RM and UM in an agile context · Usability Challenges in Agile Projects •User-centered design can be considered ”waste” •With the lean agile teams, usability expertise could

Requirements and User-Centered Design

in an Agile Context

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Volvo IT

2009-03-27Application Development Techniques, Eva Hådding

The Volvo Group

VolvoTrucks

RenaultTrucks

MackTrucks

Volvo Aero

FinancialServices

AB VolvoBusiness Areas

Business Units

Volvo Powertrain

Volvo Parts

Volvo Logistics

Volvo Information Technology

Volvo 3P

NissanDiesel

VolvoPenta

ConstructionEquipmentBuses

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Volvo IT


Our company history

Volvo IT incorporated Fortos Management Consulting and WirelessCar2007-08

Offices established in India, China, Korea, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Turkey, Thailand, Russia, Japan, Canada and Singapore

2004-08Renault V.I./Mack Trucks integration 2001Volvo Car Corporation acquired by Ford Motor Co. 1999Formation of Volvo Information Technology 1998

Study on the future of IT at the Volvo Group – result is that IT resources stay at the Volvo Group

1996-97Office established in the US 1993Offices established in the UK and Belgium 1992-93

Volvo Data gets responsibility for data centres in Greensboro and Ghent

1991First large Data Centre building set up in Gothenburg 1972Established as Volvo Data 1967

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Volvo IT


Volvo IT milestones

Volvo IT has rolled out more than 45,000 new standardised pc clients world-wide2007

Hand-held computers introduced at Volvo2001

Volvo IT passed 1 Petabyte (1000 Terabyte) of globally installed usable online storage capacity2006

Volvo’s SAP installation is initiated 1997

First standardised global PC/LAN environment 1996

Volvo’s internet site launched 1995

Memo has 2 million users globally 1994

First customer-initiated production system launched Mid-80s

First special department for CAD/CAM established 1984

First, self-developed, email system (Memo) launched 1980

First PCs installed at Volvo 1978

First system to handle parts and product structures (today called PLM systems)

1969

Volvo’s first computer system launched making spare parts management more effective. The system is still running.

1962

First computers installed at Volvo (IBM 7070 & IBM 1401) 1961

First punch card machine at Volvo 1929

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Volvo IT


Volvo IT – Global Presence

France

Sweden

Poland Belgium

United Kingdom

USA

Malaysia

Australia

Brazil

India

China Korea

South Africa

Offshore centres

Mexico

Turkey

Russia

Thailand

Canada

Japan

Singapore

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Volvo IT


Key figures 1998/2008

Sales (msek) 2,800 8,700

Volvo Group 100% 85%Non-Volvo Group 0% 15%

Employees 2,100 5,300

Locations 12 > 35

1998 2008

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Volvo IT


Volvo IT customers

The Volvo Group

Volvo Cars

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Volvo IT


Eva Hå[email protected]

• Computational Linguistics

• System Development

• User-Interface Design & Usability

• Process and Methods Development & Implementation

• Requirements Management

• Wordwork, Astra, Ericsson, Rational, IBM, Volvo IT

• Consulting Services/Application Development Techniques

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Volvo IT


My main challenge .....

• How to make what I perceive as very simple, straight-forward logical best practice

- why not talk to the people who are going to use the system –

understood, wanted and implemented by colleagues with very different perspectives, goals and drivers...

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Volvo IT


Requirements .....

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Volvo IT


Definitions of “Requirement” by…

• RUP:A requirement describes a condition or capability to which a system must conform; either derived directly from user needs, orstated in a contract, standard, specification, or other formallyimposed document.

• UML:A desired feature, property, or behavior of a system.

• Elemer Magaziner, Project Linguistics International:Any want, need, or expectation, from an approved stakeholder, that is clear, unambiguous and testable.*

*Elemer Magaziner, Project Linguistics International

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Volvo IT


From wish to requirement

• A wish or request turns into a requirement when it isappropriately approved.

• The requirements sets the scope for the project.

A requirement specifies WHAT the system should do.

Design specifies HOW it should be constructed to realize those requirements.

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Volvo IT


Functional and Non-functional Requirements

Wikipedia:• ”...a functional requirement defines a function of a software

system or its component. A function is described as a set of inputs, the behavior, and outputs.... functional requirements specify particular results of a system.”

• ”Functional requirements are supported by non-functional requirements (also known as quality requirements), which impose constraints on the design or implementation (such as performance requirements, security, or reliability). ”

• At Volvo IT, Business Rules and Constraints/Policies are included in non-functional requirements

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Volvo IT


Why bother about Requirements?

• The most common reason for System development errors are and originates from Requirement errors or lack of Requirements

• Requirement errors are also the ones most costly to fix

• About 70% of the rework costs are referred to Requirements errors

*Boehm 1988

Finding errors in the Requirements stage means you can save costs corresponding to 200:1*

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Volvo IT


What is Requirements Management about?

• Visualize the solutionby capturing, organizing and documenting requirements on a system

• Agreement on the solutionCustomer and IT supplier agreeing on the requirements

…throughout the project!

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Volvo IT


Mainly non-functional requirements

Mainly functional requirements

The background and high-level requirements

Vision

Use-Case Model SupplementarySpecification

Requirements documentation

User Stories

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Volvo IT


Requirements Management– Basic principles

• Start early and work iteratively

• Analyze the problems and your stakeholders

• Start on a high level and then let the requirements evolve

• Don’t just document - prioritize, negotiate, set and control scope

• Expect, welcome and control change

• RM provides more information than requirements

• RM is about communication– Don’t overestimate documentation

– Work closely with the rest of the team

• Adapt RM to each project/assignment

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Volvo IT


User-Centered Design & Usability...

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Volvo IT


Plan Analysis

DesignEvaluation

The Volvo IT Usability Process

Set usability vision

Include usability tasks in project plan

Budget for usability

Research user needs

Develop task analysis

Document usability goals

Find design concepts

Develop screen flow and navigation model

Create low fidelity prototypes

Refine prototypes

Create detailed design

Validate user needs early and often

Evaluate low fidelity prototypes with users

Conduct usability testing on detailed design

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Volvo IT


Agile methods...

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Volvo IT


Agile Manifesto (2001)

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools• Working software over comprehensive documentation• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation• Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

www.agilealliance.org

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Volvo IT


Scrum Roles

• Scrum team – Self-organized - shared responsibility– Cross-functional - correct competence– Trust & respect builds commitment

• Product Owner– Responsible for the product vision, ROI and release management– Owns and maintains the Product Backlog

• Scrum Master– Protects the team– The coach - responsible for the process– Scrum Master is not the same role as Project Manager

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Volvo IT


Scrum ceremonies

• Sprint Planning Meeting

• Daily Scrum Meeting

• Sprint Retrospective

• Sprint Review Meeting

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Volvo IT


Daily Scrum meetings

• Parameters– Daily– 15-minutes– Stand-up– Not for problem solving

• Three questions:– What did you do yesterday– What will you do today?– What obstacles are in your way?

• Scrum meetings are open

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Volvo IT


Scrum

ProductBacklog

Sprint Planning

Sprint BacklogDaily Scrum

Sprint ReviewIncrement

Sprint

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Volvo IT


So What’s New with Agile Development?

• ......

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Volvo IT


Requirements in an Agile Context

• Less details, less documentation- more info kept ”in the head”

• Requirements distributed into test specifications and prototypes

• Requirements documentation does notnecessarily become system documentation

• Better communication within team and with the Product Owner

• More general team roles

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Volvo IT


Usability Challenges in Agile Projects

• User-centered design can be considered ”waste”

• With the lean agile teams, usability expertise could be considered too costly

• Stakeholders other than the Product Owner can be neglected- especially end-users!

• Hard to ”squeeze in” user testing and demos in short and intense sprints

• Early conceptual, ”get-the-whole-picture” work often missed

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Volvo IT


Advantages for Requirements and Usability in an Agile Context

• Customer focus!

• Better communication!

• Team integration!

• Prototyping drives increased usability

.... and requirements

.... and the whole development work

Requirements + Usability

= true

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Volvo IT


Documents

RM and UM in an agile context · Usability Challenges in Agile Projects •User-centered design can be considered ”waste” •With the lean agile teams, usability expertise could