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AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 1
Top 10 Takeaways
from
Agile2017 Conference in Orlando
by Agile Alliance
brought to you by
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
AGILE2017 Conference Overview
• August 7-11th in Orlando, FL
• 2,200 participants from 40+ countries
– 18 tracks, 284 sessions
• 4 Special Tracks
– Stalwarts
– Experience Reports
– 3-7 min Lightning Talks
– Audacious Salon
• Inspiring Keynotes
– David Marquet, best-selling author of Turn the Ship Around
– Jez Humble, Founder and CTO, DevOps Research and Assessment LLC, UC Berkeley
– Denise Jacobs, Founder and CEO, The Creative Dose
2
Vinayak Joglekar, CTO
@vinayakj
Hemant Elhence, CEO
@HemantElhence
Top 10 Takeaways
presented by
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
18 Tracks + OpenJam
• Agile Companies (New)
• Agile Foundations
• Audacious Salon
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Collaboration: Culture & Teams
• Customers & Products
• Development Practices & Craftsmanship
• DevOps
• Enterprise Agile
• Experience Reports
• Leadership
• Learning
• Lightning Talks
• Project, Program & Portfolio Management
• Stalwarts
• Testing & Quality
• The Future of Agile Software Development
(IEEE Software)
• User Experience
4
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Our Top 12 from AGILE2017
1. VJ: We Are Going Back Full Circle
2. HE: Agile Executive Leadership
3. VJ: Whole Team Does UX
4. HE: Agile Beyond Engineering
5. VJ: Containerized Microservices=NoOps
6. HE: ATDD/BDD Holy Grail
7. VJ: Dynamic Re-Teaming!
8. HE: Estimating Time/Cost
9. VJ: Get Them Hooked!
10. HE: Scaling Agile / SAFe 4.5
11. VJ: Surprises at Spotify!
12. HE: Architect/Architecture
5
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
1. We Are Going Back Full Circle
6
1980
Dev
2000 2010 Today Test Engg
Dev
QA
Dev
QA
Ops
Dev
QA
Ops
UX
Dev
TE
Ops
UX
NoOps
Dev
TE
DevOps
UX
New UX
Dev
TE
DevOps
UX-Dev
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Shared by Paul Merrill
7
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Machine Learning in Testing
8
Hundreds of
simultaneous
users
Multiple
containers
serving their
requests
Millions of
log entries
generated by
monitoring
tool such as
NewRelic &
Logstash
Unsupervised
Machine
Learning
senses exact
patterns in
the log entries
to predict and
reproduce
errors
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Impact of Machine Learning on Testers
• Some of the repetitive tasks in testing
can be learned by machine learning.
• It is possible to simulate human actions
like scrolling and swiping on mobile
phones using ML.
• A new breed of testers who will
understand ML enough so that they
can train the machines.
• This new breed will face ambiguous
expectations and less repeatable
workflows because ML will generate
rules at runtime.
• Record and playback will be replaced by
train and test.
• ML will help us by pointing to most
susceptible parts that need our attention.
• ML will work from within the application
to inform us what to test -- in a way
writing test cases and scenarios.
• This implies that most of the testers will
have to acquire developer skills.
Alternatively testing can be done by
developers who will find it more
interesting!
9
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
2. Agile Executive Leadership
Attention to Agile (mindset) at Executive Leadership Level
1. Intent Based Leadership - David Marquet's Keynote
2. Business Agility - Steve Denning's Learning Consortium
a. The SD Learning Consortium (SDLC) is a nonprofit organization whose members are
organizations committed to discover together the world’s most advanced Agile goals,
principles and practices and disseminate them globally.
b. The SDLC conducts site visits to its members, synthesizes their findings, and disseminates
globally, including reports, web posts, social media and participation in conferences.
3. The Leadership Circle – An Agile framework for leadership
development, Reactive Tendencies vs. Creative Competencies
10
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Intent Based Leadership
11
http://www.davidmarquet.com/
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
SDLC - Steve Denning
12
Core Business Agility Practices
1. Delighting Customers
2. Descaling Work
3. Nurturing Culture
4. Enterprise-wide Agility
https://sdlearningconsotrium.org
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Leadership Circle
Assessment on Reactive Tendencies vs. Creative Competencies
13
http://agileforall.com/ https://leadershipcircle.com/a-universal-model-of-leadership/
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Empirical Evidence
14
http://agileforall.com/ https://leadershipcircle.com/a-universal-model-of-leadership/
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Big Consultants onto Agile
Recent trend of bigger companies acquiring Agile
competencies (Tools, Training/Coaching, Transformation)
– Accenture acquiring SolutionsIQ (Jun 2017)
– Deloitte partnering with ICAgile (Aug 2017)
– CA acquiring Rally (May 2015)
– HP
– IBM
McKinsey on Agile – uptick of Agile writings
15
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
3. Whole Team Does UX
16
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
3. Whole Team Does UX
• To start with UX is paired with the Dev
team.
• It’s the Dev team not the product
owner who manages the backlog.
• The whole team is involved in the
Build-Measure-Learn loop.
• Everyone participates in user
interviews and notes responses-
preferably direct quotes.
• Whole team participates in interpreting
the response by using tools like affinity
map.
• Redgate offered beer for those
participating in research calls. Not
much beer was drunk but everyone
started talking about it.
• Research is published making it freely
accessible to the team.
• Dropping names of subjects is
encouraged -- that gives credibility.
• Result: Dev teams at Redgate were
able to aim better and knew why they
were doing what they were doing.
• Session by Elizabeth Ayer.
17
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
4. Agile Beyond Engineering
Expanding application of Agile outside of the
engineering organization
• Early adopters: Marketing, Operations, HR
• Lagging adopters: Finance/Accounting, ...
18
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Agile Marketing
19
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Agile Marketing @CA/Rally
20
https://www.agilesparks.com/services/agile-marketing/
Total marketing team of ~300 at CA
~50 Adopted Agile, off those
~20 came from Rally acquisition
Made appropriate changes to terminology,
e.g. Product Owner >> Marketing Owner,
Story >> Jobs-to-be-done
Moved from Shared Services (w/ SLA)
model to Persistent “feature teams” with
clear metrics/goals
Encouraged “T” shaped skills
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Agile HR
21
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Agile Finance
22
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
5. CD in High Performing IT Orgs
23
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
5. Containerized Microservices=NoOps
• No need of scripts to bring up virtual
machines.
• Bye-bye deploying code in environments
configured by chef or puppet; welcome
container images=config+code in the
deployment pipeline.
• Low friction way to distribute software
across Dev, test, pre-prod and prod.
• Faster startup and shutdown. No need to
re-boot the OS.
• Better env fidelity = reduced ops role.
• Applications are decoupled from the
infrastructure.
• Orchestration platforms provide scaling
and resiliency.
• License costs: one server can have
many containers.
• Containers are programmatically
generated and have smaller attack
surface - hence more secure.
• Each microservice does one thing well
and is loosely coupled with other
microservices - ideally suited for CD.
24
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
6. ATDD/BDD Holy Grail
• Focus on clarifying
requirements upfront/early
• “Amigo Review” & collaboration
- PO, Developer, Tester
• Come up with Acceptance
tests before development
begins
25
CardinalSolutions.com, John Riley’s session on ATDD
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
ATDD/BDD Holy Grail (cont’d)
Format: Given...when, and, …, then
Tools: Gherkin, Cucumber, SpecFlow
Automate: 194mins of manual down to 1.5mins!!
26
CardinalSolutions.com, John Riley’s session on ATDD
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
ATDD/BDD Holy Grail (cont’d)
• Key is to get to “Test First”
mindset
• “Once a team starts this
process, it spreads like wildfire,
and they never go back”
• Getting started is hard - needs
mindset change
• Do Unit TDD before
ATDD/BDD
27
CardinalSolutions.com, John Riley’s session on ATDD
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Value of Test Automation
From Jez Humble’s keynote on DevOps
28
Before (2008) After (2011)
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
7. Dynamic Re-teaming!
• Mob programming to get the new team
members assimilated
• Email introduction highlighting
achievements and quirks
29
• Time-sharing across multiple projects is
a bad idea
• Re-teaming is inevitable, might as well be
good at it
– To scale and grow
– Split as growth overwhelms
– Cross pollination/learning
– In pursuit of passion
– For business reason
• Both formal and the informal role needs to
be backfilled
• Over-communication helps
• Trading places in mobs at Hunter
• Deliberate re-teaming at Spotify; teams
formed by self selection
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Patterns of Re-teaming
30
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
8. Estimating Time/Cost
1. Estimating Time/Effort/Cost - Troy Magennis
a. Use sampling - 7 to 11 samples sufficient for 90% confidence
b. Use statistical tools to estimate/predict
c. All of Troy’s docs and spreadsheets tools available free Bit.ly/SimResources
2. Don’t even use story points! If you do, just use 1, 3, 5. Better yet, slice
them small & just count them.
3. #NoEstimate Update - still a passionate and raging debate!
31
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
#NoEstimates
• #Noestimates is a hashtag for the topic of
exploring alternatives to estimates for
making decisions in software
development. That is, ways to make
decisions with “no estimates”
• This is the main premise behind
#noestimates: estimates do not directly
add value to your process, so we want
to find ways to reduce the estimation
process or even stop it where possible
• #Noestimates isn’t about ditching
estimates. It is about improving the
way we work such that estimates
become redundant
Key thought leaders, their blogs
• Woody Zuill
http://zuill.us/WoodyZuill/
• Vasco Duarte
http://oikosofy.com/news/
• Neil Killick
http://neilkillick.wordpress.com/
32
http://ryanripley.com/
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Example: Defect Estimation
33
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Example: Total Scope
34
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Estimation Do’s & Don’ts
DO
• Use real historical date
• Use statistical techniques
• Use heuristics
• Same level of attention on
“value” estimate as on “cost”
estimate
• Use it for dialog and learning
DON’T
• Don’t do bottom-up, task based
estimates
• Don’t spend a lot of time doing
it - it is a waste!
• Negotiate decisions NOT
estimates
35
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
9. Behavioral Design by Chris Shinkle
36
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
9. Get Them “Hooked”!
• Prioritise based on outcomes- do what
is most effective in changing user
behavior is of high value and should be
done first.
• If user stories don’t intend changing
user behaviour then something is
missing.
• Most decisions are made emotionally
and automatically.
• Herding: Everyone is doing it.
• Artificial scarcity: Only 20 in stock.
• Anchoring: Maximum order 12.
37
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
10. Scaling Agile / SAFe 4.5
38
SAFe has the momentum
and a supporting
ecosystem of consultants
and training material
SAFe framework seems to
connect better with larger
enterprises and
IT/executive leadership
https://explore.versionone.com/state-of-agile/versionone-11th-annual-state-of-agile-report-2
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
SAFe 4.5
SAFe 4.5, can be configured to match an organization’s
needs, and allows them to:
• Test ideas more quickly using the Lean Startup Cycle and Lean User Experience
(Lean UX)
• Deliver much faster with Scalable DevOps and the Continuous Delivery Pipeline.
• Simplify governance and improve portfolio performance with Lean Portfolio
Management (LPM) and Lean Budgets.
39
http://www.scaledagileframework.com/whats-new-in-safe-45/
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 40
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
11. Surprises at Spotify!
• No Model exactly represents reality.
Some models are useful.
• Pairing is used differently in different
squads.
• TDD is practiced in some squads but not
in most squads.
• Light coding standards- devs not aware of
buzzwords like “Clean Code” or ”SOLID
principles”.
• Spotify is trying to implement; Pivotal’s
pairing model- but squads are pushing
back.
• They prefer “Move fast & break things”
over “Move slow to move fast”.
• Spotify compensates for lack of process
by hiring bright engineers.
• No squads have agile estimates,
burndown charts or visual aids.
• Some of these problems are rooted in
Spotify’s hyper growth.
• Too much autonomy, when everyone is
accountable no one is and complacency
are the reasons.
41
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Different Ways of Pairing
42
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
12. Architect Role/Architecture
• Architecture is a shared responsibility, no "official" architect role
• Define "Landing Zones" upfront - a range (min, target, outstanding) of
acceptable values of essential system characteristics/qualities
– e.g. thruput - min 150K, target 270K, outstanding 320K
– tweak them along the way
• Architecture work “rolled into” user stories, and keep it visible
• Actively manage Technical Debt, and keep it visible
– “Floss” Refactoring: small, regular done, like hygiene
– “Root Canal” Refactoring: protracted, infrequent, undertaken only when in pain
43
Rebecca Wirfs-Brock session on Intentional Architecture
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Color Your Backlog
44
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Soundbites - VJ
• Set based design works better than point
based design. Keep multiple options
open.
• Avoid taking design decisions when cone
of uncertainty is wide-wait for the last
opportune moment.
• Way to change culture at NUMI was not
by changing how people think but by
changing how the behave. -Jez Humble
• Every business is a software business. -
Anders Wallgren
• Metrics that compare the team to
themselves are less toxic. Use ratios to
compare across teams.
• “Time taken to get the feedback” is the
single metric that matters.
• If you don’t know how to measure what
you want, you will end up wanting what
you measure. -Cheryl Hammond
• The longer you delay the release the
more is the pressure to accommodate
changes/additions.
• Plans are useless but planning is
indispensable. -Johanna Rothman
45
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Soundbites - HE
1. There are two chronic complaints about software development
a. Requirement are not clear (enough!)
b. Estimates are not accurate (enough!)
2. To reduce bias of HiPPO, vote first and then discuss, rather than
discuss and then vote (people get to know leader's opinion and align
along that)
3. Two different types of refactoring
a. Flossing: small, regular done, like hygiene
b. Root Canal: protracted, infrequent, undertaken only when in pain
46
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Soundbites - HE (cont’d)
4. Outcome (customer impact) vs. output (working software). Same team
should own both, today someone higher-up owns the outcome, while
team owns the output.
5. Pair programming and peer code reviews are far more helpful (for risk
management) than any other external review.
6. Build a system (dev/test) where the ”right” thing to do is also the
easier thing to do, e.g. automated testing.
47
AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 48AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
QUESTIONS?
Your Trusted Agile Product
Development Partner
synerzip.com
49
Appendix II
Backup Template Slides
Hemant Elhence
hemant@synerzip.com
@HemantElhence
+1. 469.374.0500
51
Your trusted outsourcing partner for
Agile software product development.
Synerzip
• Accelerate the delivery of your product roadmap
• Address technology skill gaps
• Save at least 50% with offshore software development
• Augment your team with optional on-site professionals
52
53©SYNERZIP2017AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways
Synerzip Clients
53
54©SYNERZIP2017Corporate Overview 54©SYNERZIP2017Corporate Overview
Connect with Synerzip
@Synerzip
linkedin.com/company/synerzip
facebook.com/Synerzip
54
Not only do we help them scale their engineering
capacity and accelerate their roadmap, we
become their long-term partner and trusted
advisor.
Headquartered in the US, Synerzip has its development center in
Pune, India. We have more than 450 developers in our state-of-
the-art facility, where we hire the best people and do great work.
THERE’S A REASON CLIENTS CHOOSE SYNERZIP
55
WE ARE YOUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNER
WE ARE TRULY AGILE
While many companies pay lip
service to Agile, at Synerzip Agile
is in our DNA. We deeply
understand Agile values and
mindset. For every client, we
tailor our Agile practices to suit
their context.
US + INDIA TEAM
Our India-based team of high-
caliber software professionals
allows us to offer over 50% cost
advantage to our clients. Our US-
based architects and product
managers work on-site with
clients to reduce the challenge of
time-zone difference.
THOUGHT LEADERS
Our experienced software
professionals provide product
and technology leadership. You
don’t need to provide detailed
directions to our team. When
appropriate, our professionals
push back to help you make
better technology decisions.
56
How Can Our Teams Help You?
At Synerzip, we pride ourselves on hiring talented people, paying well, and
retaining and nurturing our talent. Happy employees result in great work.
Just ask our clients, all of whom serve as references for Synerzip. We know
that’s unprecedented, but so is the experience you’ll have working with
Synerzip.
Our teams practice Lean Startup principles and are comprised of cross-
functional professionals. Agile teams are dedicated to a specific client,
exclusively. Since an employee selects the client project they work on, they
are engaged and produce high quality work.
57
We believe our growing list of
awards speaks to our capabilities. In
2016, Synerzip was names to the
prestigious Inc. Magazine 500/5000
list for the sixth year in a row for
continuous growth. Synerzip also
was named by SiliconIndia
Magazine as one of the Top 100
Tech Companies Founded and
Managed by Indians in the US.
58
TEXAS | SILICON VALLEY | INDIA
59

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  • 1. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 1 Top 10 Takeaways from Agile2017 Conference in Orlando by Agile Alliance brought to you by
  • 2. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways AGILE2017 Conference Overview • August 7-11th in Orlando, FL • 2,200 participants from 40+ countries – 18 tracks, 284 sessions • 4 Special Tracks – Stalwarts – Experience Reports – 3-7 min Lightning Talks – Audacious Salon • Inspiring Keynotes – David Marquet, best-selling author of Turn the Ship Around – Jez Humble, Founder and CTO, DevOps Research and Assessment LLC, UC Berkeley – Denise Jacobs, Founder and CEO, The Creative Dose 2
  • 3. Vinayak Joglekar, CTO @vinayakj Hemant Elhence, CEO @HemantElhence Top 10 Takeaways presented by
  • 4. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 18 Tracks + OpenJam • Agile Companies (New) • Agile Foundations • Audacious Salon • Coaching & Mentoring • Collaboration: Culture & Teams • Customers & Products • Development Practices & Craftsmanship • DevOps • Enterprise Agile • Experience Reports • Leadership • Learning • Lightning Talks • Project, Program & Portfolio Management • Stalwarts • Testing & Quality • The Future of Agile Software Development (IEEE Software) • User Experience 4
  • 5. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Our Top 12 from AGILE2017 1. VJ: We Are Going Back Full Circle 2. HE: Agile Executive Leadership 3. VJ: Whole Team Does UX 4. HE: Agile Beyond Engineering 5. VJ: Containerized Microservices=NoOps 6. HE: ATDD/BDD Holy Grail 7. VJ: Dynamic Re-Teaming! 8. HE: Estimating Time/Cost 9. VJ: Get Them Hooked! 10. HE: Scaling Agile / SAFe 4.5 11. VJ: Surprises at Spotify! 12. HE: Architect/Architecture 5
  • 6. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 1. We Are Going Back Full Circle 6 1980 Dev 2000 2010 Today Test Engg Dev QA Dev QA Ops Dev QA Ops UX Dev TE Ops UX NoOps Dev TE DevOps UX New UX Dev TE DevOps UX-Dev
  • 7. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Shared by Paul Merrill 7
  • 8. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Machine Learning in Testing 8 Hundreds of simultaneous users Multiple containers serving their requests Millions of log entries generated by monitoring tool such as NewRelic & Logstash Unsupervised Machine Learning senses exact patterns in the log entries to predict and reproduce errors
  • 9. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Impact of Machine Learning on Testers • Some of the repetitive tasks in testing can be learned by machine learning. • It is possible to simulate human actions like scrolling and swiping on mobile phones using ML. • A new breed of testers who will understand ML enough so that they can train the machines. • This new breed will face ambiguous expectations and less repeatable workflows because ML will generate rules at runtime. • Record and playback will be replaced by train and test. • ML will help us by pointing to most susceptible parts that need our attention. • ML will work from within the application to inform us what to test -- in a way writing test cases and scenarios. • This implies that most of the testers will have to acquire developer skills. Alternatively testing can be done by developers who will find it more interesting! 9
  • 10. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 2. Agile Executive Leadership Attention to Agile (mindset) at Executive Leadership Level 1. Intent Based Leadership - David Marquet's Keynote 2. Business Agility - Steve Denning's Learning Consortium a. The SD Learning Consortium (SDLC) is a nonprofit organization whose members are organizations committed to discover together the world’s most advanced Agile goals, principles and practices and disseminate them globally. b. The SDLC conducts site visits to its members, synthesizes their findings, and disseminates globally, including reports, web posts, social media and participation in conferences. 3. The Leadership Circle – An Agile framework for leadership development, Reactive Tendencies vs. Creative Competencies 10
  • 11. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Intent Based Leadership 11 http://www.davidmarquet.com/
  • 12. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways SDLC - Steve Denning 12 Core Business Agility Practices 1. Delighting Customers 2. Descaling Work 3. Nurturing Culture 4. Enterprise-wide Agility https://sdlearningconsotrium.org
  • 13. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Leadership Circle Assessment on Reactive Tendencies vs. Creative Competencies 13 http://agileforall.com/ https://leadershipcircle.com/a-universal-model-of-leadership/
  • 14. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Empirical Evidence 14 http://agileforall.com/ https://leadershipcircle.com/a-universal-model-of-leadership/
  • 15. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Big Consultants onto Agile Recent trend of bigger companies acquiring Agile competencies (Tools, Training/Coaching, Transformation) – Accenture acquiring SolutionsIQ (Jun 2017) – Deloitte partnering with ICAgile (Aug 2017) – CA acquiring Rally (May 2015) – HP – IBM McKinsey on Agile – uptick of Agile writings 15
  • 16. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 3. Whole Team Does UX 16
  • 17. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 3. Whole Team Does UX • To start with UX is paired with the Dev team. • It’s the Dev team not the product owner who manages the backlog. • The whole team is involved in the Build-Measure-Learn loop. • Everyone participates in user interviews and notes responses- preferably direct quotes. • Whole team participates in interpreting the response by using tools like affinity map. • Redgate offered beer for those participating in research calls. Not much beer was drunk but everyone started talking about it. • Research is published making it freely accessible to the team. • Dropping names of subjects is encouraged -- that gives credibility. • Result: Dev teams at Redgate were able to aim better and knew why they were doing what they were doing. • Session by Elizabeth Ayer. 17
  • 18. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 4. Agile Beyond Engineering Expanding application of Agile outside of the engineering organization • Early adopters: Marketing, Operations, HR • Lagging adopters: Finance/Accounting, ... 18
  • 19. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Agile Marketing 19
  • 20. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Agile Marketing @CA/Rally 20 https://www.agilesparks.com/services/agile-marketing/ Total marketing team of ~300 at CA ~50 Adopted Agile, off those ~20 came from Rally acquisition Made appropriate changes to terminology, e.g. Product Owner >> Marketing Owner, Story >> Jobs-to-be-done Moved from Shared Services (w/ SLA) model to Persistent “feature teams” with clear metrics/goals Encouraged “T” shaped skills
  • 21. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Agile HR 21
  • 22. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Agile Finance 22
  • 23. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 5. CD in High Performing IT Orgs 23
  • 24. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 5. Containerized Microservices=NoOps • No need of scripts to bring up virtual machines. • Bye-bye deploying code in environments configured by chef or puppet; welcome container images=config+code in the deployment pipeline. • Low friction way to distribute software across Dev, test, pre-prod and prod. • Faster startup and shutdown. No need to re-boot the OS. • Better env fidelity = reduced ops role. • Applications are decoupled from the infrastructure. • Orchestration platforms provide scaling and resiliency. • License costs: one server can have many containers. • Containers are programmatically generated and have smaller attack surface - hence more secure. • Each microservice does one thing well and is loosely coupled with other microservices - ideally suited for CD. 24
  • 25. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 6. ATDD/BDD Holy Grail • Focus on clarifying requirements upfront/early • “Amigo Review” & collaboration - PO, Developer, Tester • Come up with Acceptance tests before development begins 25 CardinalSolutions.com, John Riley’s session on ATDD
  • 26. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways ATDD/BDD Holy Grail (cont’d) Format: Given...when, and, …, then Tools: Gherkin, Cucumber, SpecFlow Automate: 194mins of manual down to 1.5mins!! 26 CardinalSolutions.com, John Riley’s session on ATDD
  • 27. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways ATDD/BDD Holy Grail (cont’d) • Key is to get to “Test First” mindset • “Once a team starts this process, it spreads like wildfire, and they never go back” • Getting started is hard - needs mindset change • Do Unit TDD before ATDD/BDD 27 CardinalSolutions.com, John Riley’s session on ATDD
  • 28. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Value of Test Automation From Jez Humble’s keynote on DevOps 28 Before (2008) After (2011)
  • 29. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 7. Dynamic Re-teaming! • Mob programming to get the new team members assimilated • Email introduction highlighting achievements and quirks 29 • Time-sharing across multiple projects is a bad idea • Re-teaming is inevitable, might as well be good at it – To scale and grow – Split as growth overwhelms – Cross pollination/learning – In pursuit of passion – For business reason • Both formal and the informal role needs to be backfilled • Over-communication helps • Trading places in mobs at Hunter • Deliberate re-teaming at Spotify; teams formed by self selection
  • 30. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Patterns of Re-teaming 30
  • 31. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 8. Estimating Time/Cost 1. Estimating Time/Effort/Cost - Troy Magennis a. Use sampling - 7 to 11 samples sufficient for 90% confidence b. Use statistical tools to estimate/predict c. All of Troy’s docs and spreadsheets tools available free Bit.ly/SimResources 2. Don’t even use story points! If you do, just use 1, 3, 5. Better yet, slice them small & just count them. 3. #NoEstimate Update - still a passionate and raging debate! 31
  • 32. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways #NoEstimates • #Noestimates is a hashtag for the topic of exploring alternatives to estimates for making decisions in software development. That is, ways to make decisions with “no estimates” • This is the main premise behind #noestimates: estimates do not directly add value to your process, so we want to find ways to reduce the estimation process or even stop it where possible • #Noestimates isn’t about ditching estimates. It is about improving the way we work such that estimates become redundant Key thought leaders, their blogs • Woody Zuill http://zuill.us/WoodyZuill/ • Vasco Duarte http://oikosofy.com/news/ • Neil Killick http://neilkillick.wordpress.com/ 32 http://ryanripley.com/
  • 33. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Example: Defect Estimation 33
  • 34. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Example: Total Scope 34
  • 35. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Estimation Do’s & Don’ts DO • Use real historical date • Use statistical techniques • Use heuristics • Same level of attention on “value” estimate as on “cost” estimate • Use it for dialog and learning DON’T • Don’t do bottom-up, task based estimates • Don’t spend a lot of time doing it - it is a waste! • Negotiate decisions NOT estimates 35
  • 36. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 9. Behavioral Design by Chris Shinkle 36
  • 37. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 9. Get Them “Hooked”! • Prioritise based on outcomes- do what is most effective in changing user behavior is of high value and should be done first. • If user stories don’t intend changing user behaviour then something is missing. • Most decisions are made emotionally and automatically. • Herding: Everyone is doing it. • Artificial scarcity: Only 20 in stock. • Anchoring: Maximum order 12. 37
  • 38. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 10. Scaling Agile / SAFe 4.5 38 SAFe has the momentum and a supporting ecosystem of consultants and training material SAFe framework seems to connect better with larger enterprises and IT/executive leadership https://explore.versionone.com/state-of-agile/versionone-11th-annual-state-of-agile-report-2
  • 39. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways SAFe 4.5 SAFe 4.5, can be configured to match an organization’s needs, and allows them to: • Test ideas more quickly using the Lean Startup Cycle and Lean User Experience (Lean UX) • Deliver much faster with Scalable DevOps and the Continuous Delivery Pipeline. • Simplify governance and improve portfolio performance with Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) and Lean Budgets. 39 http://www.scaledagileframework.com/whats-new-in-safe-45/
  • 40. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 40
  • 41. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 11. Surprises at Spotify! • No Model exactly represents reality. Some models are useful. • Pairing is used differently in different squads. • TDD is practiced in some squads but not in most squads. • Light coding standards- devs not aware of buzzwords like “Clean Code” or ”SOLID principles”. • Spotify is trying to implement; Pivotal’s pairing model- but squads are pushing back. • They prefer “Move fast & break things” over “Move slow to move fast”. • Spotify compensates for lack of process by hiring bright engineers. • No squads have agile estimates, burndown charts or visual aids. • Some of these problems are rooted in Spotify’s hyper growth. • Too much autonomy, when everyone is accountable no one is and complacency are the reasons. 41
  • 42. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Different Ways of Pairing 42
  • 43. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 12. Architect Role/Architecture • Architecture is a shared responsibility, no "official" architect role • Define "Landing Zones" upfront - a range (min, target, outstanding) of acceptable values of essential system characteristics/qualities – e.g. thruput - min 150K, target 270K, outstanding 320K – tweak them along the way • Architecture work “rolled into” user stories, and keep it visible • Actively manage Technical Debt, and keep it visible – “Floss” Refactoring: small, regular done, like hygiene – “Root Canal” Refactoring: protracted, infrequent, undertaken only when in pain 43 Rebecca Wirfs-Brock session on Intentional Architecture
  • 44. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Color Your Backlog 44
  • 45. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Soundbites - VJ • Set based design works better than point based design. Keep multiple options open. • Avoid taking design decisions when cone of uncertainty is wide-wait for the last opportune moment. • Way to change culture at NUMI was not by changing how people think but by changing how the behave. -Jez Humble • Every business is a software business. - Anders Wallgren • Metrics that compare the team to themselves are less toxic. Use ratios to compare across teams. • “Time taken to get the feedback” is the single metric that matters. • If you don’t know how to measure what you want, you will end up wanting what you measure. -Cheryl Hammond • The longer you delay the release the more is the pressure to accommodate changes/additions. • Plans are useless but planning is indispensable. -Johanna Rothman 45
  • 46. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Soundbites - HE 1. There are two chronic complaints about software development a. Requirement are not clear (enough!) b. Estimates are not accurate (enough!) 2. To reduce bias of HiPPO, vote first and then discuss, rather than discuss and then vote (people get to know leader's opinion and align along that) 3. Two different types of refactoring a. Flossing: small, regular done, like hygiene b. Root Canal: protracted, infrequent, undertaken only when in pain 46
  • 47. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Soundbites - HE (cont’d) 4. Outcome (customer impact) vs. output (working software). Same team should own both, today someone higher-up owns the outcome, while team owns the output. 5. Pair programming and peer code reviews are far more helpful (for risk management) than any other external review. 6. Build a system (dev/test) where the ”right” thing to do is also the easier thing to do, e.g. automated testing. 47
  • 48. AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways 48AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways QUESTIONS?
  • 49. Your Trusted Agile Product Development Partner synerzip.com 49
  • 52. Your trusted outsourcing partner for Agile software product development. Synerzip • Accelerate the delivery of your product roadmap • Address technology skill gaps • Save at least 50% with offshore software development • Augment your team with optional on-site professionals 52
  • 53. 53©SYNERZIP2017AGILE2017 Top 10 Takeaways Synerzip Clients 53
  • 54. 54©SYNERZIP2017Corporate Overview 54©SYNERZIP2017Corporate Overview Connect with Synerzip @Synerzip linkedin.com/company/synerzip facebook.com/Synerzip 54
  • 55. Not only do we help them scale their engineering capacity and accelerate their roadmap, we become their long-term partner and trusted advisor. Headquartered in the US, Synerzip has its development center in Pune, India. We have more than 450 developers in our state-of- the-art facility, where we hire the best people and do great work. THERE’S A REASON CLIENTS CHOOSE SYNERZIP 55
  • 56. WE ARE YOUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNER WE ARE TRULY AGILE While many companies pay lip service to Agile, at Synerzip Agile is in our DNA. We deeply understand Agile values and mindset. For every client, we tailor our Agile practices to suit their context. US + INDIA TEAM Our India-based team of high- caliber software professionals allows us to offer over 50% cost advantage to our clients. Our US- based architects and product managers work on-site with clients to reduce the challenge of time-zone difference. THOUGHT LEADERS Our experienced software professionals provide product and technology leadership. You don’t need to provide detailed directions to our team. When appropriate, our professionals push back to help you make better technology decisions. 56
  • 57. How Can Our Teams Help You? At Synerzip, we pride ourselves on hiring talented people, paying well, and retaining and nurturing our talent. Happy employees result in great work. Just ask our clients, all of whom serve as references for Synerzip. We know that’s unprecedented, but so is the experience you’ll have working with Synerzip. Our teams practice Lean Startup principles and are comprised of cross- functional professionals. Agile teams are dedicated to a specific client, exclusively. Since an employee selects the client project they work on, they are engaged and produce high quality work. 57
  • 58. We believe our growing list of awards speaks to our capabilities. In 2016, Synerzip was names to the prestigious Inc. Magazine 500/5000 list for the sixth year in a row for continuous growth. Synerzip also was named by SiliconIndia Magazine as one of the Top 100 Tech Companies Founded and Managed by Indians in the US. 58
  • 59. TEXAS | SILICON VALLEY | INDIA 59