essay evaluation formSound strange! This form required the evaluatees write an essay to be evaluated. It is more of an academy-type form.3. Forced Choice FormThis form shall contain many questions with multiple choice and require the evaluatees select a suitable choice. There must be no question to be missed and the overall result shall be used to quickly evaluate the evaluatees.4. Weighted checklist formThis form shall set a list of specific criteria with their relative weighted importance levels. These criteria normally refer to various behaviors at work that are ranked in accordance with their importance level. A summary of choice made by the evaluatees shall be the basis of evaluation.5. Rating Scale FormRating scale form uses multiple questions with quantified ranks in relation to a specific quality. So, the evaluatees shall be ranked more easily among all the employees of the Company.6. Self-appraisal formAs the name may suggest, the employees use this form to evaluate themselves. It is less official and the evaluation result shall not be published to others but the employees themselves. It is used for self-development purpose.7. 360 degree appraisal formThis form is divided into categories, each of which is for specific group of evaluators and therefore, may provide a broader view on the evaluatees. Those categories may divided into sections for subordinates, peers, managers, team members, and even customers, who shall be the performance evaluators.
• #51: If management really wants to query what may be holding back team performance – just askYou’ll learn as much from the answers you do get from the answers you don’t get. Start small,simple, and frequentExperimentation is key – and the key to experimentation is shorter feedback loops driven by corrective feedback from team discussionsHow happy are you?How stressed are you today?Has anything excited you about work lately?What’s your most recent win?Aggregate the individual voices