beyond functional silos with communities of practice

Beyond Functional Silos With Communities of Practice

Brian Bozzuto&

Dennis Stevens

Our Journey

What We’re Going to Talk About…

What is a Community of Practice?

Why Would You Use A Community of Practice?

How Would you Go About Starting a Community of Practice?

Two Early ExamplesChrysler

1988, Chrysler re-organized from a functional hierarchy to one structured around product lines

“Tech clubs” were originally informal groups of engineers around a given domain (i.e. brakes)

Xerox

Initially started as informal gatherings among field technicians

Eventually grew to an online database and forum of experiences, knowledge, and problem resolutions

Definition of a Community of Practice

Domain• A common purpose and experience

Practice• People actively working in the domain looking to share and get support

Community• A social network of people

Comparing Organizational

StructuresFunctiona

l SiloFormal Hierarchy

People working in Domain

Goal is Business Outcomes

People join based on title /

position

Center of Excellenc

eStructured

Department

Abstract knowledge on

topic

Goal is technical mastery

People join based on a job

or expertise

Community of

PracticeInformal Peer

Groups

People working in Domain

Goal is knowledge acquisition

Members self-select

Differing Levels of Participation

Coordinator

Core Group

Active

Peripheral

Community Infrastructure

Virtual

Discussion boards & Email

Wikis & Activity Feeds

Webinars

Coordination Meetings

Face to Face

Brown bag lunches

Off site meetings

Regularly scheduled forums

Community Vision and Planning

You most likely want a blend of different mediums to compliment the diversity of

people in your community

Formality of Communities

Unrecognized – tacit community, members not even aware

Bootlegged – small community operating unbeknownst to most in the organization

Legitimized – officially recognized by the organization

Supported – supported materially by the organization

Institutionalized – built into the processes of the organization

The Uses of Communities of PracticeSome Case Studies

Project Management Institute

“Deliver Value Now”Domain: Helping project managers thrive using agile techniques

Community: 16,000 PMI members who have joined the community world wide

Practice:• Experience reports• Internal agile projects• Online content• Presence at

conferences

Various Organizations Implementing Agile

“Establish a Shared Vision & Make Meaning”Domain: Helping Scrum Masters figure out their role and how to be effective

Community: ScrumMasters and other interested members of Agile teams

Practice:• Joint problem solving• Research projects• Experience sharing• Peer coaching• Traveling facilitation

Transformation Teams“Be Open to Evolution Over Time”

Domain: Management learning their role as facilitators of change and mentors

Community: Functional Managers, Subject Matter Experts, and interested members from teams

Practice:• Assess impediments• Provide coordinated

coaching and support• Share change strategies,

success and failures• Explore

interdependencies between functional silos

Starting a Community of PracticeSome Case Studies

Path to Convening a Community

Engage potential members

Establish a shared vision

Recruit a core group of active members and establish the supporting infrastructure

Find a fast path to deliver value

Design the community to adapt to emerging needs

Community Canvas ExampleKey Partnerships:• What people

or groups are external to the community but of paramount value?

Key Activities:• How will the

community interact?

• What will they do?

Value Prop.:• WIFM? (May

vary by member)

• What can this offer, that other avenues can’t?

Relationships:• How are

people related?

• Formal / Informal?

• Boss, Peer, Other?

Member Segments:• PMI Members

looking to learn more about Agile

Key Resources:• What

resources are available to be brought to bear?

Channels:• How will

people interact?

Cost Structure:• What is the cost of this community both

financial and non-financial?• How much does a community member pay

(in time, frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?

Revenue (Value) Streams:• What value are people getting out of being

part of this community?• What value does the organization get by

supporting this community?

Community Canvas ExampleKey Partnerships:• What people

or groups are external to the community but of paramount value?

Key Activities:• How will the

community interact?

• What will they do?

Value Prop.:• WIFM? (May

vary by member)

• What can this offer, that other avenues can’t?

Relationships:• How are

people related?

• Formal / Informal?

• Boss, Peer, Other?

Member Segments:• PMI Members

looking to learn more about Agile

Key Resources:• What

resources are available to be brought to bear?

Channels:• How will

people interact?

Cost Structure:• What is the cost of this community both

financial and non-financial?• How much does a community member pay

(in time, frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?

Revenue (Value) Streams:• What value are people getting out of being

part of this community?• What value does the organization get by

supporting this community?

Domain

Community Canvas ExampleKey Partnerships:• What people

or groups are external to the community but of paramount value?

Key Activities:• How will the

community interact?

• What will they do?

Value Prop.:• WIFM? (May

vary by member)

• What can this offer, that other avenues can’t?

Relationships:• How are

people related?

• Formal / Informal?

• Boss, Peer, Other?

Member Segments:• PMI Members

looking to learn more about Agile

Key Resources:• What

resources are available to be brought to bear?

Channels:• How will

people interact?

Cost Structure:• What is the cost of this community both

financial and non-financial?• How much does a community member pay

(in time, frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?

Revenue (Value) Streams:• What value are people getting out of being

part of this community?• What value does the organization get by

supporting this community?

Practice

Community Canvas ExampleKey Partnerships:• What people

or groups are external to the community but of paramount value?

Key Activities:• How will the

community interact?

• What will they do?

Value Prop.:• WIFM? (May

vary by member)

• What can this offer, that other avenues can’t?

Relationships:• How are

people related?

• Formal / Informal?

• Boss, Peer, Other?

Member Segments:• PMI Members

looking to learn more about Agile

Key Resources:• What

resources are available to be brought to bear?

Channels:• How will

people interact?

Cost Structure:• What is the cost of this community both

financial and non-financial?• How much does a community member pay

(in time, frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?

Revenue (Value) Streams:• What value are people getting out of being

part of this community?• What value does the organization get by

supporting this community?

Community

Community Canvas Example - PMIKey

Partnerships:• Agile Alliance• Scrum

Alliance• Sponsors• PMI-ACP

Group

Key Activities:• Regular

webinars• Manage PMI

relationship• Volunteer

teams pursuing new initiatives

Value Prop.:• Experts –

opportunity to show their skills & get business

• Practitioners – build network, get experience

• New to Agile – get support and trusted information

Relationships:• Group of

committed volunteers

• Most members don’t have established relationships

Member Segments:Domain – PMI members looking to apply Agile practice in their work• Experts• Practitioners• New to Agile

Key Resources:• New

volunteers (burn out)

• Web Platform• Webinar

Platform

Channels:• Webinars• Online Site• Emails• Conferences

Cost Structure:• Cost of web presence• Travel to conferences

Revenue (Value) Streams:• Increased retention of PMI Members

(difficult to measure)• Sponsorship revenue

Key Questions to Jumpstart Your

CommunityWhat makes this a clear community?

How can the community deliver value now?

Who can help you build and sustain this?

Thank You!Brian Bozzuto

bbozzuto@bigvisible.com

BigVisible

Additional Resources

http://www.ewenger.com

http://wenger-trayner.com

Dennis Stevens

dennis@leadingagile.com

Leading Agile