Continuous improvementfrom the trenches
Ryan McKergow
ryanmckergow
rmckergow
elabor8
elabor8
Feel all too familiar?
Change is emotional
Mor
ale
Shock
Denial
Time
Frustration
Depression
Experiment
Decision
Integration
The Kübler-Ross change curve
What change really looks like
Refer to this blog by @pawelbrodzinski: http://bit.ly/why-we-fail-to-change
Perfo
rman
ce
Time
Start AgileTransformation
What inevitably happens...
Perfo
rman
ce
Time
Start AgileTransformation
Change agent fired
Refer to this blog by @pawelbrodzinski: http://bit.ly/why-we-fail-to-change
Kaizen vs Kaikaku
Kaizen: Japanese word for “incremental change”
or “continuous improvement”
Kaikaku:Japanese word for “radical change”
Kaizen vs Kaikaku
Refer to this blog by @pawelbrodzinski: http://bit.ly/why-we-fail-to-change
Perfo
rman
ce
Time
Start AgileTransformation
Continuous improvement is everyone’s responsibility
5 Continuous Improvement Techniquesfrom the trenches
1 Retrospectives
Remember this?
Too busy to improve on this format?
What worked well? What didn’t worked well? What’s puzzling me?
Appreciative Retrospective
past iteration
the future
strengths
successes
events
Appreciative Retrospective – In real life
Celebration Grid – Celebrate Learning!
Celebration Grid – Celebrate Learning!
Celebration Grid – Celebrate Learning!
Check out the video that we missed watching today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNkTgMUQGDE
Celebration Grid – In real life
Ready to try something new?
Retro formats to check out: • https://elabor8.com.au/retrospectives-a-fresh-look• https://elabor8.com.au/retrospectives-strike-back-new-f
ormats/• https://elabor8.com.au/team-culture-retrospective/• http://retrospectivewiki.org/index.php?title=Retrospecti
ve_Plans• http://www.funretrospectives.com/• https://jayhyett.wordpress.com/
2 Lean Coffee
How does it work?
Lean Coffee – In real life
Lean Coffee – In real life
How to setup Lean Coffee
• Find the following:People who are interestedVenue that works for the groupFrequency that works for the group
• Limit the amount of people (~8 works well for us)
• Nominate a facilitator each time• Keep track of actions
3 Team 1:1s
Team 1:1s – In real life
Team 1:1s – In real life
Leon Ryan Princy Vinh Miles
Leon 2pm 15/9 2pm 17/9
Ryan 3pm 14/9 10am 9/9 11am 10/9
Princy
Vinh 10am 12/9
Miles
Team 1:1s – In real life
My feedback
“Be careful not to be dismissive of non-Agile
approaches, particularly dismissive to people. Gain an
understanding of what are the pros & cons of all
approaches and where each is appropriate.”
(Vinh – Business Analyst)
My feedback
“Learn to stand up for yourself more
when you have a strong opinion,
especially when working with strong personalities.”
(Leon – Developer)
How to setup Team 1:1s
• Find people who are interested
• Be proactive in scheduling them
• Put thought into your feedback
• Push past the awkwardness
• Remember to say thank you
How to setup Team 1:1s
Leon Ryan Princy Vinh Miles
Leon 2pm 15/9 2pm 17/9
Ryan 3pm 14/9 10am 9/9 11am 10/9
Princy
Vinh 10am 12/9
Miles
How to setup Team 1:1s
• Find people who are interested
• Be proactive in scheduling them
• Put thought into your feedback
• Push past the awkwardness
• Remember to say thank you
4 Guilds (aka Communities of Practice)
How do they work?
Guilds – In real life – The Presenters Guild
Guilds – In real life - #guild-delivery
How to setup a Guild
• Find the people who share a common passion• Work out what works best for the Guild
- Chatting on Slack / Yammer / Skype- Regular catch ups (i.e. Lean Coffee)- Practice your skill set together
• At least 1 person driving the Guild initially• But… plan for a successor/s
Want to know more?
Check our Emily Webber’s slides from YOW! Brisbane 2016:
http://yowconference.com.au/slides/yow2016/Webber-
CommunitiesOfPractice.pdf
5 Lunch and Learns
Lunch and Learns – In real life
Lunch and Learns – In real life
Lunch and Learns – In real life
Lunch and Learns – In real life
How to setup Lunch and Learns
Gaining buy in / support:1. Get support from your team / leadership2. Look for alignment with leadership’s goals3. Identify support from withinHow to build excitement:4. Always keep promoting the Lunch and Learns5. Mix the topics to keep everyone interested6. Value community discussion
How to setup Lunch and Learns
How to maintain momentum:7. Invite speakers from outside your organisation8. Plan for successor/s Fresh perspectiveJust remember…9. It’s about helping others, it’s not about you
5 Continuous Improvement Techniques from the trenches
1. Retrospectives2. Lean Coffee3. Team 1:1s4. Guilds 5. Lunch and Learns
Continuous improvement is everyone’s responsibility
Thank youRyan McKergow
ryanmckergow
rmckergow
elabor8
elabor8