2013 Key takeaways from 8 years scrum coaching and consulting

Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbHDr. Andreas Wintersteiger

andreas.wintersteiger@objectbay.com

Agile TransformationKey Takeaways from 8 years of Scrum

Coaching

Dr. Andreas WintersteigerObjectbay Software & Consulting GmbHandreas.wintersteiger@objectbay.com

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

I could see

SOME CHANGESin companies going on...

WORKPLACE

PEOPLE• Motivation

• Energy

• Relaxation

• Appraisals

PROCESSES

PHENOMENA• Open Source

• Crowd sourcing

• Startups as game changers

• War for Talents

OTHER

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

This is not going to work for us!

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

RESISTANCE

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But why?Let’s have a look at

where we’ve come from ...

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

Industrial Age

•Humans - manual labour

•Muscle Power

•Minor parts of brain wanted

•No creativity desired

•Management control

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

Scientific Management (1911)

• Separation of Planning and Execution

•Norming of Work

• Selection and Instruction

• Targets & Incentivation

•Multiple Levels of ManagementFrederick Winslow Taylor

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

The Age of Information

•Humans produce Information

•Humans consume Information

•We are Knowledge Workers

•Work: Leverage the Brain

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Leveraging brains?

No Download! Communication

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100 %

Economies of Scale

5x = 500 %

5x = ?

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Last Century’s Management Principles ...

NOT APPLICABLE

TO KNOWLEDGE

WORK!

SELF ORGANIZING TEAMS

LESS MANAGEMENT REQUIRED

Knowledge Work is different

• Economies of Scale: only with Teamwork

• Working together

• Communication is KEY

• Demand controlled management of workload (PULL)

• Process Ownership, Instant ProcessesFrom Management to

Facilitation

Motivation• Autonomy

• Mastery

• Purpose

Dan Pink - The surprising truth about what motivates us

You think Agile is just another PROCESS?

WRONG!

It a visible Sign of a

much bigger

phenomenon!

© 2012 Objectbay Software & Consulting GmbH

The WORKPLACERevolution

Biggest Blockages in Agile Transformations

seen so far ...• Self Organization not allowed

• Organizational & Management Structures can’t be changed

• Communication Structures

• Transparency not wanted

• Certified Processes established & must-been-followed

• Low Standards Attitude

Is Agile the root cause?

No!

OUR SOCIETY TRANSFORMS

INTO INFORMATION AGE!

Agile TransformationEstablishing a Vision

Dr. Andreas WintersteigerObjectbay Software & Consulting GmbHandreas.wintersteiger@objectbay.com

Starting at the Team Level

• Self-organizing Scrum Teams

• cross-functional

• Scrum Master as Team Coach

• Transparency

• Inspection & Adaption

• Process Ownership

• Quality Attitude

• Empowerment

• Trust

• Learning

• Reliable Deliveries

• Less Defects

• Better Architecture

Team Coaching intensity

get the team ready to start

get the team trainedand started

get the team confident let the team do itlet the team do it alone.

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1 2 3 4 5 6

Start with pioneer teams

• Trailblazers showcase, win & create more demand

• Do not go halfway, keep improving

• Keep touch base

• Do not create heavyweight processes & structure

• Trust the team and show you do!

Scale one level at a time

Product Owners define success

• Feature Backlog

• P.O.s form a Scrum Team

• and need a Scrum Master, too!

• P.O.’s have their Meetings

• ... and they ship the product

Each P.O. is in two “teams”

Feature Backlog• Bad: Layer Teams

• Better: Component Teams

• Tricky: Platform Teams

• Best: Feature Teams

Dependency Management

Communities of Practice

Scrum Of Scrums

The Big Picture

Agile Transition Team

• Organizational Impediments become highly visible

• “Scrum Master Force” - Agents for the change

• Organizational Change controlled by Management

• Strategy

• Transition Backlog to drive change

Transition Team• Setup and made up of Senior Management

• Define Vision and Strategy

• Drive the Change

• Act on organizational Problems surfacing through Scrum

• HACK THE CORPORATE CULTURE

• Fearless Change (John Kotter)

Impressions seen• Lack of Stakeholder Involvement

• Technical Skills & Expertise at Team Level

• Continuous Integration

• Test Automation

• Quality Attitude

• Teamwork, Lonely Warriors and Communication issues

• “Disturbance from Production”

• No Collective Ownership, Responsibility

• Bollywood Scrum

• Waterfall Sprints

• Late Acceptance

• No Release Cadence

Quick Fixes• Ensure Stakeholder/Management Involvement

• Team Level Intensive Care, Principles over Practices

• Empowerment on Team Level, Coaching, Transparency

• Agile Transition and Rollout Team

• Company Heartbeat: Synchronized Sprints

• Surface and manage Dependencies: Scrum Of Scrums

• Release Cadence: Agile Release Train

• Technical Excellence: Agile Developer Skills / Agile Engineering Practices

• Manage Culture Hacking