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Agile Adoption
A Corporate Retrospective
Alan J. Bartnik – The Vanguard Group Inc.
> 2
Why Agile?Continuous improvement– DMAIC (Process Measurement & Optimization)– Innovation
Market forces– Time-to-Market– Speed of Change– Build & Deploy Highest Value Features
Workforce Demands– Less micro-management– More flexibility
Cost– Pay-as-you go– Pay for what you need; not what you think you want
> 3
Agile! The next big thing
• It’s about being faster
• It’s about being better
• It’s about being cheaper
•…there’s no planning
•…there’s no control
•…there’s no managers
It’s about… <insert misconception here>
“Yeah I know about Agile” …
> 4
Agile @ Vanguard
The ship turns slowly– Vanguard is an appropriately conservative Organization
– Initial Agile success was scrutinized ironically because…
Cycle Time decreased dramatically
Productivity increased dramatically
Quality increased dramatically
Crew Morale (never-go-back to waterfall feedback)
> 5
Cycle-Time Improvement (≅ 2x)
Cumulative ProductivityHours per Requirement
0.005.00
10.0015.0020.0025.0030.0035.0040.0045.00
Sprint1
Sprint2
Sprint3
Sprint4
Sprint5
Sprint6
Retail 2005 Hrs/req
VGXHours/Requirement(Cumulative)
> 6
Productivity Improvement (≅ 2x)
Cumulative Productivity Lines of Code per Hour
0.001.002.003.004.005.006.007.008.00
Sprint1
Sprint2
Sprint3
Sprint4
Sprint5
Sprint6
Retail 2005 LOC/Hr
VGX LOC/Hour(Cumulative)
> 7
Quality Improvement (≈ 25%)
Cumulative Quality Defects (SCR) per KLOC
(80/143 Defects from Inspection & Build Failures)
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
Sprint 1 Sprint 2 Sprint 3 Sprint 4 Sprint 5 Sprint 6
Retail (Rolling)Defects/KLOC
VGX Defects/KLOC
> 8
Crew Morale
Self Organization
Sustainable Pace
Empowerment
Predictability
Accountability
Death Marches
Finger-pointing
NVA Documentation
> 9
What’s not to like?
Who’s in control?
Who will tell me what to do?
I don’t like the current process; but I know what’s expected
If we fail w
e’ll be punish
ed…
If we let employees set the pace…
they’ll slack off
Self-Organizing Team?
Sustainable Pace?
- Right! unless we fall behind
No Status Reports?
No Plan?
No Change Control?
Sponsor Controls Scope!
No Requirements?
No Schedule?
Shared Roles?
I worked hard to become a manager; now managers are not needed?
Sponsors have to engage – daily!!!
I don’t have time for a daily meeting!!!
I’ve worked hard to become a project manager; now project managers are not needed?
Change!I’m confused
I’m unsure
I’m afraid
I’m lost
I’m skeptical…
It’s too loosie-goosie
Too risky…Sustainable Pace? - Sounds like authorizing laziness
> 10
The Big challenge…
Giving up our Command & Control Infrastructure…Of course - let’s be Agile (but) don’t change our organizational status quo
…I’m totally onboard except that part about changing “my” process
– Sponsor/Product Owner delegation…delegate engages & make daily decisions (sounds good)
…I’ll reserve the right to reverse decisions made (now I’m comfortable)
– Team Empowerment (walking the walk)
…team decides; unless (until?) Leadership disagrees
…team decides; but command & control is ready - if the Team might fail
– Re-orienting our “best & brightest”…I’m the expert in the current process
…I’m skeptical of empowerment
…Agile is too risky for my comfort level
…I’ll become less important than I am in the current organization
> 11
Where’s your Organization?Pilot: Resistance is low and decreases as “pilot” team adapts to Agile
Rollout: Organizations, People & Processes resist change; try to adapt Agile to existing environment
Adoption: Stakeholders embrace the innovative force unleashed; emphasize Agile improvement, team empowerment and maximization of benefits
Time
# o
f S
take
ho
lde
rs
Change Resistance
Agile Experience
PILOT:Limited Organizational Awareness
ROLLOUT:Rising change resistance & Organizational Conflict
ADOPTION: Organizational Internalization
≈ 2
Yea
rs
Vanguard is about here
Agility Risk Zone
> 12
Vanguard RetrospectiveWhat are we doing well?
People
• Executive Management Support
• Business’s eagerness to give Agile a try
• Supporting Infrastructure
• Team Adoption
Practices
• Co-Location (effect on Agile Team)
• Adaptation to Agile: Stories & Front-burner
• Release-level burn-up: multiple teams
• Continuous Integration & Regression Automation
Outcomes
• Co-location reduces integration issues
• Employee Morale - better with Agile
> 13
What’s gone well?
Leadership & Organization• Executive Leadership sees the value and supports adoption
• Support infrastructure: Process Owner, Expert, and Advocate, Consulting Coaches
• Most Teams quickly adopt Agile
Business Receptiveness:• Some very real buy-in on the business side
• Some very engaged in Sprint 0, Sprint Planning, eager to try and succeed
• Some have: set-up war rooms, co-located teams, manage a front-burner with stories
and tasks via stories, use SCRUM, etc.
Agile Practices• Co-location is the initial “bitter pill” for team members; fades within a sprint or two
• After initial “hunting & pecking” for their “type” of task, team learns to move L2R
• Initial pilot efforts toward Automated Testing and Continuous Integration
> 14
Vanguard RetrospectiveWhat could be better?
People
• Departmental & Line Manager Adaptation
• “Team” mentality; not fired up to achieve sprint goals
Practices• Sponsor & Business Partner Education
• Debunking Agile Myths & Water-fallacies
• Providing adoption flexibility; adhering to the Manifesto
• Busting Organizational Impediments; Managing Up
• Infrastructure (Environments, CI & Test Automation)
• Adoption of XP / LEAN practices
Target Outcomes• Less “work as usual”; Team view rather than individual view
• Eliminate (impact on) “sub-contractors”
• Highly responsive IT; enabling business to meet Client’s Needs and Exceed expectations
> 15
What can we do better?Leadership & Teams• Prevent adaptation of Agile to current Process (redefine Agile NOT embrace Manifesto)
• Overcome resistance of leaders who perceive Agile as a threat (use transparency)
• Decrease time required for teams to “gel”; (not every PM is a born Scrum Master)
• Reduce Business Sponsor micromanagement (educate and build trust)
Operational Impediments
• Vanguard faces headwinds providing UNIX DEV environments; impedance when migrating from windows to UNIX; causes friction in release process (need more?)
• Test Automation is making progress locally (federate to scale)
• Role-aligned delivery model is not XP & Lean friendly; limit flexibility and productivity potential of our crew (paradigm shift, HR involvement)
• Cross-skilled crew are less common than we’d like; many get conflicting direction from management: stick to their role tasks NOT become adept at any task (paradigm shift)
• Not enough TDD (training and paradigm shift)
• Teams don't really “get” XP, LEAN enough to try radical things (training)
“I've had to make it a personal objective for everyone on my team (to "drive” them) to
think / act innovatively when it comes to doing their work in the Agile Framework”
> 16
Where are we Headed?
What?
1. Internalize Skills
2. Realize Benefits
3. Adapt & Improve
4. repeat steps (1 – 3)
How?
•Track Results
•Respond to Feedback
•Apply Lessons Learned
•Inventory & Share “Best Practices”
•Manage “Up”
•Foster Lean Principles
•Implement Lean Practices
•Trust & Support the “Team”
> 17
Change Resistance
Isn’t Resistance futile?
Why do people (and Organizations) resist?
Can resistance be avoided?
Can active resistance be overcome?
Group discussion topics
> 18
Is Resistance Futile?
Top-down
“They said so …we have to comply”
Bottom-up
“They demand it … we have to comply”
> 19
Change Resistance
Isn’t resistance futile?
Why do people (and Organizations) resist?
Can resistance be avoided?
Can active resistance be overcome?
> 20
Logically -
The algebra of change resistance….
A = B = CChange = Risk
Risk = Survival Threat
Change = Survival Threat!!!
Why Resist?
> 21
Change Resistance
Isn’t resistance futile?
Why do people (and Organizations) resist?
Can resistance be avoided?
Can active resistance be overcome?
> 22
Avoiding Resistance
Can we talk?• If people know – they fear less
• If people understand – they can make informed decisions
How (do we) educate?• Agile Manifesto → Sponsor/Product Owner buy-in
• Co-locate Business & Technical (paired-learning)
> 23
Change Resistance
Isn’t resistance futile?
Why do people (and Organizations) resist?
Can resistance be avoided?
Can active resistance be overcome?
> 24
Overcoming Resistance
It’s cliché…WIIFM• Emphasize and quantify the benefits to those affected
• Business Outcomes (time-to-market, customization)
• Technical Growth (learning, versatility, satisfaction)
Results Count• Perseverance and determination through challenges
• Let the results speak for themselves
• Conscript “antis” as “scorekeepers”
> 25
Change Resistance
Isn’t resistance futile?
Why do people (and Organizations) resist?
Can resistance be avoided?
Can active resistance be overcome?
> 26
Comments, Observations, Questions
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