Agile Estimating & Planning

Editor's Notes

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• #6: The What If’s? are quite an interesting bunch. I remember the day when my children first stated asking this very question. \n\nCan I ride my bike to the park? …No, not now\nWhat if I invite a friend to come along? No = What she really hears = You do not trust my friends?\nWhat if I ride slow? No = What she really hears = You feel I am not safety conscious?\nWhat if I walk instead of ride? No = What she really hears = You do not even trust me to walk across the street?\nWhat if I just don’t go? What she really hears = You do NOT trust me at all? \n\nAgile teams feel very much the same way when we do certain things in the workplace. \n\nWhy did this project fail? Why did we deliver late? Why did we exceed our budget? \nThe plan to execute did not match the strategic vision of what the customer wanted = The Executive vision was not accurate and / or not communicated well.\nThe Management team failed to provide me with the tools / resources I needed to do the job to the best of my ability. = It’s a managers fault.\nThe requirements were not clearly defined or, we did not have a clear interpretation of what was to be done. = It’s the Product Owner\nWe had too many outside interferences and were constantly putting out fires. = It is the Project Manager or ScrumMaster\nWe simply failed to get it done. We the team take full responsibility. \n
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• #8: Principles behind the Agile Manifesto\nWe follow these principles: \n\nOur highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. \nWelcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage. \nDeliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. \nBusiness 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. \nThe most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. \nWorking software is the primary measure of progress. \nAgile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. \nContinuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. \nSimplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential. \nThe best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. \nAt regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. \n
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• #11: Let’s put this in a different light: \n\nTeam: Will you support us in our efforts to complete this project using Agile Principles? \nBoss: Sure, if that means I get more done in a faster amount of time with fewer resources. \n\nAs the boss walks away he dreams of all of the last minute things he can toss into the fire and get them done quicker than ever before!\n\nThere is still so much left to explore when it comes to what if’s…\n\n \n\n\n\n \n
• #12: The What If’s? are quite an interesting bunch. I remember the day when my children first stated asking this very question. \n\nCan I ride my bike to the park? …No, not now\nWhat if I invite a friend to come along? No = What she really hears = You do not trust my friends?\nWhat if I ride slow? No = What she really hears = You feel I am not safety conscious?\nWhat if I walk instead of ride? No = What she really hears = You do not even trust me to walk across the street?\nWhat if I just don’t go? What she really hears = You do NOT trust me at all? \n\nAgile teams feel very much the same way when we do certain things in the workplace. \n\nWhy did this project fail? Why did we deliver late? Why did we exceed our budget? \nThe plan to execute did not match the strategic vision of what the customer wanted = The Executive vision was not accurate and / or not communicated well.\nThe Management team failed to provide me with the tools / resources I needed to do the job to the best of my ability. = It’s a managers fault.\nThe requirements were not clearly defined or, we did not have a clear interpretation of what was to be done. = It’s the Product Owner\nWe had too many outside interferences and were constantly putting out fires. = It is the Project Manager or ScrumMaster\nWe simply failed to get it done. We the team take full responsibility. \n
• #13: Let’s put this in a different light: \n\nTeam: Will you support us in our efforts to complete this project using Agile Principles? \nBoss: Sure, if that means I get more done in a faster amount of time with fewer resources. \n\nAs the boss walks away he dreams of all of the last minute things he can toss into the fire and get them done quicker than ever before!\n\nThere is still so much left to explore when it comes to what if’s…\n\n \n\n\n\n \n
• #14: Many times we question the what if’s and how they apply to what I do. One of the very earliest projects I had the privilege of working on involved having an active Marine General as the end customer. For those of you without military experience, we are talking about the most impressive form of command and control management ever known to exist. The youngest Marines are educated by their senior officers based on years of experience backing every decision made for them. \n\nOne might go as far as to say that by letting go of the reigns, any complex project would enter a vortex of hopelessness and spin out of control ending in a fiery crash. I am here to state to you all this is simply not the case. In fact, it is almost entirely the opposite approach that works best. Once a team understands what they are being asked to complete and why, they are generally more successful than teams that rely on the command and control structure. My what if conversation went something like this:\n\nWhat if we didn’t jump into this Agile thing feet first? \nWhat if I just kept a running list (backlog), of the things I felt should be worked on first?\nWhat if we met daily for our recap as opposed to meeting once a week for several hours? \nWhat if I could provide you with samples of completed work every 2-4 weeks and let you inspect our progress? \nWhat if I could assure you that by placing confidence in the members of the team that the project stands a higher chance of being completed on time and within scope?\n
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• #19: Let the finger pointing begin! This is the place where the rubber hits the road. It is especially easy for people to quickly assess the situation and identify anyone else who was the cause of the debacle. This is the greatest point of contention amongst teams. This is also the greatest opportunity for the team to retrospect and adjust in order to prevent this from happening in the future. \n\nThe key here is to stop pointing fingers and start searching for clues…\n
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• #26: Unfortunately, the first group looking to hold someone responsible for project failure is the executive team. Are you prepared to give a complete report on why the team failed to deliver? Have you considered doing a demo of what has been completed? What reaction might you expect from the executive team? What could we do to alleviate the pain in the future? \n\nWhat if we had the ability to promise both on-time delivery and precision metrics?\nWhat if we could help the Executive understand their role in the Agile process?\nWhat if we had the Power to help frame the Vision? \n
• #27: When I say the term Sail Well, what specifics come to mind? Some would consider this great advice, but the question remains is this great counsel for an Agile team? What exactly does sail well mean? Does it provide concrete direction? One could argue that with direction already solidified, this advice could be the first indication of an executive maintaining control of the vision while allowing the team to chart it’s own course. \n\nWe all know there is more than one way to reach the final destination. This may be why I selected to use the word Strategy in lieu of vision. Vision indicates a dream or long term goal that has suddenly become within reach. Strategy includes vision and careful planning with the rest of the crew to make certain the ship remains on target. Charting the most desirable and or efficient course becomes the next step in the process. \n\nConsider the difference between basic Vision and having a Strategy in place. Take the time to find the most strategic solution. Now is also a great time to realize that the executive is not at fault. Should the strategy not be clearly outlined, someone should be speaking up! It is the Team’s responsibility to provide the needed visibility to the executive at every level in order to assist them in maintaining the project at their level. \n\nPart of being an empowered team is Learning to Sail Well! \n
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• #29: The Second round of finger pointing award goes to the Product Owner and Project Manager. \n\nDid the Product Owner do his or her job of breaking down the Product Requirements Document? \nWere all of the stories in the backlog clearly defined?\nDid the Product Owner share in the Strategy set forth from the vision? \nWas the Product Owner a true representative of the customer? \nWas the Product Owner available to the team? \n\nWas the Project Manager able to remove impediments in a timely way? \nDid the Project Manager work with the team to help them plan for what their capacity would hold? \nDid the PMO Organization pay enough attention to this high profile project? \n\nCould anyone have assisted the team in their quest to do better? \n\nOnce again the team needs to see that although these individuals could have contributed to the team’s inability to perform, neither of these individuals should be held accountable. \n
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• #42: Please send me your feedback and or thoughts. \n