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Silvia Fragola – Trainer and coach on Agile Project Management [email protected] @silviafragola May 25, 2015
Agile methodologies for innova2ve so3ware development projects
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Key points of the speech
1. Illustrating the true essence of an agile approach
2. Describing what kind of projects an agile approach best fits
3. Giving the key elements to be successfully agile
3 3
First of all
an important premise
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Agile is not about being undisciplined
Responding to change does not mean “learning by ear”
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Agile is a practice
Mature Agile frameworks require a disciplined, repeatable, process-driven approach to actively manage a “scope in fieri”
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Agile is a good practice …
FORRESTER 2012
What are the perceived benefits in your organization of using Agile?
46%
43%
38%
37%
32%
26%
19%
16%
5%
Improved quality
More opportunities for mid course corrections
Overall improved customer or business satisfaction
Better business/IT alignment
Improved time-to-market
Increased team motivation/morale
Greater predictability of results vs requirements
Greater predictability of releases
Increased maintainability
Base: 205 IT professionals – Global Agile Software Application Development Online Survey
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… but its application is often a challenge
Main “enemies” are:
§ Resistance to change
§ Lack of a global view
§ An entirely top-down or bottom-up approach
§ Best practices
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When does it worth
the effort to apply
an agile
approach?
The choice shall be
based both on
intrinsic and
extrinsic
characteristics of
the project
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Intrinsic characteristics of the project
1
Extrinsic characteristics of the project 2
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Agility: at the heart of the matter 1/2
It is a specific approach to risk management …
Building more than needed
Build lower priority items
Build right thing wrongly
Poor quality
Having the wrong resources
Discovering functional needs late
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Agility: at the heart of the matter 2/2
Predictive approach Agile approach
Source: Mike Cohn
… when there is little knowledge about the project
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Agile approach
An iterative and adaptive process where small, highly-collaborative teams work in a series of short cycles, incorporating rapid feedback, to deliver emergent
solutions, emphasizing transparency among all stakeholders
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Agile projects
“Agile projects are large projects that must be delivered rapidly, that are
research-like and mission-critical, and that have to be managed in a
turbulent business and technology environment”
Jim Highsmith
In the earlier days of agile development, smaller projects were the norm. Today companies are tackling all sizes of projects – even the very large with hundreds of people – with agile concepts and practices
Research projects are characterized by risk and uncertaninty. Research requires exploration rather than a fixed plan. Research is synonymous, at least for our purposes, with innovation. Agility is one key to achieve high levels of innovation
The pace of business has acceleratedAgile projects have changed our views about what is an objective (value, quality) and what is a constraint (time) Turbulence causes projects to acquire
research-like characteristics. Turbulence, and change caused by that turbulence, continues to be a major factor in business
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One size does not fit all
Predictive approach Agile approach
§ The final product can be
fully specified and
designed in the early
stages of the project
§ Project is structurally
complex (size, number of
interdependencies …)
§ Project needs a strict
regulatory control
§ Project presents typical
features of emergent
complexity, e.g. due to
lack of clarity of vision,
clear success criteria/
benefits, previous
experience, availability of
information …
§ Product has a significant
component of human
interaction
Combined methods
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Intrinsic characteristics of the project 1
Extrinsic characteristics of the project 2
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Project environmental factors
The whole ecosystem must think agile
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Management support
1
A partnership approach with the customer
2
An experienced
and empowered
team
3
Key (extrinsic) factors for a successfull agile experience
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Management support
Management has to clearly know risks and benefits of an agile approach
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A partnership approach with the customer
Source: Catherine Boivie, Cross-organizational collaboration: from dating to tying the knot
(Dating) pure transaction based relationship e.g. spot-buying
(Engagement) e.g. short-to-medium-term contracts
(Marriage) win-win collaborative strategic relationship e.g. long-term agreements rather than pure contracts
Senior management
support (family)
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An experienced and empowered team
Everyone is responsible, everyone has the authority
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Management support
1
A partnership approach with the customer
2
An experienced
and empowered
team
3
Key (extrinsic) factors for a successfull agile experience
Communication and transparency as enabling factors
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Take aways
Agile is not a silver bullet
Adoption of an agile approach must be carefully thought
Start small to decrease risks
Knowledge and trust are the key
Don’t make your own agile
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Our approach to agile introduction
AGILE READINESS ASSESSMENT
(on the base of intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of the
project)
DESIGN (appropriately taylor the
intervention – e.g. top down vs bottom up)
MONITOR & CONTROL (definition of KPIs to monitor
for continuous improvement)
SUPPORT (coaching activities)
“Becoming agile is not a journey into the unknown, it’s an expedition with its own
characteristics” Tim Lister
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“We can never direct a living system, only disturb it and wait to see the response … we
can’t know all the forces shaping an organization we wish to change, so all we
can do is provoke the system in some way by experimenting with a force we think ight have
some impact, then watch to see what happens”
Conclusions 1/2
Christopher Avery
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A transparent and shared view of the future is the key
Conclusions 2/2
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Any questions?
