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Think Fast, Act FasterAgile Ideas Applied to

Management and Leadership

Steve WilleColorful Leadershipwww.colorfulleadership.info

The cabby school, Knowledge Point, London’s largest, closing its doors blaming Uber…

• 3 years average time to learn• 12 times average to pass the

test

Fast drives out slowLow cost drives out high cost

It’s a simple issue of supply and demand.

There is an increased demand for time, but a virtually static supply of it.

And the solution to this is speed.

The Age Of SpeedVince Poscente Average

time on the Standard and Poor

500?

Fruit Flies: 10 to 18 days to live

Agile Software DevelopmentModel

Time

Cost Scope

Triple Constraints

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Time

Cost Scope

On TimeOn BudgetFull Scope

Time

Cost Scope

CommonOutcome

Time

Cost Scope

Time

Cost Scope

Time

Cost Scope

The 80/20 Principle

Achieving More With Less

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Which is the prime driver?

ScopeTime

CostFast drives out slow

Low cost drives out high cost

Sequential Random

CR

Two Perspectives on Time

Series of Restarts

Time moves forward, only

Sequential Random

View of TimeNow: total of the

past, interactive present, and seed

for the future

Discrete unites of past, present, and future Sequential Random

Ordering Ability

Patterns that are random

and three dimensional

Step-by-step linear progression of activities

Gregorc Style Delineator

Published by Gregorc Associates, Inc. Columbia, CT

Organization culture and management 

comfortSequential Random

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Example – Prepare a Presentation

Sequential• Pick topic• Do research• Write notes• Create outline• Enter text in slides• Add graphics• Practice

Random• Pick topic• Create a few slides

with text and graphics• Do research • Do a demo• Repeat• See an outline emerge• Reorder slides

Manifesto for Agile Software DevelopmentWe are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping

others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools2. Working software over comprehensive documentation3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation4. 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.

© 2001 http://agilemanifesto.org/ this declaration may be freely copied in any form, but only in its entirety through this notice.

Processes and tools

Comprehensive documentation

Contract negotiation

Following a plan

Individuals and interactions

Customer collaboration

Responding to change

While there is value in the items on the right,

People Process

Human Ingenuity

Working software

we value the items on the left more.

Manage ProcessLead People

EnableIngenuity

Get Results

We follow these principles:1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of

valuable software.2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change

for the customer's competitive advantage.3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with

a preference to the shorter timescale.4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they

need,and trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users

should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.10. Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and

adjustsits behavior accordingly.

4. Work together daily, business and developers5. Motivated, trusted individuals6. Face-to-face conversation

12. Team reflects and adjusts its behavior

2. Welcome changing requirements9. Technical excellence and good design

10. Simplicity11. Self-organizing teams

3. Deliver working softwarefrequently

7. Working software primary measure of progress

8. Maintain a constant pace indefinitely

1. Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable

software

PeopleLeadership

ProcessManagement

HumanIngenuity

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Agile Leadership

“The teams that took breaks together were 15 to 20 percent more productive than those with staggered breaks.”

Discover, March, 2014, page 30

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

Motivated Individuals

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

Face-to-face conversation

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

Retrospective

• At the end of each delivery• What to start doing, stop doing, continue doing• Owned by the team• Feelings accepted, do not have to be justified

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Retrospective

Team FeedbackLessons

LearnedRetrospective

Agile Management

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Agile Management

MVPMinimum Viable

Product

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

Minimum Viable Product

• Pick topic• Create a few slides with

text and graphics• Do research • Do a demo• Repeat• See an outline emerge• Reorder slides

MVP Presentation

Full Slice

Full Scope Requirements

MVPPhased in

Can you phase it 

in?

Minimum Viable Product

Requirements

Traditional RequirementsF.1. The user shall search customer records by:

F.1.1. Customer IDF.1.2. Customer NameF.1.3. Customer Shipping Address

F.2. The system shall display search matches by:F.2.1 ______________________

User StoryCustomer SearchAs a call center service representative I need to quickly search for an existing customer so that I can avoid creating a duplicate customer.

User Stories

As a [ …. ] I want [ …. ] so that [ …. ]• Extras:

– Acceptance Criteria– Definition of Done– Notes

• Full stack, full feature, for a person to interact with the system

User Stories

• As a brewer I want to make beer• As a brewer I want to age beer • As a brewer I want to store beer

• As a bartender I want to serve beer

• As a manager I want to track our inventory of beer • As a manager I want to track our sales of beer

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User Stories

Traditional Requirements• Scope fixed at start of the project• Formal change management process

S.M.A.R.T• Specific• Measurable• Attainable• Relevant• Time-bound

User Stories

Traditional Requirements• Scope fixed at start of the project• Formal change management process

User Stories• Ambiguous, often written by the users• Details worked out when actually

needed

Planning

• User story backlog grooming– Develop details– Near term priority user

stories

• Big picture planning– Annual, quarterly, and

as needed

Measurements

Compliance documentationPeople ProcessSatisfaction

survey

Measurements

Compliance documentation

Satisfaction survey

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Ingenuity Working Software

Problems resolved

People Process

Estimates

Story Points: Effort, Complexity, Doubt1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21

Leonardo FibonacciBorn: c. 1175, Pisa, Italy

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Sustainable

• Traditional – Intense activity surrounding key dates– Phase gates– Milestones– Go-Live

• Agile– Keep adding– Prioritize

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

Communications

• Visible• Transparent

Communications

• Short daily meeting – entire team 15 minutes maximum– Rugby scrum

• Focus on today, only.• What is behind?

– 10 days to live– Should we remove from scope?

Human Ingenuity

Self-Organizing

Wiki ManagementNobody is Faster than Everybody

Nobody is Smarter than EverybodyRod Collins

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

Human Ingenuity

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10. Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

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Agile Results

1. Our highest priorityis to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of

valuable software.

Agile Results

When are you done?• Waterfall

– when all requirements are met• Outsource

– when the contract terms are met and payment made• Agile

– when management ends it (always a backlog)

Contract met

Management says it is done

Yes

Yes

No

Start Successful Finish

Pick Method

No

Contract

Requirements

User Stories

YesRequirements Met

No What can you get done in the short time you have?

Manage ProcessLead People

EnableIngenuity

Get Results

Think Fast, Act FasterAgile Ideas Applied to

Management and Leadership

Steve WilleColorful Leadershipwww.colorfulleadership.info