agile maine meeting - challenges and options in guiding agile adoptions
TRANSCRIPT
© 2012-2015 Eliassen Group. All Rights Reserved -1-
Challenges and Options in Guiding
Agile Adoptions
Presented by Dave MoranOctober 2015
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Former Developer, Development Manager,
Product Owner
Blogger
Book Reviewer/Contributor
Agile Coach – Eliassen Group
Founder/member:
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Transforming to Agile
We won’t be able to explore every challenge or every option in this session
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Wouldn’t It Be Nice…
“It’s a journey”
A prescriptive adoption model with clear indicators of progress
What we’re told:
What we desire:
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What Does Your Transformation Look Like?
Where are you now?
What is your target condition?
What are your greatest challenges?
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The Mindset Challenge
Where are you now?
What is your target condition?
“A target is an outcome, and a target condition is a description of a process operating in a way required to achieve the desired outcome.” – Mike Rother
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The Copycat Challenge
Copying tools & techniques used by other companies is too superficial
When it comes to being agile, the values and principles are the key leverage points
Frameworks, tools and practices support
agility, but they don’t make you agile
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Challenge: Where Should We Start?
CYCLE TIME = WORK IN PROCESS
THROUGHPUT
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Challenge: Where Should We Start?
CYCLE TIME = WORK IN PROCESS
THROUGHPUT
Too much WIP reduces value delivery and diverts attention to expedite work and deal with other “excitement” (stress) associated with making deliveries
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Benefits of Reducing WIP
• Sharper focus improves productivity and quality
• Increases flow of value
• Creates space for process improvements
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Peter Drucker’s Leadership Challenge
What have you stopped doing in the last two months?
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Peter Drucker’s Leadership Challenge
What have you stopped doing in the last two months?
“You can’t execute new strategy if you don’t remove some of the past.” – Rob Savage, COO of Taco Bell
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The Challenge with Removing Some of the Past…
The potential for conflict
Confusion
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“We already tried agile and it didn’t
work…”
“We can’t be agile because…”
“This isn’t working…”
“Just tell me what to do…”
“…and then I’ll pick and choose what I
like.”
The Push-Back Challenge
What can you do?
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Commitment indicates a willingness to follow a path and explore new territory
Ask for Commitment
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The Empowerment Challenge
When Captain Marquet took command of the Santa Fe, the ship was ranked at the bottom of the fleet
Within one year the Santa Fe went from worst to first in most measures of performance, including retention of sailors and officers
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The Empowerment Challenge
Captain Marquet’s approach:
Don’t preach and hope for ownership; implement mechanisms that actually give ownership
“Many empowerment programs fail because they are just that, ‘programs’ or ‘initiatives’ rather than the central principle… behind how the organization does business.”
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Enabling Empowerment
As authority is delegated, technical knowledge at all levels takes on greater importance
Divesting control without competence = chaos
It is equally important that everyone understands what the organization is about
“Don’t move information to authority, move authority to information.”
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Key Guidance
• Use “I intend to . . .” to turn passive followers into active leaders
• Think out loud (everyone)
• Resist the urge to provide solutions: Specify goals, not methods
• We learn (everywhere, all the time)
• Eliminate top-down monitoring systems
• Achieve excellence, don’t just avoid errors
• Build trust and take care of your people
• Use guiding principles for decision criteria
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The Date vs Scope Challenge
Source: Kenny Rubin
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Is This an Option?
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Reality
There is always an investment threshold or timeframe involved where something must be delivered
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Determine the Key Business Driver
Feature-driven
Ship when feature-complete
or
backlog size / velocity = duration
duration * velocity = backlog size
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The Coaching Challenge
Are coaches a wise investment?
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Learning While Working
Blend training with actual work– Training improves productivity 22%
– Training + coaching improves productivity 88%
New skills are best learned through real-life application
Executive Coaching as a Transfer of Training Tool: Effects on Productivity in a Public Agency by Gerald Ollvero, K. Denise Bane, Richard E. Kopelman (Journal of Public Personnel Management)
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Coaching Challenge, Part 2
Instruct & Direct
Partner Inspire & Empower
Advise & Inform
Which style works best?
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It’s Situational!
Team dynamics, the level of understanding and experience, specific circumstances, etc. dictate the approach
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The Organizational Transformation Challenge
How do we transform our organization?
Do we begin by changing the structure to an Agile structure? (And what is that, anyway?)
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Transform Your Thinking…
From… To…
Functional silos Whole-team delivery
Allocating people to projects Allocating work to stable teams
Predictive Planning/Big Up-Front Requirements and Design
Adaptive & Responsive Planning, Progressive Elaboration and Emergent Design
Long Delivery Cycles Short Delivery Cycles
Multiple Priorities Rigorous Priorities
Process-centric People-centric
Data-Driven Data-Informed
Taking control Giving control
…and use new principles to guide the operation and structure of your organization
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A
D
R
K
A
wareness of the need for change
esire to make the change happen by participating and supporting the change
nowledge and information about how to change, and what the change looks like
bility to implement the change through new skills and behaviors
einforcement to help the change stick for the long term
Ingredients for Successful Change
ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community by Jeff Hiatt
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How to Catalyze Organizational Change
Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage by Colin Price and Scott Keller
1Programs that mobilize frontline employees to feel ownership are 4x more likely to succeed
2Programs that empower employees to use their own initiative for change are 5x more likely to succeed
3Programs that engage and energize the organization through communication and involvement are 4x more likely to succeed
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Leaders: Model the Change!
Programs in which leaders model the desired changes are 4x more likely to be successful
Don’t “mail it in” or make a presentation and think that you are done
Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage by Colin Price and Scott Keller
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Setting Expectations: The Satir J-Curve
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Spiraling Up with Change
Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions by John Norcross and Kristin Loberg
Most people repeat 3 to 6 times before successfully changing behavior
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Where Do I Start?
Align WIP and Capacity
CYCLE TIME =WORK IN PROCESS
THROUGHPUT
Prioritize for, and deliver on value
Make business goals, work and success measures explicit and clear
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Where Do I Start?
Small units of work, small changesSmaller scope = reduced variability, decreased risk and faster delivery
A continual series of small changes will produce outstanding results over time
Leverage knowledge and experience: Get some coaching
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“See the whole, optimize the whole” –Balance all factors to generate the greatest outcome
TechnicalPracticesDesignQuality
BusinessClarityPrioritized valueROIRisk/Reward
HealthSustainable paceEffective communicationDevelopment of peopleAutonomyAccountabilityRespect
As You Continue…
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Thank You!
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