Stldodn 2014 agile on a shoestring
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The document discusses the challenges and practices of achieving agility in software development, emphasizing that agility is not merely about speed but delivering the right products effectively. It highlights the need for collaboration, well-groomed backlogs, and a defined 'done' checklist, advocating for self-organizing teams and strong executive support. It also outlines the importance of embracing change while addressing common fears and promoting continuous improvement within teams.
Stldodn 2014 agile on a shoestring
- 2. Polaris Solutions ALM Practice Mgr since Jan ‘12 Been in the software industry since 1999 Runs the Chicago ALM User Group ALM MVP, PSM, PSD Has a *possibly* unhealthy love of Halloween Shameless self promotion Polaris Solutions- http://www.polarissolutions.com/ Chicago Visual Studio ALM User Group - http://www.chicagoalmug.org/ Twitter: @OakParkGirl, @ChicagoALM, @TeamPolaris Blog - http://www.tfswhisperer.com/
- 4. Agility is HOT right now Attaining agility is HARD Teams are continually asked to tighten their belts while DELIVERING on their goals
- 5. Working more HOURS is not the answer “Working faster” is not based on reality Sacrificing QUALITY is not the answer Hiring more PEOPLE may help Ultimately we have to spend time on the RIGHT things
- 6. –noun 1. flexibility, the capacity and capability of rapidly and efficiently adapting to change. 2. ability to take advantage of opportunities while controlling risk
- 7. Agile processes are NOT: Bound to a particular set of tools Only for small teams Only for developers Only for green field projects Unstructured Undisciplined Undocumented
- 8. Agility isn’t just about being fast. Crap delivered quickly, and successfully, is still crap! Agility isn’t about getting more done. Getting more done is only useful if you’re getting the right things done. Are you? Being “good at agile” isn’t enough either… The goal of organizational agility isn’t to be good at practicing agile, it’s to deliver the RIGHT products at the RIGHT time!
- 9. Agile is NOT about doing more for less Agile Is about doing LESS for less
- 10. Rethinking your product strategy A more open and transparent culture Getting buy-in from everyone. EVERYONE. Even the CIO Even the PMO Even finance Training and coaching, and not just on process Lastly, and somewhat optional, find ALM tools to support your process
- 11. Think Differently About Products
- 13. You will have to rethink how you build applications, and it will probably suck, a lot, while you’re figuring it all out. Assume you will deliver every iteration Everything (almost) is a component You may have to write throw away code You will have to rethink deployment strategies You really do have to actively work with the business and end users
- 14. Think Differently About Practices
- 15. Well groomed backlogs Forecasting over Promising Daily Standups Definition of Done Deliver, deliver, deliver Naval-gazing Cost of each of these tools is $0
- 16. As accurate as a traditional Project Plan with a fraction of the effort Monitors the entire project, possibly the portfolio, in real-time Prioritized by “the business” and flexible It’s a wish-list, not a promise Groom them often to ensure you are always focusing on the RIGHT things!
- 17. Uses story points to break the taskmaster mindset and DO NOT RAT-HOLE Remember that building and testing software is an art AND a science Forecasts are NOT promises. Do not let this one slide! If a backlog item cannot be delivered in a single iteration, it is too big to estimate with any degree of confidence
- 18. The software team’s chance to level set and regroup on goals Time to ask for help, raise concerns, uncover collisions, dependencies, and inconsistencies. Questions to think about before you show up: What did you do yesterday? What are you doing today? What are your impediments? Focus should always be on progress towards Sprint goal, not status!
- 19. Definition: What does “DONE” really mean? Defined by the entire software development team (not just coders) Should be an auditable checklist Should evolve as the project advances. Example: Source code committed on server Unit tests written and green Code review completed (or pair-programmed) User acceptance tests written, executed, passed How-to-Demo verified before presentation to Product Owner
- 20. Call it whatever you need to - Product Iteration / Sprint / Cycle / Phase Length should be determined by the entire team 2 - 3 weeks ideal, but do what works best for the team Your GOAL is to potentially release working software of value to end users every iteration
- 21. Held at the end of an iteration. EVERY iteration Discuss lessons learned, celebrate successes Each team member answers the following: What worked well for us? What did not work well for us? What actions can we take to improve our process going forward? Write your issues down, be accountable for them Get out of the office if you can!
- 22. Think Differently About Roles
- 23. CEO = Chief Enabling Officer Executive sponsors are CRITICAL to the success of an agile team Their buy-in, or lack thereof, can make or break a software project, particularly an agile one.
- 24. Owns the product vision Prioritizes the backlog Ultimately responsible to the end users NOT the team’s manager
- 25. Owns the process Keeps the team on track Removes impediments Coaches the team Also not the team’s manager
- 26. Includes analysts, testers, coders, operations Self-organizes to get work done This is the team’s manager.
- 27. Traditional project managers attend meetings and babysit project plans are responsible for managing scope, cost, quality, personnel, communication, risk, procurement and more. Agile project management: Task assignment and day-to-day decisions revert to the team Scope and schedule tradeoff goes to the product owner Quality becomes a responsibility of everyone
- 28. May be internal or external to the organization End users are the litmus test of the value of any delivered software Projects that do not heavily involve users up front often fail
- 29. “People get weird when companies start talking about getting more agile” ~Ben Day People hate change People fear change Most process problems are really people problems
- 30. Positivity Uncertainty Fear Lies, damn lies, and statistics
- 31. Accept failure as inevitable, learn from it, move on Get past change being a defect (bug isn’t a “dirty word”) Occasionally, stop and take stock of where you are If you don’t like what you have now, change it!
- 32. Writing software is HARD Customers are going to change their minds Wishing doesn’t make it so Gripping tighter on a plan also does not make it so Software ALWAYS gets more complex once you start
- 34. Your team is afraid of you Middle managers are afraid of upper level managers People are terrified of being wrong. Terrified. Make it OK to be “wrong” You need to make it ok for your teams to tell you that you are wrong.
- 36. “I’m 90% done with my task.” “I’m STILL 90% done with my task.” Don’t cook the books Avoid the overhead of communicating two visions Focus on your Definition of Done. It’s DONE or it isn’t. Incomplete or untested software doesn’t count
- 37. Whiteboards, sticky notes, and notebooks can suffice ALM tools are spectacular at recording important data, generating reports, and enabling communication ALM tools can add the automation necessary to deliver software quickly while respecting your process ALM tools vary from free to OMG expensive Choose the right tool for the right job!
- 38. Stop: Pause, inspect, adapt Collaborate: teams should hold daily stand-ups regardless of their process Listen: Pay attention to the team, investigate “smells”, change things that suck for them
- 39. In your business… And in your people… And of your time… But the ROI is outstanding
- 40. Adopting agile software delivery strategy does not HAVE to be a million dollar investment But if you have money to burn, I can help
- 41. Agile manifesto: http://agilemanifesto.org/ Scrum Guide (Scrum.org): http://www.scrumguides.org/ DTDPS Agile Deployment Program: http://bit.ly/1xmOm2l Angela’s Slide decks: http://www.slideshare.net/angelabinkowski Angela’s blog: http://www.tfswhisperer.com/
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