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Milling Stories to Reduce Risk

The Daily Grind

Brent Snook - LAST Conference 2015

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brentsnook brentsnook brent@zooatrope.com

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@brentsnook #LASTconf

8 points5 points

8 points!5 points!

5 points!!! 8 points!!!

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@brentsnook #LASTconf

business value

cost

Knowledge Acquisition Curve

From diagram © Alistair Cockburn 2011 - http://alistair.cockburn.us/Knowledge+acquisition+curve.png

knowledge

time

@brentsnook #LASTconf

business value

cost

Pay to learn

Knowledge Acquisition Curve

From diagram © Alistair Cockburn 2011 - http://alistair.cockburn.us/Knowledge+acquisition+curve.png

knowledge

time

@brentsnook #LASTconf

business value

cost

Pay to learn

Build business value

Knowledge Acquisition Curve

From diagram © Alistair Cockburn 2011 - http://alistair.cockburn.us/Knowledge+acquisition+curve.png

knowledge

time

@brentsnook #LASTconf

business value

cost

Pay to learn

Build business valueTrim or polish

Knowledge Acquisition Curve

From diagram © Alistair Cockburn 2011 - http://alistair.cockburn.us/Knowledge+acquisition+curve.png

knowledge

time

@brentsnook #LASTconf

business value

cost

Pay to learn

Build business valueTrim or polish

Knowledge Acquisition Curve

From diagram © Alistair Cockburn 2011 - http://alistair.cockburn.us/Knowledge+acquisition+curve.png

knowledge

time

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Pay to learn

waste is a thief

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@brentsnook #LASTconf

we could do it by…

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if we used this framework…

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…

@brentsnook #LASTconf

…

pull yourself back from the brink

of solution mode

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If you’re churning

you’re learning!@brentsnook #LASTconf

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Story Pointsa diatribe

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Coal is good for humanity.

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@brentsnook #LASTconf

Coal is good for humanity.

Business value

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@brentsnook #LASTconf

epic

milling stories

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milling stories

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grade verb

1. arrange in or allocate to grades; classify or sort.

estimate verb

1. roughly calculate or judge the value, number, quantity, or extent of.

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1 2 3 5 8 13

Fibonacci

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S M

T-Shirt Sizes

L

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S

M

L

too loose?

too tight?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Medium by default.

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Payments Photos NotificationsCat

Pictures

S M S S

M M S

M S L M

M S SL

L

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Payments Photos NotificationsCat

Pictures

1 3 2 2

5 3 1

3 2 13 3

3 1 28

8

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Payments Photos NotificationsCat

Pictures

S M S S

M M S

M S L M

M S SL

L

@brentsnook #LASTconf

Payments Photos NotificationsCat

Pictures

S M S S

M M S

M S L M

M S SL

L

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Story MapLater Pile

Planning For The Next Milestone

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Story MapTriage

When Triage is Full / The Daily Grind

Later Pile

@brentsnook #LASTconf@brentsnook #LASTconf

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Send a password reset link What?

@brentsnook #LASTconf@brentsnook #LASTconf

Send a password reset link

… so that password can be reset

… so that we can save money.

… so support doesn’t have to do it

What?

Why?

@brentsnook #LASTconf@brentsnook #LASTconf

Send a password reset link

… so that password can be reset

… so that we can save money.

… so support doesn’t have to do it

What?

Why?

When?- before the next milestone

@brentsnook #LASTconf@brentsnook #LASTconf

Send a password reset link

… so that password can be reset

… so that we can save money.

… so support doesn’t have to do it

What?

Why?

How?MWhen?- before the next milestone

@brentsnook #LASTconf

Story Map

Story KickoffAcceptance Criteria

Triage

IN • Rounded corners • Other stuff

OUT • Bells • Whistles • Error handling

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15

30

45

60

4/9 18/9 2/10 16/10 6/11 20/11 4/12 18/12 1/1 15/1 29/1

Completed Discovered Left Projected

Stories

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15

30

45

60

4/9 18/9 2/10 16/10 6/11 20/11 4/12 18/12 1/1 15/1 29/1

Completed Discovered Left Projected

Stories

Rolling projection window

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You are breaking up a rock

not cutting a diamond.

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zippit.

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Just

In

Time

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Points don’t.

Stories matter

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embrace change@brentsnook #LASTconf

References and Further Reading• Disciplined Learning - http://alistair.cockburn.us/Disciplined+Learning

• Velocity is Killing Agility - http://jimhighsmith.com/velocity-is-killing-agility/

• Stop Using Story Points - http://www.industriallogic.com/blog/stop-using-story-points

• INVEST - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INVEST_(mnemonic)

• Feature Injection - http://www.infoq.com/articles/feature-injection-success

• If You Found Estimates Bring No Value, What Would You Do? - http://zuill.us/WoodyZuill/2013/01/25/if-you-found-estimates-bring-no-value-what-would-you-do/

• No Estimates Part 1 - http://neilkillick.com/2013/01/31/noestimates-part-1-doing-scrum-without-estimates/

• Coal Breaker - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_breaker

• Definitions of “estimate” and “grade” from Google

Image Credits• Cosette - "Emile Bayard - Cosette" by Émile Bayard - http://f20creativefrance.com/2014/05/19/victor-hugo-les-miserables-from-page-to-stage/. Licensed under Public

Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emile_Bayard_-_Cosette.jpg#/media/File:Emile_Bayard_-_Cosette.jpg

• Dr Evil - From “Austin Powers” 1997 Newline Cinema

• Waste Is A Thief - From “Fight Club” 1999 20th Century Fox

• Bucket - By Amazon Web Services LLC [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/AWS_Simple_Icons_Storage_Amazon_S3.svg

• Rock - via http://www.clker.com - http://www.clker.com/clipart-242857.html

• Tony Abbott - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website – www.dfat.gov.au [CC BY 3.0 au (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prime_Minister_Tony_Abbott_(cropped).jpg

• Red Bucket - By Minnesota Historical Society (Maple sugaring bucket) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maple_sugaring_bucket_(5571412972).jpg

• Minesweeper Flag - By kazukiokumura [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minesweeper_flag.svg

• Notecard - By E.m.fields - fields.emmett@gmail.com (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notecard.jpg

• Sledgehammer - via http://www.clker.com - http://www.clker.com/clipart-hammer-metal.html

• Diamond - via http://www.clker.com - http://www.clker.com/clipart-clear-diamond.html

• Zip - via Flickr Creative Commons - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jezuez471/318471749/

• Surfer - via Flickr Creative Commons - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcysurfer/3615879243/

• Calculator - "Calculator casio" by Christian "VisualBeo" Horvat - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calculator_casio.jpg#/media/File:Calculator_casio.jpg

• Post-it-note - diskdepot.co.uk [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Post-it-note-transparent.png

• Email Icon - Google Inc. [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ic_email_48px.svg