Agile Prototyping in Academia

David F. FlandersJISC Programme Manager, nee Project

ManagerTwitter = dfflanders

So how is this going to work?

Objectives of 30 min talk (2X15min):

1. To introduce the management methodology of Agile Prototyping as fundamental to Academia’s remit to the end user.

2. To go over the Agile Manifesto & its Principles so as to highlight it as a framework of hooks by which real pragmatic human advice can be hung.

3. To demonstrate how the Agile principles (theories) can be turned into working practices (pragmatics) for a small project team (working in Academia) <- according to my previous experience.

* To learn from you on how to do Agile better!

Starter for ten: are we (Unis) in an innovation

recession?

Built technologies for the end user.

AGILE

The Agile Manifesto, c.2001

Origins:• Business sector =

customer/client focused• Middle aged developer

‘hippies’: “Dev is NOT enterprise engineering”.

• S/W should be more intuitive to the human psyche...Web 2.0?

• Manifesto x4 = PinUp Principles x12 = Hooks

The Agile Manifesto:Individuals and interactions 

over processes and tools* 

Working software over comprehensive documentation* 

Customer collaboration 

over contract negotiation* 

Responding to change 

over following a plan* 

* = That is, while there is value in the items on the bottom, we value the items on the top more.

Agile Principles...into Practice.

AGILE PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICES

(1-6) PART I:PRINCIPLES FOR

ORGANISING YOUR USERS

USER-CASESQ: Do you have real users on hand?• User Groups!!!• Über Users• UXer• UserPersonas

(Named) <- user artefacts

• Provide a feedback loop– Feedback button– Phone

No. 2.) Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile harnesses change for the user’s

advantage.STORYBOARDS

Q: What is the setting in which your user lives?

• After user F2F, draw up storyboards to describe user context– Peel situational onion

• Storyboards are modular <- humans change!!!

• Sticky-notes should change as often as users change.

• User is always right: don’t impose your world view!!!

No.3 Deliver working s/w frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, w/ a preference to the shorter

timescale. WIREFRAMES

Q: Is the psyche of your user on tap (Face2Screen)?

• What is the overall flow of the app from window to window (10K+ft above)– One big window or multiple?– Wizard or tab, etc.

• What does the box & button mean to the user?– On call ÜberUser, UXer– Use Cases + Storyboards =>

Wireframe (CartoonBoxes)

No.4 Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

PAPER-PROTOYPINGQ: how long does it take

you to produce a version?

• Paper Prototyping is cheaper than writing code.

• Nothing more valuable than putting interfaces in front of users.• Whiteboard projection• Screen-Cast-Crowd-

Sourcing (Drupal)

No.5 Working software is the primary measure of progress.

WORK-PACKAGESQ: Are your WPs

granularly timeboxed?• Consider = could

another dev pick it up and develop it?

• Abandon = How do you recognise FAILs and WINs?

• Adopt = Can your user pick up the s/w and use it without your help?

1-3 weeks total (no more!)

1-3 weeks total (no more!)

No.6 Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to

maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

MERITOCRACYQ: How are you talking

about your s/w to others who are using it?

• Agile + Community = Able to do more.

• Agile should enable a team to juggle more work.

• JISC is community.

Pause for discussion.

At this time I would recommend a five minute open discussion take place.

• Comments/questions are anonymous to me so please feel free to be candid.

• Though, if someone could take on the role of scribe to type in the comments to twitter so I have a chance to respond as well?

Otherwise please use this time to turn to your neighbour and ask them what they think thus far.

AGILE PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICES

(7-12) PART II:PRINCIPLES FOR

ORGANISING YOUR TEAM

No.7 Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environ & support they need, & trust them to get

the job done. TEAM-FORMATION

Q: Will the ppl you are working with help or get in the way?

• Get right ppl on the bus and wrong ppl off the bus.

• Team Hierarchy? Google doesn’t have PMs.

• Innovation is achieved by bringing in new talent!

No.8 - The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to & within a development team is

F2F convo.RESOURCING

Q: Where can you find team members you can’t afford?

• Borrow your team from the institution (those who want to innovate)!

• PMing is a group activity. Engage with a community!– How do you

crowdsource?

No.9 The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

TEAM-ROLESQ: Do you know thy

team!?• PM / PO• Admin / PM• UXer• Dev (front/back)• Consultants (in the

community) are good.

• Scratch other projects back (barter!)

UXerUXer

DevDev

DevDev

PMPM

POPO

Want Help?Want Help?

SETTINGQ: Where is the stage for

this play?• War room meetings.• Talking Wall

<userVoice>– Artefacts: Storyboard,

Wireframe, Prototypes...

• Point of discussion to keep all engaged.– Users– Team– Stakeholders

No.11 - At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes & adjusts its behaviour

accordingly. SCRUM

Q: How do you enable change to occur?

• Daily “Stand-Ups” (3Xsentences)

• Reflection mtg every 2-3 weeks to review wall artefacts (praxis)

• Priority log of sprints (WPs) to achieve.

• Your project plan should be torn up / amended after the second/third iteration of SCRUM

• Can’t do this w/ >3 x Ppl.

24 hours

version release

2-3 weeks

artefacts

WPs

No.12 Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

SPRINTSQ: How do you achieve

small completion wins?

• Chunk work up into achievable WPs– YONWYK

• Achievable = >2 weeks– Set difficulty rating 1-5– If it is a sprint fail, it is a

fail... No “but if...”• Don’t domino WPs

(gaant waterfall bad!) -> burndown charts!?

• Post WINS and FAILS <- you’ll save others/your time!!!

The Agile Manifesto:Individuals and interactions 

over processes and tools* 

Working software over comprehensive documentation* 

Stakeholder collaboration 

over remit/contract negotiation* 

Responding to change 

over following a plan* 

* = That is, while there is value in the items on the bottom, we value the items on the top more.

What does Agile and Open development look like?

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Agile WaterfallCowboy

Summary (Overall)

C O N T I N U U M True agile produces real products for real

people & does it in quick short bursts that are comprehensible to all involved, especially the end

user.

ScrumRefacto

rTDD

Unit Test

XPRAD

6σ

MSPPRINCE

2

RUP

User OrientedUser Oriented

kanbanSCM

Conclusion:

PoP

Thanks

David F. FlandersTwitter = twitter.com/dfflandersBlog = dfflanders.wordpress.com

Open Notebook = code.google.com/p/jiscri

License: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 UK