Getting Started with Agile: A Guide to Building High Performing Teams

Editor's Notes

• #3: Agile Experience 7 years of Agile leadership, coaching and training Over 15 companies and 30 teams Specialize in Scrum Certifications CSM PMI-ACP CSP Teams Played and Coached Baseball My Beliefs Professional Focus is software – Agile on very project Living an Agile Lifestyle Agile in Personal Planning, like GTD from David Allen
• #5: I hope to change your perception of Agile and perhaps any preconceived notions. I hope you leave with an idea of how to get started on your Agile journey, no matter what industry you are in. Agile Controversial Misunderstood Divisive Religion (sects, conferences, zealots, evangelists, solve all the worlds problems, Manifesto) High Performing Teams not controversial everyone strives for it Why do we want HPT? Great products Increased Profits and ROI First to market Happier customers Championships! (in the case of basketball teams) Questions Why doesn’t everyone work on a High Performing Team? Why don’t we all build High Performing Team? My belief Everyone wants the BENEFITS of Agile Everyone wants to have a High Performing Team People don’t know how to begin ???? My Goal I want to show you tonight how to begin your Agile journey to build HPT!
• #8: My Agile elevator pitch is: Embrace change Delivery value continuously Seek out feedback and adapt
• #9: It is common for most people to use these terms interchangeably.
• #10: Many organizations attempt to build teams by implementing Scrum. Focus on practices and processes Rules and structure. Many other organizations adopt an Agile Mindset. They embrace the principles and values. They focus on changing hearts and minds. Many organizations still struggle. ? + Agile + Scrum = H.P.T. So what is the missing element?
• #12: The term Scrum, which has become synonymous with Agile, was coined by the creator of Scrum Jeff Sutherland. He borrowed it from Rugby as he watched the players huddled tightly together and moving down the field together in unison. SCRUM is all about teams. Not just in software.
• #14: Spurs have won 5 NBA championships in the past 15 years Did not purchase the greatest free agents on the market Hired a great leader, and selected players that put team above individuals Lucky: drafted the greatest player in NBA history Spurs are not superstars, they epitomize “team” A great Team is not simply a collection of people. Can’t simply jam a bunch of people together onto a project and call them a great team. Characteristics of HPT Small and Cross Functional Basketball analogy Each position has a role (point guard, shooting guard, small, forward, power forward, center) When a specific player comes out, a player from a similar role replaces him Which one of these players is responsible for defense? Which one is responsible for winning? Intense Focus on goal Team before individual Fully Accountable Win or lose, the team is responsible How do we make teams accountable?
• #15: 3 step formula to managing a HPT Give them a single big, difficult problem Define a prioritized list Have them meet, interact with and empathize with the customer Don’t give them a solution to implement (like a requirements specification) Remove impediments Provide necessary resources Handle all issues so they can focus on solutions Servant leadership Get out of their way Do not distract them / Let them focus Fight the temptation to interrupt Do not give them 2 problems This is our goal of building teams. If you can’t manage your team this way, then it is not HP.
• #17: Display “Are you Healthy” with checkboxes How many people would unequivocally answer “yes”, they ARE IN FACT healthy? Better question: Do you continuously seek improved health?
• #18: I believe that people struggle with improving their health much like they struggle to become more agile. Because they don’t really know how to begin. How to most people start when trying to improve their health? Exercise Nutrition Doctor appointments Stop harmful activities -> these are activities or “practices”-> These practices are good, but often cannot be sustained. So what do people do next? Change their attitude or beliefs about health Read books, talk to friends, watch videos Learn to “think healthy” If nutrition/diet is interrupted by restaurants, they learn to seek out healthy items on the menu If they thought exercise was too hard or boring, seek out exercise that is fun and engaging Set goals to provide motivation “I want to dance at my granddaughter’s wedding”. Realize they have limiting beliefs like “I can’t be healthy because….” They are learning to incorporate “healthy thinking” in everything that they do. It becomes a lifestyle, or a “Way of living”. -> put examples at the top -> circle with “mindset” -> One important component that is often missing. Life structure Story about my grandfather. Examples Move to healthier climate End harmful relationships (friends that smoke) Quit a job that is not conducive to health (work at a bar, travel too much, too much stress) This is where things get difficult. -> put these examples on the bottom right Circle with “Structure” Summary Most people start with simple practices If you only change your practices, you will get some improvements If you change your mindset, you can sustain you changes for a period of time If you align your structure with your mindset, then the practices become easy and part of your lifestyle. What is often need is a fundamental change to the structure.
• #19: Display big question: “Are You Agile?” with Yes/No checkboxes How do people prove they are Agile? Daily standup meetings Work is done in sprints Stopped documenting everything Stopped requiring manages to sign off on things Why people insist that Agile won’t work for them We have a budget We work in a regulated industry We work for a “large” company with big, enterprise systems. We have a lot team If you have thought like this, please throw out what you think Agile means. Goals of Agility (on far right) Continuous delivery of value to customers Tackle problems without all the information Intense focus on delivery/shipping Team regularly gathers feedback from customer Adapt to change quickly These are not things that you “do” or “are”. These are areas for continuous improvement.
• #20: Most people start with practices – “What We Do” Focus on implementing frameworks like Scrum or Kanban Focus on processes and methodologies Examples Sprints/iterations Daily standup meetings Hired a scrummaster Some people start with changing Mindsets– “Who We Are” If every one would just start believing in Agile… Believe that the corporate culture must first change Believe that if Agile fails it’s a cultural problem Change their values We must start collaborating with our customers We must be able to respond to change quickly This often comes from the top of an organization Structure if often ignored, or not attempted "How we work" Why? Because it is hard. Reorganizing company or departments Abolishing QA departments and moving QA onto the team. Quality becomes the responsibility of each team Moving where people sit (putting teams together) Hiring/Firing Reducing dependencies on each team Giving each team one problem at a time to solve
• #21: Start by changing structure Create teams that are: Dedicated: focused on solving one problem at a time Cross functional: contain every skill needed to deliver value to the customer Accountable: give a team a clear problem give them an unambiguous deadline Remove impediments Cannot blame anyone else This is the foundation of a HPT Next train people to adopt an agile mindset Send people to training Hire coaches Look for internal champions Show them success stories Help people to envision how they can be successful with Agile Only then can you start adopting Agile practices (Which we will talk about) Disciplined agile practices can lead to HPT, but they cannot start without a solid foundation Transition: This will be hard. It can be painful. Potentially making big changes to align your teams and your culture with your strategy. No one said that would be easy. Example: Exercise What do you do when things get rough?
• #22: Many organizations attempt to build teams by implementing Scrum. Focus on practices and processes Rules and structure. Many other organizations adopt an Agile Mindset. They embrace the principles and values. They focus on changing hearts and minds. Many organizations still struggle. ? + Agile + Scrum = H.P.T. So what is the missing element?
• #26: Transition: This does not only apply to Agile or to sports teams. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – This is the epitome of an Agile team! Ty Pennington Big Problem Completely renovate this house in one week Delight the customer to tears Start with Team Structure Created cross-functional team Empower them to deliver the value Give them the resources that they need.
• #27: “Simple but not easy” Will bring big issues right up to the top. Be prepared to deal with them early Scares people off: “I thought Agile was supposed to make everything better!” It will, but it takes real hard change. Trust that the issues will go away and benefits will soon come Create the right environment (this is the hard part) Embrace an Agile Idea Show continuum again. Remind that this is not a purist approach. I am not saying you HAVE TO change your environment to have success. If you just adopt practices, you will be here (middle) If you adopt a mindset and practices, you will be here (75%) If you start with environment, adopt mindset, and then commit to disciplined, scrum practices, you have the best change of moving here (far right) Use ranges Summary Start with the hard work of creating an environment where accountable teams can flourish. Train to adopt an Agile mindset, to get EVERYONE thinking about continuously delivering value to the customer and embracing change. Instill commitment, discipline and trust into daily practices. -> Best chance to building HPT
• #29: I need more Scrum terms here
• #32: Example of starting with Mindset. This is why stories must be valuable. I could use my example of lawnmover vs truck slides. Mindset bullet points Focus on customer needs not wants Continuous deliver of value to get feedback Collaboration We don’t “gather requirements”. We collaborate with customer to build a better solution by the end of the product than anyone could have imagined at the beginning of the project.
• #33: This picture is from Diana Larson’s keynote address from the Agile 2014 conference last month called “Best Job Ever”. Teams start out with a lack of trust. They build trust slowly by making and holding small commitments. Inevitably there is conflict as the team attempts to switch from focus on individuals to focus on the group. This is where habits and discipline become important. Only when conflict has been addressed can a team reach its true creativity. And finally become high performing.
• #34: Final Transition So no you have done the hard work. You have restructured your organization to created independent, cross-functional, dedicated, ACCOUNTABLE teams. You have started to adopt and agile mindset or belief system
• #35: Not just for software teams Storming- kids don’t trust: If I throw the ball to you, you will throw it back If I let you catch this ball, you’ll me get the next one I started asking them to make small commitments (“pinky swear”) Keeps coming back to trust and commitment
• #36: [make this slide blue] Transition talking points Just because you create a cross functional team, doesn't mean they are guaranteed to be high performing Teams will need leaders to help them weather the storm Agile brings issues up to the surface quickly Commitment & Discipline will lead to trust, which makes HPT possible Team Formation Model Forming Getting to know each other, little trust, formal and rule based Signal ->Individuals sit by themselves and work alone, tasks assigned to one person Storming Power struggles, lack of understanding, conflict Signal -> Arguments / passive-aggressiveness, reduced communication, fights, “that’s not my bug!” Erick Fleming: “Automation reduces friction on the team.” Healthy conflict needs to be addressed, not squashed or hidden. Norming Shift from individual focus to team focus Signal-> pairing / people sitting and working together, signs of shared responsibility (“can we assign that task to both of us?”, fixing each other’s bugs) Self-organization- The purpose of self-organizing teams is not for management to lose control. The purpose is to unlock creativity!! Performing Complete focus on the team goal Output comes faster. Becomes harder to stay ahead of team and provide them with work. Ironically, this is when the habits are engrained and some of the formal disciplines can be dropped.
• #37: Coder vs Developer vs Craftsman There is no technical difference between developer and craftsman. Learning more technical skills won’t make you a craftsman.
• #38: QA Edge Cases Test Cases Automation Developers tend to be optimistic. Testers tend to be pessimistic.
• #39: Test your edge cases! The team must test and deliver the acceptance criteria. QA can help to identify edge cases and conditions that the acceptance criteria did not cover.
• #40: “Simple but not easy” Will bring big issues right up to the top. Be prepared to deal with them early Scares people off: “I thought Agile was supposed to make everything better!” It will, but it takes real hard change. Trust that the issues will go away and benefits will soon come Create the right environment (this is the hard part) Embrace an Agile \ Idea Show continuum again. Remind that this is not a purist approach. I am not saying you HAVE TO change your environment to have success. If you just adopt practices, you will be here (middle) If you adopt a mindset and practices, you will be here (75%) If you start with environment, adopt mindset, and then commit to disciplined, scrum practices, you have the best change of moving here (far right) Use ranges Summary Start with the hard work of creating an environment where accountable teams can flourish. Train to adopt an Agile mindset, to get EVERYONE thinking about continuously delivering value to the customer and embracing change. Instill commitment, discipline and trust into daily practices. -> Best chance to building HPT
• #41: QA Edge Cases Test Cases Automation