Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile · "The minimum viable product is that version of a new...

Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile

TroyTu'leLeanAgileCoachKanFlow.comtroy@kanflow.com@troytu:le

Minimum Viable Agile

Borrowing from the Product Development concept of MVP or Minimum Viable Product. "The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort."

What is it?

Minimum Viable Agile

Minimum Viable Agile is a search for Agile practices and ceremonies, informed by Lean and Agile theory, that produces the maximum amount of customer value, with the least amount of effort.

(Or Just Enough practices and ceremonies to be effective).

What is it?

Agile Is…?

BurnDownCharts

S?ckyNotes

CardWalls

KanbanBoardsStandupMee?ngs

Retrospec?ves

PairProgramming

TDD

SprintPlanning

PlanningPokerVelocityStoryPoints

UserStories

ReleasePlanning

Es?ma?on

TeamRoom

Defini?onofDone

WIPLimits

Agile Is…

(ActualGoogleSearch,BTW)

The Agile Dysfunction Spiral

Detailedsprintplanning

Formalsprintcommitment

WorkthesprintUnfinishedwork

Weneedtogetbe:erat

planningsprints

Coachingtohelpimprovesprintplanning

Sprintplanningtakeslonger

ManagementAppliespressure

CultureofBlamecreepsbackin…

Teamworksover?me

ArewereallyjustaVerbe#ersprints?

Cargo Cult (Agile)

ManyearlyAgilea:emptssimplyinstalledprac?ces(recipes).

Warning!FollowingrecipesleadstoCargoCultAgile

Mob Programming

Mob Programming: The original MVA?

NoStandupmee?ng

ProductOwnerengaged

Driver–Navigators–15min.rota?ons

Everyonetakesafulllunchbreak!

Alltheneededexper?seinsameroomAllthe

BrilliantPeople Workingonthesameproblem Atthesame?me

Onthesamecomputer

Mob Programming: The original MVA? ReducesorEliminates:1.  Standuporotheralignmentmee?ngs2.  Detailedplanning-onlysessions3.  Theneedfores?mates4.  ContextSwitching5.  Burn-downchartsforperformancetracking6.  CodeReviews

Increases:1.  Quality2.  Collabora?on3.  Produc?vity4.  Sa?sfac?on

Mob Programming: Why does it work? Sample?melineofauserstoryorrequirement.

Time2

=wait?me

weeks =touch?me

weeks

4-10 4-10 2

CustomerRequest

Priori?zedinProductBacklog

BacklogGroomingPlanningIntoaSprint

StoryCompleted

(tacitknowledgedecay)

Visceral Reaction Disclaimer

Wemightcoversome“controversial”topics.

Minimum Viable Agile

Let’stakeacloserlookatsometradi?onalAgileprac?cesinneedofimprovement.

1.  StoryPointbasedVelocity2.  SprintBurnDowns

Story Points based Velocity

Story Points: An Agile Sacred Cow

Some?mesthiscausesunnecessary

confusionanddrama!

Storypointsaredesignedtobeabstract.

Velocityisana:empttoplanworkbasedonanabstrac?on,basedonanes?mate.

Story point myopia

--JimBenson,moduscooperandi.com

16 72 21 19 37

VelocityinStoryPoints

7 9 9 9 7

ThroughputinCardCount

Story Points based Velocity

CourtesyofBennetVallet

DirectorofDevelopment

SiemensHealthServices

ExpectedDistribu?onActualDistribu?on

Story Point based Velocity (refactored)

Planning in the world of MVA

OpAon#1Hours-longtradi?onalsprintplanningmee?ngsspentplayingplanningpokerandateamarguingaboutthedifferencebetween2’sand3’s.

OpAon#2Shortstoryslicingmee?ngwherethefocusisonunderstandingandslicinglargestories.“Doweunderstandthisstory?Ifnot,let’skeepslicing.”

1 2 3 5 8 13 21 40 100

Right-sizingthework

Planning in the world of MVA

InputQ Design Develop Test Done1 2 1

3

1 2

9

7

8

6

4

5

Lead Time

Throughput

10

14daysfromthispoint

5storiesperweek

MVP

UpstreamPlanning

1.Priori?ze

2.AnalyzeS

S S

S S S

S S

S S

MVP

Planning in the world of MVA Probabilis?cForecas?ng

<=4days(50thpercen?le)<=9days(85thpercen?le)<=13days(95thpercen?le)

22333445689101316

Lead?mesindaysfor14Userstories:

Findthe50th,85th,and95thpercen?les…(Rank=Percentage*Count)

50th

85th

95th

Sprint Burn Downs

Whydoweassumethisisthewrongplaceforthisteamtobe?

Work

Time

Nature of the Work

Manufacturing=repeatableprocessesProductDevelopment=one?meprocesses

One-?meprocessesarenon-determinisAcinnature

Nature of the Work

DeterminisAcApproach

ProjectStart

Knowledge

“Complete”PlannedAc?vity

Non-determinisAcReality

ProjectStart

Knowledge

“Complete”?

WhatCustomerReallyWantsBe:erKnowledge

ProjectManagersinthemiddle,pullingouttheirhair

Sprint Burn Downs

Thisisaproblem.Whatexactlydowedonow?

Work

Time

It’snotacAonable!

Sprint Burn Downs (refactored)

AcAonableInformaAon!

Sprint Burn Downs (refactored)

(fromAc)onableAgile.com)

Work

Time

Ac?onableInforma?on!

The Essence of Agile

Focus

Learning

Simplicity (Theartoftheworknotdone.)

(Collabora?onisanoutcome.)

(Feedbackloopsenableimprovements)

Insistyourprac?cesandceremoniessupportthe“Why”behindAgile!

CustomerValue (Wewouldn’tbehereotherwise.)

The Essence of Agile

Focus Learning

Simplicity CustomerValue

•  Visualizework•  WIPlimits•  Cadence

•  Retrospec?ves•  Smallbatches•  ATDDandCI•  Con?nuousDelivery

•  Measurementbasedplanning•  EmergentArchitecture

•  TrackprogressofValue,nottasks•  Customerbasedmetrics

Coaching Minimum Viable Agile

•  Training teams on estimation techniques or schemes.

•  Focusing on making fixed scope, fixed time, commitment-based sprints work.

•  Teaching teams how to use burn-down charts. •  Teaching teams to use Velocity to plan releases.

Lessof:

Coaching Minimum Viable Agile

•  Coaching teams to Limit their WIP to achieve better focus.

•  Using simple and pragmatic time-boxes for better risk management.

•  Teaching teams how to visualize their work. •  Coaching teams to conduct retrospectives and

adopt continuous improvement. •  Planning releases based on historical

measurements.

Moreof:

Where does Agile go from here?

The first 15 years of Agile prompted us to ask:

“Whatarealltheprac?cesweneedtoadopttobesuccessful?”

Minimum Viable Agile prompts us to ask:

“Now,whatprac?cesdowechangeordiscardtobesuccessful?”

Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile

TroyTu'leLeanAgileCoachKanFlow.comtroy@kanflow.com@troytu:le